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golang-uber-fx

samber/cc-skills-golang

Dependency injection and lifecycle management framework for Go long-running services using uber-go/fx.

What is golang-uber-fx?

uber-go/fx is a reflection-based DI container built on dig that adds lifecycle hooks, a module system, signal-aware run loop, and structured logging. Use it when building long-running services (HTTP servers, workers, daemons) where boot order, graceful shutdown, and modular composition are critical.

  • Wire application graphs with fx.New, fx.Provide, and fx.Invoke for lazy and eager dependency resolution
  • Manage startup and shutdown with fx.Lifecycle hooks (OnStart/OnStop) that respect context cancellation and timeouts
  • Organize code into reusable modules with fx.Module, each with scoped decorators and independent lifecycle
  • Bind constructors to named values, value groups, and interfaces using fx.Annotate, fx.ResultTags, and fx.As
  • Handle graceful shutdown automatically via signal-aware app.Run() that blocks on SIGINT/SIGTERM
  • Support optional dependencies, parameter/result objects (fx.In/fx.Out), and decorator patterns with fx.Decorate

How to install golang-uber-fx

npx skills add https://github.com/samber/cc-skills-golang --skill golang-uber-fx
Prerequisites
  • Go installed and configured
  • go.uber.org/fx imported in your project (install with: go get go.uber.org/fx)
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How to use golang-uber-fx

  1. 1.Create an fx.App by calling fx.New() with fx.Provide() for constructors and fx.Invoke() for entry points
  2. 2.Inject fx.Lifecycle into constructors that need startup/shutdown hooks, and append fx.Hook with OnStart and OnStop callbacks
  3. 3.Use fx.In/fx.Out structs or fx.Annotate for named values, value groups, and interface bindings when wiring complex dependencies
  4. 4.Organize related providers and decorators into fx.Module() blocks to scope lifecycle and keep code modular
  5. 5.Call app.Run() in main to start the application, run all invokes and OnStart hooks, block on signals, then run OnStop hooks in reverse order

Use cases

Good for
  • Building HTTP servers with coordinated startup of routes, middleware, and database connections
  • Implementing worker services that need ordered initialization and clean shutdown of background tasks
  • Organizing microservices with modular composition where each module owns its providers and lifecycle
  • Creating CLI tools or daemons that require graceful termination of resources on system signals
  • Testing service components in isolation by swapping providers without changing application structure
Who it's for
  • Go backend engineers building long-running services or daemons
  • Architects designing modular, testable service architectures
  • Teams adopting dependency injection to replace manual wiring or init() patterns
  • Developers migrating from raw dig who need lifecycle and module management

golang-uber-fx FAQ

When should I use fx instead of raw dig?

Use fx for long-running services where lifecycle hooks, graceful shutdown, and signal handling are mandatory. Use raw dig for CLI tools, libraries, test harnesses, or when embedding DI into an existing app that manages its own lifecycle. See golang-uber-dig skill for raw dig.

How do I ensure my OnStart hook doesn't block the rest of startup?

OnStart must return quickly. Spawn a goroutine inside the hook for any blocking work (e.g., srv.Serve(ln)), then return nil. A blocking OnStart hangs the entire boot sequence.

What is the default startup and shutdown timeout?

The default timeout is 15 seconds for both startup and shutdown. Override with fx.StartTimeout(duration) and fx.StopTimeout(duration) when constructing fx.New().

How do value groups work and when should I use them?

Value groups collect multiple constructors into a single slice consumed by one provider. Tag constructors with group:"name" and inject []Type with the same tag. Typical for routes, health checks, or metrics collectors. Order is not guaranteed—provide an explicit ordered slice if sequence matters.

What is the difference between fx.Provide and fx.Invoke?

fx.Provide registers constructors (lazy—they only run if needed). fx.Invoke triggers execution during app.Start() and is the entry point for side effects. Without an Invoke referencing a type, its constructor never runs.

Full instructions (SKILL.md)

Source of truth, from samber/cc-skills-golang.


name: golang-uber-fx description: "Golang application framework using uber-go/fx — fx.New, fx.Provide, fx.Invoke, fx.Module, fx.Lifecycle hooks, fx.Annotate (name/group/As), fx.Decorate, fx.Supply, fx.Replace, fx.WithLogger, and signal-aware Run(). Apply when using or adopting uber-go/fx, when the codebase imports go.uber.org/fx, or when wiring services with fx.New. For raw DI without lifecycle, see samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-uber-dig skill." user-invocable: true license: MIT compatibility: Designed for Claude Code or similar AI coding agents, and for projects using Golang. metadata: author: samber version: "1.1.1" openclaw: emoji: "🏭" homepage: https://github.com/samber/cc-skills-golang requires: bins: - go install: [] skill-library-version: "1.24.0" allowed-tools: Read Edit Write Glob Grep Bash(go:) Bash(golangci-lint:) Bash(git:*) Agent WebFetch mcp__context7__resolve-library-id mcp__context7__query-docs

Persona: You are a Go architect building a long-running service with fx. You wire the graph at the composition root, push lifecycle into hooks instead of init(), and treat modules as the unit of reuse.

Using uber-go/fx for Application Wiring in Go

Application framework combining a reflection-based DI container (built on uber-go/dig) with a lifecycle, module system, signal-aware run loop, and structured event logging. For long-running services where boot order, graceful shutdown, and modular composition matter.

Official Resources:

This skill is not exhaustive. Please refer to library documentation and code examples for more information. Context7 can help as a discoverability platform. For Go package docs, versions, symbols, and known vulnerabilities, → See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-pkg-go-dev skill.

go get go.uber.org/fx

fx vs. dig

fx is built on top of dig and shares the same reflection-based container engine. The DI primitives (Provide, Invoke, In/Out structs, named values, value groups) are identical — fx.In/fx.Out are re-exports of dig.In/dig.Out.

What fx adds on top:

Concerndigfx
DI containerdig.New()✅ (embedded)
Lifecycle hooksfx.Lifecycle OnStart/OnStop
Module systemfx.Module with scoped decorators
Signal-aware run loopapp.Run() blocks on SIGINT/SIGTERM
Structured event loggingfx.WithLogger / fxevent
Startup/shutdown timeoutfx.StartTimeout / fx.StopTimeout

Choose fx for long-running services (HTTP servers, workers, daemons) — lifecycle and signal handling are mandatory there, and modules make large service graphs manageable.

Choose raw dig when you need wiring without a framework: CLI tools, libraries that expose a container to callers, test harnesses, or embedding DI into an existing app that manages its own lifecycle. See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-uber-dig skill.

The Application

import "go.uber.org/fx"

app := fx.New(
    fx.Provide(NewLogger, NewDatabase, NewServer),
    fx.Invoke(RegisterRoutes),
)
app.Run() // blocks until SIGINT/SIGTERM, then runs OnStop hooks

Boot stages: fx.New validates types (constructors do not run); app.Start(ctx) runs each fx.Invoke and fires OnStart hooks in topological order; main blocks on app.Done(); app.Stop(ctx) fires OnStop hooks in reverse order. Default timeout is 15 seconds — override with fx.StartTimeout / fx.StopTimeout.

Provide and Invoke

fx.New(
    fx.Provide(NewLogger, NewDatabase, NewServer),  // lazy
    fx.Invoke(RegisterRoutes, StartMetricsExporter), // always run during Start
)

fx.Provide registers constructors; fx.Invoke is the trigger — without an Invoke (directly or transitively) referencing a type, its constructor never runs.

Lifecycle Hooks

Inject fx.Lifecycle and append hooks. Constructors should return quickly; long-running work belongs in OnStart.

func NewHTTPServer(lc fx.Lifecycle, log *zap.Logger, cfg *Config) *http.Server {
    srv := &http.Server{Addr: cfg.Addr}

    lc.Append(fx.Hook{
        OnStart: func(ctx context.Context) error {
            ln, err := net.Listen("tcp", srv.Addr)
            if err != nil { return err }
            go srv.Serve(ln)         // blocking work in a goroutine
            return nil
        },
        OnStop: func(ctx context.Context) error {
            return srv.Shutdown(ctx)
        },
    })
    return srv
}

Both callbacks receive a context bounded by StartTimeout/StopTimeout — respect cancellation. OnStart must return quickly — spawn a goroutine for blocking work; otherwise startup hangs and dependent hooks never fire.

fx.StartHook / fx.StopHook / fx.StartStopHook adapt simpler signatures (no context, no error, or both):

lc.Append(fx.StartStopHook(srv.Start, srv.Stop))   // matched pair

Parameter and Result Objects

fx re-exports dig's dig.In / dig.Out as fx.In / fx.Out. Use them when a constructor has 4+ dependencies, or when you need name/group/optional tags.

type ServerParams struct {
    fx.In

    Logger *zap.Logger
    DB     *sql.DB
    Cache  *redis.Client     `optional:"true"`
    Routes []http.Handler    `group:"routes"`
}

func NewServer(p ServerParams) *Server { /* ... */ }

fx.Annotate

fx.Annotate wraps a constructor to add tags or interface bindings without a fx.Out struct. Prefer it for ergonomic name/group/As bindings:

fx.Provide(
    fx.Annotate(NewPrimaryDB, fx.ResultTags(`name:"primary"`)),
    fx.Annotate(NewPostgresDB, fx.As(new(Database))),    // expose interface
    fx.Annotate(NewUserHandler,
        fx.As(new(http.Handler)),
        fx.ResultTags(`group:"routes"`),
    ),
)

Value Groups

Many constructors, one consumer slice — typical for routes, health checks, metrics collectors:

type RouteResult struct {
    fx.Out
    Handler http.Handler `group:"routes"`
}

type ServerParams struct {
    fx.In
    Routes []http.Handler `group:"routes"`
}

Append ,flatten (group:"routes,flatten") to unwrap a slice instead of nesting it. Order is not guaranteed — provide an explicit ordered slice when sequence matters.

fx.Module

fx.Module groups providers, invokes, and decorators under a name. Modules scope decorators to themselves and their children — a logger renamed in fx.Module("db", ...) only appears renamed for code inside that module.

var DatabaseModule = fx.Module("database",
    fx.Provide(NewConnection, NewUserRepository),
    fx.Decorate(func(log *zap.Logger) *zap.Logger {
        return log.Named("db")
    }),
)

func main() {
    fx.New(
        fx.Provide(NewConfig, NewLogger),
        DatabaseModule,
        HTTPModule,
    ).Run()
}

Treat each module as a small library that can be lifted into another app — its public surface is the types it Provides.

For fx.Supply/fx.Replace/fx.Decorate, optional deps, custom logging, manual lifecycle, and Quick Reference, see advanced.md.

Best Practices

  1. Keep main() thin — providers, modules, and a single Run(). Push real work into modules so each can be tested in isolation.
  2. Use lifecycle hooks instead of init() or goroutines launched from constructors — Start/Stop ordering depends on graph topology, but init() goroutines do not, which leads to races and leaks.
  3. OnStart must return promptly — long work goes in a goroutine inside the hook. A blocking OnStart hangs the rest of the boot.
  4. Respect ctx.Done() in hooks — a hook that ignores cancellation is reported as a timeout failure but its goroutine continues, leaking resources.
  5. Group by module, not by layer — a module owns the providers, lifecycle, and decorators for one concern (HTTP, DB, metrics).
  6. Use fx.Annotate for tags rather than wrapping a constructor in an fx.Out struct — keeps the constructor reusable outside fx.
  7. Replace fx.Provide with fx.Supply for pre-built values (config, command-line flags). Shorter, signals intent.
  8. Validate the graph in CI by booting under fx.New(...).Err() — catches missing providers and cycles before deploy.

Common Mistakes

MistakeFix
Long-running work directly in OnStartSpawn a goroutine inside OnStart; the hook itself must return quickly so dependent hooks can run.
fx.Provide something that should be fx.SupplyPre-built values (config, secrets) belong in fx.Supply — clearer and avoids a no-op constructor.
Module decorator leaking to siblingsDecorate inside fx.Module(...) — decorators flow only to descendants. A top-level fx.Decorate is global.
Group order assumedGroups are unordered. If order matters, provide an ordered slice from one constructor.
Constructors with side effectsSide effects belong in OnStart — constructors should be cheap and pure-ish, since they may run concurrently and lazily.
Forgotten fx.InvokeWithout an Invoke (or downstream consumer), constructors never run. Add at least one Invoke per app.

Testing

Use go.uber.org/fx/fxtest to integrate fx with *testing.T (failures call t.Fatal, RequireStop registers as t.Cleanup). fx.Populate(&target) pulls values out of the graph; fx.Replace swaps real dependencies for fakes. Full patterns in testing.md.

Further Reading

  • advanced.md — Supply/Replace/Decorate, optional deps, custom event logging, manual lifecycle, full Quick Reference
  • recipes.md — full HTTP service with database/metrics, background workers with graceful drain, multiple impls of the same interface, manual lifecycle for CLI embedding
  • testing.md — fxtest patterns, fx.Replace, fx.Populate, isolated lifecycle tests, CI graph validation

Cross-References

  • → See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-uber-dig skill for the underlying container, dig.In/dig.Out, and DI without lifecycle
  • → See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-dependency-injection skill for DI concepts and library comparison
  • → See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-samber-do skill for a generics-based alternative without reflection
  • → See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-google-wire skill for compile-time DI (no runtime container)
  • → See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-structs-interfaces skill for interface design patterns
  • → See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-context skill for context propagation in OnStart/OnStop hooks
  • → See samber/cc-skills-golang@golang-testing skill for general testing patterns

If you encounter a bug or unexpected behavior in uber-go/fx, open an issue at https://github.com/uber-go/fx/issues.