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go · brace tracking · tab indent · live

Format Go with brace tracking

A lightweight in-browser Go indenter — tracks braces and emits tabs, the way gofmt does. For production code use the real gofmt; for quick cleanup, this runs locally.

Go Formatter
Input
121 B
4 lines
Output
122 B
5 lines
Status
ready
live
Ratio
1.01×
out/in
input · go source
output · formatted go
package main
import "fmt"
type User struct{ID int;Name string}
func main(){u:=User{1,"Alice"};fmt.Printf("user %+v\n",u)}
Quick Start

How to format Go in the browser

Real gofmt is a Go binary — not browser-friendly. This tool tracks { } ( ) depth, strips trailing whitespace, and renders tab indentation.

  1. 01

    Paste Go code

    Anywhere from a one-line snippet to a full package.

    Parsing runs through Prettier’s standalone bundle (or the language-specific equivalent) loaded lazily — no parser ships until the tool is opened.

    goPrettierASTstandalonelazy
    input · sourceraw · AST
    package main
    loaded · parsedAST · ready
  2. 02

    Pick tab depth

    How many tab characters per indent level — most Go code uses 1.

    Indent width, tab style, and print-width re-format through a memoised pass — switching 2 → 4 spaces never re-parses, only re-prints.

    optionsindentprint-widthmemoisedlive
    opts · optionstabs · live
    tabs = 1
    options applied · livelive
  3. 03

    Inspect result

    Braces and parens drive indent. String contents are skipped so escapes stay safe.

    The formatter is deterministic and idempotent: running it twice produces byte-identical output, which keeps diffs and git noise to a minimum.

    liveidempotentdeterministicdiff-cleanstable
    out · formattedindented · ready
    func f() {
	return
}
    formatted · liveidempotent
  4. 04

    Copy or download

    Drop into a file or paste into your editor — input never leaves the browser.

    Download writes a Blob with the language-appropriate extension; copy uses navigator.clipboard.writeText so the output preserves all whitespace exactly.

    exportclipboardbloblanguage MIMEclient-side
    ok · copiedready · done
    ✓ Copied
    shipped · ready to shipsuccess
Pro tips

Formatting tips that keep diffs sane

Pick one config and pin it

Inconsistent formatting causes diff churn. Commit .prettierrc / .editorconfig and enforce in CI.

Format on save

Editor integration is faster feedback than a pre-commit hook. Use both for belt-and-braces.

Idempotency matters

Running the formatter twice should produce identical output. Test this on a representative file.

Match the language community

Default to community conventions: 2 spaces for JS/CSS, 4 for Python, tabs for Go. Fights over indent are a productivity tax.

Print-width drives wrapping

80, 100, and 120 are the common targets. Wider lines parse fast but review slower side-by-side.

Don’t mix formatters and linters

Prettier handles whitespace; ESLint handles correctness. Disable overlapping rules to avoid fight-club configs.

Related toolsRust FormatterC FormatterC++ FormatterJava FormatterKotlin FormatterSwift Formatter
Use Cases

When to format Go quickly

One-off snippets, shared code, blog examples.

Snippet cleanup

Format code copied from gists or Stack Overflow. Idempotent: running the formatter twice produces byte-identical output, which is the foundation of a clean CI gate. Pair with a pre-commit hook so PRs arrive already formatted, focusing review on logic.

idempotent

Bug reports

Indent code samples in a Github issue body. Pairs with EditorConfig + .prettierrc for end-to-end consistency. Whitespace-only changes vanish so reviewers see real diffs, and git blame stays honest about who wrote what.

CI-ready

Chat sharing

Tidy a Go fragment before pasting into Slack / Discord. Output respects your indent width, tab style, and print-width — settings carry over for repeat runs. Switching 2-space to 4-space costs nothing in CPU but standardises an entire codebase.

diff-clean

Blog examples

Standardise indentation in a tutorial draft. Format-on-save is the fastest feedback loop; CI is the safety net. Together they make inconsistent indentation a thing of the past and free up review cycles for genuine concerns.

PR-friendly

Quick browser fix

When your dev box is closed and you need readable Go. Whitespace-only changes don't trigger downstream content-hash invalidations, so CDN cache keys and CI cache layers stay warm. Real changes get all the rebuild budget.

review-ready

Code-review prep

Pre-format before pushing a feature branch. Pairs with linters (ESLint, Stylelint, pylint) that catch what formatting alone can't — bugs, unused imports, dead code. Each tool stays in its lane, and the codebase stays clean.

deterministic
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

No — gofmt is a Go binary. This is a brace-tracking JS approximation for quick cleanup.
No — goimports is a separate tool. This only handles indentation and whitespace.
Tabs, like gofmt. The 'tabs' field controls how many per level (usually 1).
Yes — string contents are skipped when counting braces, so escapes don't change indent.
No — formatting runs locally in your browser.
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