GoVM - Go Version Manager

Fork of Melkeydev/govm. Original repository: github.com/melkeydev/govm

GoVM is a modern tool for managing multiple Go versions on your system. It features both a clean Terminal UI (TUI) and a command-line interface for easy installation and switching between Go versions.

Features

• Beautiful TUI built with Charm Bubbletea v2 with responsive layout
• Command-line interface for quick operations
• Install any available Go version directly from go.dev
• Switch between installed versions with a single command
• Delete installed versions (with safety check for the active version)
• Supports partial version numbers (e.g., 1.21 for latest 1.21.x) and go prefix (e.g., go1.21)
• Go module dependency viewer and updater built into the TUI
• Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows (darwin/linux/windows, amd64/arm64)

Installation

Prerequisites

• Go 1.26 or higher

Install

go install github.com/smileoniks-ctrl/govm@latest

Then in a new terminal run:

govm

To launch the TUI

First-Time Setup

When you first run GoVM, it will guide you through adding the required directory to your PATH. This is a one-time setup that enables GoVM to manage your Go versions.

On Linux/macOS

Add this to your shell configuration file (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.):

export PATH="$HOME/.govm/shim:$PATH"

Or run this command to add it automatically:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.govm/shim:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc  # or ~/.zshrc

Then reload your shell configuration:

source ~/.bashrc  # or whichever file you modified

On Windows

Add the shim directory to your PATH:

setx PATH "%USERPROFILE%\.govm\shim;%PATH%"

Then restart your terminal.

Usage

GoVM can be used in two ways: via the interactive TUI or through command-line commands.

Terminal User Interface (TUI)

Launch the interactive TUI by running govm without arguments:

govm

The TUI has three tabs that you cycle through with Tab:

• Available - all Go versions available for download from go.dev
• Installed - Go versions installed locally on your system
• Deps - Go module dependencies of the current working directory

Navigation

Key	Action
Tab	Cycle between Available, Installed, and Deps tabs
i	Install the selected version (Available tab)
u	Switch to the selected version (Available/Installed tabs), or update dependencies (Deps tab)
d	Delete the selected installed version with confirmation (Available/Installed tabs)
r	Refresh available versions (Available tab), or check for dependency updates (Deps tab)
q	Quit

When deleting a version, you will be prompted to confirm with y or cancel with n. The active version cannot be deleted.

Command Line Interface

Version strings accept an optional go prefix (e.g., go1.21 is equivalent to 1.21). Partial versions like 1.21 resolve to the latest patch release.

# Install a Go version (latest patch for the specified version)
govm install 1.21  # Installs the latest Go 1.21.x

# Switch to a Go version
govm use 1.20      # Switches to the latest installed Go 1.20.x

# Delete an installed Go version (prompts for confirmation; cannot delete the active version)
govm delete 1.20

# List installed versions
govm list

# Print govm version
govm version

# Show help and version information
govm help

# Launch the TUI
govm

Go Dependencies Tab

The Deps tab in the TUI displays the Go module dependencies of the current working directory. It reads dependencies via go list -mod=readonly -m -json all and shows:

Column	Description
Dependency	Module path
Current	Currently pinned version
Latest	Latest available version (after refresh)
Status	current, update avail, indirect, deprecated, or error

• Press r on the Deps tab to check for available updates online.
• Press u on the Deps tab to update all direct dependencies with available updates. A confirmation dialog appears before running go get and go mod tidy.

How It Works

GoVM downloads Go versions from the official go.dev website and installs them in ~/.govm/versions. It uses a "shim" approach:

• It creates wrapper scripts in ~/.govm/shim that point to the selected Go version
• When you run go or other Go commands, these wrappers execute the proper version
• Switching versions simply updates these wrappers to point to a different installation
• The currently active version is tracked in ~/.govm/active_version
• Downloaded archives are temporarily stored in ~/.govm/downloads and cleaned up after extraction

This ensures a seamless experience without needing to manually update environment variables or source scripts each time you switch versions.

Install from source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/smileoniks-ctrl/govm.git
cd govm

# Build and install
go build -o govm

Then place the binary somewhere in your PATH.

Homebrew

Add Homebrew repository to the system:

brew tap smileoniks-ctrl/tap

You can then install your package with:

brew install govm

Dependencies

• Charm Bubbletea v2 - Terminal UI framework
• Charm Bubbles v2 - UI components
• Charm Lipgloss v2 - UI styling