What's the Best Strategy for Updating Go Modules?

Go Module Update Strategies: Understanding the Differences

When seeking to update all Go modules in a project, developers can opt for several approaches. This article investigates five methods and explains their varying results, ultimately guiding towards the ideal approach.

Method Comparison

Method	go.mod Lines
go get -u	19
go get -u; go mod tidy	14
go mod tidy	13

Analysis of Results

The inconsistency among these methods stems from the dynamic nature of software and module dependencies. Using the example commit provided, the longer initial go.mod is likely due to the author's omission of go mod tidy at commit time.

go get -u is aggressive in obtaining dependencies and may introduce new ones, explaining its longer results. Conversely, go mod tidy systematically removes these unnecessary dependencies, reducing the file size.

The Ideal Approach

If the goal is to completely update all modules and ensure the project's stability, the following sequence is recommended:

go get -u
go mod tidy

This ensures up-to-date dependencies while also cleaning up and optimizing the go.mod file.

Submodule Updates

For projects with embedded submodules, a recursive update can be achieved with:

go get -u ./...

This updates all modules and their subdependencies recursively, following the same approach as for the main project.

Additional Notes

It's worth noting that go mod tidy does not necessarily reduce dependency size. In certain situations, the go.sum file may actually grow due to improved dependency tracking.

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