Build Commands

Compile Go programs into fast, statically-linked binaries. Learn build flags, cross-compilation, build tags, and optimization techniques for production deployments.

12 commands

Pro Tips

Cross-compile with 'GOOS=linux GOARCH=amd64 go build -o app' — no extra toolchain needed.

Use 'go build -ldflags="-s -w"' to strip debug info and reduce binary size by ~30%.

Use build tags with '//go:build integration' to separate unit and integration tests.

Common Mistakes

CGO_ENABLED=1 (default) links to C libraries, making binaries less portable. Set CGO_ENABLED=0 for truly static binaries.

Stripping with '-ldflags="-s -w"' removes debug info. Don't use in development — you'll need stack traces.

Commands

Build project

$ go build

Compile packages and dependencies in current directory.

Build with output name

$ go build -o myapp

Compile and specify output binary name.

Build with verbose

$ go build -v

Verbose output showing compiled packages.

Build for Linux

$ GOOS=linux GOARCH=amd64 go build -o myapp-linux

Cross-compile for Linux AMD64.

Build for Windows

$ GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 go build -o myapp.exe

Cross-compile for Windows AMD64.

Build for macOS ARM

$ GOOS=darwin GOARCH=arm64 go build -o myapp-mac

Cross-compile for Apple Silicon.

Build with race detector

$ go build -race

Enable data race detection (slower but safer).

Build stripped binary

$ go build -ldflags="-w -s"

Strip debug info for smaller binary size.

Build with version info

$ go build -ldflags="-X main.version=v1.0.0"

Inject version at build time via ldflags.

Build with trimpath

$ go build -trimpath

Remove file system paths from binary for reproducibility.

Production build

$ CGO_ENABLED=0 go build -ldflags="-w -s" -trimpath -o myapp

Static binary with no CGO, stripped debug info.

Build with tags

$ go build -tags integration

Include files with matching build tags.