godoc

Display Go documentation and source code

TLDR

Display help for a specific package

$ godoc [fmt]

Display help for the function "Printf" of "fmt" package

$ godoc [fmt] [Printf]

Serve documentation as a web server on port 6060

$ godoc -http=:[6060]

Create an index file

$ godoc -write_index -index_files=[path/to/file]

Use the given index file to search the docs

$ godoc -http=:[6060] -index -index_files=[path/to/file]

-http=:6060
    Start an HTTP server on port 6060 (or the specified port). This will serve the documentation in a web browser.

-index
    Enable indexing of the Go workspace for faster searching.

-path=[...]
    Specify the search path for packages, overriding the default GOPATH.

package
    The specific Go package to display documentation for. Can be a single package name or a package path (e.g., `fmt`, `net/http`). If no package is specified, godoc runs in webserver mode using -http

DESCRIPTION

godoc extracts and generates documentation for Go packages and programs.
It can serve this documentation as an HTML web server, providing a convenient way to browse Go code and documentation. godoc can also be used to generate plain text or HTML documentation for specific packages and print it to the standard output. It is an invaluable tool for understanding Go codebases and exploring the standard library.

USAGE EXAMPLES

To start the web server, run `godoc -http=:8080`.
Then, open your web browser and navigate to `http://localhost:8080`.
To view the documentation for the `fmt` package in your terminal, run `godoc fmt`.
To view the documentation for the `net/http` package, run `godoc net/http`.

COMMENT CONVENTIONS

godoc parses comments in Go source files to generate documentation.
Comments preceding type, variable, constant, function, or package declarations are extracted and formatted.
Blank lines separate paragraphs. The first sentence should be a concise summary of the declaration.

HISTORY

godoc has been a fundamental part of the Go toolchain since its early days.
It has evolved along with the Go language itself.
Initially focused on extracting documentation from source code comments, it now provides web-based browsing and indexing capabilities.
Over time, it has been improved to better handle complex Go projects and provide a more user-friendly experience.
Now days is not so used as godoc website is available online.