Gin
Production-grade Gin (Go) web framework development — build robust APIs and web apps without common pitfalls.
Resources
14Install
npx skillscat add clawvpsai/gin-skill Install via the SkillsCat registry.
SKILL.md
Navigation
| Topic | File | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Router, routing groups, middleware | routing.md |
Any endpoint setup |
| HTTP methods, JSON binding, validation, WebSockets | handlers.md |
Building endpoints |
| JSON, XML, YAML, streaming responses | responses.md |
API response patterns |
| JWT, session, bcrypt, auth middleware | auth.md |
User auth & permissions |
| MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, GORM, migrations | database.md + migrations.md |
Data access |
| Structured logging, middleware, recovery | middleware.md |
Cross-cutting concerns |
| Goroutines, sync.WaitGroup, context | concurrency.md |
Parallel processing |
| Context propagation, cancellation, values | context.md |
Context usage |
| File uploads, multipart, S3, presigned URLs | file-uploads.md |
Media handling |
| Deployment, Docker, systemd, signals | deployment.md |
Going live |
| Unit tests, httptest, mocking | testing.md |
Test-driven dev |
| Security headers, CORS, rate limiting | security.md |
Hardening |
| Go module versioning, best practices | versions.md |
Version management |
Critical Rules (Never Forget)
context.Contextis mandatory — pass it through every function that does I/O- Never spawn goroutines without
sync.WaitGroupor context cancellation - Check errors always —
if err != nil { return err }— not optional gin.H{}is justmap[string]interface{}— no magic, no hidden behavior- Route order matters — first match wins, put specific routes BEFORE generic ones
- Binding tags use
binding:""notvalidate:""— Gin usesgo-playground/validatorinternally but setsSetTagName("binding")(notvalidate) as the struct tag name c.Next()in middleware — call it to execute downstream handlers- Abort early with
c.AbortWithStatusJSON()when auth fails - Use
c.Copy()if you need to access context after async work - Environment variables — use
os.Getenv()orviper/envconfig, never hardcode
Go Version Defaults
- Go 1.26 (current stable — 2026)
- Gin v1.12 (latest — HTTP/3 support, Protocol Buffers, BSON render)
- Go modules — always use
go mod initandgo.mod - nil pointer checks — always check before dereferencing
Pro Tips
gin.Default()includes Logger and Recovery middleware — use it in devgin.New()is minimal — add only the middleware you need in production- Use
c.Paramsto get path parameters — don't parse URLs manually c.GetHeader("X-Request-ID")to read request headersgin.Mode()to set mode:gin.DebugMode,gin.ReleaseMode,gin.TestMode- Use
httptest.NewRecorderfor testing handlers without a real server
Start with routing.md for most common Gin work.