Go: What is the difference between context.WithCancel and context.WithTimeout?

WithCancel — manual cancellation. WithTimeout — automatic after duration.

WithCancel:

• Manual control.
• Cancel when needed.

1ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
2
3// Cancel when condition met
4if errorOccurred {
5    cancel()
6}

WithTimeout:

• Automatic cancellation.
• After time expires.

1// Auto-cancel after 5 seconds
2ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 5*time.Second)
3defer cancel()

Key difference:

• WithCancel — manual.
• WithTimeout — automatic.

Use cases:

• WithCancel — user cancellation, error handling.
• WithTimeout — network requests, time limits.