What is a goroutine? How do you stop it?

Golang - Interview Questions

A goroutine is a function or method that executes concurrently alongside any other goroutines using a special goroutine thread. Goroutine threads are more lightweight than standard threads, with most Golang programs using thousands of goroutines at once.

To create a goroutine, add the go keyword before the function declaration.

go f(x, y, z)

You can stop a goroutine by sending it a signal channel. Goroutines can only respond to signals if told to check, so you’ll need to include checks in logical places such as at the top of your for loop.

package main
func main() {
  quit := make(chan bool)
  go func() {
    for {
        select {
        case <-quit:
            return
        default:
            // …
        }
  }
}()
// …
quit <- true
}