go run and go build

Learn to run with go run and compile with go build.

go run and go build

go run hello.go compiles your source in the background and runs it immediately, producing a temporary binary. It is ideal for quick trials.

go build instead produces a permanent binary. You can run the produced file directly with ./hello and copy it to a machine without Go installed.

Both commands compile; the difference is the output. run is fast, build is distributable.

go run vs go build

Knowing the difference helps you work efficiently:

go run: fast dev loop, leaves no file
go build: produces a distributable binary, used in production
go install: installs the binary under GOBIN

Production always runs a binary obtained with go build (or a CI tool).

Exercise Build information

A binary produced by go build knows the target it was built for. Print whether runtime.GOOS and runtime.GOARCH are non-empty with fmt.Println(runtime.GOOS != "", runtime.GOARCH != "").

Show example solution

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "runtime"
)

func main() {
    fmt.Println(runtime.GOOS != "", runtime.GOARCH != "")
}

Test yourself

What does go build produce?
- A Docker image
- An executable binary
- A ZIP file
- A web server
Show answer

An executable binary — go build produces an executable binary.

The go run command

To compile and run hello.go, type ____ hello.go.

Show answer

To compile and run hello.go, type go run hello.go.

Match the commands

go run

Compiles and runs
go build

Produces a binary
go install

Installs to GOBIN
go test

Runs tests

Next lesson: Comments and semicolons

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