Get Started With Kotlin

Kotlin is a general-purpose, statically typed, cross-platform high-level programming language built with type inference. Kotlin was first introduced in 2011 by JetBrains and sponsored by Google, announced as one of the official languages for Android Development in 2017.

It is an object-oriented language and a preferable language to java. Kotlin mainly targets the JVM but also compiles to JavaScript or native code via LLVM(low-level virtual machine). Kotlin has vast built-in support on the Best IDEs like IntelliJ IDEA, Android Studio, Eclipse, etc.

Introduction to Kotlin

Why Kotlin is so Popular

Statically typed - a type of every variable and expression is known at compile time
Compatibility - Also known as Interoperable with java. Kotlin is fully compatible with Java
Concise - Kotlin with its feature like lambda & other high-order functions makes it more concise.
Easy - The language is easy to learn and if you already know java then you already have an edge in learning.
Safe - With its null and type-safe feature the code is safe to use and avoid unwanted crashes.
Time-saving - Kotlin is very fast in compilation with its higher performance.
Community Support and Tool Friendly - Kotlin has vast community support with its robust tools.

Edge in Kotlin

Code reusability - Kotlin is multiplatform so your code can run on any machine.
Build in support - It supports using java libraries and framework with its kotlin features without any changes in your project.
Recommended by Google - Almost every Engineer in Google enjoy using Kotlin and most of the app (more than 70) developed by google are built using Kotlin
Codebase size & Crashes - Kotlin reduces the codebase size by 33% and reduces crashes by 30%.

Introduction to Kotlin

Example of Kotlin

fun main() {
    println("Hello, world!")
}

Get started with Kotlin

Kotlin is a modern but already mature programming language aimed at making developers happier. It's concise, safe, interoperable with Java and other languages, and provides many ways to reuse code between multiple platforms for effective programming.

Pick it up to start building powerful applications!

Introduction to Kotlin

Install Kotlin

Kotlin is included in each IntelliJ IDEA and Android Studio release. Download and install one of these IDEs to start using Kotlin.

Or you can use the online compiler available for free here at Kotlin Playground.

Kotlin Applications

Android and iOS applications

Kotlin code sharing between mobile platforms is one of the major features. With this, you can build cross-platform mobile applications and share common code between Android and iOS, such as business logic, connectivity, and more.

You can Checkout Get started with Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile and Create a multiplatform app using Ktor and SQLDelight tutorials, where you will create applications for Android and iOS that include a module with shared code for both platforms.

Full-stack web applications

Using your application on the web may bring benefits to users where the logic can be reused on both the server and the client side running in the browser. This is covered by Kotlin Multiplatform as well.

See Build a full-stack web app with Kotlin Multiplatform tutorial, where you will create a connected application consisting of a server part, using Kotlin/JVM, and a web client, using Kotlin/JS.

Multiplatform libraries

Multiplatform libraries help developers to use the same functionality and code implementation. Once published, a multiplatform library can be used in other cross-platform projects as a dependency. See the Create and publish a multiplatform library tutorial, where you will create a multiplatform library, test it, and publish it to Maven.

Common code for mobile and web applications

Kotlin Multiplatform provides the same code across Android, iOS, and web apps. It reduces the amount of business logic coded by front-end developers and helps implement products more efficiently, decreasing the coding and testing efforts.

See the RSS Reader sample project — a cross-platform application for iOS and Android with desktop and web clients implemented as experimental features.

Conclusion

Kotlin is the preferred language supported by Google for Mobile App Development. This article is an introduction to Kotlin Programming language. In the upcoming article, we will be learning more about Kotlin starting from fundaments. This series will provide the latest and Recommended way to develop an Android Application from scratch by using Kotlin with JetPack Compose.

Next in this series: Publishing on Progress, visit profile Ravi_sahu