Was researching Go project layouts. Found an interesting debate about golang-standards/project-layout.

The Repository

golang-standards/project-layout is a popular repo showing a “standard” Go project structure with /cmd, /pkg, /internal, etc.

Problem: It’s not actually a standard. Just one person’s opinion.

The Debate

Issue #117 discusses concerns:

• Misleading name (not endorsed by Go team)
• Overly complex for most projects
• Cargo-cult adoption without understanding

Many developers copy this structure blindly, thinking it’s official.

What Go Actually Recommends

From the Go team: Keep it simple.

Eli Bendersky’s simple Go project layout:

myproject/
  main.go           # or cmd/myapp/main.go if multiple binaries
  handler.go
  handler_test.go
  go.mod

That’s it. Add directories as you need them.

When to Add Structure

Small project:

myproject/
  main.go
  user.go
  post.go

Multiple binaries:

myproject/
  cmd/
    server/main.go
    worker/main.go
  internal/
    user.go
    post.go

Large project: Add /internal, /pkg, /api as needed. But start simple.

Lesson

Don’t cargo-cult project structures. Start minimal, add complexity only when necessary.

The “standard” layout works for large teams and complex projects. For most projects, it’s overkill.