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Why is Kotlin preferred over Java for Android development?
What are the key features of Kotlin?
How does Kotlin compare to Java in terms of performance?
Can I use Kotlin with existing Java projects?
Kotlin has become the Android developer community’s new best friend (sorry, Java). This article dives into Kotlin’s standout features and reveals why it’s stealing the show in Android development. Plus, you’ll find out how to build your Kotlin app more efficiently using DhiWise, so you can spend less time coding and more time bragging about your app!
Kotlin is one of the fastest-growing and most popular programming languages in the world of Android app development. It is a strongly typed, cross-platform general-purpose programming language used for building modern, multi-platform applications.
The Kotlin language was first introduced publicly in July 2011 by JetBrains(A Software development Company). JetBrains was looking for a language that compiles into JVM with the expanded advantages in terms of efficiency, reliability, and performance, but it was difficult for them to find all these features in one language except Scala. However, Scala had the drawback of slow compilation.
Therefore JetBrains started developing a language that has all these features along with faster compilation(Kotlin compiles as fast as Java). Later in February 2012, JetBrains open-sourced the Kotlin project under the Apache2 License.
The Kotlin got its name from the island of Kotlin near Saint Petersburg, Russia. The language is used for multi-platform mobile application development, server-side programming, and web front-end development.
In 2017, Google announced world-class support for Kotlin on Android devices, and on May 7, 2019, Google officially announced that Kotlin is its preferred language for Android app development.
Kotlin has undergone several major releases since its introduction. The latest stable version, Kotlin 2.0, was released in May 2024. These updates have introduced new features, performance improvements, and compatibility enhancements, making Kotlin a versatile and powerful language for modern software development.
Although Kotlin is still young, it is giving tough competition to Java as it provides a better solution for most of the complexities in Java. The language is designed to be fully interoperable with Java. It is simple, easy to understand, yet powerful.
In Kotlin, fewer lines of code are sufficient to solve the problem as compared to Java. The other things that make it amazing are:
1. The language is strongly typed Kotlin is strongly typed making it easier to detect errors in the early stages of development and to create an optimized application.
2. Highly expressive The language is easy to learn, and its features such as type-safe code building and delegated properties help developers to build powerful yet easy-to-use abstractions.
3. Provides null safety Null safety in Kotlin eliminates the Null pointer errors from the code.
4. Having strong tooling support Provides support for framework-specific tooling support.
5. Use coroutine for asynchronous programming Coroutines in Kotlin simplify common tasks such as network database calls and simple and efficient database updates.
Kotlin solves many issues faced by Java programmers. Here are a few of them,
Many programming languages faced the issue of null references. In Java, it is referred to as NullPointerException. The issue is solved with the Type System in Kotlin.
Kotlin does not allow raw types. When Java types are imported into Kotlin, the Java Raw types are converted to star projections.
Arrays in Kotlin are invariant. Kotlin won’t let you assign arrays of string type to arrays of any type preventing runtime errors. Besides that, passing an array of the subclass to an array of the superclass is also prohibited in Kotlin while it is allowed in Java.
Seamless integration with Java: Kotlin is fully interoperable with Java, which means you can use Java libraries and frameworks alongside Kotlin in the same project. You can call Kotlin code from Java and vice versa without any major modifications. This is especially useful in Android development, where much of the legacy code is written in Java.
Gradual migration: Teams can adopt Kotlin gradually, adding new features in Kotlin without rewriting existing Java code.
Less boilerplate code: Kotlin reduces the amount of boilerplate code significantly compared to Java. Features like type inference, data classes, and property initialization help you write clean, readable code with fewer lines.
Improved readability: The concise syntax not only makes development faster but also improves code readability and maintainability, which is crucial in large-scale Android projects.
Avoid NullPointerExceptions: Kotlin's type system is designed to eliminate null references from your code, reducing the risk of NullPointerExceptions (a common issue in Java development). In Kotlin, nullable types are explicitly marked, forcing developers to handle nulls safely using techniques like the ?. operator or the !! operator.
Safer code: By enforcing null safety at compile-time, Kotlin makes Android apps more stable and reduces runtime crashes caused by null values.
Simplified async code: Kotlin’s coroutines provide an efficient and simple way to handle asynchronous programming, which is critical for Android development (e.g., network requests, and database operations). Coroutines allow you to write asynchronous code in a sequential and readable manner, avoiding the complexity of callbacks or the verbose syntax of Java's AsyncTask.
Better performance: Coroutines use lightweight threads, improving the app’s performance and responsiveness without blocking the main thread.
First-class support by Google: Google officially supports Kotlin for Android development, and Kotlin is the preferred language for Android app development. This means better tooling, integration, and support within Android Studio, including features like Kotlin-specific lint checks, refactoring tools, and Kotlin-based extensions.
Growing community and ecosystem: Kotlin's ecosystem continues to grow, with libraries and frameworks specifically built for Kotlin, enhancing its capabilities for Android development. Popular libraries like Kotlin Coroutines, Ktor (for networking), and Android KTX provide powerful tools to streamline development.
Kotlin’s modern features, alongside its compatibility with Java, make it a superior choice for Android app development, offering cleaner, safer, and more efficient code.
According to the Aug 2021 PYPL index(Worldwide) , Kotlin is ranked 13th, and by Github users Kotlin is ranked 15 among the other programming languages. On Stack Overflow, Kotlin is ranked 15th among the most loved programming languages.
Let us go through the top reasons why Kotlin is the best choice for your next Android project.
1. Simple to learn and implement Kotlin is a developer-friendly language that Java developers can learn in no time. Java developers can start developing Kotlin applications using Java Framework and Libraries.
2. Easy to read and review The code written in Kotlin is easy to read and review, even the developer with no experience in Kotlin can review it. The readable code leads to fewer errors saving developers time so that they can focus on more complex issues in the application.
3. Solves most of the development issues Kotlin is designed for efficiency and higher productivity. It solves most of the problems faced by developers such as longer compilation time and null pointer issues. In addition, it maintains backward compatibility with many Java and Androids projects.
4. Mature language and environment Kotlin was first released in 2011, since then it has continuously developed as a complete ecosystem, has robust tooling support, and has a large developer community. The language has been used by over 60% of Android development professionals.
Here are some popular Android mobile applications built using Kotlin.
5. Cost-efficient
Kotlin is an open-source programming language with extensive documentation. Developers can submit their queries in the community and get them answered quickly. Also, Java developers can convert their code written in Java to Kotlin with just one click, making Kotlin highly cost-efficient for application development.
6. Kotlin is highly flexible Kotlin does not impose any particular programming style on developers like Object-Oriented programming.
7. Highly productive Kotlin makes migration easy with its interoperability with Java. Developers can start from each application model, convert it into Kotlin code and perform unit testing on it against its current test suite. Kotlin also provides support for debugging, unit testing, and profiling.
8. Support Android Jetpack and other libraries KTX Extension adds all the Kotlin language features to existing Android Libraries. These features include functions, properties, lambdas, named parameters, parameter default values, and coroutines.
All of these aspects and many other factors make Kotlin the unique programming language that has undoubtedly won the hearts of developers. With every advanced feature, it is getting brighter in the Android developer community.
If you are planning to build a quality Android application with Kotlin then start using DhiWise and get one step ahead.
DhiWise is the world’s first 100 % developer-centric platform for web and mobile application development. It offers advanced technology support and modern features to speed up app delivery to the market.
DhiWise believes in developer empowerment and thus provides support for multiple technologies which include Flutter, React, Next.js, Shopify Liquid, Android (Kotlin), iOS (Swift).
DhiWise enables developers to create a scalable, and maintainable Android application instantly by providing an intuitive platform where developers can convert Figma design to usable code, import database, configure screen components, integrate APIs, customize it according to project requirements and share the assets with other team members all from one place.
DhiWise modern features help developers to build their Android applications 2x faster without compromising on the code quality, empowering the development team to deliver multiple projects with ease. The platform makes it nearly impossible to reverse engineer Android app code.
Overall, building an Android application with DhiWise is more convenient, efficient, productive, and cost-effective.
