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Start with Go’s official Get started with Go tutorial. It walks you through installing Go, creating a module, writing and running a small program, and adding a package from an external module. You’ll need some programming experience, a text editor, and a command terminal; it is a first step, not a complete programming course.
What you need before starting
The official tutorial says that some programming experience helps: “The code here is pretty simple, but it helps to know something about functions.” You should also have an editor for writing code and access to a terminal for running Go commands.
If you do not yet know what a function is or how to edit and run a program, learn those basics first. The tutorial is designed to introduce Go, rather than teach programming from scratch.
Install Go and check that it works
- Open the official Download and install page.
- Choose the instructions for your operating system and follow the current steps there. Installation instructions can change, so use the live page rather than an old version-specific command.
- Open a terminal and run
go versionto check that Go is available.
Create and run your first Go program
Follow the setup and Hello World sections of the official getting-started tutorial. Its first program lives in a Go module, which provides the project context for the code and its dependencies.
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- Create a directory for the project and open it in your terminal.
- Run
go mod initwith a module path, following the tutorial’s example. Treat that example as a demonstration, not as a recommended production namespace. - Create the source file shown in the tutorial. Its first program uses the
mainpackage. - From the project directory, run
go run .to build and run the program.
The go.mod file records the module and the dependencies described by the tutorial. After the basic program works, continue to the tutorial’s section on importing a package from an external module; it shows how a Go project can use code beyond its own source files.
Choose how to continue learning
Once you have completed the first program, pick a learning format that suits how you prefer to practice. These official resources have different purposes:
| Resource | Format and best use |
|---|---|
| Get started with Go | A short, linear tutorial focused on installation, a first program, modules, and an external dependency. |
| A Tour of Go | Interactive examples and exercises for experimenting with language concepts in a browser. The official learning materials cover areas including syntax, data structures, methods, interfaces, generics, and concurrency. |
| Go by Example | Annotated programs for readers who learn best by studying working code snippets. |
| Topic tutorials | Focused walkthroughs for particular goals, including modules, workspaces, JSON, databases, REST services, generics, fuzzing, and vulnerability checking. |
The Tour describes its examples as “starting points for your own experimentation.” Use its exercises to try language concepts, then use topic tutorials when you have a specific project or question in mind.
Pick a next topic based on your goal
- Want more practice with language fundamentals? Work through the Tour of Go and try its exercises rather than stopping at the first program.
- Building an application? Choose a tutorial related to the work, such as JSON, databases, or REST services.
- Working with Go projects and dependencies? Continue with the tutorials on modules and workspaces.
- Improving code quality or safety? Explore the tutorials on fuzzing and vulnerability checking.
Are books or courses necessary?
No. The free official tutorials and practice resources are enough to begin. The official learning page also lists the optional book Introducing Go by Caleb Doxsey. Check its edition and availability before buying; the learning page listing does not establish current stock, price, or a particular retailer.
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