Slices in Go

Slices are the primary way to work with sequences of data in Go. Unlike arrays, slices are dynamically sized and act as a view into an underlying array.

Syntax

A slice literal looks like an array literal but without the size.

mySlice := []int{1, 2, 3}

Slicing an Array

You can create a slice by “slicing” an existing array or slice using the [low:high] syntax.

primes := [6]int{2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13}
mySlice := primes[1:4] // {3, 5, 7}

• low: Inclusive (defaults to 0).
• high: Exclusive (defaults to length).

Characteristics

• References: Slices hold references to an underlying array. Modifying a slice element changes the underlying array.
• Nil Slices: The zero value of a slice is nil. A nil slice has no underlying array.