Go, or Golang is an open-source language developed by Google to create simple, reliable, and efficient software. This tutorial explains how to install Golang on a Vultr Ubuntu cloud server instance.
This guide is tested on a new Vultr Ubuntu 20.04 LTS cloud server instance, and works on any version of Ubuntu. Follow our best practice guides before installing Golang.
Create a non-root sudo user.
Because the Golang package is not always up to date in the Ubuntu repository, it's preferred to download the official website's latest version.
Change to a temporary directory for the installation.
$ cd /tmp
Select the latest package for your architecture from https://golang.org/dl/ and download it.
$ wget https://golang.org/dl/go1.<VERSION_NUMBER>.linux-amd64.tar.gz
Extract the Golang executable to /usr/local
.
$ sudo tar -C /usr/local -xzf go1.<VERSION_NUMBER>.linux-amd64.tar.gz
To use Golang, set the required environment variables in your .profile
.
$ echo "export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin" >> ~/.profile
$ echo "export GOPATH=~/.go" >> ~/.profile
Reload your profile to begin using Golang.
$ source ~/.profile
Verify you installed the expected version of Golang.
$ go version
# go version go1.<VERSION_NUMBER> linux/amd64
Create a Hello World program to test your environment.
$ nano helloworld.go
Paste the following in helloworld.go
.
package main
import (
"fmt"
)
func main() {
fmt.Println("Hello world!")
}
Save the file and exit the Nano editor.
Run the program.
$ go run helloworld.go
# Hello world!
You have installed Golang. See more information at golang.org.