Let’s GO! Part 2: Setup

Let’s setup the development environment

Setting up the development environment for GO is oddly easy! Just follow the steps below:

1. Download and install the GO language for your platform from it’s official website:

Download and install the GO language for your platform from it’s official website

2. Setup your IDE/Text Editor:

Visual Studio Code:

VSCode is a very famous free and open source advanced text editor made by Microsoft + Open Source that can be used for GO as well as other languages. There are 3 steps to configure it for GO specifically:

1. Install the language extension: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=golang.Go (Or simply search for “Go” in the extension panel and install the one named Go with no postfix or prefix)
2. Enable auto import packages in settings: Go to Settings > Extensions > Go and check the box below Autocomplete Unimported Packages. Also make sure the checkbox below Use Language Server is checked.
3. Install all the dependencies when the popup shows up: The moment you start writing your first .go file in the next step, VSCode will show you a popup message that says some of the language packages like gopls are missing. Click on Install all and wait for the process to finish. It should install about 8 packages.

GoLand:

GoLand is a premium IDE made by JetBrains that is ready to be used out of the box without any specific configurations. Just install it and enjoy!

Now that you have your tools setup, you’re ready to say hello to the world in GO! Leeesss goooooo!

Next:

Let’s GO! Part 3: Hello, world!

Previous:

Let’s GO! Part 1: A Word or Two About GO

List Index:

Let’s GO! List Index