How to Rollback Dependency Upgrades in Go Modules

Introduction
Prerequisites
Setting up Go Modules
Upgrading Dependencies
Rolling Back Dependency Upgrades
Conclusion

Introduction

In Go programming, managing dependencies is crucial for building robust and efficient applications. Go Modules, introduced in Go 1.11, provide a solution for managing dependencies directly within the project. Sometimes, after upgrading dependencies to the latest versions, you might encounter issues or bugs that weren’t present before. In such cases, rolling back dependency upgrades becomes necessary.

This tutorial will guide you through the process of rolling back dependency upgrades in Go Modules. By the end of this tutorial, you will have a clear understanding of how to downgrade dependencies to previous versions and resolve compatibility issues.

Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial, ensure that you have the following prerequisites:

Go installed on your system
Basic understanding of Go programming language
Familiarity with Go Modules

Setting up Go Modules

Before diving into the process of rolling back dependency upgrades, let’s quickly set up Go Modules in a new project.

Create a new directory for your project:
```
 mkdir myproject
 cd myproject
```
Initialize Go Modules in the project folder:
```
 go mod init github.com/username/myproject
```
This initializes Go Modules and creates a go.mod file, which tracks the dependencies of your project.
Install a package to test the dependency management:
```
 go get github.com/gorilla/mux
```
This command downloads and installs the gorilla/mux package from the Go package repository, adding it as a dependency in your go.mod file.

Upgrading Dependencies

To demonstrate the process of rolling back dependency upgrades, we first need to upgrade a dependency to a newer version.

Find the package you want to upgrade on the Go package repository. Let’s assume we want to upgrade gorilla/mux from version 1.7.4 to 1.8.0.
Update the version in the go.mod file to the desired version:
```
 go get github.com/gorilla/[email protected]
```
This command updates the dependency to the specified version and modifies the go.mod file accordingly.
Run go build or go run to verify that the upgraded version works as expected:
```
 go build
```
If everything works fine, you can proceed with the upgraded version. However, if you encounter any issues or bugs, you should consider rolling back the dependency upgrade.

Rolling Back Dependency Upgrades

Rolling back a dependency upgrade involves reverting the version in the go.mod file to the previously working version.

Determine the previously working version of the dependency. You can check the commit history, release notes, or other documentation to find the desired version.
Update the version in the go.mod file to the previous version:
```
 go get github.com/gorilla/[email protected]
```
This command downgrades the dependency to the specified version and modifies the go.mod file accordingly.
Run go build or go run to verify that the downgraded version works correctly:
```
 go build
```
If the downgraded version resolves the issues or bugs you encountered, congratulations! You have successfully rolled back the dependency upgrade.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to roll back dependency upgrades in Go Modules. It’s essential to be able to revert to previous versions of dependencies when compatibility issues arise. By following the step-by-step instructions provided, you can efficiently manage dependencies in your Go projects.

Remember, rolling back dependency upgrades should only be done as a last resort. It’s also essential to communicate with the package maintainers, report any issues you encounter, and collaborate to find a better solution.

Now that you have the knowledge to roll back dependency upgrades, you can confidently handle compatibility issues that may arise during the development of your projects.

Published: 24 March 2021