Bindings Best Practices

Bindings Best Practices

Follow proven patterns for binding design to create clean, performant, and secure bindings. This guide covers API design principles, performance optimisation, security patterns, error handling, and testing strategies for maintainable applications.

API Design Principles

1. Single Responsibility

Each service should have one clear purpose:

// ❌ Bad: God object
type AppService struct {
    // Does everything
}

func (a *AppService) SaveFile(path string, data []byte) error
func (a *AppService) GetUser(id int) (*User, error)
func (a *AppService) SendEmail(to, subject, body string) error
func (a *AppService) ProcessPayment(amount float64) error

// ✅ Good: Focused services
type FileService struct{}
func (f *FileService) Save(path string, data []byte) error

type UserService struct{}
func (u *UserService) GetByID(id int) (*User, error)

type EmailService struct{}
func (e *EmailService) Send(to, subject, body string) error

type PaymentService struct{}
func (p *PaymentService) Process(amount float64) error

2. Clear Method Names

Use descriptive, action-oriented names:

// ❌ Bad: Unclear names
func (s *Service) Do(x string) error
func (s *Service) Handle(data interface{}) interface{}
func (s *Service) Process(input map[string]interface{}) bool

// ✅ Good: Clear names
func (s *FileService) SaveDocument(path string, content string) error
func (s *UserService) AuthenticateUser(email, password string) (*User, error)
func (s *OrderService) CreateOrder(items []Item) (*Order, error)

3. Consistent Return Types

Always return errors explicitly:

// ❌ Bad: Inconsistent error handling
func (s *Service) GetData() interface{}  // How to handle errors?
func (s *Service) SaveData(data string)  // Silent failures?

// ✅ Good: Explicit errors
func (s *Service) GetData() (Data, error)
func (s *Service) SaveData(data string) error

4. Input Validation

Validate all input on the Go side:

// ❌ Bad: No validation
func (s *UserService) CreateUser(email, password string) (*User, error) {
    user := &User{Email: email, Password: password}
    return s.db.Create(user)
}

// ✅ Good: Validate first
func (s *UserService) CreateUser(email, password string) (*User, error) {
    // Validate email
    if !isValidEmail(email) {
        return nil, errors.New("invalid email address")
    }
    
    // Validate password
    if len(password) < 8 {
        return nil, errors.New("password must be at least 8 characters")
    }
    
    // Hash password
    hash, err := bcrypt.GenerateFromPassword([]byte(password), bcrypt.DefaultCost)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    user := &User{
        Email:        email,
        PasswordHash: string(hash),
    }
    
    return s.db.Create(user)
}

Performance Patterns

1. Batch Operations

Reduce bridge calls by batching:

// ❌ Bad: N calls
// JavaScript
for (const item of items) {
    await ProcessItem(item)  // N bridge calls
}

// ✅ Good: 1 call
// Go
func (s *Service) ProcessItems(items []Item) ([]Result, error) {
    results := make([]Result, len(items))
    for i, item := range items {
        results[i] = s.processItem(item)
    }
    return results, nil
}

// JavaScript
const results = await ProcessItems(items)  // 1 bridge call

2. Pagination

Don’t return huge datasets:

// ❌ Bad: Returns everything
func (s *Service) GetAllUsers() ([]User, error) {
    return s.db.FindAll()  // Could be millions
}

// ✅ Good: Paginated
type PageRequest struct {
    Page     int `json:"page"`
    PageSize int `json:"pageSize"`
}

type PageResponse struct {
    Items      []User `json:"items"`
    TotalItems int    `json:"totalItems"`
    TotalPages int    `json:"totalPages"`
    Page       int    `json:"page"`
}

func (s *Service) GetUsers(req PageRequest) (*PageResponse, error) {
    // Validate
    if req.Page < 1 {
        req.Page = 1
    }
    if req.PageSize < 1 || req.PageSize > 100 {
        req.PageSize = 20
    }
    
    // Get total
    total, err := s.db.Count()
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    // Get page
    offset := (req.Page - 1) * req.PageSize
    users, err := s.db.Find(offset, req.PageSize)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    return &PageResponse{
        Items:      users,
        TotalItems: total,
        TotalPages: (total + req.PageSize - 1) / req.PageSize,
        Page:       req.Page,
    }, nil
}

3. Caching

Cache expensive operations:

type CachedService struct {
    cache map[string]interface{}
    mu    sync.RWMutex
    ttl   time.Duration
}

func (s *CachedService) GetData(key string) (interface{}, error) {
    // Check cache
    s.mu.RLock()
    if data, ok := s.cache[key]; ok {
        s.mu.RUnlock()
        return data, nil
    }
    s.mu.RUnlock()
    
    // Fetch data
    data, err := s.fetchData(key)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    // Cache it
    s.mu.Lock()
    s.cache[key] = data
    s.mu.Unlock()
    
    // Schedule expiry
    go func() {
        time.Sleep(s.ttl)
        s.mu.Lock()
        delete(s.cache, key)
        s.mu.Unlock()
    }()
    
    return data, nil
}

4. Streaming with Events

Use events for streaming data:

// ❌ Bad: Polling
func (s *Service) GetProgress() int {
    return s.progress
}

// JavaScript polls
setInterval(async () => {
    const progress = await GetProgress()
    updateUI(progress)
}, 100)

// ✅ Good: Events
// Service must hold a reference to *application.App to emit events / log:
//
//   type Service struct {
//       app *application.App
//   }
//
//   func NewService(app *application.App) *Service {
//       return &Service{app: app}
//   }
//
//   app := application.New(application.Options{})
//   app.RegisterService(application.NewService(NewService(app)))

func (s *Service) ProcessLargeFile(path string) error {
    file, err := os.Open(path)
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    defer file.Close()
    
    scanner := bufio.NewScanner(file)
    total := 0
    processed := 0
    
    // Count lines
    for scanner.Scan() {
        total++
    }
    
    // Process
    file.Seek(0, 0)
    scanner = bufio.NewScanner(file)
    
    for scanner.Scan() {
        s.processLine(scanner.Text())
        processed++
        
        // Emit progress
        s.app.Event.Emit("progress", map[string]interface{}{
            "processed": processed,
            "total":     total,
            "percent":   int(float64(processed) / float64(total) * 100),
        })
    }
    
    return scanner.Err()
}

// JavaScript listens
import { Events } from '@wailsio/runtime'

Events.On("progress", (event) => {
    updateProgress(event.data.percent)
})

Security Patterns

1. Input Sanitisation

Always sanitise user input:

import (
    "html"
    "strings"
)

func (s *Service) SaveComment(text string) error {
    // Sanitise
    text = strings.TrimSpace(text)
    text = html.EscapeString(text)
    
    // Validate length
    if len(text) == 0 {
        return errors.New("comment cannot be empty")
    }
    if len(text) > 1000 {
        return errors.New("comment too long")
    }
    
    return s.db.SaveComment(text)
}

2. Authentication

Protect sensitive operations:

type AuthService struct {
    sessions map[string]*Session
    mu       sync.RWMutex
}

func (a *AuthService) Login(email, password string) (string, error) {
    user, err := a.db.FindByEmail(email)
    if err != nil {
        return "", errors.New("invalid credentials")
    }
    
    if !a.verifyPassword(user.PasswordHash, password) {
        return "", errors.New("invalid credentials")
    }
    
    // Create session
    token := generateToken()
    a.mu.Lock()
    a.sessions[token] = &Session{
        UserID:    user.ID,
        ExpiresAt: time.Now().Add(24 * time.Hour),
    }
    a.mu.Unlock()
    
    return token, nil
}

func (a *AuthService) requireAuth(token string) (*Session, error) {
    a.mu.RLock()
    session, ok := a.sessions[token]
    a.mu.RUnlock()
    
    if !ok {
        return nil, errors.New("not authenticated")
    }
    
    if time.Now().After(session.ExpiresAt) {
        return nil, errors.New("session expired")
    }
    
    return session, nil
}

// Protected method
func (a *AuthService) DeleteAccount(token string) error {
    session, err := a.requireAuth(token)
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    
    return a.db.DeleteUser(session.UserID)
}

3. Rate Limiting

Prevent abuse:

type RateLimiter struct {
    requests map[string][]time.Time
    mu       sync.Mutex
    limit    int
    window   time.Duration
}

func (r *RateLimiter) Allow(key string) bool {
    r.mu.Lock()
    defer r.mu.Unlock()
    
    now := time.Now()
    
    // Clean old requests
    if requests, ok := r.requests[key]; ok {
        var recent []time.Time
        for _, t := range requests {
            if now.Sub(t) < r.window {
                recent = append(recent, t)
            }
        }
        r.requests[key] = recent
    }
    
    // Check limit
    if len(r.requests[key]) >= r.limit {
        return false
    }
    
    // Add request
    r.requests[key] = append(r.requests[key], now)
    return true
}

// Usage
func (s *Service) SendEmail(to, subject, body string) error {
    if !s.rateLimiter.Allow(to) {
        return errors.New("rate limit exceeded")
    }
    
    return s.emailer.Send(to, subject, body)
}

Error Handling Patterns

1. Descriptive Errors

Provide context in errors:

// ❌ Bad: Generic errors
func (s *Service) LoadFile(path string) ([]byte, error) {
    return os.ReadFile(path)  // "no such file or directory"
}

// ✅ Good: Contextual errors
func (s *Service) LoadFile(path string) ([]byte, error) {
    data, err := os.ReadFile(path)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to load file %s: %w", path, err)
    }
    return data, nil
}

2. Error Types

Use typed errors for specific handling:

type ValidationError struct {
    Field   string
    Message string
}

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

type NotFoundError struct {
    Resource string
    ID       interface{}
}

func (e *NotFoundError) Error() string {
    return fmt.Sprintf("%s not found: %v", e.Resource, e.ID)
}

// Usage
func (s *UserService) GetUser(id int) (*User, error) {
    if id <= 0 {
        return nil, &ValidationError{
            Field:   "id",
            Message: "must be positive",
        }
    }
    
    user, err := s.db.Find(id)
    if err == sql.ErrNoRows {
        return nil, &NotFoundError{
            Resource: "User",
            ID:       id,
        }
    }
    if err != nil {
        return nil, fmt.Errorf("database error: %w", err)
    }
    
    return user, nil
}

3. Error Recovery

Handle errors gracefully:

func (s *Service) ProcessWithRetry(data string) error {
    maxRetries := 3
    
    for attempt := 1; attempt <= maxRetries; attempt++ {
        err := s.process(data)
        if err == nil {
            return nil
        }
        
        // Log attempt
        s.app.Logger.Warn("Process failed", 
            "attempt", attempt, 
            "error", err)
        
        // Don't retry on validation errors
        if _, ok := err.(*ValidationError); ok {
            return err
        }
        
        // Wait before retry
        if attempt < maxRetries {
            time.Sleep(time.Duration(attempt) * time.Second)
        }
    }
    
    return fmt.Errorf("failed after %d attempts", maxRetries)
}

Testing Patterns

1. Unit Testing

Test services in isolation:

func TestUserService_CreateUser(t *testing.T) {
    // Setup
    db := &MockDB{}
    service := &UserService{db: db}
    
    // Test valid input
    user, err := service.CreateUser("test@example.com", "password123")
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
    }
    if user.Email != "test@example.com" {
        t.Errorf("expected email test@example.com, got %s", user.Email)
    }
    
    // Test invalid email
    _, err = service.CreateUser("invalid", "password123")
    if err == nil {
        t.Error("expected error for invalid email")
    }
    
    // Test short password
    _, err = service.CreateUser("test@example.com", "short")
    if err == nil {
        t.Error("expected error for short password")
    }
}

2. Integration Testing

Test with real dependencies:

func TestUserService_Integration(t *testing.T) {
    // Setup real database
    db, err := sql.Open("sqlite3", ":memory:")
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatal(err)
    }
    defer db.Close()
    
    // Create schema
    _, err = db.Exec(`CREATE TABLE users (...)`)
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatal(err)
    }
    
    // Test service
    service := &UserService{db: db}
    
    user, err := service.CreateUser("test@example.com", "password123")
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatal(err)
    }
    
    // Verify in database
    var count int
    db.QueryRow("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM users WHERE email = ?", 
        user.Email).Scan(&count)
    
    if count != 1 {
        t.Errorf("expected 1 user, got %d", count)
    }
}

3. Mock Services

Create testable interfaces:

type UserRepository interface {
    Create(user *User) error
    FindByEmail(email string) (*User, error)
    Update(user *User) error
    Delete(id int) error
}

type UserService struct {
    repo UserRepository
}

// Mock for testing
type MockUserRepository struct {
    users map[string]*User
}

func (m *MockUserRepository) Create(user *User) error {
    m.users[user.Email] = user
    return nil
}

// Test with mock
func TestUserService_WithMock(t *testing.T) {
    mock := &MockUserRepository{
        users: make(map[string]*User),
    }
    
    service := &UserService{repo: mock}
    
    // Test
    user, err := service.CreateUser("test@example.com", "password123")
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatal(err)
    }
    
    // Verify mock was called
    if len(mock.users) != 1 {
        t.Error("expected 1 user in mock")
    }
}

Best Practices Summary

✅ Do

  • Single responsibility - One service, one purpose
  • Clear naming - Descriptive method names
  • Validate input - Always on Go side
  • Return errors - Explicit error handling
  • Batch operations - Reduce bridge calls
  • Use events - For streaming data
  • Sanitise input - Prevent injection
  • Test thoroughly - Unit and integration tests
  • Document methods - Comments become JSDoc
  • Version your API - Plan for changes

❌ Don’t

  • Don’t create god objects - Keep services focused
  • Don’t trust frontend - Validate everything
  • Don’t return huge datasets - Use pagination
  • Don’t block - Use goroutines for long operations
  • Don’t ignore errors - Handle all error cases
  • Don’t skip testing - Test early and often
  • Don’t hardcode - Use configuration
  • Don’t expose internals - Keep implementation private

Next Steps

  • Methods - Learn method binding basics
  • Services - Understand service architecture
  • Models - Bind complex data structures
  • Events - Use events for pub/sub

Questions? Ask in Discord or check the binding examples.

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