How to Use Bitwise Operators in Go

Use bitwise operators (&, |, ^, <<, >>, &^) directly on integer types to manipulate individual bits.

package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    a := 0b1100 // 12
    b := 0b1010 // 10

    fmt.Printf("AND: %b\n", a & b)   // 1000 (8)
    fmt.Printf("OR:  %b\n", a | b)   // 1110 (14)
    fmt.Printf("XOR: %b\n", a ^ b)   // 0110 (6)
    fmt.Printf("NOT: %b\n", ^a)      // ...11110011 (two's complement)
    fmt.Printf("LShift: %b\n", a << 1) // 11000 (24)
    fmt.Printf("RShift: %b\n", a >> 1) // 0110 (6)
    fmt.Printf("ANDNOT: %b\n", a &^ b) // 0110 (6)
}

Bitwise operators let you treat numbers as strings of 0s and 1s to turn specific bits on, off, or flip them. You use them when you need to manage flags, compress data, or perform low-level hardware tasks. Think of it like a light switch panel where each switch controls a single feature instead of the whole room.