When you think about Android app development, chances are one programming language instantly strikes your mind – JAVA! 

While the gospel truth is that most Android apps are developed in Java, Java isn’t your only option when it funnels down to the Android niche. You can build an Android app in any language that compiles and runs with Java Virtual Machine, and your user will be none the wiser.  

One such Java Virtual Machine compatible programming language that caught the attention of many in the Android community is Kotlin, a statistically typed programming language from JetBrains. 

Kotlin has been eclipsing Java’s dominancy in the Android development aisle over the last few years. Evidently, this is an exodus of the developer’s preference from the good old days to the comparatively new and elegant Kotlin. 

• But, is Kotlin more competitive than Java? 
• What makes it unmatched to the point of commanding the interest of mammoths like Google’s Android Team? 

Although Kotlin Arrived, what is the need to uncover Java vs Kotlin for Android development?

Herein, we will unfurl the facts revolving around these questions as it pursues their clear and relevant answers. Let’s start with a 360-degree outlook on the vital elements in Android App Development:

• Difference between Kotlin and Java
• Their similarities
• Kotlin’s Security and Support 

Before defining which is better  – “Kotlin vs Java”. Let us walk down the aisle for the things that go into creating a successful Android app.

Creating An Android App: A Sneak Into The Essentials

While catering as an excellent place to kickstart Android development for the newbies, it also offers a quick rundown for those with prior and ample experience. 

The vital elements to the process of developing an Android app are:  

• Software Development Kit, 
• Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), 
• Programming Languages

Even if you are a mobile app developer, Java is probably your go-to language for creating Android apps. But, with a new language stepping out from its cocoon all over the place might challenge Java’s lion share in the Android world. 

It’s Kotlin, a relatively new programming language that Google already announced as a “First-Class” language supported on Android. 

Although it’s continually being developed and upgraded, Kolin has already paved its way as a mature ecosystem, with its popularity growing expeditiously, especially for mobile app development.

Why Should You Switch From Java?

While Java is among the world’s most widely used programming languages and is considered the official language of Android development, there are numerous reasons why Java might not be an ideal fit for your Android projects. 

One of the most significant issues is that Java is not a modern language. Although Java 8 was a giant leap for the platform, introducing lots of features that developers had been keeping an eye on, indeed at the time of developing, Android only supported a subset of Java 8 features. 

While the probability of developers reaping the full benefits of Java 8 anytime shortly is unlikely, for the foreseeable future, if you want to work on Java in your Android projects, then you are still sitting on the fence.  

Java, as a whole, has some pretty well-documented languages concern, including a deficit in extendability, try-catch blocks, NullPointerException and lack of support for functional programming elements and features. However, Java started to add some functional programming elements, like Lambda expressions and available interfaces, while its core is still procedural. 

Also, Java’s syntax is long-winded, especially when compared to many modern programming languages.

To understand better, here’s a detailed comparison of Java vs Kotlin Android development to help you choose the language which will work best for your next BIG Android project.

What Is Kotlin? 

The programmers designed Kotlin, intending to add some modern features to Java mobile development. 

It gained momentum right after being announced as an official programming language for Android at Google I/O in 2018. Besides, Google has also internally opted using Kotlin instead of Java on Android. 

Kotlin is an open-source, statically typed language grounded on the Java Virtual Machine but can also be compiled to Javascript or Native to build code that can efficiently run on iOS devices. All it takes is installing the Kotlin Plugin and allowing it to configure with your project. 

Advantages Kotlin Offer

More Concise Code

Comparing a Java class and a Kotlin class that offers the same outcome, the one written in Kotlin will typically be much more compact and concise than the one developed in Java. And, as developers from top Java development company know, less code means fewer bugs! 

For instance, a code is written in Java code to create an activity including a floating action button (FAB) that, when tapped, displays a snack bar containing the message “This Is A Snackbar”. 

Whereas Kotlin is particularly good at minimizing the amount of boilerplate code you need to write, it eventually makes Kotlin a much more enjoyable experience than coding in more verbose languages like Java. 

Especially, Kotlin Android Extensions let you import the reference to a view into an activity file to efficiently work with the view as though it’s part of the activity. This clearly means you no longer have to identify each picture using findViewByid, which will quickly transform the code more succinctly. 

A Perfect Blend Of Procedural Programming With Functions

Numerous programming paradigms are widely used, but when it funnels down to the question of “Which Approach Is Ideal”, there is no way out. Each programming paradigm has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, so while there is no deficit of scenarios where functional programming has a competitive edge, there are also plenty of problems where a procedural approach proves to be more effective and efficient. 

So, what is the need to choose between functional and procedural? 

Like many other latest programming languages, Kotlin aims to offer the best of both worlds by combining ideas and elements from both functional and procedural programming.  

Sheer Level Of Interoperability

One of the biggest strengths as a potential alternative to Java is the utter ease of interoperability between Java and Kotlin- you can have Kotlin and Java existing side-to-side for the same project. Everything will still compile correctly. 

Even if your partner app developers mixed Kotlin and Java, user’s wouldn’t differentiate which parts of your project are written in Java and coded in Kotlin.

Since Kotlin and Java classes can exist simultaneously in the same project, you can start using Kotlin without having to do much stuff. For example, converting a complete project to Kotlin or starting a new project from scratch precisely so that you can try your hands at Kotlin. 

All thanks to interoperability! Even if you have a project that you are already working on, you can try for Kotlin in a small part of that project without affecting the rest of the code lines. And, if you have made your mind to continue using Kotlin, you can also migrate your project’s presently Java code to Kotlin one file at a time, or leave your project’s legacy code untouched and opt for Kotlin for the new classes and feature set. 

Since Kotlin is interoperable with Java, you will also use most Java libraries and frameworks for your Kotlin Projects, even advanced frameworks that depend on annotation processing. 

Unparalleled Android Studio Support

As you know, Kotlin is created by JetBrains, the company behind IntelliJ – the IDE (Integrated Development Environment) that Android Studio is based on. It’s no surprise, then, that Android Studio has an unmatchable level of support for Kotlin. Once you are done installing the Kotlin plugin, Android Studio configures Kotlin in your project as easy as opening a few menus. 

You have set up the Kotlin plugin for Android Studio; your IDE will have no challenges in understanding, compiling and running Kotlin code. Android Studio also offers debugging, code navigation, auto-completion, unit testing and full refactoring support for Kotlin. 

Now, when your Android Studio project is all set to support Kotlin, you can easily convert the complete Java source file into a Kotlin file with just a few clicks.

Easy Learning Curve

The core objective of Kotlin is to be an enhancement of Java, rather than an entire rewrite, so many of the skills you have acquired and honoured throughout your Java career should still apply to your Kotlin Projects. 

Kotlin is also crafted to have a gentle learning curve for Java developers. Java developers should find that most of the Kotlin syntax appears the same; for instance, the code that’s used to develop a new class in Kotlin is quite similar to Java. 

Moreover, Kotlin is also crafted to be intuitive and easy to read. So, if you ever come across a drastically different code, you should still be able to get the gist of what this code wants to do.

A Handful Of More Benefits

• Opting Kotlin cost nothing.
• Kotlin has a lot of traction in Android development, but it’s also used in backend projects.
• It braces modern programming concepts like extension functions, delegates, higher-order functions, and more out-of-the-box to help developers create clean APIs.
• Kotlin can compile to any platform, including Android, JavaScript, JVM, and native – using the Kotlin multi-platform framework; you can easily extract one common codebase that can easily target all of them at the same time.
• With the language scripting feature, you can easily use Kotlin directly in your Gradle build Scripts.
• Migrating from Java to Kotlin is an easy escape. Just install the Kotlin plugin, add it to the Gradle build files, and click “Convert”.
• App developers benefit from an exponentially growing collection of open source projects on GitHub, learning resources, online courses, and the list goes on.
• It’s far more expressive than Java, which portrays fewer chances of errors.
• It’s easy to write modules in Kotlin and also ensure they will work alongside the existing Java code. Kotlin is compatible with all Java libraries and frameworks and can also integrate with Gradle or Maven Build Systems.
• Kotlin offers a built-in null safety feature that acts as a lifesaver, especially on Android, which is loaded with old Java-style APIs 

What’s The Drop?

Lack Of Official Support

Kotlin is known to have excellent Android Studio support, but it’s worth remembering that Google does not officially endorse Kotlin. Android Studio’s auto-complete and compilation incline to run slightly slower than they are working with Kotlin compared to a pure Java project.  

Extra Runtime Size

The Kotlin standard library and runtime eventually increase the size of your .apk. While this is only equivalent to around 800KB, if your app is already on the large side, then that extra amount may tip it over the edge and make users think twice before downloading your app. 

Decipher In Readability Of Code

However, Kotlin’s concise syntax is one of the language’s biggest strength, but with Kotlin, you may find some difficulty simply because there is so much going on in such a small amount of code. 

Java may be full of air, but the upside is that everything is clearly defined, which means unfamiliar Java code tends to be easier to decipher than unfamiliar kotlin. If misused, the overloading eventually results in code that’s difficult to understand and read. 

Lesser Help Availability and Smaller Community

As Kotlin is a relatively new language, the Kotlin community is still fairly small, especially compared to the community surrounding which is more established languages like Java. So, suppose you are of the mind to make a switch to Kotlin. In that case, you may not have access to the same number of tutorials, blog posts, user documentation and even may encounter less community support on places like forums and Stack Overflow. 

Conclusion

While you have weighed up the pros and cons and made your mind take Kotlin for a spin, you will need a reliable Java development company that meets your project needs within the timeline.

Moreover, it would be best to keep in mind that Java will not go anywhere and remain there for Android App Development. If you are a rookie in the technical domain, it’s advisable to try Kotlin, especially if you would like to work on innovative projects. And, if you are on the brink of partnering with the best app developers, make sure to have a Free Project Discussion about the tangible benefits a new language coded project will bring to you.