Another lightweight toolkit in our list is Http4k which allows developers to build cloud-native applications using Kotlin. Http4k follows functional programming principles that enforce immutability and compositions to create HTTP servers and client applications with concise code. It focuses mainly on simplicity that enables developers to build scalable and testable HTTP endpoints by eliminating complex code structures. Http4k provides a complete server-side Kotlin development solution for developing microservices and serverless functions. We at Surf have been developing apps for over a decade, using both native and cross-platform technologies for our projects.
Kotlin Guides
This framework leverages the capabilities of coroutines, allowing developers to handle thousands of connections concurrently without the need for extensive thread management. In practical terms, Ktor’s asynchronous nature results in highly performant applications, capable of serving substantial amounts of traffic with minimal resource consumption. In the 2025 developer polls, 55% cited Spring Boot as their go-to framework for building production-ready applications due to its vast ecosystem and solid community support.
Step 1: Create a New Spring Boot Project
Connections to a back-end can be easily established with frameworks such as Ktor, enabling efficient data handling. Statistics show that teams leveraging declarative frameworks see a 30% increase in productivity compared to traditional imperative counterparts. Error handling is streamlined; Fuel simplifies managing responses and exceptions, so developers can focus on building features rather than debugging HTTP calls. It includes insightful logging capabilities, providing real-time feedback on requests and responses, which aids in troubleshooting.
Kotlin/JS frameworks
According to JetBrains, it has experienced a notable increase in adoption, particularly in cloud environments. Using Spring Boot with Kotlin reduces boilerplate, promoting a cleaner codebase. Developers find that it accelerates microservices development cycles by approximately 25% due to its Senior iOS developer job extensive ecosystem and community support. This ORM framework improves productivity by allowing developers to write less boilerplate code.
Once the project is set up, we can configure the necessary dependencies for Ktor and Kotlin Exposed. Ultimately, I believe there is room for both Compose Multiplatform and Kobweb. Jetbrains is working on the “Compose Multiplatform UI Framework”, which allows developers to use the same codebaseacross Android, iOS, Desktop, and the Web. All Kobweb templates embrace this pattern, so if you start your own project by building on top of any of them, thenthis will already be done for you. You canalso check out my talk at Droidcon SF 24for a high level overview of Kobweb. The talk showcases what Kobweb can do, introduces Compose HTML (which it buildson top of), and covers a wide range of frontend and backend functionality.
Step 2: Creating a Simple Web Application
Adopting Kotlin for server-side development can offer a number of advantages such as increasing productivity, safer code, and robustness. Application developers want to reach as many users on as many platforms as they can. Until now, that goal has meant building an app on each of Android, iOS and the Web, as Web development well as building the backend servers and infrastructure to power them.
- Apps built with Doodle utilize the browser’s graphics capabilities to render user interfaces without using HTML, CSS styles or Javascript libraries.
- The result is a robust application architecture, which can be a competitive advantage in highly dynamic markets.
- The framework employs ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation, significantly reducing startup latency as it eliminates the need for reflection at runtime.
- Yes, Kotlin seamlessly interoperates with Java, allowing you to utilize existing Java libraries and frameworks in your Kotlin web application.
Official language reference
- Javalin is a very lightweight web framework for Kotlin and Java which supports WebSockets, HTTP2 and async requests.
- In this article, we’ll cover the basics of Kotlin, its benefits for web development, and how to get started with it.
- This enhancement contributes notably to faster iteration cycles and more robust software development processes.
- You can install it, download it, and/or build it, so we’ll includeinstructions for all these approaches.
- Here you’ll learn how to develop a backend application with Kotlin server-side.
- Remember to test and debug your application thoroughly to ensure it meets your requirements.
- This is particularly advantageous for those working in multi-platform scenarios, reducing redundancy by about 25% according to recent survey data.
By leveraging these solutions, developers can ensure that their applications are user-friendly, maintainable, and scalable, making them suitable for a diverse range of projects. In terms of compatibility, Fuel can be used in both Android and desktop applications, with support for JVM, JavaScript, and native environments. This versatility makes it a fitting choice for projects aiming for cross-platform compatibility.
Doing so will allow you to find the right cross-platform solution to help you deliver high-quality apps. In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a single-page application using Kotlin, including how to set up a new project, create a basic layout, handle user input, and implement data binding. You will also learn about best practices for coding, performance optimization, and security. If you need an app for your business, consider trusting its creation to a specialized development company that can handle the entire development process including organizational matters.
Fortunately, IntelliJ IDEA includes a powerful debugger that makes it easy to debug Kotlin applications. JSON is the universally accepted standard format for sending data between web servers and browsers. There are awesome JSON libraries available in the Java ecosystem and they are great for use in Kotlin programs too. Jackson and gson are the most popular Java libraries for working with JSON. However, there are also libraries that are implemented with Kotlin from scratch. Also kotlinx.serialization was recently released and it provides JSON support.