Circular dependency

As explained in Go in Action, Second Edition

A circular dependency is a dependency cycle in which packages or modules depend on one another directly or through an intermediate chain.

A circular dependency is a package dependency cycle: package A imports package B while B directly or indirectly imports A. Go rejects the arrangement at compile time, encouraging clear dependency direction and separation of concerns. section 11.1.1

Use package organization to avoid dependency cycles:

• Separate concerns so dependencies remain understandable and maintainable. section 11.1.1
• Place shared libraries separately from executables, with cmd commonly containing distinct main packages. section 11.1.1
• Keep implementation details in internal packages when they should not be imported externally. section 11.1.1

Figure 11.2 Complete directory structure for go-news with domain, storage, API, and worker modules

Browse a complete project layout showing domain, storage, API, and worker modules arranged across packages. section 11.1.1

How Go in Action, Second Edition covers it

How deep it goes

Defines direct and indirect cycles and compiler rejection, but gives no code-level refactoring procedure.

Examples

Uses package A and B dependency cycles plus a directory structure containing domain, storage, API, and worker modules.

What you can do after

Diagnose compiler-rejected package cycles and organize executables, shared libraries, and internal implementation packages.

How it connects

Connects packages with imports, dependency direction, separation of concerns, and project organization.

liveBookmanning.com

Read Go in Action, Second Edition on liveBook Get the book at manning.com

Also explained in

• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  100 Java Mistakes and How to Avoid ThemA circular dependency is a dependency cycle in which class initialization directly or indirectly requires initialization of a class that depends back on the original class.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Go by ExampleAn import cycle is a circular dependency among Go packages that prevents the package import graph from being acyclic.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  AI-Powered Developer: Build software with ChatGPT and CopilotA circular dependency is a dependency relationship in which two or more modules or components depend on one another directly or through an intermediate dependency.
• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Terraform in Depth: Infrastructure as Code with Terraform and OpenTofuA circular dependency is a dependency relationship in which a chain of resources forms a closed cycle, causing each resource to depend directly or indirectly on another resource in the same chain.

Compare how 5 books explain circular dependency →

Related concepts

• deadlockproduces · A deadlock is a state in concurrent execution where two or more activities are indefinitely blocked by dependencies on resources, events, or progress that cannot become available.
• directed acyclic graphcontrasts with · A directed acyclic graph is a graph with directed edges and no directed cycles.
• forwardRefaddressed by · forwardRef is an API mechanism for referring to or forwarding a reference to a value or component that may be defined later.
• multi-tier applicationaddressed by · A multi-tier application is an application organized into distinct tiers that separate responsibilities and interact through defined dependencies or interfaces.
• compile-time errorproduces · A compile-time error is a diagnostic failure detected during compilation or compile-time checking that prevents source code from compiling successfully.
• Gocontrasts with · Go is a statically typed, compiled, garbage-collected programming language with built-in support for concurrency.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of Go in Action, Second Edition. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.