EC
runtime panic (nil pointer)
GoCRITICALCommonRuntime

runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference

Quick Answer

Guard every pointer with a nil check before dereferencing; use recover() in long-running goroutines to prevent total crash.

What this means

A panic caused by dereferencing a nil pointer at runtime. The goroutine prints a stack trace and the program terminates unless recovered.

Why it happens
  1. 1Calling a method on a nil pointer receiver
  2. 2Accessing a field of a struct pointer that was never initialized

Fix

Nil-check before use

Nil-check before use
if p == nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("unexpected nil pointer")
}
fmt.Println(p.Name)

Why this works

Explicit nil guard converts a panic into a recoverable error before the dereference occurs.

Code examples
Guard before accessgo
if cfg == nil {
    return errors.New("config is nil")
}
fmt.Println(cfg.Host)
Recover in goroutinego
defer func() {
    if r := recover(); r != nil {
        log.Printf("recovered panic: %v", r)
    }
}()
Return zero value safelygo
func name(u *User) string {
    if u == nil { return "" }
    return u.Name
}

Content generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy. Found an error? hello@errcodes.dev

← All Go errors