Embedding Files

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Now, let’s discuss some systems programming features including embedding files in Go binaries as well as the introduction of the os.ReadDir() function, the os.DirEntry type, and the io/fs package. We begin by presenting the embedding of files into Go binary executables.

This feature first appeared in Go 1.16 and allows us to embed static assets into Go binaries. The allowed data types for keeping an embedded file are string, []byte, and embed.FS. This means that a Go binary may contain a file that we do not have to manually download when we execute the Go binary! The presented utility embeds two different files that it can retrieve based on the given command-line argument.

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The code that follows, which is saved as embedFiles.go, illustrates this new Go feature:

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Course Introduction

Introduction to Go

Basic Go Data Types

Composite Data Types

Reflection and Interfaces

Go Packages and Functions

Telling a UNIX System What to Do

Go Concurrency

Building Web Services

Working with TCP/IP and WebSocket

Working with REST APIs

Code Testing and Profiling

Working with gRPC

Go Generics

Conclusion

Appendix A—Go Garbage Collector

Embedding Files

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