How to Use the plugin Package in Go (Linux Only)

You use the plugin package on Linux by compiling your plugin code with -buildmode=plugin and loading it at runtime via plugin.Open.

// 1. Build the plugin: go build -buildmode=plugin -o myplugin.so ./myplugin
// 2. Load and use it in your main program:
package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"log"
	"plugin"
)

func main() {
	p, err := plugin.Open("myplugin.so")
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}
	
	sym, err := p.Lookup("MyFunction")
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}
	
	fn := sym.(func() string)
	fmt.Println(fn())
}

Note: This requires CGO enabled (CGO_ENABLED=1) and works only on Linux.

The plugin package lets you load extra code into your Go program while it is running, like plugging a USB drive into a computer. You compile the extra code separately into a special file, then your main program opens that file to use its functions. This is useful for building systems where users can add features without reinstalling the whole application.