You’ve likely seen the links. You’re digging through a GitHub repository, or maybe you’re just trying to figure out why a specific function in a Go library isn’t behaving the way you expected, and there it is—a link to pkg.go.dev or the older godoc.org. This is the heart of getting go the go doc project into your daily workflow. It isn't just a website. It’s a philosophy.
The Go community decided early on that documentation shouldn't be an afterthought. It shouldn't be a dusty PDF buried in a "docs" folder that no one has updated since 2019. Instead, they built a system where the code is the documentation. If you write the code correctly, the documentation generates itself. It’s elegant. It’s also occasionally frustrating if you don’t know how the parser actually looks at your comments.
Honestly, the "Go Doc Project" transitioned significantly when Google moved the primary hosting from the original GoDoc to the newer Package Discovery hub. This wasn't just a UI facelift. It changed how we discover packages. It changed how we evaluate whether a library is actually "production-ready" or just a weekend hobby project that's going to break our build in six months.
The Shift From Godoc to Pkg.go.dev
For years, godoc was the command we all ran locally. You'd type godoc -http=:6060 and suddenly your browser was a portal into your local source code. It was fast. It was ugly. We loved it. But as the Go ecosystem exploded, we needed something more centralized.
The "Go Doc Project" evolved because developers needed to see more than just function signatures. We needed to see license types. We needed to see how many other projects were importing a specific module. We needed to know if a version was deprecated before we committed to using it in a microservice.
Google launched pkg.go.dev to handle this. Some people hated it at first. Change is hard. But the reality is that the new system is much better at surfacing the "Go-ness" of a project. It enforces a certain standard of quality. If your documentation looks like a mess on the public doc site, people assume your code is a mess, too. It’s a harsh reality of the open-source world.
Why Your Comments Actually Matter Now
In many languages, comments are just for humans. In Go, comments are for the parser. This is the core of getting go the go doc project right. If you have a function called FetchData, your comment needs to start with FetchData. It sounds pedantic. It is. But that’s how the tool links the prose to the logic.
Formatting Secrets Most People Miss
Don't use fancy Markdown in your Go doc comments. It won't work. The parser is looking for specific patterns. If you want a code block, you indent it. That’s it. No triple backticks. If you want a heading, you just write a single line that isn't followed by a period and is separated by a blank line.
- Indent for code examples.
- Keep the first sentence short. It becomes the summary.
- Link to other types by just typing their names.
Actually, the "Summary" part is where most people fail. When you're looking at a list of functions in a package, the Go doc tool grabs that very first sentence. If your first sentence is "This is a really cool function that I wrote while I was caffeinated on a Tuesday," that’s what shows up in the index. It’s useless. Use the standard: FunctionName does X.
The Local Development Loop
You shouldn't wait until you push to GitHub to see how your docs look. That’s a rookie move. You can still run a local doc server, or better yet, use the VS Code Go extension which renders these things on the fly.
The command line tool go doc (no 'k') is your best friend here. If you want to know how io.Reader works without leaving your terminal, you just type go doc io.Reader. It’s instantaneous. No web browser required. No distractions. Just the facts. This is the "Go Doc Project" at its most efficient.
Real World Example: The "Doc" Bug
I remember working on a legacy project where the original author had written pages of documentation in a separate Wiki. The code had changed five times since then. The Wiki was a lie. We spent three days debugging a "feature" that had been removed two years prior because the documentation said it still existed.
If they had been getting go the go doc project principles right, that never would have happened. The documentation would have been right above the function. When the function was deleted, the documentation would have vanished with it. This is why "Documentation as Code" isn't just a buzzword in the Go community—it’s a survival strategy.
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Modern Features You Should Use
The current iteration of the Go documentation tools supports "Examples." These aren't just snippets. They are actual test files—usually named example_test.go.
When you write an Example() function, the Go doc tool doesn't just display it as text. It actually runs the code (if you're on the web UI) and shows the output. It verifies that the example actually works. If your example code is broken, your documentation is broken. This creates a feedback loop that forces you to keep your snippets up to date.
- Write a function in a
_test.gofile starting withExample. - Add a comment at the bottom that says
// Output: [what you expect]. - The doc tool picks it up and renders a "Play" button.
The Controversy of "Internal" Packages
One thing that confuses newcomers to the Go Doc Project is why some of their code doesn't show up. If you put your code in a directory called internal, the public doc sites won't index it for everyone else.
This is intentional. It’s a signal. It says, "You can look at this code, but don't you dare import it because I might change it tomorrow." The doc tool respects these boundaries. It forces a clean API surface. If you want it documented for the world, it has to be public and exported.
How to Audit Your Documentation
If you're serious about your project's reputation, you need to go beyond just writing comments. You need to see how the "Discovery" algorithm views you. Go to pkg.go.dev/badge/ and see what your score is.
Does your project have a clear license? Does it have a go.mod file? Does it have tagged releases? These are the metadata points that the Go Doc Project uses to rank you. If you're missing a license file, the site might refuse to show your documentation altogether to avoid legal issues.
Actionable Steps to Master Your Documentation
Stop thinking about documentation as a task for the end of the sprint. It’s part of the signature.
First, fix your exported names. If a variable is exported (starts with a capital letter), it must have a comment. If it doesn't need a comment, it probably shouldn't be exported. This simple rule will clean up your API faster than any refactoring tool.
Second, use the "Examples" feature. One good example is worth a thousand words of explanation. Show, don't tell. If your package is complex, create a doc.go file. This is a file that contains nothing but a package-level comment. It serves as the "Readme" for your package within the Go doc ecosystem.
Third, check your links. The Go doc tool automatically turns URLs into clickable links. It also links to other packages. If you mention http.Client, it will link directly to the net/http documentation. Use this to provide context without duplicating information.
Finally, run a local viewer. Before you tag a release, look at your package through the eyes of a user. Use pkgsite (the modern replacement for the old godoc tool) to preview exactly how it will look on the official site. If it looks cluttered or confusing to you, it will be a nightmare for your users.
Documentation is the UI of your library. If the UI is bad, nobody will use the product, no matter how fast the backend is. The Go Doc Project gives you all the tools to build a great UI—you just have to actually use them.
Start by going through your most popular package today. Look at the top three exported functions. If their comments don't start with the function name, fix them. It's a five-minute change that makes you look like a much more professional developer.