--- /dev/null
+---
+title: "Go, Backwards Compatibility, and GODEBUG"
+layout: article
+---
+
+<!--
+This document is kept in the Go repo, not x/website,
+because it documents the full list of known GODEBUG settings,
+which are tied to a specific release.
+-->
+
+## Introduction {#intro}
+
+Go's emphasis on backwards compatibility is one of its key strengths.
+There are, however, times when we cannot maintain complete compatibility.
+If code depends on buggy (including insecure) behavior,
+then fixing the bug will break that code.
+New features can also have similar impacts:
+enabling the HTTP/2 use by the HTTP client broke programs
+connecting to servers with buggy HTTP/2 implementations.
+These kinds of changes are unavoidable and
+[permitted by the Go 1 compatibility rules](/doc/go1compat).
+Even so, Go provides a mechanism called GODEBUG to
+reduce the impact such changes have on Go developers
+using newer toolchains to compile old code.
+
+A GODEBUG setting is a `key=value` pair
+that controls the execution of certain parts of a Go program.
+The environment variable `GODEBUG`
+can hold a comma-separated list of these settings.
+For example, if a Go program is running in an environment that contains
+
+ GODEBUG=http2client=0,http2server=0
+
+then that Go program will disable the use of HTTP/2 by default in both
+the HTTP client and the HTTP server.
+It is also possible to set the default `GODEBUG` for a given program
+(discussed below).
+
+When preparing any change that is permitted by Go 1 compatibility
+but may nonetheless break some existing programs,
+we first engineer the change to keep as many existing programs working as possible.
+For the remaining programs,
+we define a new GODEBUG setting that
+allows individual programs to opt back in to the old behavior.
+A GODEBUG setting may not be added if doing so is infeasible,
+but that should be extremely rare.
+
+GODEBUG settings added for compatibility will be maintained
+for a minimum of two years (four Go releases).
+Some, such as `http2client` and `http2server`,
+will be maintained much longer, even indefinitely.
+
+When possible, each GODEBUG setting has an associated
+[runtime/metrics](/pkg/runtime/metrics/) counter
+named `/godebug/non-default-behavior/<name>:events`
+that counts the number of times a particular program's
+behavior has changed based on a non-default value
+for that setting.
+For example, when `GODEBUG=http2client=0` is set,
+`/godebug/non-default-behavior/http2client:events`
+counts the number of HTTP transports that the program
+has configured without HTTP/2 support.
+
+## Default GODEBUG Values {#default}
+
+When a GODEBUG setting is not listed in the environment variable,
+its value is derived from three sources:
+the defaults for the Go toolchain used to build the program,
+amended to match the Go version listed in `go.mod`,
+and then overridden by explicit `//go:debug` lines in the program.
+
+The [GODEBUG History](#history) gives the exact defaults for each Go toolchain version.
+For example, Go 1.21 introduces the `panicnil` setting,
+controlling whether `panic(nil)` is allowed;
+it defaults to `panicnil=0`, making `panic(nil)` a run-time error.
+Using `panicnil=1` restores the behavior of Go 1.20 and earlier.
+
+When compiling a work module or workspace that declares
+an older Go version, the Go toolchain amends its defaults
+to match that older Go version as closely as possible.
+For example, when a Go 1.21 toolchain compiles a program,
+if the work module's `go.mod` or the workspace's `go.work`
+says `go` `1.20`, then the program defaults to `panicnil=1`,
+matching Go 1.20 instead of Go 1.21.
+
+Because this method of setting GODEBUG defaults was introduced only in Go 1.21,
+programs listing versions of Go earlier than Go 1.20 are configured to match Go 1.20,
+not the older version.
+
+To override these defaults, a main package's source files
+can include one or more `//go:debug` directives at the top of the file
+(preceding the `package` statement).
+Continuing the `panicnil` example, if the module or workspace is updated
+to say `go` `1.21`, the program can opt back into the old `panic(nil)`
+behavior by including this directive:
+
+ //go:debug panicnil=1
+
+Starting in Go 1.21, the Go toolchain treats a `//go:debug` directive
+with an unrecognized GODEBUG setting as an invalid program.
+Programs with more than one `//go:debug` line for a given setting
+are also treated as invalid.
+(Older toolchains ignore `//go:debug` directives entirely.)
+
+The defaults that will be compiled into a main package
+are reported by the command:
+
+ go list -f '{{.DefaultGODEBUG}}' my/main/package
+
+Only differences from the base Go toolchain defaults are reported.
+
+When testing a package, `//go:debug` lines in the `*_test.go`
+files are treated as directives for the test's main package.
+In any other context, `//go:debug` lines are ignored by the toolchain;
+`go` `vet` reports such lines as misplaced.
+
+## GODEBUG History {#history}
+
+This section documents the GODEBUG settings introduced and removed in each major Go release
+for compatibility reasons.
+Packages or programs may define additional settings for internal debugging purposes;
+for example,
+see the [runtime documentation](/pkg/runtime#hdr-Environment_Variables)
+and the [go command documentation](/cmd/go#hdr-Build_and_test_caching).
+
+### Go 1.21
+
+Go 1.21 made it a run-time error to call `panic` with a nil interface value,
+controlled by the [`panicnil` setting](/pkg/builtin/#panic).
+There is no plan to remove this setting.
+
+### Go 1.20
+
+Go 1.20 introduced support for rejecting insecure paths in tar and zip archives,
+controlled by the [`tarinsecurepath` setting](/pkg/archive/tar/#Reader.Next)
+and the [`zipinsecurepath` setting](/pkg/archive/zip/#NewReader).
+These default to `tarinsecurepath=1` and `zipinsecurepath=1`,
+preserving the behavior of earlier versions of Go.
+A future version of Go may change the defaults to
+`tarinsecurepath=0` and `zipinsecurepath=0`.
+
+Go 1.20 introduced automatic seeding of the
+[`math/rand`](/pkg/math/rand) global random number generator,
+controlled by the [`randautoseed` setting](/pkg/math/rand/#Seed).
+
+Go 1.20 introduced the concept of fallback roots for use during certificate verification,
+controlled by the [`x509usefallbackroots` setting](/pkg/crypto/x509/#SetFallbackRoots).
+
+Go 1.20 removed the preinstalled `.a` files for the standard library
+from the Go distribution.
+Installations now build and cache the standard library like
+packages in other modules.
+The [`installgoroot` setting](/cmd/go#hdr-Compile_and_install_packages_and_dependencies)
+restores the installation and use of preinstalled `.a` files.
+
+There is no plan to remove any of these settings.
+
+### Go 1.19
+
+Go 1.19 made it an error for path lookups to resolve to binaries in the current directory,
+controlled by the [`execerrdot` setting](/pkg/os/exec#hdr-Executables_in_the_current_directory).
+There is no plan to remove this setting.
+
+### Go 1.18
+
+Go 1.18 removed support for SHA1 in most X.509 certificates,
+controlled by the [`x509sha1` setting](/crypto/x509#InsecureAlgorithmError).
+This setting will be removed in a future release, Go 1.22 at the earliest.
+
+### Go 1.6
+
+Go 1.6 introduced transparent support for HTTP/2,
+controlled by the [`http2client`, `http2server`, and `http2debug` settings](/pkg/net/http/#hdr-HTTP_2).
+There is no plan to remove these settings.
+
+### Go 1.5
+
+Go 1.5 introduced a pure Go DNS resolver,
+controlled by the [`netdns` setting](/pkg/net/#hdr-Name_Resolution).
+There is no plan to remove this setting.