Share Go code on GitHub
Programming Snapshot – Go Code on GitHub
© Lead Image © bowie15, 123RF.com
Go makes it easy to bundle universal code into a package and share it with the world on GitHub. Mike Schilli explains the tricks and how to avoid the pitfalls.
Attentive readers of this column will have noticed that the Go listings covered here often reference packages on GitHub, which the Go compiler picks up from there and integrates into the binaries as libraries. But you can't always take, take, take. Instead, let's contribute back! How hard could it be to write your own code and share it with the world on GitHub? Then programmers near and far can use it, saving them the time they could otherwise use to sing the originator's praises.
By way of an example, a simple package that allows a Go application to store the passwords and API tokens it uses in an external file would be useful. These strings should never be part of the code, and not just because the listings are printed here in the magazine. Hard-coded strings are also frowned upon in production releases, because the code is usually openly available in a GitHub repo and automatic installations like to roll out binaries and secrets separately – just as if the user were configuring them manually after installation.
Take a look at the sample application shown in Listing 1, for example. It determines the five most frequently viewed videos on a YouTube channel and requires a secret API key and a channel ID to do so. Instead of keeping strings with secret data in the code, the code calls the Lookup() function twice. It reads a string for the specified keyword from an external humanly readable file (in the example, "youtube-api-key" and "youtube-channel-id") and returns the results to the application.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Digital Autonomy
• The Answer Was Already on the Shelf
• Changing the Chip Industry: How Public Investment Has Grown Open Silicon
• United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
• EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
• France Says “Au Revoir” to Microsoft
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
The Linux Kernel Dev Staging Area Now Rejects AI-Generated Patches
Unless a kernel patch is a valid security fix, it will be rejected if it was created using AI.
-
Linux Surpasses Double-Digit Market Share
According to two sources, the Linux operating system has hit a major milestone in market share that naysayers thought would never happen.
-
AI Helped Develop a Linux Exploit
A use-after-free race exploit was discovered and exploited on CentOS Stream 9.
-
Yet Another Linux Kernel Vulnerability Discovered
Affecting millions of systems, a kernel flaw discovered by Qualys could allow users to gain root privileges.
-
Ubuntu 26.10 to Include Ubuntu Certified Hardware Check
If you've ever wondered if your laptop or PC is officially certified to run Ubuntu, that curiosity will soon be met.
-
Substantial Update to IPFire Now Available
The lastest version of IPFire features a fundamental change to how the system handles DNS.
-
Gnome Working on Test Center App to Make Testing Easier
It's now possible to test experimental features on the Gnome desktop without worrying that you'll break things.
-
New Vulnerability Discovered in Linux Kernel
Hiding out for nearly 15 years, the Ghostlock vulnerability allows a standard logged-in user to gain root privileges.
-
New Linux Flaw Lets Attackers Escape VMs
A 16-year-old vulnerability allows an attacker to escape a virtual machine, gain access to the host, and execute malicious code.
-
Hannah Montana Linux Is Back!
Developer Noah Cagle decided the world needed the once obscure but beloved Linux distribution and gave it a decidedly pink refresh.