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Installing and Configuring Go (Golang) on Ubuntu 22.04 ​

This guide covers how to install, configure, and optimize Go for both development and production environments on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

Table of Contents ​

Prerequisites ​

Before starting, ensure your system is up-to-date:

bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Installing Go ​

Method 1: Installing from Ubuntu Repository ​

The simplest way to install Go is using the Ubuntu package manager:

bash
sudo apt install golang-go

This method is straightforward but may not provide the latest version.

  1. Download the latest Go binary from the official website:
bash
wget https://go.dev/dl/go1.21.0.linux-amd64.tar.gz
  1. Extract the archive to the /usr/local directory:
bash
sudo tar -C /usr/local -xzf go1.21.0.linux-amd64.tar.gz
  1. Clean up the downloaded file:
bash
rm go1.21.0.linux-amd64.tar.gz

Setting Up Go Environment ​

  1. Create a directory for your Go workspace:
bash
mkdir -p $HOME/go/{bin,src,pkg}
  1. Configure Go environment variables by adding the following to your ~/.profile or ~/.bashrc file:
bash
echo 'export GOPATH=$HOME/go' >> ~/.profile
echo 'export GOROOT=/usr/local/go' >> ~/.profile
echo 'export PATH=$PATH:$GOROOT/bin:$GOPATH/bin' >> ~/.profile
  1. Apply the changes:
bash
source ~/.profile

Configuring for Development ​

Install Development Tools ​

  1. Install essential development tools:
bash
sudo apt install -y build-essential git curl
  1. Set up Go modules (for Go 1.16+):
bash
go env -w GO111MODULE=on
  1. Install useful Go development tools:
bash
go install golang.org/x/tools/gopls@latest
go install github.com/ramya-rao-a/go-outline@latest
go install github.com/go-delve/delve/cmd/dlv@latest
go install honnef.co/go/tools/cmd/staticcheck@latest

Configure IDE/Editor ​

For VSCode:

  1. Install the Go extension from the marketplace
  2. Run the command Go: Install/Update Tools to install all necessary tools

Configuring for Production ​

Security Considerations ​

  1. Create a dedicated user for running Go applications:
bash
sudo adduser --system --group golang
  1. Set up proper permissions for your Go application directories:
bash
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/go-apps
sudo chown golang:golang /var/www/go-apps

Setting Up Systemd Service ​

Create a systemd service file for your Go application:

bash
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/goapp.service

Add the following content:

[Unit]
Description=Go Application
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=golang
WorkingDirectory=/var/www/go-apps/myapp
ExecStart=/var/www/go-apps/myapp/myapp
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5
StandardOutput=syslog
StandardError=syslog
SyslogIdentifier=goapp

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start the service:

bash
sudo systemctl enable goapp.service
sudo systemctl start goapp.service

Setting Up Nginx as a Reverse Proxy ​

  1. Install Nginx:
bash
sudo apt install -y nginx
  1. Create a configuration file:
bash
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/goapp
  1. Add the following configuration:
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8080;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}
  1. Enable the site and restart Nginx:
bash
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/goapp /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Verifying Installation ​

Verify that Go is correctly installed:

bash
go version

Verify that your Go environment is set up correctly:

bash
go env

Test with a simple "Hello, World!" program:

bash
mkdir -p $HOME/go/src/hello
echo 'package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    fmt.Println("Hello, Go!")
}' > $HOME/go/src/hello/hello.go

cd $HOME/go/src/hello
go run hello.go

Troubleshooting ​

Common Issues ​

  1. "go: command not found":

    • Check if Go is installed: ls -la /usr/local/go
    • Ensure PATH is set correctly: echo $PATH

  2. Permission denied errors:

    • Check file permissions: ls -la $GOPATH
    • Fix with: chmod -R 755 $GOPATH

  3. Module-related errors:

    • Ensure GO111MODULE is set correctly: go env GO111MODULE
    • Try clearing the module cache: go clean -modcache

  4. Missing dependencies:

    • Run: go mod tidy

Updating Go ​

To update Go to a newer version:

  1. Download the new version
  2. Remove the old version: sudo rm -rf /usr/local/go
  3. Extract the new version: sudo tar -C /usr/local -xzf go1.xx.x.linux-amd64.tar.gz
  4. Verify the update: go version

This guide covers the basics of setting up Go on Ubuntu 22.04 for both development and production use. For more advanced configurations, consult the official Go documentation.