Example
The zero value of a map is nil and has a length of 0.
var m map[string]string
fmt.Println(m == nil) // true
fmt.Println(len(m) ==0) // true
A nil map has no keys nor can keys be added. A nil map behaves like an empty map if read from but causes a runtime panic if written to.
var m map[string]string
// reading
m["foo"] == "" // true. Remember "" is the zero value for a string
_, ok = m["foo"] // ok == false
// writing
m["foo"] = "bar" // panic: assignment to entry in nil map
You should not try to read from or write to a zero value map. Instead, initialize the map (with make or assignment) before using it.
var m map[string]string
m = make(map[string]string) // OR m = map[string]string{}
m["foo"] = "bar"
