Excerpt: Kotlin has revolutionized the way Android developers create apps. It is an open-source language that is both concise and expressive, making it much easier for developers to create cutting-edge applications quickly and efficiently.
Contents
Introduction
In this article, we’ll look at some of the critical features of Kotlin, how it can be used in Android development, and why it’s become such a popular choice for many developers. We’ll also discuss some common challenges associated with using Kotlin and provide tips to help address them. Let’s start by taking a closer look at what makes Kotlin great.
What is Kotlin? And why is it needed?
Kotlin is a Java Virtual Machine-based language created to solve some common problems that Java developers face. Kotlin is a statically typed language that supports functional and object-oriented programming paradigms. Kotlin is optional for Android development; it can offer some advantages over Java. Kotlin is 100% interoperable with Java, which means you can use all your existing Java libraries when you switch to Kotlin. In addition, Kotlin provides many features that make development faster and easier, such as null safety, extension functions, and data classes.
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Kotlin is needed because it provides a better solution to many of the problems that Java developers face. It is also needed because it is 100% interoperable with Java.
The use of Kotlin in Android
Kotlin allows developers to write code that is concise, expressive, and safer; it is the preferred language for Android development. As with Java, Android Studio is the official IDE for Android development, so you can get code completion and type checking for Kotlin code.
Kotlin runs on the Java Virtual Machine, a statically typed programming language. Kotlin was created by JetBrains, the company behind the IntelliJ IDEA IDE, and has been gaining popularity in the Android development community since its launch in 2016. Kotlin is a modern programming language that combines the best of both worlds: static typing and compiled code. Kotlin can be used to develop Android apps as it is fully compatible with Java.
Kotlin is an excellent choice for developing Android apps as it helps to improve productivity and code quality. Kotlin is also null-safe, which reduces the number of potential Null Pointer Exceptions. Furthermore, Kotlin’s support for data classes and inline functions makes it easy to write efficient code.
A mobile presence is a requirement for most businesses since most people access the internet through mobile phones today. Even though Android accounts for over 70% of the mobile phone market share, Kotlin developers would still be in high demand even if Kotlin were used only for Android development. Overall, Kotlin is an excellent choice for developing Android apps due to its compatibility with Java, null safety, and support for data classes and inline functions.
Advantages of using Kotlin
Kotlin has several advantages that are explained below:
Kotlin takes less time to build applications and provides more safety-
Kotlin’s developers built safety principles right into the language, which makes it more effective. Kotlin is compatible with Java and Android, making it an ideal option for developing mobile apps. Yet another reason that Kotlin is so much safer than Java is its advantages: enabling simpler code helps to prevent errors and make code much more understandable, lessening the chance of an error when building a mobile app. This also helps you cut down on time for develop ing a mobile app and fix bugs during development, reducing your overall cost.
Kotlin enables multi-platform development-
Kotlin is a powerful new programming language that makes custom Android app development possible. The technology also supports JavaScript, meaning that programmers can build their front-ends in Kotlin or create the web part in it from the start. Founders have added Gradle support so that Android engineers can write Gradle files in Kotlin. In addition, they are developing a Kotlin Native that will allow iOS applications to be built. This way, you can build native applications with this language by taking advantage of Kotlin’s versatility.
Expression & laconism-
Because the language’s syntax does not imply other choices, the number of useless code pieces increases when the size of a software project increases. Developers love Kotlin because of its simplicity and expressiveness. It makes it easy to implement various tasks much faster and shorter than they would in Java.
Compatibility with Java-
Kotlin helps write more precise and concise code as developers have access to all Java frameworks and libraries. In other words, Android engineers can build a mobile product using both languages and migrate their applications from Java to Kotlin.
You can easily convert a sizeable Java-based project to Kotlin one file at a time, and you’ll see it still compiling successfully, even if it has millions of lines of code.
Adopting Kotlin is easy and low risk-
Kotlin is an easy-to-learn, readable programming language seamlessly integrated with Android Studio. Other features of Kotlin include extension functions, null safety, better generics, operator overloading, and continuous library size optimizations. Suppose you want to develop a product more efficiently or streamline custom app development for Android devices. In that case, you can assign two or three engineers to move parts of the project to Kotlin, starting from small portions of code. This way, you wont will keep the rest of your project while improving efficiency because your team will spend less time on development and bug fixing and have more transparent code.
Main features of Kotlin
Kotlin fulfills many things that Java lacks: Lambda expressions, inline functions, intelligent casts, extension functions, companion objects, primary constructors, properties, etc. Kotlin has numerous remarkable features over other programming languages in developing Android apps.
A few of them are mentioned below:
● Kotlin is a statically typed language, meaning variables can be declared without specifying their type (e.g., int, float, etc.). This can make code more concise than most languages, making it easier to read and write.
● Kotlin supports functional and object-oriented programming paradigms, allowing developers to choose the right tool for the job.
● It has excellent support for concurrency, making it ideal for developing high-performance applications.
● It is fully interoperable with Java, meaning that existing Java code can easily be migrated to Kotlin without expensive rewrites.
● Kotlin has null safety built into the language, which protects against Null Pointer Exceptions (a common source of errors in Android apps).
● Kotlin also provides features like lambdas and inline functions that can make code more expressive and efficient.
Famous projects of Kotlin
Kotlin is an emerging language with many advantages and disadvantages to consider, even before the release of its first official version. In 2016, Pinterest decided to move away from Java as soon as Kotlin was released. Since then, many other companies have been experimenting with using Kotlin in their products. Coursera, a company, providing world-class education online, has already adopted Kotlin for its Android app.
Kotlin can be used for various purposes as it is a universal language. Its most famous projects include the development of Android applications, web applications, and server-side applications. Some notable examples of apps that have chosen Kotlin are the Android operating system, Uber, Trello, Basecamp 3, Shadowsocks, Evernote, WhatsApp, The gaming platform Unity3D, and Twidere for Twitter.
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Each of these examples demonstrates the power and versatility of Kotlin, showing that it can handle large and complex projects. In addition, Kotlin can be used for scientific and mathematical computing, as well as for data analysis and machine learning.
The challenges of using Kotlin
Kotlin is a relatively new language, which can pose some challenges when it comes to using it for the development of projects. One of the key challenges is that there still needs to be more Kotlin-specific libraries and frameworks, which can make finding support for specific features or functions challenging.
Additionally, Kotlin’s interoperability with Java can be challenging, as it can sometimes be difficult to integrate Kotlin code with existing Java-based applications. Finally, because Kotlin is still a relatively new language, there needs to be more experienced Kotlin developers, which can make it difficult to find personnel with the necessary skill sets for projects. Despite these challenges, Kotlin has many advantages that make it an attractive option for development, and its popularity is steadily growing.
Conclusion
Kotlin is a Java Virtual Machine-based language created to solve some common problems that Java developers face. It is a statically typed programming language that runs on the Java Virtual Machine and is loved by developers because of its simplicity and expressiveness. Like everything else, Kotlin comes with some challenges as well. But despite these challenges, Kotlin has offered numerous advantages and is the need of developers all around the world, and its popularity is growing day by day. If you are looking for a language that gives you numerous advantages, Kotlin is the one.
Author Bio
Archit Gupta is a Digital Marketer, and a passionate writer, who is working with MindMajix, a top global online training provider. He also holds in-depth knowledge of IT and demanding technologies such as Business Intelligence, Salesforce, Cybersecurity, Software Testing, QA, Data analytics, Project Management and ERP tools, etc.