apache/beam

[Task]: Go SDK portable logical type support

Open

#39,684 opened on Aug 7, 2026

View on GitHubContributor guide
 (2 comments) (0 reactions) (1 assignee)Java (4,097 forks)batch import
P2gogood first issuetask

Repository metrics

Stars
 (7,313 stars)
PR merge metrics
 (Avg merge 6d) (243 merged PRs in 30d)

Description

What needs to happen?

Logical types defined in https://github.com/apache/beam/blob/master/model/pipeline/src/main/proto/org/apache/beam/model/pipeline/v1/schema.proto are not supported in Go SDK. This prevents Go SDK to use schema transforms in a meaningful way.

Currently, only PYTHON_CALLABLE appear to be supported,

https://github.com/apache/beam/blob/1318bfe2039aa3d5b421bf1f23f9fcc338916750/sdks/go/pkg/beam/transforms/xlang/python/external.go#L42

however, through a different mechanism. Likely we need to first implement a framework for portable logical types in Golang, then implement each of them

Issue Priority

Priority: 2 (default / most normal work should be filed as P2)

Issue Components

  • Component: Python SDK
  • Component: Java SDK
  • Component: Go SDK
  • Component: Typescript SDK
  • Component: IO connector
  • Component: Beam YAML
  • Component: Beam examples
  • Component: Beam playground
  • Component: Beam katas
  • Component: Website
  • Component: Infrastructure
  • Component: Spark Runner
  • Component: Flink Runner
  • Component: Prism Runner
  • Component: Twister2 Runner
  • Component: Hazelcast Jet Runner
  • Component: Google Cloud Dataflow Runner

Contributor guide

Research direction
Study the Beam schema.proto definition of logical types, examine how the Go SDK currently handles schema and transforms, review implementations in other SDKs for reference, and propose a design to introduce a logical type framework in Go SDK.
Tech stack
go
Domain
backend
Issue type
Feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
3-5 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
GoProtocol BuffersGit
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
35