runesmith/cross-compile.md

To cross-compile a Go program for Windows from Linux using CGO, you need to set the environment variables for the target OS and architecture, and specify the appropriate C and C++ compilers. For example, you can use the command: Google Wikipedia

GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 CGO_ENABLED=1 CXX_FOR_TARGET=x86_64-w64-mingw32-g++ CC_FOR_TARGET=x86_64-w64-mingw32-gcc go build -o your_program.exe your_program.go Cross Compiling Go Programs for Windows from Linux with CGO Prerequisites

Go Installation: Ensure you have Go installed on your Linux system. Version 1.5 or higher is required for easy cross-compilation.

C Cross-Compiler: Install a cross-compiler for Windows. Use the following command to install mingw-w64:

bash

sudo apt-get install gcc-mingw-w64

Setting Up Environment Variables

To cross-compile a Go program that uses CGO, you need to set specific environment variables. Here’s how to do it for both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows executables:

For 32-bit Windows:

bash

export GOOS=windows export GOARCH=386 export CGO_ENABLED=1 export CXX=i686-w64-mingw32-g++ export CC=i686-w64-mingw32-gcc

For 64-bit Windows:

bash

export GOOS=windows
export GOARCH=amd64
export CGO_ENABLED=1
export CXX=x86_64-w64-mingw32-g++
export CC=x86_64-w64-mingw32-gcc

Building the Executable

Once the environment variables are set, you can build your Go program. Use the following command:

bash

go build -o your_program.exe your_program.go

Important Notes

Statefulness: The build process can be stateful. It’s recommended to build Windows binaries last to avoid issues with Linux binaries.
Testing: You cannot run Windows executables directly on Linux. Use Wine to test your built executables.

Example Command

Here’s a complete example for building a simple Go program:

bash

Set environment for 64-bit Windows

export GOOS=windows export GOARCH=amd64 export CGO_ENABLED=1 export CXX=x86_64-w64-mingw32-g++ export CC=x86_64-w64-mingw32-gcc

Build the executable

go build -o hello.exe hello.go

This process allows you to create Windows executables from a Linux environment while utilizing CGO for C dependencies.