New Go Tools You Should Know: Level Up Your Development!

Hey Gophers! 👋 Ever feel like your Go toolkit could use a refresh? Today, we’re spotlighting five new (or newly updated) tools that can seriously upgrade your workflow—whether you’re building AI apps, squeezing out performance, or diving into embedded systems. Let’s jump in!

1️⃣ redis/go-redis v9.10.0 (Vector Sets)

What it is: The popular Redis client for Go, now with experimental vector set support.
Why it’s cool: Unlock AI/ML superpowers in Redis! Store and query vector embeddings (think: semantic search, recommendation engines) without leaving your Go app.
Simple use case:

// Store & query vectors  
client.Do(ctx, "VSET", "user_embeddings", "id123", []float32{0.1, 0.8, -0.2})  
result := client.Do(ctx, "VSEARCH", "user_embeddings", "K=5", "VECTOR", queryVector)  

2️⃣ gorse-io/goat

What it is: A Go assembly transpiler that converts C code to Go assembly.
Why it’s cool: Turbocharge performance-critical code by leveraging C’s optimizations (like SIMD instructions) in Go.
Simple use case:

goat -i optimized.c -o optimized_amd64.s # Transpile C to Go assembly  

Then call it from Go:

// Go wrapper  
func FastMatrixMul(a, b []float64) []float64 { ... }  

Ideal for: Math-heavy workloads (e.g., data processing) 🚀

3️⃣ hybridgroup/tinygo-tkey

What it is: A library for programming the Tillitis TKey-1 (open-source USB security key) using TinyGo.
Why it’s cool: Build ultra-secure embedded apps with Go—think hardware-backed auth or cryptographic tools.
Simple use case:

import "github.com/hybridgroup/tinygo-tkey"  
func main() {  
    tkey.BlueLEDOn()  // Control hardware directly!  
    // Sign data with the key’s secure enclave  
    signature := tkey.Sign([]byte("LOCK"))  
} 

Great for: DIY security keys or hardware-bound secrets 🔒

4️⃣ BrownNPC/Raylib-Go-Wasm

What it is: Raylib bindings for Go + WebAssembly.
Why it’s cool: Build 2D games or visualizations in Go and run them in the browser.
Simple use case:

import rl "github.com/BrownNPC/Raylib-Go-Wasm/raylib"  
func main() {  
    rl.InitWindow(800, 600, "Go in Browser!")  
    for !rl.WindowShouldClose() {  
        rl.DrawText("Hello, WASM!", 100, 100, 20, rl.Black)  
    }  
}  

Build: Web-based games, interactive demos, or data viz 🎮

5️⃣ asdf-vm/asdf

What it is: A multi-language version manager (not Go-specific, but a lifesaver for Gophers).
Why it’s cool: Switch between Go versions (or Node/Python/Ruby) per-project with one command.
Simple use case:

asdf plugin-add golang  
asdf install golang 1.22.1  
asdf local golang 1.22.1  # Sets version for current project  

No more: go version conflicts across projects! ✨

Wrapping Up

These tools open doors to new domains (AI, embedded, gaming), boost performance, and simplify workflows. Try one in your next project:

Store vectors with go-redis/v9 → GitHub

Optimize C code with goat → GitHub

Hack hardware with tinygo-tkey → GitHub

Build WASM games with Raylib-Go-Wasm → GitHub

Manage versions with asdf → GitHub

Go explore—and level up your 2024 code! 🚀

Cover image via GopherCon. Tools sourced from Go Weekly.

What’s your favorite new tool? Share below! 👇