Strings vs. []byte in Go: When Should You Use Which?

Delving into the Differences Between Strings and []byte in Go

In Go, strings and []byte are two distinct types that offer different functionalities.

Converting Between Types

These types can be interconverted effortlessly:

• Converting a string to a []byte yields an array of bytes constituting the string.
• Converting a []byte to a string produces a string composed of the elements in the byte array.

When to Use Which

The choice between a string and a []byte depends on your specific requirements:

Strings:

• Immutable and shareable, ensuring their integrity.
• Useful when string manipulation, concatenation, and comparisons are the primary concerns.

[]byte:

• Mutable, allowing modification of their content.
• Ideal for efficient I/O operations, as they can be written directly into io.Writer objects.
• Can be more memory-efficient than strings if you need to convert them frequently to []byte.

Strings as Read-Only Byte Slices

As indicated in the Go blog on "Arrays, slices (and strings)", strings are essentially immutable byte slices with additional language support. This means strings provide the flexibility of byte manipulation while remaining immutable, making them suitable for sharing.

Byte Slices for I/O and Performance

Byte slices are recommended for I/O operations, as many libraries and functions expect byte arrays as input or output. Additionally, storing data as []byte can enhance performance when frequent conversions between strings and bytes are necessary.

Example with Byte Value

The example code:

bb := []byte{'h','e','l','l','o',127}
ss := string(bb)
fmt.Println(ss)

Produces the output "hello", excluding the byte value 127. This is because 127 represents a non-printable character on most platforms. To include it, you can decode the byte value before adding it to the slice.

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