Java has been a master of all in almost every field of application development, making the Java developers not wander much in search for other languages. However, things have changed with the steady evolution of Kotlin. Kotlin, no more the “other JVM language” has even surpassed Java’s prominence . So,what makes this language stand-out and why is it growing in adoption for application development? What are the benefits of Kotlin vs Java, and how can it help developers?
In this article, we’re going to look at the top 5 reasons why Kotlin takes a superior stand over Java and why it will work best for your next development project.
Kotlin is more concise
Kotlin is way more concise than Java in many cases, solving the same problems with fewer lines of code. This improves code maintainability and readability, meaning engineers can write, read, and change code more effectively and efficiently. Kotlin exclusive features such as type inference, smart casts, data classes, and properties help achieve conciseness.
Kotlin’s null-safety is great
NullPointerExceptions are a huge source of frustration for Java developers. Java allows you to assign null to any variable, but if you try to use an object reference that has a null value, then brace yourself to encounter a NullPointerException!
Kotlin’s type system is aimed to eliminate NullPointerExceptions from the code. This type of system helps to avoid null pointer exceptions by simply refusing to compile code that tries to assign or return null.
Combine the best of Functional and Procedural Programming
Each set of programming paradigm has its own set of pros and cons. Combining the power of both functional and procedural programming leads to better development and output. It consists of many useful methods, which includes higher-order functions, lambda expressions, operator overloading, lazy evaluation, and much more. With a list of weaknesses and strengths from both languages, Kotlin offers inexpensive and intuitive coding style.
The power of Kotlin’s extension functions
Extensions of Kotlin are very useful because they allow developers to add methods to classes without making changes to their source code. Here, you can add methods on a per-user basis to classes. This allows users to extend the functionality of existing classes without inheriting the functions and properties from other classes.
Interoperability with JAVA
When debating between Kotlin vs Java, there is always a third option: Use them both. Despite all the differences Kotlin and Java are 100% interoperable,you can literally continue work on your old Java projects using Kotlin. You can call Kotlin code from Java, and you can call Java code from Kotlin. So it’s possible to have Kotlin and Java classes side-by-side within the same project, and everything will still compile.
Undoubtedly, Kotlin has made many positive changes to the long and most used Java. It helps to write safer code, because with less work it’s possible to write a more reliable code, thus making the life of programmers a lot easier. Kotlin is really a good replacement for Java. With time, more and more advanced features will be added to the Kotlin’s ecosystem that will help its popularity to grow towards its apex making the developers world more promising.
Also read
Why are Android developers switching from Java to Kotlin?
Getting started with Kotlin programming