What is the difference between error and exception in Go?

Question

Accepted Answer

**error** — value, explicit handling. **Exception** — not in Go (use panic/recover).

**error:**
- Interface (Error() method).
- Returned as value.
- Explicit handling.
- No stack trace by default.

```go
func ReadFile(path string) ([]byte, error) {
    data, err := os.ReadFile(path)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err  // Return error
    }
    return data, nil
}
```

**Exception (not in Go):**
- Thrown and caught.
- Implicit propagation.
- Stack trace.
- Try-catch blocks.

**Go philosophy:**
- Errors are values.
- Explicit is better than implicit.
- Handle errors where they occur.

**Custom errors:**
```go
type ValidationError struct {
    Field string
    Message string
}

func (e *ValidationError) Error() string {
    return fmt.Sprintf("%s: %s", e.Field, e.Message)
}
```

Go: What is the difference between error and exception in Go?