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Kotlin wades its way to success

Kotlin is a relatively young programming language. It’s great for creating mobile and server-side applications, enabling you to write concise and expressive code while maintaining full compatibility with existing Java technology-based stacks.

The following properties characterise Kotlin language:

1. Expressiveness

Kotlin’s innovative language features, such as support for type-safe constructors and delegated properties, help create sophisticated and easy-to-use abstractions.

2. Scalability

Kotlin helps build server-side applications that scale to a massive number of clients with modest hardware requirements.

3. Interoperability

Kotlin is fully compatible with all Java-based frameworks, which allows you to stay on a known technology stack while benefiting from a more modern language.

4. Migration

Kotlin supports step-by-step migration of large codebases from Java to Kotlin. You can start writing new code in Kotlin, keeping older parts of the system in Java.

5. Tooling

In addition to excellent IDE support, Kotlin offers framework-specific tooling (for example, Spring) in the IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate plugin.

6. Learning curve

For Java programmers, getting started with Kotlin is very easy. The automated Java to Kotlin converter included in the Kotlin plugin helps in the first steps. Kotlin Koans offers a guide on crucial language functions along with a series of interactive exercises.

The future of language

In May 2017, at the Google I / O conference, it was announced that Kotlin would become the official programming language for the Android platform. There is a perfect future ahead of Kotlin because it is Java-compatible, and Java developers’ entry threshold is relatively low. For this, in the Valley, you can use libraries written in Java, which significantly strengthens its position. On the plus side, there is also a relatively large community that organises around the language.

According to the TIOBE index (https://www.tiobe.com/tiobe-index/), Kotlin is already 35th in the ranking. When in August, he was 80th. Among the brands that use Kotlin in their products, we can find companies such as Amazon Web Services, Netflix, Uber, Square, Trello, and Evernote.

Science

It is best to start learning the basics at https://kotlinlang.org. All the necessary materials are there.

Another site that you can actively use to learn the Kotlin language is https://play.kotlinlang.org

There is also an “Examples” tab with a description of the syntax that you can immediately run.

You can also use ready-made “Hands-on” templates that show you how to build, e.g. a multiplatform application for Android and iOS.

You can also start learning Kotlin by reading the following books:

“Kotlin in Action” – teaches you how to use the Kotlin language in production-quality applications. This vibrant example book, written for experienced Java programmers, goes beyond most language books and covers interesting topics. The book was written by Dmitry Jemerov and Svetlana Isakova, programmers from the Kotlin band.