Your Go code shouldn't depend on GitHub

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

One of Go’s most practical ideas is that an import path is both the package name and the place to download it from. You write import "github.com/user/library" and the go command knows it has to go to GitHub and clone that repository with git. There’s no need for a central registry like npm or Packagist, and everyone knows where to open an issue.

The problem is that this convenience comes with fine print, and Iain Cambridge explains it very well in Don’t couple your Go code to GitHub: if the import path is your hosting address, your code is tied to that hosting.

Git on Antonio Cortés (DrZippie)

Your Go code shouldn't depend on GitHub