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Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) in Android Development

Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) is a powerful feature from JetBrains that allows developers to write code that can run across multiple platforms, such as Android, iOS, desktop, web, and even backend servers—all using the same Kotlin language. In Android development, KMP is especially useful when building cross-platform apps with shared business logic while still having native UIs.

What is Kotlin Multiplatform?

Kotlin Multiplatform allows you to share common code (like networking, data storage, and business logic) across different platforms, while still writing platform-specific code for features like UI, sensors, camera, etc.

The code is split into.

  • Common Module: Shared code (logic, models, APIs)
  • Android Module: Android-specific code (e.g., Activity, Context)
  • iOS Module: iOS-specific code (e.g., UIKit)

Why Use KMP in Android Projects?

  • Code Reuse: You can write your logic once and reuse it on Android, iOS, and more.
  • Faster Development: Reduces duplicate logic implementation.
  • Maintainability: Changes to core logic affect all platforms, reducing bugs and inconsistencies.
  • 100% Native UIs: Unlike Flutter or React Native, KMP allows you to keep native UI development on Android and iOS.

Typical KMP Project Structure

- shared/        <-- Kotlin Multiplatform Module (commonMain, androidMain, iosMain)
- androidApp/    <-- Android-specific UI module
- iosApp/        <-- iOS-specific module (e.g., Swift or Kotlin Native)

What can be shared?

  1. API calls
  2. Business logic
  3. Models and DTOs
  4. Data validation
  5. Serialization (Kotlinx.serialization)
  6. Caching and preferences

Tools & Libraries for KMP

  • Ktor: For network requests
  • Kotlinx. serialization: For JSON parsing
  • SQLDelight / Realm: For the database
  • Koin / Kodein: For dependency injection

Limitations & Considerations

  • iOS support needs Xcode and a macOS environment.
  • Build times can increase.
  • Steeper learning curve compared to traditional Android development.

Conclusion

Kotlin Multiplatform is an excellent tool for Android developers looking to build cross-platform apps while preserving native UI and performance. It saves time, ensures consistency, and uses the Kotlin language you already know.

With more library support and improved tooling, KMP is becoming a future-proof solution for multiplatform mobile development.

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