Getting Started

Downloading Go

Download Go

To check the installed version, run the following command:

go version

Gopls: The Language Server for Go

To install the latest stable release of gopls, run the following command:

go install golang.org/x/tools/gopls@latest

Some editors, such as VS Code, will handle this step for you, and ensure that gopls is updated when a new stable version is released.

To check the installed version, run the following command:

gopls version

Setting Up VS Code for Go

Install the Go extension for VS Code.

Use the following recommended settings in Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON) to enable semantic highlighting, automatically update tools, and set the default formatter for Go.

settings.json

{
  "editor.semanticHighlighting.enabled": true,
  "gopls": {
    "ui.semanticTokens": true
  },
  "go.toolsManagement.autoUpdate": true,
  "[go]": {
    "editor.defaultFormatter": "golang.go"
  }
}