Yes, Go code can be compiled into a shared library, but it requires specific steps. To do this properly: 1) Use //export FunctionName comments to expose functions; 2) Write code in the main package with an empty main() function; 3) Import "C" to enable cgo; 4) Build with go build -buildmode=c-shared and provide a compatible C compiler; 5) Be mindful of thread safety, memory management, and runtime overhead when integrating with C programs.
Compiling Go code into a shared library (like a .so
file on Linux or .dll
/.dylib
on other systems) is possible, but it’s not as straightforward as compiling C code. Go isn’t designed primarily for creating shared libraries, but with the right flags and some extra care, you can make it work.

Here’s how to do it properly.
What You Need Before Compiling
Before jumping into the compilation command, there are a few prerequisites:

- Your Go code must be written in a way that exposes functions to external callers using
//export
comments. - You need to use the
-buildmode=c-shared
flag when building. - You should have
gcc
or another compatible C compiler installed — Go uses it under the hood to generate the shared object.
Make sure your environment supports CGO since it's required for this build mode.
How to Write Exportable Go Code
To create a shared library, your Go code needs to explicitly mark which functions are exposed to external programs. Here's an example:

package main import "C" //export AddNumbers func AddNumbers(a int, b int) int { return a b } func main() {}
A few key points here:
- The package must be
main
even though you're not running it directly. - You import
"C"
even if you don't use it directly — it enables cgo. - The
//export
comment tells the Go toolchain to expose the function. - The
main()
function is required, but it can be empty.
This sets up the function AddNumbers
so it can be called from C or other languages via the shared library.
Building the Shared Library
Once your code is ready, use this command:
go build -o libmylib.so -buildmode=c-shared main.go
This will produce two files:
libmylib.so
— the shared object file.libmylib.h
— a C header file describing the exported functions.
You can now use libmylib.so
in a C program like this:
#include "libmylib.h" int main() { int result = AddNumbers(3, 4); return 0; }
And compile it with:
gcc main.c -L. -lmylib -o myprogram
Just make sure to link against the Go runtime by including -lmylib
.
Things to Watch Out For
There are a few gotchas when working with Go shared libraries:
- Thread safety: Go runtime assumes it manages threads, so calling Go-exported functions from multiple threads in C can lead to issues unless handled carefully.
- Startup overhead: The Go runtime starts up when the first exported function is called, which might affect performance-sensitive applications.
- Cross-compilation: Building shared libraries for different platforms isn’t supported directly. You'll need to set up cross-compilation environments manually.
-
Memory management: Be cautious about passing memory between Go and C — especially strings and slices. Use
C.CString
and similar helpers where needed.
Also, remember that the resulting .so
file includes the entire Go runtime, so it can be relatively large compared to a native C library.
Final Notes
Creating a shared library from Go code is definitely doable, but it requires careful handling of exports, linking, and runtime behavior. It works best when you're embedding Go functionality into a larger C/C project or interfacing with tools that expect standard C interfaces.
That’s basically all you need to know to get started.
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