# 1. Preparing the Go Environment

To run and execute code in Go you should first download the compiler. The installers for Linux, macOS and Windows can all be found on the official website [here](https://go.dev/doc/install).

Once the compiler is installed we run the following command to make sure everything is working as expected

```
go version
```

<figure><img src="https://1525675160-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F1BtmYYGIbNqDCOEq0YOj%2Fuploads%2FHDL7cWGDCOwr1WGsAlKU%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=96e87dbd-1cbd-42a3-942a-ae24647ddc03" alt=""><figcaption><p>Go Version</p></figcaption></figure>

Then it is highly recommended to install an IDE. It helps with code suggestions and highlighting errors in our code. My personal preference is [VScode](https://code.visualstudio.com/download). I like it that I can use the same IDE in every OS.&#x20;

When VSCode is installed we go ahead and install the GO language support for VSCode from the extensions:

<figure><img src="https://1525675160-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F1BtmYYGIbNqDCOEq0YOj%2Fuploads%2F45Eq6eaIiyJFO7QVHqBq%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=f5f5f157-635e-4a46-b7a8-4b87b4279d98" alt=""><figcaption><p>Go Extension in VSCode</p></figcaption></figure>