How to Handle Database Schema Changes Safely in Go

Go does not have a built-in database schema migration tool; you must implement migrations manually or use a third-party library like golang-migrate.

// Example using golang-migrate (install: go install golang.org/x/migrate@latest)
// 1. Create migration file: up.sql
// 2. Run migration:
migrate -path ./migrations -database "postgres://user:pass@host:5432/dbname" up

For manual implementation, create a migrations table to track applied versions and execute SQL scripts in order during startup.

Database schema changes in Go require a manual process because the language doesn't include a built-in migration system. You typically create SQL files for each change and run them in order, tracking which ones have been applied to avoid running them twice. Think of it like a version history for your database structure that your application checks before starting.