A lot of enterprises today are specifically asking for Kotlin developers for their Android app development. Although Kotlin has been around since 2011, the language never had the demand it has today. Kotlin is a cross-platform, general-purpose programming language officially recognized by Google as the preferred language for Android App Development since 2017. The jobs for Kotlin developers have also been rising the announcement, but what has Kotlin got to deserve the demand and popularity?
Here is a brief on why Kotlin is the best for Android App Development.
Better than Java
Java has been the name making rounds since two decades ago. While it was exceptional at one point in time, there is a good number of functionalities Java doesn’t have to compete with the languages of today. The dreaded NullPointerException (NPE) of Java is still one of the reasons for many android app crashes. Null is simply an efficient way of letting the system know about the absence of value. NPE makes it more time-consuming for android developers to build the application. NullPointerExceptions are no more in Kotlin.
Safer Than Java
Kotlin codes are more clear and concise when compared to Java. Even if there is a problem to solve, it can be done with fewer lines of code than what was used before. Further, Kotlin-built applications have fewer errors, reinforcing the application to prevent it from crashing. Kotlin also has a better compiler which performs a lot of checks and detects errors as early as the compile time.
Support
Even before the release of Kotlin, the programming language went through various checks to become an effective alternative for Java. Kotlin was built and backed by JetBrains with many independent contributors, leaving little to worry about continuous support.
Interoperable with Java
Interoperability is one of the best advantages of using Kotlin. It means Kotlin can be used in place of Java without having the redo the project from scratch and vice-versa. If you are working on an android application and is already halfway through the development, you can continue with Kotlin from where you are.
Easier Development
With Kotlin, your developers don’t have to mull over innumerable lines of codes with various complexities in between. Fewer lines of coding are all needed to get the jobs done, and this further increases the speed of development. Kotlin is way more readable and crisp, making it highly flexible and easy to maintain. Less coding also implies the reduced size of the final applications. Not to mention, Kotlin drastically brings down the size of the boilerplate code in the application.
Apart from the major advantages, Kotlin is very easy to get started with even for beginners. But Java isn’t going anywhere; it will be around for a long time, but Kotlin will eventually take over its place. The programming language’s advantages have grabbed the eyeballs of many industry leaders and are actively adopting it refine their applications.