A few years ago, Google introduced Kotlin for Android apps, a statically typed programming language that has inspired developers worldwide.
First unveiled at Google I/O in 2017, it quickly gained traction among Android app creators and became the second official programming language for Android.
With Google’s endorsement, Kotlin has sparked innovative app ideas among individual developers and enterprises alike.
There’s no denying that this language is intuitive and adaptable.
But will Kotlin ever be able to replace Java as a programming language? Let’s find out. In this article, we are going to talk about some of the leading benefits of Kotlin.
Altogether, it will help us learn why Kotlin has become a preferred app development programming language. So without further ado, let’s learn everything about it.
The Power of Kotlin
Here’s a statically typed programming language that works wonders on JavaScript and JVMs (Java-based Virtual Machines). Powered by JetBrains, Kotlin has easily made its place in the Android development world. Since the time Kotlin was introduced into the digital stratosphere, it has gained a lot of traction among enthusiastic developers. Today, with the native version released in the market, Kotlin’s popularity among Android app developers has increased tenfold.
To give you a much better insight, here’s a snippet from JetBrain’s official website indicating how Kotlin has earned its significance.
Some of the many business leaders, including names like Pinterest, Uber, Evernote, Atlassian, and Pivotal are using Kotlin for their custom Android app development.
Here are some of the other renowned apps which are powered by Kotlin.
With so many recent apps powered by Kotlin, app developers may wonder what makes Kotlin such a reliable app development language.
It may make them ponder whether Kotlin is going to replace Java in the coming days or not. So here, we are going to list down the best benefits of Kotlin that make it so exciting.
What Are The Benefits of Using Kotlin?
We asked some of our clients what benefits they think reliable Kotlin app development services such as ours have to offer them and here’s what we learned about it from their feedback.
1. Achieve App Efficiency with Kotlin
As far as the code syntax of Kotlin is concerned, the code is cognitive and adaptive. Hence, there’s no doubt that one of the major factors why Kotlin is an incredible programming language is because it improves the efficiency of the app. As in Java and other platforms, where you have to write a pile of code to make the app work, Kotlin requires minimal coding practice. What might take you ages to compile with a different programming language, Kotlin allows you to compile it in a few lines of code.
In a way, it dramatically reduces the time required to create an app.
2. Kotlin Requires Minimal Maintenance
The maintenance of Kotlin is fairly easy compared to other programming languages operating in the coding stratosphere. The platform offers a significant number of IDEs (Integrated Development Environments), which makes the maintenance of the app code fairly easy compared to the rest of the market.
One of the reasons why we believe Kotlin has become significant among Android developers is because of the range of SDKs and IDEs the programming language supports. When coupled with the right toolkit, there’s no doubt the programming language holds the ultimate potential which makes it a favored choice among Android developers.
3. Kotlin is Also an Interoperable Language
Kotlin is a fully interoperable app, which means that the programming language can share data with Java easily. If there are certain Java codes that you want to leverage in Kotlin programming language. You can easily transfer these codes to Kotlin and program your Android app experience accordingly.
It’s one of the reasons why many Java developers can easily adapt to Kotlin. The language itself allows maximum liberty to coding experts so they can enhance the efficiency of their apps by improving the bulky code formats pre-designed on Java. With Kotlin, they have the freedom to reduce these code lines to a bare minimum and create a much more efficient app than it was before.
Kotlin Code Syntax is Concise and Readable
Kotlin shines with its concise syntax and advanced features, resulting in more readable and maintainable code. Its type inference, for example, eliminates the need for explicit type declarations, reducing clutter and improving code elegance. Kotlin’s null safety feature ensures that null references are handled gracefully, preventing null pointer exceptions and enhancing code robustness. Additionally, smart casting automatically narrows down variable types, reducing the need for explicit casts and improving code clarity.
Kotlin Offers the Best Safety Features
Kotlin focuses on safety with features that prevent common programming mistakes. It includes null safety and enforces immutability by default, so objects can’t be changed accidentally. This boosts code reliability and makes it easier to understand how a program works. Kotlin also uses “non-null types” letting developers mark variables or function parameters as non-null. This gives extra safety assurance.
Kotlin Offers Complete Programming Support
Kotlin makes use of functional programming with strong support for lambdas and higher-order functions. This helps developers write concise and expressive code. You can pass lambdas, which are anonymous functions, as arguments to higher-order functions. This approach promotes code reusability and modular design. Functions like map, filter, and reduce make working with collections easier and allow powerful transformations with simple syntax.
Kotlin Introduces Android-Specific Features and Extensions
Kotlin provides Android-specific features and extensions that streamline Android development. For example, Anko, a popular Kotlin library, offers a concise syntax for common Android UI and networking tasks, reducing the amount of boilerplate code required. Kotlin Android Extensions provide a concise way to access views and improve code readability by eliminating the need for explicit casting. These extensions enhance productivity and make it easier to build robust Android applications.
Kotlin is Very Reliable for Android
Because of the programming language’s inter-compatibility and bare minimum maintenance. It has surely become a reliable programming language for Android development. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg because, with Kotlin, you get fewer bugs, better support for functional programming, no more null-point exceptions, complete support for IDE Android Studio, and in fact, a whole lot more.
Kotlin Adoption and Vibrant Community Support
1. Growing Adoption in the Android Ecosystem
Kotlin is making waves in the Android developer community, and for good reason. Its adoption has been steadily increasing, thanks to its powerful features and the backing it gets from developers and tech leaders. Back in 2017, Google gave Kotlin a big thumbs up by officially supporting it for Android development. This move made Kotlin even more popular and credible in the Android world.
2. Industry Giants Embrace Kotlin
After Google’s endorsement, many big names like Netflix, Uber, and Pinterest jumped on the Kotlin bandwagon. They’ve used Kotlin to build or revamp their apps, proving that it’s a strong contender for handling complex projects. This recognition from such well-known companies shows that Kotlin is a reliable language for Android development.
3. Developer Survey Insights
A 2022 developer survey by JetBrains, the folks behind Kotlin, revealed that 64% of developers use Kotlin for Android app development. This statistic shows just how popular Kotlin has become, establishing it as a favorite among Android developers.
4. Active and Supportive Community
The Kotlin community is lively and full of enthusiastic developers from around the globe. They’re constantly pushing the language forward, creating open-source libraries and tools that expand Kotlin’s capabilities. This makes Kotlin an even more powerful and flexible choice for Android development.
5. Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration
Kotlin developers love to share their knowledge. Through blogs, forums, and conferences, they spread their expertise and tips. Events like KotlinConf bring fans and experts together to learn, network, and shape Kotlin’s future.
6. Rich Ecosystem of Tools and Frameworks
Thanks to the community’s hard work, Kotlin boasts a rich ecosystem of tools and frameworks that boost developer productivity. Libraries like Ktor and Kotlin Serialization simplify tasks, making it easier for developers to create top-notch Android apps.
7. Driving Future Adoption
With its rising popularity, active community, and rich ecosystem, Kotlin is set to keep leading the Android development scene. Its easy-to-read syntax, safety features, and seamless integration with Java make it a top pick for developers. Kotlin’s future in Android development looks bright.
Many mobile app development companies around the world are now slowly adopting the Kotlin programming language for creating remarkable Android experiences. From AI-powered mobile apps to enterprise-level solutions, Kotlin is capable of providing the best coding practices to its respective individuals. It’s just a matter of time before Kotlin will become a hallmark in Android development.
A Few Drawbacks
Surely nothing is dot-point accurate or perfect. Just as everything has its fair share of flaws, so does Kotlin. But are they that grave? For that, we did a bit of our exploration and concluded.
Kotlin was found guilty of:
- Fluctuation in compiling speeds.
- Very minimal community support.
- A budding developer community.
No wonder Kotlin has gained significant traction among Android mobile app developers. But there’s still a gap in the application programming language. The gap exists because of a relatively small community and it’s one of the reasons why people are not adopting Kotlin at the moment.
If there’s a problem you encounter while coding on Kotlin, a developer might require a lot of research or go through a trial & error method to fix the coding issue completely. However, when it comes to syntax & speed, Kotlin sure does leave some of the world’s best programming languages behind.
Do you have something interesting to share about Kotlin? Hire the best mobile app developers.
Branex is a mobile application development company, we always step up to offer you top-notch advice on Kotlin app development.
Read More Blogs
