Go (Golang) setup on Windows

Go is a statically typed, concurrent, and garbage-collected programming language created at Google.

1. Download Go

1. Visit the official Go website: https://go.dev/dl/
2. Download the Windows installer (.msi) for your system (e.g., go<version>.windows-amd64.msi).

2. Install Go

1. Run the downloaded .msi file.
2. Follow the installation wizard:

• Accept the license agreement.
• Choose an installation location (default: C:\Program Files\Go).
• Click Next to install.

3. Set Environment Variables

The installer automatically sets the environment variables, but you can verify and update them manually:

1. Open Environment Variables:

• Right-click on This PC → Properties → Advanced System Settings → Environment Variables.

2. Edit PATH:

• In System variables, find Path → Click Edit.
• Ensure C:\Program Files\Go\bin is listed.

3. Set GOPATH:

• Add a new system variable:
• Name: GOPATH
• Value: A directory for your Go workspace (e.g., C:\Users\<YourUsername>\go).

4. Verify Installation

1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell.
2. Check Go version:

go version

You should see the installed Go version, e.g., go version go1.21.0 windows/amd64.

5. Test Go Installation

1. Create a new directory for your Go project:

mkdir go-hello-world
cd go-hello-world

2. Create a file named main.go with the following content:

package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    fmt.Println("Hello, World!")
}

3. Run the program:

go run main.go

You should see:

Hello, World!

6. Optional: Install an IDE

• Install an IDE like Visual Studio Code and the Go extension for better development experience.