Why Are Companies Choosing Kotlin For Their App Development?


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Kotlin is now the official programming language for Android app development. Since it replaced Java as a better alternative, developers building Android mobile apps now mostly prefer using it. This is not enough said since many app developers still are in doubt about embracing Kotlin instead of Java. 


Understanding Kotlin & its key capabilities 


Kotlin is a general-purpose programming language with the typical ability to compile code with the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) code. Developed by JetBrains and launched by Google as the official language for Android in 2016, Kotlin offers the safest, most concise, and error-free way to write code for Android apps. No wonder, for any Android app development company, Kotlin remains the primary skill set to keep going and delivering work for their clients. 



Some of the key features and attributes that made Kotlin famous include the following. 


  • Interoperability with Java

  • Android Studio IDE support

  • Extended features and functionalities 

  • Robust tools 

  • Open-source and free

  • Concise and error-free coding


These are some of the major attributes that made many leading brands and apps running on Java switch to Kotlin. Let’s now explain all the advantages of Kotlin that make it popular and lovable for Android app projects. 


Open-source and free 


Kotlin has been launched as an open-source and free programming language from the very beginning. Thanks to this open-source nature, developers can easily get support from the community and external resources while building the core product. Since the Android ecosystem is pretty big, Kotlin will likely gain enough traction to ensure humongous support for all projects. 


Smooth setup 


Ever since Android Studio 3.0 came, developers have inbuilt support for using Kotlin for programming applications. They can now do away with the need to use a separate plug-in for programming an app using Kotlin language. Google ensured official support for Kotlin right within the Android Studio now. 


Use it alongside Java code. 


The interoperability with Java Kotlin helps developers to use Java code right from Kotlin or the other way around. Any app that has used Java code earlier can now use Kotlin for further development requirements without paying the price in terms of performance or breaking the flow of the underlying code. Developers versed in both programming languages can also use them in tandem with the same app project. 


Top-notch IDE support and tools 


Kotlin, compared to most other JVM-compatible languages, gets the best IDE and tooling support. Particularly, the Android Studio IDE features just offer great support for Kotlin. One can easily utilize Kotlin and Java code within the same app project without experiencing any glitches in performance. Moreover, there is a feature in Android Studio to convert Java files to Kotlin with just a single tap. 


Less concise and error-free code 


Kotlin completely avoids boilerplate code, which, on the other hand, remains a mainstay for Java, and this results in more concise and low-footprint coding. Android developers coding in Java need to write longer and more repetitive code, and in contrast, for the same features built with Kotlin, developers need to write fewer lines of code. 


Moreover, by converting the Java files to Kotlin, you can reduce the app size and space footprint. Many app projects switch to Java because of this concise coding and lower file size affecting the app performance positively. Kotlin is also less verbose than Java, and with crisp and concise syntax, it also ensures easy readability. 


Lastly, Kotlin ensures the least coding errors compared to Java, enhancing app security and performance. Concise and error-free coding also reduces system crashes and unwanted failures.  


Get rid of annoying NullPointerExceptions


It is well known among Android developers that NullPointerExceptions or NPEs are often regarded to be the biggest reason for sudden crashes of Android apps. Because of NPEs securing the code often becomes a major challenge. This is one major area where Kotlin offers developers great relief by incorporating null safety inherently within the Kotlin language. Thanks to this, developers can only get hold of all the NPEs at the time of compilation. They do not need to wait for the app to crash to detect NPEs during runtime.


Cast function for enhanced speed and performance 


Kotlin comes equipped with a smart cast function that easily increases the speed of the application and ensures smooth performance. Thanks to this cast function, every different type of function can be identified, and specific operations for particular cast functions can be streamlined. This ultimately results in enhanced efficiency and app performance.


Another prized catch offered by the smart cast function is the savings of development time. With the cast function feature, development for specific use cases and operational requirements can easily be streamlined, resulting in faster development and time to market. 


A multitude of data classes


Developers often need diverse data classes for easier identification of classes per their project requirements. This is another area where Kotlin is all equipped to delight the developers. By using Kotlin programming language, Android developers can write code just similar to Java code while spending less coding effort and time. Because of the availability of many data classes, code can remain concise, simple, and precise. 



Summing It Up 


From all the above advantages and critical attributes of Kotlin, you can easily understand why the language has been embraced by Android developers worldwide and why it brought Android developers an ecosystem more powerful and equipped than Java. Since it has already become the official language and allowed many Java developers to use it alongside Java for Android projects, the future of Android seems to be inseparable from Kotlin. 



Guest Author



Will Ben Sims is CEO of Cerdonis Technologies LLC – A software development company that provides a wide range of app development services. Will ben and his team have developed a number of mobile application solutions for various business. Apart from his professional life, Will ben is very good at playing rugby.


Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-ben-sims/

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