---
title: Use strings.Contains instead of strings.Index with -1
description: Datadog, the leading service for cloud-scale monitoring.
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  Docs > Datadog Security > Code Security > Static Code Analysis (SAST) > SAST
  Rules > Use strings.Contains instead of strings.Index with -1
---

# Use strings.Contains instead of strings.Index with -1

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## Metadata{% #metadata %}

**ID:** `go-best-practices/strings-index-contains`

**Language:** Go

**Severity:** Notice

**Category:** Best Practices

## Description{% #description %}

In Go, when checking if one string contains another string, it is recommended to use `strings.Contains(x, y)` instead of `strings.Index(x, y) != -1`.

Here are the reasons why `strings.Contains(x, y)` is preferred:

1. **Simplicity and Readability**: Using `strings.Contains(x, y)` provides a more readable and expressive way to check if a string `x` contains another string `y`. It clearly conveys the intention of the condition without needing an additional comparison operator.
1. **Performance**: `strings.Contains(x, y)` is optimized for efficiency and performance. It uses an optimized implementation to check for substring presence, avoiding the need to search for the index and perform an additional comparison.
1. **Avoiding Errors**: When using `strings.Index(x, y)`, you need to compare against `-1` to check for absence, which can be error-prone. Mistakenly using `0` instead of `-1` would lead to incorrect results. Using `strings.Contains(x, y)` eliminates the possibility of such mistakes.

For example, consider the following code snippets:

```go
1
2
3
if strings.Contains(x, y) {
    // Code block
}
```

```go
1
2
3
if strings.Index(x, y) != -1 {
    // Code block
}
```

Both snippets check if the string `x` contains the substring `y`. However, the first snippet using `strings.Contains(x, y)` is preferred for its simplicity, readability, and performance benefits.

By using `strings.Contains(x, y)` instead of `strings.Index(x, y) != -1`, you can write cleaner and more efficient code that adheres to Go's idiomatic style.

## Non-Compliant Code Examples{% #non-compliant-code-examples %}

```go
import (
	"fmt"
	str2 "strings"
)

func main () {
    if str2.Index(x, y) != -1 {
        //
    }
}
```

```go
import (
	"fmt"
	"strings"
)

func main () {
    if strings.Index(x, y) != -1 {
        //
    }
}
```

## Compliant Code Examples{% #compliant-code-examples %}

```go
import (
	"fmt"
	"strings"
)

func main () {
    if strings.Contains(x, y) {
        //
    }
}
```
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