Self-Extracting Archives¶

GoReleaser can create self-extracting archives using Makeself. These files are executables that self-extract themselves, and might run the underlying binary, install it, or do other operations.

This is particularly useful for distributing software that needs to be easily installable without requiring users to manually extract archives. Typically this supports Linux, MacOS and any other platform that Makeself runs on.

Note

This feature requires the makeself command to be available in your system $PATH. You can install it from your system package manager or from the Makeself project.

Configuration¶

Here is a commented makeselfs section with all fields specified:

.goreleaser.yaml

makeselfs:
  - #
    # ID of this Makeself package.
    #
    # Default: 'default'.
    id: my-installer

    # IDs of the builds which should be packaged in this Makeself archive.
    #
    # Default: empty (include all).
    ids:
      - my-binary

    # Which OSes to create the packages for.
    #
    # Default: [linux darwin].
    goos:
      - linux
      - darwin

    # Which architectures to create the packages for.
    #
    # Default: empty (all architectures).
    goarch:
      - arm64
      - amd64

    # Name of the package.
    #
    # Default: '{{ .ProjectName }}'.
    # Templates: allowed.
    name: my-package

    # Description of your package.
    #
    # Default: inferred from global metadata.
    # Templates: allowed.
    description: foo bar

    # Keywords for your package.
    keywords:
      - release
      - makeself

    # Your app's homepage.
    #
    # Default: inferred from global metadata.
    homepage: "https://example.com/"

    # Your software license.
    #
    # Default: inferred from global metadata.
    license: MIT

    # The maintainer/author of the package.
    #
    # Default: inferred from global metadata.
    maintainer: "Foo Bar <foo at bar dot com>"

    # Archive file name template.
    #
    # Mind that the filename must contain the desired extension as well,
    # which typically is `.run`.
    #
    # Default: '{{ .ProjectName }}_{{ .Version }}_{{ .Os }}_{{ .Arch }}{{ with .Arm }}v{{ . }}{{ end }}{{ with .Mips }}_{{ . }}{{ end }}{{ if not (eq .Amd64 "v1") }}{{ .Amd64 }}{{ end }}.run'
    # Templates: allowed.
    filename: "{{ .ProjectName }}_{{ .Version }}_{{ .Os }}_{{ .Arch }}.run"

    # Compression format to use.
    #
    # Valid options: gzip, bzip2, xz, lzo, compress, none
    # Default: gzip (Makeself's default)
    # Templates: allowed.
    # Note: none translates to makeself's --nocomp flag
    compression: "gzip"

    # Path to setup script file.
    # This script will be copied into the archive.
    # It is executed when the user runs the Makeself package.
    # Templates: allowed.
    script: install.sh

    # Additional command-line arguments to pass to Makeself.
    #
    # Refer to https://makeself.io for more information.
    #
    # Templates: allowed.
    extra_args:
      - "--notemp"
      - "--needroot"
      - "--keep"
      - "--copy"

    # Additional files/globs you want to add to the Makeself package.
    # These files will be available to the install script.
    #
    # Templates: allowed.
    files:
      - LICENSE.txt
      - README_{{.Os}}.md
      - CHANGELOG.md
      - configs/*
      - scripts/*.sh
      # a more complete example
      - src: "*.md"
        dst: docs

        # Strip parent directories when adding files to the archive.
        strip_parent: true

    # Additional templated files to add to the package.
    # Those files will have their contents pass through the template engine,
    # and its results will be added to the source archive.
    #
    # This feature is only available in GoReleaser Pro.
    # Templates: allowed.
    templated_files:
      # a more complete example, check the globbing deep dive below
      - src: "LICENSE.md.tpl"
        dst: LICENSE.md

    # Disable this Makeself package.
    # Templates: allowed.
    disable: "{{ .Env.SKIP_MAKESELF }}"

Please refer to the Makeself documentation for more information.

Tip

The install script has access to all files included in the package, so you can reference documentation, configuration files, or other assets in your installation logic.

Root Privileges

When using --needroot in extra_args, the Makeself installer will automatically prompt for root privileges when executed. This allows your install script to assume root access without using sudo commands, making the script simpler and more reliable.

Warning

Makeself packages are platform-specific (typically Linux and macos) and create executable files. Make sure your target users can execute them on their systems.

Template Language

Discover more about the name template engine.