gobrew
A shell script tool for managing multiple Go versions by setting environment paths, inspired by rbenv and pyenv.
What is gobrew?
gobrew is a shell script tool that downloads and manages multiple versions of the Go programming language. It solves the problem of developers needing to work with different Go versions across projects by automatically setting environment paths and allowing seamless switching between installations.
Go developers who work on multiple projects requiring different Go versions, particularly those using Unix-like systems with Bash or ZSH shells.
Developers choose gobrew for its simplicity and familiarity—it provides a lightweight, script-based approach to version management without complex dependencies, following patterns established by popular tools like rbenv and pyenv.
Overview
Shell script to download and set GO environmental paths to allow multiple versions.
Use Cases
Best For
- Managing multiple Go versions on a single development machine
- Quickly testing code against different Go releases
- Isolating project dependencies through workspace management
- Automating Go environment setup in shell configurations
- Switching between Go versions for compatibility testing
- Simplifying Go installation without manual path configuration
Not Ideal For
- Windows developers without WSL or Cygwin
- Teams needing automatic per-project version switching (e.g., with .go-version files)
- Users who prefer GUI-based or cross-platform version managers with broader ecosystem support
Pros & Cons
Pros
Offers one-line install via curl or wget, as shown in the README, making setup quick and accessible.
Based on rbenv and pyenv patterns, so developers experienced with those tools will find the commands intuitive.
Includes 'gobrew workspace set/unset' to handle GOPATH, aiding in project isolation as per Go conventions.
No heavy dependencies; relies on shell scripts for fast execution and easy customization.
Cons
Only supports Bash and ZSH out of the box, requiring manual tweaks for Fish, PowerShell, or other shells.
Lacks features like automatic version detection per directory, forcing manual 'gobrew use' commands for each context.
Installs via piping remote scripts from GitHub, which poses security concerns if not audited, and updates depend on external sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
KubernetesProduction-Grade Container Scheduling and Management
MobyThe Moby Project - a collaborative project for the container ecosystem to assemble container-based systems
traefikThe Cloud Native Application Proxy
GiteaGit with a cup of tea! Painless self-hosted all-in-one software development service, including Git hosting, code review, team collaboration, package registry and CI/CD
Found a gem we're missing?
Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.