Kotlin, the most widely used programming language for Android apps

21 July 2022
Kotlin, lenguaje de programación
Marta López
Marta López

Head of Marketing and Communication

There are many mobile programming languages. In order to develop mobile apps or applications, it is necessary to have an appropriate language that is suitable for the operating system of the phone or mobile phone.

The most famous are Android and iOS, but there are also others such as Symbian, Windows Phone or Blackberry OS.

In this article, we are going to talk about Kotlin, the most widely used programming language for Android apps. In fact, more than 80% of the 1,000 most popular apps on Android are built with Kotlin.

What is Kotlin?

Kotlin is the most widely used programming language for Android applications, although it can also be used on iOS. It is open source, free, static (it can be developed on top of JavaScript and JVM) and general. 

This language is only 6 years old. In fact, it emerged in 2016 from the hand of the JetBrains company. Security, clarity, tool support or interoperability are some of the features that make up the language. 

What is Kotlin programming for?

Why use Kotlin? First of all, Kotlin runs on the Java Virtual Machine and is interoperable with JavaScript. It is much easier to program, as it avoids repeating code and saves time and therefore resources.

In addition to the development of Android applications, this language allows you to go further. Thus, there are many backend that use this type of language, due to the readability of their code and being able to keep up to date with JVM. 

Therefore, we find different frameworks that facilitate the programmer's work, such as Ktor, Spring or Javalin, among others.

Advantages of the Kotlin programming language

Why use Kotlin as a mobile programming language? Google is clear about this. Since 2019, its mobile developments have been carried out with this language and, once they are finished, they implement them with Java.

Let's look at some of the most important advantages of Kotlin:

Interoperability

Kotlin is designed to be interoperable with Java. In other words: if the web developer encounters an existing Java code base, it will be able to interact seamlessly with Kotlin, and vice versa.

Learning

In intuitive languageis easy to learn. It is a simple syntax, so it is highly recommended for beginners in programming. 

Functional

In Kotlin there are many advanced functions such as string templates. In addition, this programming language allows working with lambdas, which minimises the workload.

Corrutinas

Corrutines are one of the great advantages of Kotlin. They make it possible to optimise asynchronous programming. This avoids callbacks, or access to the databases networked. 

Multi-platform

As mentioned above, although Kotlin is the most widely used programming language for Android applications, it can also be used with other operating systems such as iOS. 

In addition, Kotlin can be used in any type of development, server-side or client-side, and with JVM, code can be shared across platforms.

Flexibility

It is also a flexible language. Kotlin allows for developer freedom, a better programming experience. It is an object-oriented language and allows for functional constructions. 

Shorter programming time

Kotlin is the most widely used programming language for Android applications because it is concise, avoids repeating code. It is estimated to reduce up to 40% lines of code compared to Java.

Community

Kotlin is open source. Thus, there is a large community of this mobile programming language. There is a lot of information shared, so it is very interesting to keep learning, day by day.

Learning Kotlin and other programming languages is easy at IMMUNE

Interested in joining the exciting world of programming? Are you ready to develop apps with Kotlin? At IMMUNE we have different trainings to make you an expert in programming!

To begin with, this Degree in Software Development Engineering is a complete and innovative programme with a duration of 3 years. And if you don't want to invest that much time, don't worry! 

Our Web Development Bootcamp is perfect for you. Whether online or in person, you can follow our classes - we look forward to seeing you!

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