How to Implement a Job Queue in Go

Implement a job queue in Go by using a buffered channel to hold tasks and a pool of goroutines to process them concurrently.

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"sync"
	"time"
)

func worker(id int, jobs <-chan int, wg *sync.WaitGroup) {
	defer wg.Done()
	for j := range jobs {
		fmt.Printf("Worker %d processing job %d\n", id, j)
		time.Sleep(time.Second) // Simulate work
	}
}

func main() {
	var wg sync.WaitGroup
	jobs := make(chan int, 100) // Buffered channel as the queue

	// Start workers
	for w := 1; w <= 3; w++ {
		wg.Add(1)
		go worker(w, jobs, &wg)
	}

	// Send jobs
	for j := 1; j <= 5; j++ {
		jobs <- j
	}
	close(jobs)
	wg.Wait()
}

A job queue is like a waiting line at a store where customers (tasks) wait to be served by cashiers (workers). In Go, you create a channel to hold the tasks and start several goroutines to pick them up and process them one by one. This allows your program to handle many tasks at once without slowing down.