Go Starter

Go Starter is a boilerplate template for deploying Go applications to Vercel with zero configuration, using only the Go standard library's net/http package. It is a Boilerplate category template that takes Go source code as input and produces a live web server on Vercel's global edge network, maintained by Vercel in their examples repository on GitHub.

What is Go Starter?

Go Starter is a minimal Go web server template designed specifically for deployment to Vercel. It uses only the standard library's net/http package, meaning there are no external dependencies or frameworks to configure. The template includes a cmd/server directory with the main server code, a live example at https://vercel-plus-go.labs.vercel.dev/, and official Vercel deployment documentation. It is part of the Vercel examples repository, so it is maintained by Vercel and designed to work seamlessly with the Vercel platform.

Key Features

• Zero configuration deployment — Deploy the project to Vercel with a single command, vercel --prod, or by connecting a Git repository to Vercel's git integration.
• Standard library only — Uses only net/http from the Go standard library, with no third-party packages, so builds are fast and secure.
• Live example — A working demo is hosted at https://vercel-plus-go.labs.vercel.dev/, showing the template in production.
• Simple project structure — The source code lives in cmd/server, and the build command is go build ./cmd/server, making it easy to understand and modify.
• Local development — Run go run ./cmd/server to start a development server on http://localhost:3000, with the caveat that you must restart the server after code changes.
• Git integration — The template supports standard Vercel deployments via git push, leveraging Vercel's automatic deployment system.
• Open source — The source code is available in the Vercel examples repository on GitHub, allowing forking and customization.

Who is it for?

• Go developers who want to deploy a simple web service or API to Vercel without learning a serverless framework — just write Go code and deploy.
• Developers learning Go who need a minimal working example of an HTTP server using the standard library, with clear local and production deployment instructions.
• Teams building microservices who prefer a lightweight, dependency-free service that can be deployed globally on Vercel's edge network.
• Hobbyists prototyping who want to get a Go web server online quickly and iterate, using the included live example as a reference.

What can you do with Go Starter?

• Deploy a JSON API — Write handler functions in the cmd/server directory to serve JSON responses, and deploy to Vercel without configuring a server framework.
• Serve a static website — Use the standard library's file server capabilities to serve static files alongside the Go backend.
• Build a webhook receiver — Set up HTTP handlers to receive webhooks or form submissions, relying on Vercel's managed infrastructure for scaling.
• Test Vercel's Go support — Use this template as a reference to understand how Go applications are detected and deployed on Vercel, including any platform-specific behaviors.

How does Go Starter work?

The workflow is straightforward. First, clone or create the template from the Vercel examples repository. Install Go if you don't have it, then build locally with go build ./cmd/server. To run locally, use go run ./cmd/server and visit http://localhost:3000 — restart the server after editing code to see changes. For production, install the Vercel CLI with npm install -g vercel, then run vercel --prod from the project directory. Alternatively, push the repository to GitHub and connect it via Vercel's git integration for automatic deployments.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• No dependencies beyond the Go standard library, minimizing security risks and build times.
• True zero-config deployment — no vercel.json or special build commands are mentioned in the README.
• Backed by Vercel's official examples, ensuring compatibility with the platform.
• Free template with a live demo to see the end result.

Cons:

• Lacks built-in routing, middleware, or templating; you must implement these with the standard library or add your own dependencies.
• No hot reload during local development — you must manually restart the server after each change.
• The template is minimal by design, so it does not include Mongo, SQL, or other common database integrations.

FAQ

What is included in the Go Starter template?

The template includes a Go project with a cmd/server directory containing the main server code, a README, and a go.mod file for dependency management. The server uses only the net/http package from the Go standard library, so there are no external imports.

How do I run this Go project locally?

Install Go from go.dev, then run go run ./cmd/server from the project root. This starts a development server on http://localhost:3000. After editing code, restart the server to apply changes.

How do I deploy this template to Vercel?

The simplest method is to install the Vercel CLI with npm install -g vercel, then run vercel --prod in the project directory. You can also push the repository to GitHub and import it in the Vercel dashboard using git integration.

Does this template use any third-party Go libraries?

No. The template relies exclusively on the Go standard library, specifically the net/http package, to create the web server. This keeps the project lightweight and free of external dependencies.

Is there a live example I can visit?

Yes, the template includes a live example hosted at https://vercel-plus-go.labs.vercel.dev/. You can visit it to see the deployed result before building your own version.