Classes

Go technically does not have classes, but there are only a few subtle distinctions that keep it from being called an object-oriented language. Conceptually, I do consider it an object-oriented programming language, though it only supports the most basic features of an object-oriented language. It does not come with all of the features many people have come to associate with object-oriented programming, such as inheritance and polymorphism, which are replaced with other features such as embedded types and interfaces. Perhaps you could call it a microclass system, because it is a minimalistic implementation with none of the extra features or baggage, depending on your perspective.

Throughout this book, the terms object and class may be used to illustrate a point using familiar terms, but be aware that these are not formal terms in Go. A type definition in combination with the functions that operate on that type are like the class, and the object is an instance of a type.