Using the "eget" Command to Easily Install Prebuilt Binaries (with examples)

1: Downloading a prebuilt binary for the current system from a repository on GitHub

eget zyedidia/micro

Motivation: You want to quickly download a prebuilt binary for the popular text editor Micro from its GitHub repository, without the need to compile it yourself.

Explanation: By running the above command, the “eget” command will fetch the latest release of Micro from the zyedidia/micro repository on GitHub for your current system, and download the corresponding prebuilt binary.

Example Output: The prebuilt binary for Micro will be downloaded to your current working directory.

2: Downloading from a URL

eget https://go.dev/dl/go1.17.5.linux-amd64.tar.gz

Motivation: You want to download a specific prebuilt binary from a URL instead of a GitHub repository.

Explanation: With the “eget” command, you can download prebuilt binaries from any valid URL. In this example, we are downloading the Go programming language version 1.17.5 for the Linux AMD64 architecture.

Example Output: The specified prebuilt binary will be downloaded to your current working directory.

3: Specifying the location to place the downloaded files

eget zyedidia/micro --to=path/to/directory

Motivation: You want to control where the downloaded files are placed on your system.

Explanation: By providing the --to flag followed by the desired path to a directory, you can specify where the downloaded files should be placed. This allows you to organize your downloaded binaries in a more structured manner.

Example Output: The prebuilt binary for Micro will be downloaded and placed in the specified path, such as “path/to/directory/micro”.

4: Specifying a git tag instead of using the latest version

eget zyedidia/micro --tag=v2.0.10

Motivation: You specifically need to download a particular release of a prebuilt binary, rather than the latest version.

Explanation: The “eget” command allows you to specify a git tag for a specific release of a prebuilt binary. By providing the --tag flag followed by the desired tag, you can download a particular version instead of the latest one.

Example Output: The prebuilt binary for Micro corresponding to the specified tag (v2.0.10 in this case) will be downloaded.

5: Installing the latest pre-release instead of the latest stable version

eget zyedidia/micro --pre-release

Motivation: You want to test the latest pre-release version of a prebuilt binary for evaluation purposes or to access new features before they are officially released.

Explanation: The --pre-release flag instructs the “eget” command to download the latest pre-release of a prebuilt binary instead of the latest stable version. This is useful if you want to try out bleeding-edge features or bug fixes.

Example Output: The pre-release version of the prebuilt binary for Micro will be downloaded if available.

6: Only downloading the asset, skipping extraction

eget zyedidia/micro --download-only

Motivation: You want to download the prebuilt binary without extracting it, for further processing or manual extraction.

Explanation: The --download-only flag allows you to download the prebuilt binary without extracting it. This is useful if you need access to the raw binary file, which can be handy for scripting or if you prefer to manually extract the files later.

Example Output: The prebuilt binary for Micro will be downloaded without being extracted.

7: Only downloading if there is a newer release than the currently downloaded version

eget zyedidia/micro --upgrade-only

Motivation: You want to check if a newer release of a prebuilt binary is available before downloading it, to avoid unnecessary downloads and updates.

Explanation: The --upgrade-only flag instructs the “eget” command to only download the prebuilt binary if there is a newer release than the one you currently have. This is useful when you want to regularly update your binaries without downloading the same version repeatedly.

Example Output: If a newer release of the prebuilt binary for Micro is available, it will be downloaded; otherwise, there will be no output indicating that there is no upgrade available.

Conclusion

With the “eget” command, installing prebuilt binaries from GitHub or other URLs becomes quick and easy. Whether you want to download the latest stable version, a specific release, or even pre-release versions, “eget” provides the flexibility needed to streamline the process and ensure you have the software you need. So go ahead and give it a try to simplify your binary installation workflow!