


How can Go applications be cross-compiled for different operating systems and architectures?
Jun 11, 2025 am 12:12 AMYes, Go applications can be cross-compiled for different operating systems and architectures. To do this, first set the GOOS and GOARCH environment variables to specify the target OS and architecture, such as GOOS=linux GOARCH=amd64 for a Linux binary or GOOS=windows GOARCH=arm64 for a Windows ARM64 binary. Second, disable CGO by setting CGO_ENABLED=0 when cross-compiling to avoid dependencies on host-specific C libraries. Third, use a build script or Makefile to automate building for multiple targets, which helps maintain consistency and reduce repetition. Testing is essential, as issues may arise from static vs dynamic linking or platform-specific assumptions in code.
Yes, Go applications can be cross-compiled for different operating systems and architectures — and it’s one of the more straightforward parts of working with Go. You don’t need special tools or complicated setups; Go’s built-in toolchain handles most of it.
Here’s how to do it right and avoid common pitfalls.
Set GOOS
and GOARCH
environment variables
The core of cross-compilation in Go lies in setting two environment variables: GOOS
(target operating system) and GOARCH
(target architecture).
For example:
- To build a Linux binary on macOS:
GOOS=linux GOARCH=amd64 go build -o myapp
- For a Windows ARM64 binary from Linux:
GOOS=windows GOARCH=arm64 go build -o myapp.exe
Some commonly used values:
GOOS options:
- linux
- windows
- darwin (macOS)
- freebsd
- openbsd
GOARCH options:
- amd64 (64-bit Intel/AMD)
- arm64
- 386 (32-bit x86)
- mips64le
You can find the full list by running go tool dist list
.
Be careful with CGO if you're cross-compiling
By default, Go uses CGO for some system calls, especially when interacting with native libraries or doing DNS lookups. But CGO makes cross-compilation harder because it requires C compilers targeting the destination platform.
If you're building for a different OS/arch, it's safest to disable CGO:
CGO_ENABLED=0 GOOS=linux GOARCH=amd64 go build -o myapp
This ensures your build doesn't pull in any host-specific C dependencies. Just remember that some packages may behave differently without CGO, or not work at all if they rely heavily on it.
Use a simple build script for multiple targets
If you often build for multiple platforms, writing a small shell script or using a Makefile helps avoid repetition.
Here’s a basic shell example:
#!/bin/sh build() { GOOS=$1 GOARCH=$2 CGO_ENABLED=0 go build -o bin/myapp-$1-$2 } build linux amd64 build windows amd64 build darwin amd64
Run this script and you’ll get binaries for Linux, Windows, and macOS in the bin/
folder.
Just make sure you test them — sometimes static vs dynamic linking or file path assumptions can cause issues even if the build succeeds.
Cross-compiling Go apps is pretty smooth as long as you stick to pure Go code and set the right environment variables. It’s not magic, but once you know which flags to use, it becomes second nature. The main gotchas are around CGO and external dependencies, so keep those in mind when things don’t work as expected.
基本上就這些。
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