Here is a capsule study about the advantages and disadvantages of using Kotlin programming language!
According to pwskills.com, Kotlin is suggested programming language to be learned in 2027. The selection of programming languages is influenced by a combination of industry demands, technological advancements, community support, performance efficiency, ease of use, and any evolving paradigms in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and decentralized systems.
What is Kotlin?
Kotlin is a preferred language for Android app Development, besides Flutter (DART), Java, C++, C#, Python, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (JS). It is suited to futuristic applications, being lightweight and concise. It features null safely and is officially supported by Google. It has inherited some features from larger ecosystem, mature tools and libraries.
Kotlin is a statically-typed programming language that runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and can also be compiled to JavaScript or native code. It is interoperable with Java Class Libraries. Kotlin was developed by Jetbrains, the same company that earlier developed integrated development environment (IDE) for Java.
With so many languages around, which language to choose for Android development?
Any android app development company should consider factors like:
(1) Interoperability – it works really well with Java. So if there is a need to update legacy Java application, Kotlin code can be induced.
(2) Less coding – Kotlin is concise yet expressive. Many features can be depicted with fewer lines of code. It requires 20% less coding than Java.
(3) Built-in null safety – Kotlin code prevents NullPointerException Errors, which implies that if a value is not assigned to a variable, it will not cause the application to ‘not compile’ or ‘not execute’. The application logic will ignore that non-assignment and run.
(4) Integration with Android Studio – Kotlin code seamlessly integrates with Android Studio which makes developers to debug Android Studio based apps and run the program as desired. (5) Safer Code – Kotlin is safer than Java. Kotlin apps crash less, helps android developers to write robust code that results in fewer programming errors.
(6) Expressive Syntax – Kotlin is good for server-side development, where concise and expressive code is required.
(7) Mature and IDE Support – It is supports high-quality IDE.
(8) Open Source – It is open-source and free.
(9) Native Development – Kotlin supports native android application development. It does not support cross-platform development as smoothly as Flutter.
What more does Kotlin feature?
Besides Null Safety, Kotlin features extension functions, lambdas, data classes, companion objects, and inline functions. All these act as an added advantage, enhancing the overall usefulness of the programming language.
How is Kotlin useful?
Kotlin reduces the need to write something twice, catering to different platforms. Many things can be achieved with less code which makes it productive and highly effective. We’ve learnt about Kotlin’s concise code, its interoperability across platforms, readable code, and security. It also has an excellent tooling support as due to plugins, debuggers, and code analyzers. This gives it the ability to produce better code as and when required.
Before discussing its advantages and disadvantages further, we can safely conclude that it is modern, concise, and safe language that helps writing better code quickly and easily. This ability makes it a great choice for a wide range of software development tasks.
Why should you learn Kotlin in 2024?
The reason you should learn Kotlin in 2024 is because it lets you share logic and libraries below the user interface layer. This lets developers to directly interact with the native iOS and Android environment. It is amongst the top 10 languages in demand in 2024 according to a report by LinkedIn – they enlist Python, JavaScript, Java, C++, Swift, Go (Golang), Kotlin, Rust, Typescript, PHP, Ruby, Shell Scripting (Bash), SQL, Scala, C#, MATLAB, DART, Julia, and Assembly Language.
Kotlin: Pros vs. Cons
This is a concise summary of the advantages and disadvantages of Kotlin Programming Language:
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to learn: Kotlin is fully interoperable with Java, which means Kotlin code can be used with Java code. It features concise code, which makes it easy to read and write.
Powerful: Kotlin has a number of features that make it a powerful language, such as null safety, lambda expressions, and extension functions. These features can help you write more concise and efficient code.
Safe: Kotlin is a safe language, which means that it helps you avoid common programming errors. For example, Kotlin’s null safety feature prevents you from accessing null values.
Tool support: Kotlin is enormous and very resourceful. Kotlin has excellent tool support, including IDE plugins and build tools. It simplifies Android programming by means of IntelliJ IDEA, Android Studio, kotlin Gradle Plugin, Kotlin Maven Plugin, Kotlinc, and Kotlin Native Compiler. All these make Kotlin applications run across Android, iOS, and Linux operating systems. This makes it easy to develop and debug Kotlin code. | Not as widely used as Java: Kotlin is a newer language than Java, so it is not as widely used. This means that there may be fewer resources available for Kotlin developers.
Slower compilation times: Kotlin’s compiler can be slower than Java’s compiler. This can be a problem for large projects. Out of the many reasons why Kotlin compilation is slow, compiling 1 million lines of code usually takes longer than 1,000 lines of code. The compiler itself and any build tools are using can affect the compilation speed.
In order to improve Kotlin compilation times: Make use of latest Kotlin compiler and build tools. Configure your build environment for optimal performance.
Make use of IntelliJ IDEA IDE, increase the maximum heap size of the Kotlin compiler, make use of JVM IR compiler instead of the legacy compiler; use ‘parallel flag’, ‘no-jdk-reflect flag’, ‘kotlin home flag’, include and exclude ‘runtime flag’ to include and exclude the Kotlin runtime in your compiled code;
Make use of language version flag, API version flag, module-name flag, module version flag, destination flag, output jar flag, and output Kotlin package flag.
Not as many libraries: There are not as many libraries available for Kotlin as there are for Java. This can make it more difficult to find the libraries you need for your project. |
What’s the best advice?
The selection of the best programming language depends upon the developer’s career goals, the demands in the market, and the shape of the industry. It is very important to stay adaptable, to continuously learn, and to master the languages that align with your preferences. The programming world is on fire and keeps churning its aspirations.
Any Kotlin app development company is a great choice for Android developers. It is a safe, powerful, and easy-to-learn language with excellent tool support. However, it is important to be aware of the potential drawbacks of using Kotlin, such as its slower compilation times and smaller library ecosystem.