Let’s break down what this script does in detail. The script is named install_latest_go.sh, authored by GJS (homelab-alpha), and its purpose is to fetch, download, install, and clean up the latest version of Go from the official Go download page.

Here’s a detailed explanation:

Script Metadata

  • Filename: install_latest_go.sh
  • Author: GJS (homelab-alpha)
  • Date: May 18, 2024
  • Version: 1.1.1
  • Description: This script fetches the latest version of Go from the official Go download page, downloads it, installs it to /usr/local/go, and cleans up the downloaded files.
  • RAW Script: install_latest_go.sh

Fetching the Latest Version

The script starts by fetching the latest version of Go from the official Go download page. It uses curl to send a request to the Go version endpoint and captures the output, which contains the latest version.

LATEST_VERSION_OUTPUT=$(curl -s https://go.dev/VERSION?m=text)

Extracting the Version Number

It then extracts the version number from the fetched output. The awk command isolates the version string, and sed removes the go prefix, leaving just the version number.

LATEST_VERSION="$(echo $LATEST_VERSION_OUTPUT | awk '{print $1}' | sed 's/go//')"

Error Handling for Version Fetching

The script checks if the version fetching was successful by verifying if the LATEST_VERSION variable is not empty. If it is empty, an error message is displayed, and the script exits with a status of 1.

if [ -z "$LATEST_VERSION" ]; then
  echo "Failed to fetch the latest version of Go."
  exit 1
fi

Constructing the Download URL

Using the fetched version number, the script constructs the URL to download the latest Go binary.

DOWNLOAD_URL="https://go.dev/dl/go${LATEST_VERSION}.linux-amd64.tar.gz"

Defining the Download Directory

The script defines a directory where the downloaded file will be saved. In this case, it uses the Downloads directory in the user’s home directory.

DOWNLOAD_DIR="$HOME/Downloads"

Downloading the Latest Version

The script uses wget to download the Go tar.gz file to the specified download directory. It includes error handling to check if the download was successful.

if ! wget "$DOWNLOAD_URL" -O "$DOWNLOAD_DIR/go${LATEST_VERSION}.linux-amd64.tar.gz"; then
  echo "Failed to download Go version ${LATEST_VERSION}."
  exit 1
fi

echo "Successfully downloaded Go version ${LATEST_VERSION} to $DOWNLOAD_DIR."

Extracting the Downloaded File

The script extracts the contents of the downloaded tar.gz file to the download directory using tar.

tar -xzf "$DOWNLOAD_DIR/go${LATEST_VERSION}.linux-amd64.tar.gz" -C "$DOWNLOAD_DIR"

Preparing the Installation Directory

The script creates the target directory /usr/local/go if it does not already exist. It then removes any previous installations in that directory to ensure a clean installation.

sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/go
sudo rm -rf /usr/local/go

Moving Files to the Installation Directory

The script moves the extracted files to the target directory. It includes error handling to check if the move was successful.

if ! sudo mv "$DOWNLOAD_DIR/go" /usr/local/; then
  echo "Failed to move Go files to /usr/local/go."
  exit 1
fi

echo "Successfully installed Go version ${LATEST_VERSION} to /usr/local/go."

Cleaning Up

The script removes the downloaded tar.gz file from the download directory to clean up unnecessary files.

rm "$DOWNLOAD_DIR/go${LATEST_VERSION}.linux-amd64.tar.gz"
echo "Cleanup complete."
echo ""

Checking for Go Command Availability

Finally, the script checks if the go command is available in the user’s PATH. If it is not found, it provides instructions for adding Go to the PATH.

if ! command -v go &>/dev/null; then
  echo "Go command not found. You may need to add Go to your PATH."
  echo "To do this, add the following line to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_profile:"
  echo ""
  echo "export PATH=\$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin"
  echo ""
  echo "Then, run: source ~/.bashrc"
  echo "and/or"
  echo "Then, run: source ~/.bash_profile"
  exit 1
else
  echo "Go version: $(go version)"
fi

Conclusion

This script automates the process of downloading and installing the latest version of Go, ensuring that users always have the most up-to-date version with minimal manual intervention. It includes comprehensive error handling and provides clear instructions for users to finalize their setup if necessary.

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Last updated 22 Sep 2024, 12:15 CEST . history