Go 1 20
Overview
Go 1.20 introduces Profile-Guided Optimization (PGO) as a preview feature, along with coverage improvements and better error handling. Released in February 2023, this release focuses on performance and testing capabilities.
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flowchart TD
A[Go 1.20 Release<br/>February 2023] --> B[PGO Support<br/>Profile-Guided Optimization]
A --> C[Coverage Improvements<br/>Better Testing]
A --> D[Error Wrapping<br/>Enhanced Errors]
A --> E[Slice to Array<br/>Conversions]
B --> B1[Build Optimization<br/>Production Profiles]
B --> B2[Performance Gains<br/>5-15% Faster]
C --> C1[Coverage for Tests<br/>Detailed Reports]
D --> D1[errors.Join<br/>Multiple Errors]
E --> E1[Zero-Copy Conversion<br/>[]byte to [N]byte]
style A fill:#0173B2,color:#fff
style B fill:#DE8F05,color:#fff
style C fill:#029E73,color:#fff
style D fill:#CC78BC,color:#fff
style E fill:#0173B2,color:#fff
Key Features
Profile-Guided Optimization (Preview)
Optimize builds using runtime profiles:
# Collect profile
go test -cpuprofile=cpu.prof
# Build with PGO
go build -pgo=cpu.profEnhanced Error Handling
Join multiple errors:
err1 := errors.New("first error")
err2 := errors.New("second error")
combined := errors.Join(err1, err2)Slice to Array Conversions
Zero-copy conversions:
slice := []byte("hello")
array := [5]byte(slice) // Conversion supportedBreaking Changes
Consult the official Go 1.20 documentation for detailed breaking changes and migration guidance.
References
Last Updated: 2026-02-04 Go Version: 1.18+ (baseline), 1.25.x (latest stable)
Last updated