Why you should Choose Kotlin over Java for Android App Development

Have you been planning your Android app development lately? Well, there’s no denying that Java has generally been one of the most popular preferable programming languages for app developers. But now we have a new player in town! Yes.

A comparatively young programming language, Kotlin, is gaining a lot of demand in the market. Want to understand why leveraging Kotlin for android app development makes sense? Fret not! We can help you comprehend the whole concept. In this article, we shall discuss the best Kotlin advantages over Java for android app development. Stay with us and read on.

How is Kotlin better than Java?

Java has developed around 20 years ago and there’s no doubt about the fact that it has a well-maintained reputation among app developers. But being a type-heavy language, it introduces more chances of errors and bugs. One of the major issues with Java is that each new version of Java needs to be compatible with the previous one. Moreover, Java is a bit slow and takes a lot of system memory. On the other hand, Kotlin is faster to compile and extremely lightweight. It is more concise and expressive. These are some of the reasons why Kotlin app development is preferred by developers. Some more interesting Kotlin advantages that you should be aware of:

• Kotlin is well-equipped with modern features that can be utilized for large-scale projects.
• It helps you use almost the same language design expertise as built by Java over these years.

Why is Kotlin a Good Option for Android App Developers?

Developed by JetBrains, Kotlin is an open-source statically typed programming language. The best part about Kotlin is that it is fully compatible and interoperable with Java. Kotlin can be leveraged for all kinds of app development be it server-side, client-side, or web. Being much less verbose than Java, Kotlin is turning into one of the most preferred programming languages by android app developers. As Kotlin is interoperable with Java, you can use Kotlin code from Java or vice-versa. Let us discuss some of the main advantages of leveraging Kotlin in Android development processes.

• Offers efficient compilation
• Provides for a familiar developmental tooling
• Easily integrates with the existing infrastructure
• Offers improved run-time performance

Kotlin is designed to work on the Java Virtual Machine. Being interoperable with Java, it allows you to do the following:

• Understand the complex Java codebase
• Utilize Java’s modern features designed for mobile development

Top 8 Kotlin Advantages over Java for Android App Development

Have you been wondering why Kotlin android app development is more convenient for developers? Don’t worry. In this section of the article, we shall discuss the top 8 Kotlin advantages over Java for android app development. Let us have a quick look at them one by one.

1. Interoperability with Java

As mentioned earlier in the article, one of the best uses of Kotlin is its interoperability with Java. This means that migrating your project from Java to Kotlin won’t be a complex task. Thanks to its modern tools and framework, you can add all the necessary requirements easily to your Kotlin app projects.

2. Extremely Concise

Kotlin is definitely faster to write than Java. For instance, if it is required to write 40 or 50 lines of codes in Java, Kotlin would require only 1-2 lines of codes. This implies that you can solve a problem using fewer lines of codes in Kotlin. And this, in turn, means lesser bugs and errors. In Kotlin, the code is:

• Easy to maintain
• Easy to read
• Easy to apply changes to

And not to forget, some of the best Kotlin advantages are accessible due to the following modern features:

• Data classes
• Smart casts
• Type interface
• Properties

3. Highly Safer Code

Being concise in nature does not give way to many errors. This makes it a much more viable and safer option for developers than Java. Kotlin eliminates the scope of common programming errors that gives way for:

• Lesser crashes
• Reduced system failures

4. Smarter and More Efficient Compiler

Kotin compiler comes with many advantages. Some of them being as follows:

It helps you identify errors at compile time and not at runtime. Kotlin leverages the fail-fast principle.
Kotlin reduces runtime errors and bugs by performing several checks.

5. Super Easy to Maintain

One more reason that Kotlin android app development is preferred is it’s easy to maintain nature. No wonder it is called a one-stop language for all application development. It tends to support a lot of IDEs.

6. Enhances Developers’ Productivity

Kotlin has an intuitive syntax and a clean design. It is not much of a task to write code in Kotlin. You can easily deploy and maintain it. All these elements help to boost the overall productivity of developers. It is built in such a powerful way that it automatically enhances the productivity of android app developers. Here are some amazing Kotlin features that help developers in their everyday tasks:

• Object declarations
• Extension functions
• Parameter values

7. Complete Support for Functional Programming

Kotlin has a robust support system. It can enhance your android app’s inlining. You can easily shuffle between functional concepts in a more concise manner. This way, it enables you to have proper function types. Such enhanced support is the reason you should consider Kotlin for Android app development.

8. Presence of Null in its Type System

Java is usually filled with nullability issues. But there are no such issues in Kotlin as it places null in its type system. It is null-safe by default. Kotlin does not allow variables to be assigned with a null value. Thus, Kotlin app development is a good option for developers.

Conclusion

Being more developer-friendly, Kotlin is here to stay! Also, Kotlin is more readable and concise in nature. This makes it more understandable by developers. One of the best advantages of leveraging Kotlin is that it eliminates the requirement for a boilerplate code. No wonder Kotlin is gaining popularity among developers. We hope our article helped you comprehend the best Kotlin advantages over Java for developing android apps. So, what are you thinking? Leverage Kotlin in android app development processes today.

Author Bio

Krishi Sangaran is a Digital Marketer by choice & profession. She munches on topics relating to Technology Like Chat, Voice & Video Conferencing API Solutions, E-Commerce, Enterprise Mobility, Cloud Solutions, and the Internet of Things.