How Can I Execute Built-in Linux Shell Commands from a Go Program?

Executing Linux Shell Built-in Commands from Go Programs

Seeking to validate program existence on Linux, a developer encounters an error upon attempting to execute the "command" utility via a Go program. This error stems from the fact that "command" is a built-in Linux command, not an executable binary in the system's $PATH. The question arises: How can built-in Linux commands be executed within Go programs?

Native Go Solution: exec.LookPath

As suggested in the provided resource, the "command" utility is a shell built-in. For native Go execution, the exec.LookPath function provides a solution. This function searches the system's executable path for the specified command and returns the full path if found.

path, err := exec.LookPath("command")
if err != nil {
    // Handle error
}
fmt.Println(path) // Prints the full path to the command

Alternative Approaches

If the native Go method is not suitable, alternative approaches exist:

• Using the system Which Binary:

cmd := exec.Command("which", "foobar")
out, err := cmd.Output()
if err != nil {
    // Handle error
}
fmt.Println(string(out)) // Prints the full path to the program (if found)

• Executing Command from Shell:

cmd := exec.Command("/bin/bash", "-c", "command -v foobar")
out, err := cmd.Output()
if err != nil {
    // Handle error
}
fmt.Println(string(out)) // Prints the full path to the program (if found)

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