Go Installation Guide

Go is an open-source programming language developed by Google that makes it easy to build simple, reliable, and efficient software.

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Tested on macOS Sonoma 14.0

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THIS PAGE IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Install Go

Go is an open-source programming language developed by Google. Follow the steps below to install Go on macOS:

Step 1: Install Homebrew

If you don't have Homebrew installed, follow the instructions provided on the Homebrew website (opens in a new tab).

How to Install Homebrew on macOS

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If you already have Homebrew installed on your macOS, you can skip this step.

Step 2: Install Go with Homebrew

Once Homebrew is installed, run the following command to install the latest version of Go:

brew install go

Do you want to install a specific version of Go?

To install a specific version of Go using Homebrew, you can use the following steps:

Check Available Versions:
sh
```
brew search go
```
This command lists all the available versions of Go that can be installed via Homebrew.
Install a Specific Version: Once you've identified the version you want to install, use the following command:
```
brew install go@<version>
```
Replace <version> with the specific version number (e.g., 1.16, 1.17, etc.).
Link the Installed Version: By default, Homebrew will not link this version to the system PATH to avoid conflicts. To use the installed version, you need to link it manually:
sh
```
brew link --force --overwrite go@<version>
```
This command ensures that the specified version of Go is set as the default version in your terminal.
Set Up Environment Variables: You might need to update your environment variables to ensure your shell recognizes the new version. Add the following lines to your shell configuration file (.bashrc, .zshrc, etc.):
~/.zshrc
```
export PATH="/usr/local/opt/go@<version>/bin:$PATH"
```
Again, replace <version> with the specific version number you installed.
Verify Installation: To confirm that the installation was successful and that the correct version of Go is being used, run:
sh
```
go version
```
This command should display the version of Go you just installed.
Switching Between Versions: If you need to switch between different installed versions of Go, you can unlink the current version and link a different one:
sh
```
brew unlink go@<current-version>
brew link --force --overwrite go@<new-version>
```
Replace <current-version> and <new-version> with the appropriate version numbers.

By following these steps, you can easily manage and switch between different versions of Go on your system.

Step 3: Verify the Installation

After the installation is complete, verify that Go is installed correctly by running:

go version

You should see the Go version information.

console

$ go version
> go version go1.21.3 darwin/arm64

Additional Step: Setting up Go Environment

you can set GOPATH and GOROOT by adding the following lines to your ~/.bash_profile or ~/.zshrc

~/.zshrc

export GOPATH="$HOME/.go" # or any other directory you want
export GOROOT="$(brew --prefix golang)/libexec"
export PATH="$PATH:${GOPATH}/bin:${GOROOT}/bin"

References

Source	Description
Go (opens in a new tab)	Go website
Go Documentation (opens in a new tab)	Go documentation
Go Tutorial (opens in a new tab)	Go tutorial
Setup your workspace (opens in a new tab)	The GOPATH and PATH environment variables

References 204231 (Assembly)