Get Started #

To start using Go, you need two things:

1. A text editor, like VS Code, to write Go code
2. A compiler, like GCC or Go toolchain, to translate Go code into machine-readable code.

There are many editors and compilers available, but in this tutorial, we will use an IDE for ease of use.

✅ Go Install #

👉 Download the latest Go installation files here:
https://golang.org/dl/

Follow the installation instructions for your operating system.
After installation, verify by running in a terminal:

go version

Expected output example:

go version go1.20.0 windows/amd64

✅ Go IDE Installation #

An IDE (Integrated Development Environment) helps you edit, compile, and debug your Go code.

Popular free IDEs for Go:

• Visual Studio Code (VS Code)
• Vim
• Eclipse
• Notepad++

ℹ️ Web-based IDEs can work but have limited functionality.

For this tutorial, we will use VS Code.

👉 Download VS Code here: https://code.visualstudio.com/

✅ Configure VS Code for Go #

1. Launch VS Code.
2. Open the Extensions Manager (or press Ctrl + Shift + X).
3. Search for the official Go extension by the Google Go team and install it.
4. After installing, open the Command Palette (Ctrl + Shift + P).
5. Run the command: Go: Install/Update Tools
6. Select all the tools and click OK.

Now, VS Code is ready to develop Go applications.

✅ Quickstart: First Go Program #

Step 1: Initialize a Go Module #

Open the terminal in VS Code and type:

go mod init example.com/hello

Don’t worry if you don’t understand this yet—it will be explained later.

Step 2: Create the Hello World Program #

Create a new file in VS Code: File > New File → Save as helloworld.go

Paste the following code:

package main

import "fmt"

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

Step 3: Run Your Program #

In the terminal, execute:

go run .\helloworld.go

Expected output:

Hello World!

🎉 Congratulations! You have written and run your first Go program.

✅ Optional: Build Executable #

To save the program as a standalone executable, run:

go build .\helloworld.go

This will generate a helloworld.exe you can run directly.