DDEV Pi Golang

Overview

This add-on extends the ddev-pi addon with comprehensive Golang development capabilities, transforming the Pi coding agent into an expert Go developer.

Features

Go Runtime

• Go 1.26.4 (configurable version)
• Multi-architecture support (amd64, arm64, armv6l)
• Properly configured GOPATH and Go modules support

Essential Go Tools (10 tools)

Language Server:

• gopls - Official Go language server for IDE features

Code Formatting:

• goimports - Format code and manage imports automatically

Linting & Analysis:

• golangci-lint - Comprehensive linting (50+ linters in one)
• staticcheck - Advanced static analysis for deeper insights
• govulncheck - Security vulnerability scanning for dependencies

Testing:

• gotests - Generate table-driven test boilerplate
• mockgen - Generate mock implementations for testing

Development Tools:

• dlv (Delve) - Full-featured debugger
• impl - Generate interface method stubs

Pi Agent Enhancements

The addon includes a custom Pi extension that:

• Injects Go best practices into the agent’s system prompt
• Provides context-aware guidance for common Go tasks
• Offers helpful suggestions during development
• Follows official Go guidelines and idioms

Extension Location: pi/global/agent/extensions/golang-development.ts
Advanced users can customize the extension by editing this file.

Installation

ddev add-on get mxr576/ddev-pi-golang
ddev restart

After installation, commit the .ddev directory to version control.

Usage

Starting the Pi Service

The Pi service uses a Docker Compose profile and must be started explicitly.

For existing projects:

ddev start --profiles=pi

After addon installation or configuration changes:

ddev restart && ddev start --profiles=pi

Note: The ddev restart ensures the addon configuration is loaded before starting the Pi service.

Basic Go Development

# Enter the Pi container
ddev ssh -s pi

# Create a new Go project
mkdir myproject && cd myproject
go mod init github.com/username/myproject

# Create main.go
cat > main.go << 'EOF'
package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    fmt.Println("Hello, World!")
}
EOF

# Run your program
go run .

# Format code and organize imports
goimports -w .

# Run linters
golangci-lint run

# Run tests with race detection
go test -race ./...

# Check for vulnerabilities
govulncheck ./...

Using the Pi Agent for Go Development

# Start an interactive Pi session
ddev pi

# Example prompts:
# "Create a new Go web service using the standard library"
# "Add unit tests for this function"
# "Refactor this code to follow Go best practices"
# "Add proper error handling to this function"

Advanced Customization

Changing Go Version

To use a different Go version, set the environment variable before installation:

echo "GOLANG_VERSION=1.22.5" >> .ddev/.env.pi
ddev restart && ddev start --profiles=pi

Changing golangci-lint Version

echo "GOLANGCI_LINT_VERSION=1.61.0" >> .ddev/.env.pi
ddev restart && ddev start --profiles=pi

Customization Options

Note: Changing versions requires rebuilding the Pi container. Due to ddev/ddev#8463, use the command above rather than ddev utility rebuild.

Go Best Practices Enforced by Pi Agent

The Pi agent extension automatically guides you to follow these practices:

• Idiomatic Go: Follows Effective Go
• Error Handling: Explicit error checking with context wrapping
• Testing: Table-driven tests with subtests
• Concurrency: Proper goroutine lifecycle and channel usage
• Project Structure: Standard Go project layout
• Dependencies: Minimal, well-maintained dependencies

Troubleshooting

Module cache issues

Clear the Go module cache:

ddev exec -s pi go clean -modcache

Available Go Commands Reference

Credits

Contributed and maintained by @mxr576