raw/gova.md

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url: https://github.com/NV404/gova date_fetched: 2026-07-05 backfilled: true

The declarative GUI framework for Go. Build native desktop apps for macOS, Windows, and Linux from a single Go codebase — typed components, reactive state, real platform dialogs, and one static binary. No JavaScript runtime, no embedded browser, no C++ toolchain to learn.

Status:pre-1.0. The API will shift beforev1.0.0. Pin a tag in production.

package main
import . "github.com/nv404/gova"
var Counter = Define(func(s *Scope) View {
    count := State(s, 0)
    return VStack(
        Text(count.Format("Count: %d")),
        Button("+", func() { count.Update(func(n int) int { return n + 1 }) }),
        Button("-", func() { count.Update(func(n int) int { return n - 1 }) }),
    )
})
func main() { Run("Counter", Counter) }

Components as structs.Views are plain Go structs with typed prop fields; defaults are zero values; composition is plain function calls. No magic property wrappers, no string keys, no hook-ordering rules.
Explicit reactive scope.State, signals, and effects live on a- Scopeyou can see. No hidden scheduler, no re-render surprises, no Rx, no Redux.
Real native integrations where it matters.- NSAlert,- NSOpenPanel,- NSSavePanel, and- NSDockTilebadge/progress/menu on macOS through cgo. Fyne fallbacks on Windows and Linux — same API everywhere.
One static binary.- go buildproduces a single executable. No JavaScript runtime, no embedded browser, no extra assets to bundle.
Hot reload that actually reloads.- gova devwatches Go files, rebuilds on save, and relaunches — with an opt-in- PersistedStateso UI state survives the reload.
Built on Fyne, but Fyne stays internal.The public API is yours to rely on. We swap out renderer details without breaking your code.

Metric	Value	Notes
Binary size	~32 MB	`counter`example, default build
Stripped	~23 MB	`go build -ldflags "-s -w"`
Memory idle	~80 MB	RSS, `counter`running
Go version	1.26+	plus a C toolchain for cgo
License	MIT	no runtime fees

Measured on macOS arm64 with Go 1.26.2. Numbers will vary by platform and feature set.

go get github.com/nv404/gova@latestOptional CLI for dev / build / run:

go install github.com/nv404/gova/cmd/gova@latest
gova dev ./examples/counter

Prerequisites: Go 1.26+ and a C toolchain (Xcode CLT on macOS, build-essential + libgl1-mesa-dev on Linux, MinGW on Windows).

Full documentation lives at gova.dev (or run npm run dev inside docs-site/ for local browsing). Key sections:

Every example in examples/ is a runnable program:

Example	What it shows
`counter`	The minimum viable Gova app
`todo`	State, lists, forms
`fancytodo`	Categories, derived state, richer layout
`notes`	Nav, multi-view, stores
`themed`	Dark/light mode, semantic colors
`components`	`Viewable`composition,`ZStack`,`Scaffold`
`dialogs`	Native dialogs, dock badge / progress / menu, app icon

go run ./examples/dialogs| Feature | macOS | Windows | Linux | |---|---|---|---| | Core UI | Supported | Supported | Supported | | Hot reload ( gova dev) | Supported | Supported | Supported | | App icon (runtime) | Supported | Supported | Supported | | Native dialogs | NSAlert / NSOpenPanel | Fyne fallback | Fyne fallback | | Dock / taskbar | NSDockTile | Planned | Planned |

The gova CLI ships alongside the framework.

Command	Purpose	Notes
`gova dev`	Hot reload	Watch `.go`files, rebuild on save, relaunch the window
`gova build`	Compile	Static binary to `./bin/<name>`
`gova run`	Execute	Build and launch once, no file watching

See CONTRIBUTING.md. Tests are the contract:

go test ./...Issues, discussions, and PRs all live on GitHub. Security issues? See SECURITY.md.

MIT. Gova is built on Fyne (BSD-3), which ships with the module as an internal dependency.