How to install Go on Ubuntu

Go is a compiled, statically typed programming language developed by Google. Follow the steps below to install Go on Ubuntu:

Step 1 - Downloading Go binary files

Use curl or wget to download the current binary for Go from the official download page.

curl -O https://storage.googleapis.com/golang/go1.13.5.linux-amd64.tar.gz

1.13.5 is the version of Go you’ll want to download. However, this can be replaced with any other version if necessary.

Step 2 - Extracting from the tar.gz file

Next, use tar to unpack the package. The following command will use the tar tool to open and expand the downloaded tar.gz file and to create a folder of the package name:

tar -xvf go1.13.5.linux-amd64.tar.gz

Then, move the folder to /usr/local.

sudo mv go /usr/local

The Go package is now in /usr/local, which makes sure that Go is in your ＄PATH for Linux.

Step 3 - Setting paths

Now, we have to set some paths that Go needs. The paths given in this step are all relative to the location of the Go installation in /usr/local.

The first step is to set Go’s root value, which tells Go where to look for its files. Run the following command to add the path to the ~/.profile file:

echo "export GOPATH=＄HOME/work" >> ~/.profile 
echo "export PATH=＄PATH:/usr/local/go/bin:＄GOPATH/bin" >> ~/.profile

＄HOME/work can be replaced with any directory. This directory is where you will be able to use the functionalities of the Go language.

Refresh the file by running:

source ~/.profile

Step 4 - Verifying

It’s always a good idea to see if your installation has been successful or not. This can be done by checking the version number of the Go language installed in your system.

go version

The version number of Go installed in your system will be displayed on the terminal.