When Should I Use Prepared Statements with Go's `db.Exec()` and `db.Query()`?

Why Even Use Prepared Statements in Golang?

db.Exec() vs. db.Query()

The Go database/sql package provides two methods for executing SQL queries: db.Exec() and db.Query(). While both methods can execute arbitrary SQL statements, they differ in the type of result they return.

db.Exec() is designed for operations that do not return rows, such as INSERT, DELETE, and UPDATE. It returns a Result object that provides information about the number of affected rows or any errors that occurred during execution.

db.Query(), on the other hand, is used for queries that return rows of data. It returns a Rows object that can be iterated over to access the returned rows.

Advantages of db.Exec()

Even though db.Query() supports prepared statements, there are cases where using db.Exec() offers specific advantages:

• Simplicity: db.Exec() is a simpler method to use when you only need to execute a non-row-returning query and do not need to process the returned rows.
• Performance: For INSERT, DELETE, and UPDATE operations, db.Exec() can provide better performance as it does not incur the overhead of managing and iterating over returned rows.
• Row Count: db.Exec() provides a more convenient way to retrieve the number of affected rows through the Result object's RowsAffected() method.

Prepared Statement Optimization

Despite the advantages of db.Exec(), there are scenarios where prepared statements can offer performance benefits:

• Repeated Queries: If you need to execute the same query multiple times with different parameters, using prepared statements can significantly improve performance compared to repeatedly calling db.Query().
• Complex Queries: For complex queries that involve多个子句, prepared statements can help optimize the execution plan by caching the query structure.

However, it's important to note that prepared statements come with their own overhead, such as the need to explicitly prepare the statement before execution. Therefore, it's essential to weigh the pros and cons of using prepared statements based on the specific requirements of your application.

The above is the detailed content of When Should I Use Prepared Statements with Go's `db.Exec()` and `db.Query()`?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!