Understanding the basics of Kotlin for Android Development

The Android operating system is still a hotcake despite the advances in iOS and Microsoft platforms. It’s no news that java is the official language of Android software development. However, that is not the only thing widely used by developers, there is another, which is also official but easier to use ; Kotlin. How is it different from Javas? Let’s find out.

This post covers the basics you need to know about using Kotlin programming language skills in Android development and advancing your career as a developer.

Content

Features

Similitude

Contrast

Advantages

Illustration

Application

What is Kotlin all about?

A crucial step to beginning a career as a great Android software developer is understanding the fundamentals. Kotlin coding programming is an improved version of Java. It was released by JetBrains, and was designed to be 100% interoperable with Java. It is a statically typed language used by most professional Android developers for its concise and expressive qualities since Google’s announcement in 2019. Kotlin sub-projects include: Kotlin/JVM, Kotlin/JS, Kotlin/Native.

Features

1. It is modern, flexible and quite versatile.
2. It is tool-friendly.
3. It is object-oriented programming.
4. It targets either JVM or JavaScript.
5. It has type inference.
6. It has a lower cognitive load.
7. Easy learning

Similitude with Java

Kotlin supports the web and compiles just as swiftly as Java, with the presence of data classes as seen in java code. Its entry point into a program begins with a function called “main” and  permits the adding of external functions. Its code can also be accessed from Java and vice versa. Integration with Java build tools is supported, like Apache Maven e.t.c.  This is great news for those familiar with Java as it paves the way for easy adaptation to its environment.

Contrast

• Kotlin is easier to grasp as a complete beginner’s introduction to android development and recommended for recreation.
• It is a safer alternative with simpler and shorter codes as every variable is non-null by default.
• It relaxes the restriction of permitting static methods and variables to exist singly in a class body.
• It is precise and reduces extra code, unlike writing extra code in Java.
• Classes are final by default, while abstract classes are open by default.
• An edge over java is it’s delegation ability: it allows receiving object to delegate operations to another delegate object or an helper object which helps to avoid duplication of code.

Advantages

1. It is easy to maintain and backed by Google.
2. It is good for Android development.
3. It possesses parameter values, extension functions and object declarations.
4. It offers better support for functional programming.
5. It is supported by the integrated development environment (IDE) of java which allows its execution on any java virtual machine.
6. It is an alternative to the standard java compiler.
7. Semi-colons are optional as statement terminators while coding.
8. It increases overall productivity of Android developers with smart coding and easy bug fixing.
9. It has a large community with coding and social networks.
10. It was built with enterprise in mind.
11. It handles null to prevent program crashing.
12. Kotlin offers smooth streamlining of asynchronous programming.
13. It solves real world problems faced by developers.
14. It improves programming language.
15. It is good for native development.
16. It is handy for multi- platform mobile development. i.e it will run on iPhones and not just Androids.
17. It makes coding more efficient.
18. It has a low cost of adoption and it is compared to other programming languages.

Drawbacks

Kotlin developers are scarce.

The community and learning resources for Kotlin are in shortage.

Illustration

// Hello world!

fun main ( )

{

print ln ( ” Hello world” )

}

Application

• Kotlin is widely used by Google and has an estimate of 70% of its 1,000 apps on Play Store written through it. E.g Google Drive and Google Maps.
• It is used for backend development of some organizations, such as OLX, Shazam, Amazon, Cash app etc.
• It is used for web development of Pinterest, Coursera,  Netflix, Uber, Duolingo, Trello, just  to mention a few.
• It allows developers to use it in full stock web development.
• Data Science uses its function in data visualization and data science tools like Jupyter.

Top Kotlin Android Apps 

1. Tinder
2. Square
3. Pinterest
4. Postmates
5. Evernote
6. Uber
7. Netflix
8. Coursera
9. Google
10. N26
11. Slack

Ready to up skill?

Explore courses on Kotlin :

Kotlin for Java developers.

Learn object-oriented programming with Kotlin.