What Is Kotlin? Know All About Kotlin Programming Language

Kotlin’s creation arose after Lead Developer Dmitry Jemerov sought features he couldn’t find in Java. Scala, another language that runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), was close to what he wanted, but it took too long to compile. Kotlin developers hang out on the Kotlin forums, StackOverflow and more actively on the Kotlin Slack (with close to members as of April 2020). You can learn all the Kotlin essentials while creating working applications with the Kotlin Core track by JetBrains Academy.

In addition, with Kotlin you can share business logic between all platforms while retaining the ability to create native UI. Even if you’re not so familiar with tech terms, there’s a large chance that the word ‘Java’ at least rings a bell. This is because Java is one of the most popular and commonly used programming languages, with top brands such as eBay or Google picking it for their development needs. Java has been around for over two decades, which comes with its own perks, such as the vast number of resources for the developers to learn from, and huge community support.

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Besides, if you want to calculate the factorial of a number, you can use a recursive function. The print() function prints its arguments in standard output that is similar to the println() function but println() also adds a line break. Have a look at the function declaration near the top of both panes. The return type in Java precedes the prototype, but in Kotlin it succeeds the prototype, demarcated with a colon as in Pascal.

what is kotlin language

Kotlin is not only used for Android development but server-side developments as well. In terms of language and syntax, Kotlin simply aims to be readable, pragmatic, and safe. To fully appreciate what that means, let’s take a look at the language’s core tenets. You can perform the same tasks and implement the same features with the help of Kotlin and Java.

Android

However, Kotlin allows achieving the same results with fewer lines of code, which positively influences code maintainability and readability. Today, being a Kotlin developer means being a competitive specialist on the job market. In this article, we are going to overview what Kotlin is, the main sphere of its applying, and why companies operating in information technology outsourcing are using it. Kotlin is a modern, trending programming language that was released in by JetBrains.

  • It does this by making a null illegal for standard types, adding nullable types, and implementing shortcut notations to handle tests for null.
  • The return type in Java precedes the prototype, but in Kotlin it succeeds the prototype, demarcated with a colon as in Pascal.
  • Kotlin’s creation arose after Lead Developer Dmitry Jemerov sought features he couldn’t find in Java.
  • You may have just recently started hearing about the Kotlin programming language, but developers have known about — and loved it — for a while.
  • Java is mostly used for Android and web-based apps, financial and retail services, and science and research.
  • Erlang is a concurrent and functional programming language famous for developing complex and highly available multithreaded systems.
  • Not long ago, Java was considered to be the primary language of Android development.

Since Kotlin is interoperable with Java, you can slowly migrate an application to use Kotlin one file at a time while the rest of the application still uses Java. Having a mobile presence is a requirement for most businesses since most people access the internet now through mobile phones. Android accounts for over 70% of the market share of mobile phones, so even if Kotlin was only for Android development, Kotlin developers would be in high demand. Kotlin is 100% interoperable with the Java programming language and major emphasis has been placed on making sure that your existing codebase can interact properly with Kotlin. You can easily call Kotlin code from Java and Java code from Kotlin.

Are there Kotlin events?

The Java community today is one of the largest and most influential developer communities in the world. Java is essential both for the Internet and computers in general. Overall, if you want to achieve maestro as an Android app developer, you must be proficient in Java as well as Kotlin. Developers who have an understanding of Kotlin feels comfortable using the language for isolated parts of the application to test the results. Yet, it’s not without its idiosyncrasies and elements of ‘vintage charm’, shall we say. Herein, we unravel the treasure trove of Java wisdom that Kotlin’s makers decided to hold onto, forming the backbone of Kotlin’s identity.

Not only does this simplify the mobile development process, but both Android and iOS users will be able to get their desired experience as a result. Since the inauguration of Kotlin in 2011 by Jetbrain, it has made quite a name in the community of developers. Among all the statically typed and general-purpose languages, Kotlin stands on a higher ground comparing most programming languages to learn in this era of computer science.

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One thing worth noting is that Kotlin is more type-safe than Java. So, you can be more adaptable when developing apps—and not need to worry about as many possible risks. Kotlin’s one of the best features is its interoperability with Java.

what is kotlin language

Talking about the future, Google has announced that Kotlin is the first preferred language for Android app development. Java is still in use, and there is no https://www.globalcloudteam.com/how-to-hire-a-kotlin-developer-tips-and-tricks/ notice of Java support removal. Large projects are more comfortable to write when the developer gets a chance to remove extra code out of every line of code.

Use of Existing Java Frameworks and Libraries

People are using Kotlin for mobile and server-side applications, client-side with JavaScript or JavaFX, and data science, just to name a few possibilities. Similar to Java and Scala, Kotlin is a statically-typed language, where checks on variable types are executed during compilation time. The main advantage of a statically-typed language is protection from runtime errors and faster execution times. This is because the compiler knows the exact data types that are in use and is able to produce optimized machine code. Erlang and Elixir are two popular concurrent programming languages designed to create highly available systems. Swift promotes strict coding standards and inferring types, and the LLVM compiler enforces type safety that creates safe code.

what is kotlin language

Kotlin also lets developers use popular libraries and frameworks such as ReactJS and VueJS. Java is known for its versatility since it was originally created with the concept of “Write Once, Run Everywhere” in mind. It is, however, mostly used for backend and Android development – after all, most Android apps used to be written in Java. It’s known as an excellent general-purpose programming language, capable of building complex applications that handle a huge number of users.

Why Do You Learn the Kotlin Language?

Developers knowing Java finds ease in understanding the Kotlin concepts. Also, Kotlin developers are usually paid more than Java developers. On the contrary, Kotlin programs https://www.globalcloudteam.com/ are not available openly, and however, you need to learn Java first to understand Kotlin easily. For a freelancer, it is beneficial to learn both Java and Kotlin.