Go Beats Python

As Best Command-Line Utility Language

Go blows Python away (in the way that the Google team envisioned):

Fast as compiled C execution

Approachable syntax

Strictly typed

No run-time installation required

Cross-platform compiles

Direct access to link any compiled library

Rich low-level API and package libraries

Full support for all forms of encryption

Concurrent out of the box

Rich network support out of the box

Best programming community around currently

Widely supported

Fully integrated with devops and serverless

Easy to package and distribute

Compiles faster than Python interpreter even runs

Unreadable source code

Command line utilities are designed to be fast, really fast, not necessarily execution is time to run. There is nothing faster than compiled code and there is no simpler compiled code to write currently than that developed originally at Google to (in part) replace Python. My God did they ever do it.

In fact, the only downside to writing a command-line utility in Go is also one of its greatest strengths: unreadable source code. This is fantastic when deploying a utility you do not want some other admin to hack on, for safety as well as supporting change management procedures. Sometimes this is annoying, but not really if you use source management, which is encouraged and there another benefit of Go over Python. It is much more likely for a bit of critical Python code to live outside of source management that Go code.

And when Go is overkill there is a strong possibility all you need is a Bash instead.