In my previous article, we created a self-deployable Go-based URL Shortener Service and deployed it using AWS SAM.
Now, let’s take things a step further by learning how to package and publish a Go module on the Golang package manager (pkg.go.dev) so that it’s available for the open-source community. 🚀
Getting Started
We’ll use the shrinkIt module from my GitHub repository. You can clone it from here:
👉 ShrinkIt Repository
Before publishing, let’s make sure the project is clean and production-ready.
Step 1: Verify Dependencies
Run the following command to clean up and verify module dependencies:
go mod tidy
This ensures your go.mod and go.sum files are correct and only contain the dependencies you actually need.
Step 2: Run Tests
Always test your module before publishing to ensure everything works as expected:
go test
If your tests pass, you’re ready to move forward.
Step 3: Commit Changes
Use Conventional Commits when pushing changes. This helps with semantic versioning, which is crucial when publishing Go packages.
git add .
git commit -m "feat: add new feature"
git push origin main
Step 4: Tag Your Release
Now, assign a version tag to your commit. For example, version v0.1.0:
git tag v0.1.0
git push origin v0.1.0
You should now see the tag under the Tags section in your remote Git repository.
Step 5: Publish to the Go Package Manager
Finally, publish your package to pkg.go.dev using the Go proxy:
GOPROXY=proxy.golang.org go list -m github.com/ticatwolves/shrinkit@v0.1.0
👉 Note: You can change the GOPROXY depending on whether you want to test or publish to the production package manager.
Step 6: Use Your Package
Once published, your package is available for anyone to use in their projects:
go get github.com/ticatwolves/shrinkit@v0.1.0
Congratulations 🎉 — you’ve published your first Go package to the public!
What’s Next?
That’s it for now! Join us in our next article, where we’ll explore how to add a CI/CD pipeline for automated building, testing, and publishing of your Go packages.
💬 How do you handle versioning and publishing in your Go projects? Share your workflow in the comments — I’d love to learn from your experience!
📚 Further Reading & References
