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If you’re an Android developer, there’s no doubt that you’ve heard of Kotlin. Kotlin was created by JetBrains to fill in the gaps where Java didn’t quite cut it and made developers’ lives easier. It was released in 2011 and quickly rose to popularity in the Android community since many mobile developers preferred its modern features over Java. If you’re considering trying out Kotlin for your next project, this article is just what you need! Here are 10 reasons why developers choose Kotlin over Java.
Reasons Why Developers Choose Kotlin Over Java
Here are 10 reasons why developers choose Kotlin over Java.
Faster Development
1: Which of the following is a JavaScript framework/library?
Just like Swift to Objective-C, developers can move from Java to Kotlin faster than you think. It’s true that some syntax and class hierarchy differences exist between these two languages, but there is enough overlap in functionality and features that most developers can master in a matter of hours. Kotlin is so similar to Java that many traditional devs won’t even notice they’re writing code in a new language. Compared to other programming languages such as C++ or Python, moving from one language to another feels more like learning an extension of your old one rather than something totally different. This allows for smoother adoption within projects where teams have previously been using java for android development.
Interoperability With Java
One of my favorite reasons to use Kotlin is its interoperability with Java. That means that you can, if you want, continue using all your old existing code in new projects. But it also means that all of your classes and objects are 100% compatible with any other development platform that uses Java libraries—like Android or Spring Boot (which I’ll talk about later). In fact, according to current surveys and stats from Google, over 27% of Android developers have at least one project using Kotlin. At .27%, we’re still very early in what will likely be a slow but steady transition from Android’s default language, Java.
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Android Compatibility
As mentioned previously, Android devices account for over 85% of all mobile devices in use today. Unfortunately, support for developing apps in Kotlin is still limited on Android. If you’re trying to create an app for Android, it may be best to hold off until more devices are compatible with Kotlin. Until then, check out one of our favorite alternatives to Android: Flutter, a Google-developed technology that lets you build apps for both iOS and Android using just one codebase. The downside? Unlike other cross-platform technologies (and most programming languages), Dart — Flutter’s programming language — doesn’t have an official support channel on StackOverflow; you might have a hard time finding answers if something goes wrong.
Inexpensive Compiler
Compilers are very expensive to build. They can easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and often require teams of engineers to work on. To keep costs down, Google built Kotlin in an entirely new language: Kotlin. This allowed them to more easily design a new language with good tooling while only having to write a compiler in that language instead of one for each platform it will run on. As such, you can use Java with high confidence that even if Google decides not to build a compiler for your platform or invests in supporting another JVM language like Scala, you’ll still be able to get your code working quickly (or choose not to bother at all).
Convenient Null Safety
Null references (or nullable types) are a ubiquitous issue in software development. And yet, it’s something that every developer must deal with on a regular basis—even if it means having to unwrap or box an object just to make sure you don’t have a null reference. Null safety is one of Kotlin’s most-praised features and with good reason. It helps developers avoid all those pesky NullPointerExceptions while providing really great tooling support for finding all possible problems with your codebase, making debugging and error reporting much more effective.
Easy to Read Syntax
Java has a reputation for being verbose and a little confusing. It’s true that you can take shortcuts, but even seasoned developers sometimes struggle to understand someone else’s code. That’s not really an issue with Kotlin because it’s designed to be as concise as possible while remaining just as readable—if not more so. When you use Kotlin, you can easily create methods that are very brief but also descriptive and straightforward. If your code is easy to read, it becomes much easier to change, edit or update when needed.
Access to Standard Library’s Advanced Features Section
With Kotlin’s interoperability with Java, you have access to a standard library that includes rich functionalities like data processing, collection transformations, and other utilities. It also offers utility classes for common tasks like XML processing, string manipulation, and cryptography. Meanwhile, in comparison to other JVM languages like Scala or Clojure, Kotlin features more interoperability with existing codebases written in Java (via bytecode interpretation) while providing a simpler programming model than Scala or Clojure. Finally, it also provides better IDE support than Scala or Clojure as well.
Kotlin Is a Concise Language
When you compare Android apps that have been written in Kotlin and Java, it is clear to see that there is a lot less code in Kotlin apps than there are in their Java counterparts. One of Kotlin’s biggest draws is its conciseness. Without sacrificing readability, it allows you to write code faster and with fewer errors. In simple terms, that means less typing and a better learning curve for newer developers. With fewer lines of code in each file, code reviews become easier too—everyone can read through code faster without losing track of important details in long functions or overloaded classes. There are other benefits as well: for example, your compile times will be much shorter and certain functionalities—like null safety—are built-in at compile time (rather than runtime). This means you get them even if you don’t have an IDE that supports those capabilities.
Single-file Code is Possible
One of Kotlin’s most touted features is that it supports single-file code, which means you can place all your code in one .kt file. Although not yet a common practice for most programmers, many developers appreciate how this makes their life easier. Unlike Java, there’s no need to navigate through tons of packages just to edit one function. Say goodbye to having to remember package names or spending hours trying to track down errors when multiple classes interact with each other! Asking someone who has spent several days tracking down a bug caused by a small typo deep in their source code will quickly convince you of how valuable single-file code can be. If you are interested to learn new coding skills, the Entri app will help you to acquire them very easily. Entri app is following a structural study plan so that the students can learn very easily. If you don’t have a coding background, it won’t be any problem. You can download the Entri app from the google play store and enroll in your favorite course.
