Kotlin
In 2010, JetBrains, a Prague-based company specializing in development tools, embarked on creating a new programming language. The objective was to design an alternative to Java that would be more concise and safer, while maintaining compatibility with the Java Virtual Machine. This compatibility is no trivial detail, as it ensures developers can gradually adopt the new language without rewriting their existing code.
The project emerged from the shadows in July 2011 under the name “Project Kotlin.” A few months later, in February 2012, JetBrains opened the source code under the Apache 2.0 license. This choice of openness was not insignificant: it reflected a desire to involve the developer community from the project’s earliest stages. Four years later, on February 15, 2016, version 1.0 arrived. This first stable version marked Kotlin’s true launch, as it began to attract attention with its streamlined syntax and pragmatic approach. One figure immediately stood out: Kotlin reduces the number of lines of code needed by an average of 40% compared to Java for accomplishing the same task.
The year 2017 changed everything. In May, Google announced its official support for Android development, making Kotlin a credible alternative to Java. This recognition propelled the language to the heart of mobile development. But Kotlin didn’t stop there. In April, it reached a new milestone by becoming multiplatform through Kotlin/Native and stabilized support for JavaScript. Six months later, version 1.2 introduced the ability to share code between backend, web frontend, and Android mobile applications. This capability addressed a growing need: reusing code across different platforms without rewriting everything.
In October 2018, Google and JetBrains jointly created the Kotlin Foundation. This structure guarantees the language’s independence and ensures transparent governance. A year later, in 2019, Google went further by declaring Kotlin as the preferred language for Android. Concretely, this means that new Android features and APIs arrive first in Kotlin. The language received the “Breakout Project of the Year” award at the O’Reilly Open Source Software convention, recognition of its meteoric rise.
What appeals in Kotlin is first its approach to handling nullability. The type system directly integrates this management, drastically reducing errors related to null references that plague Java developers. Lambda expressions and extension functions enrich the possibilities for functional programming. As for data classes, they simplify the creation of objects intended for storing information.
The language evolved rapidly. Version 1.1 brought coroutines that facilitate asynchronous programming. Version 1.3 introduced contracts and inline classes, improving code performance and safety. The compiler transforms source code into JVM bytecode, making its execution possible on all platforms supporting Java.
The numbers speak for themselves. In 2020, more than 4.7 million developers used Kotlin, with 65% in production. For 56% of them, it had become their primary language. Giants like Google, Uber, Atlassian, Pinterest, and Square integrated it into their production code. Kotlin is the 13th most popular programming language, surpassing Scala and Swift. GitHub’s 2018 report already ranked it as the fastest-growing language. Stack Overflow places it fourth in the ranking of professional developers’ favorite languages.
The community grew. In 2020, more than 100 people worked on the language at JetBrains, supported by over 350 independent contributors participating in its evolution. This collective enthusiasm fuels the ongoing development of the language and its ecosystem.
Kotlin reduces the boilerplate code that weighs down Java, prevents common errors, and simplifies complex tasks. Its multiplatform approach meets current software development expectations.