In this article, we will see how to create an alias for a type in Golang and the benefits it provides.

In Golang, it is possible to create an alias for a type. This is useful when you want to simplify the name of a type or to make your code more readable.

Creating an alias

To create an alias for a type in Golang, we use the type keyword followed by the new name we want to give to the type and the original type.

Here is an example:

type MyInt int

In this example, we created an alias called MyInt for the int type. We can now use MyInt instead of int in our code.

Let’s write a simple program with MyInt to get more understanding about the aliasing.

package main

import "fmt"

type MyInt int

func main() {
    var i MyInt = 10
    fmt.Printf("i is of type %T and has a value of %d\n", i, i)
}

Output

i is of type main.MyInt and has a value of 10

In the above example, we declared a variable i of type MyInt and assigned it the value 10. We then printed the type and value of i.

As you can see, the type of i is main.MyInt which is the alias we created for the int type.

Benefits of creating alias:

There are several benefits in creating an alias for the type:

Simplifies the Name of a Type

When a type has a long name or is difficult to pronounce, creating an alias can simplify its name and make the code more readable.

Enhances Code Readability

Aliases can also make the code more readable by providing a meaningful name for a type that is easier to understand.

Enables Type Abstraction

Aliases can also enable type abstraction. When you create an alias for a type, you can use the alias instead of the original type throughout your codebase. If you need to change the type later, you can simply update the alias without having to change the code that uses it.