Kotlin vs Java: Which is Better for Android App Development?

Aspiring developers want to know which language they should be proficient in to produce contemporary Android apps. Here you can see a clear comparison of Kotlin vs Java for Android development and determine is Kotlin better than Java or not. The development teams want to guarantee that Kotlin does not impact their app’s performance, ability to hire talented engineers or developer’s overall productivity. Does android support other language than java? The answer is yes, developers can use C/C++ with Android NDK to build android apps.

If you are confused about kotlin vs java then you are at the right place. Both Kotlin and Java are extremely popular programming languages. You’ll notice that the two completely dominate, particularly in the world of Android development. If you want to develop Android apps and get a job in this vast field, you must understand the differences between Kotlin and Java. This blog will take you to through the difference between java and kotlin and an understanding of which one is better java or kotlin for the android app development. If you are doing a comparison of Kotlin vs Java which is better then here you will get all the answers.

What is Java? 

In the battle of kotlin vs java android let us first know the meaning of java. Java is a 1995 programming language that is high-level, class-based, and object-oriented. Oracle manages it, and it is installed on over 3 billion devices worldwide. It is widely used in Android apps, web and desktop applications, and web servers. The language is widely spoken and has widespread community support, as well as numerous career opportunities. Java is widely used in banking, financial services, big data, and retail stores.

What is Kotlin?

And to proceed further in the java vs kotlin situation, let’s know what exactly is kotlin. JetBrains created Kotlin, a cross-platform, statically typed, general-purpose language. Kotlin, like Java, has become a popular programming language for creating Android applications. This is evident from the fact that Android Studio, like Java, includes built-in support for Kotlin. Kotlin is primarily used to create Android applications, whereas Java has a broader range of applications. It’s best viewed as a more feature-rich Java for Android development. It is also fully compatible with Java, making the transition much easier.

Kotlin vs Java: key differences

The decision between learning Kotlin or Java is influenced by personal preferences. However, before making the switch, it’s critical to understand the differences between Kotlin and Java, which we’ll go over in more detail below:

Null Safety 

• NullPointerExceptions are one of the most vexing Java issues for developers. Any variable in Java can be assigned a null value. However, if they attempt to use an object reference with a null value, the NullPointerException is thrown!

• Unlike Java, all types are non-nullable by default in Kotlin. If developers attempt to assign or return null in Kotlin code, compiling will fail. However, there is a workaround. To assign a null value to a variable in Kotlin, that variable must be explicitly marked as nullable. This is accomplished by following the type with a question mark, as in:

• val number: Int? = null

• As a result, NullPointerExceptions do not occur in Kotlin. If you run into this exception in Kotlin, it’s most likely because you explicitly assigned a null value or because of some external Java code.

ExtensionFunctions 

• When talking about the difference between java and kotlin, Kotlin allows developers to add new functionality to a class by using extension functions. These functions, which exist in other programming languages such as C#, are not available in Java. Creating an extension function in Kotlin is simple. It is accomplished by prefixing the name of the class to be extended with the name of the function being created. To invoke the function on the instances of the extended class, use the ‘.’ notation.

Code

• When a Java class is compared to an equivalent Kotlin class, the conciseness of Kotlin code is demonstrated. For the same operation, a Kotlin class requires less code than a Java class.

• For example, findViewByIds is a segment where Kotlin can significantly reduce the total amount of boilerplate code. The Kotlin Android Extensions allow you to import a View reference into an Activity file. This allows you to interact with the View as if it were an Activity.

Coroutines Support 

• CPU-intensive tasks and network I/O are lengthy operations. The calling thread is blocked until the entire operation is finished. Because Android is single-threaded by default, when the main thread is blocked, the UI of an app becomes completely frozen. In Java, the traditional solution is to create a background thread for long-running or intensive work. Managing multiple threads, on the other hand, increases complexity and introduces errors in the code.

• Kotlin also supports the creation of new threads. However, coroutines are a better way of managing intensive operations in Kotlin. Coroutines are stackless, which means they require less memory than threads. Coroutines can handle long-running and intensive tasks by suspending execution without blocking the thread and then resuming execution later. It enables the creation of asynchronous non-blocking code that appears to be synchronous.

Data Classes 

• Full-size projects contain several classes that are only used to store data. Despite the fact that these classes have little to no functionality, a developer must write a lot of boilerplate code in Java. A developer must usually define a function Object() { [native code] }, several fields to store data, getter and setter functions for each field, and equals(), hashCode(), and function toString() { [native code] }() functions.

• Kotlin makes it very easy to create such classes. The only thing the developer needs to do is include the data keyword in the class definition. The compiler will handle the entire task by itself.

Smart Casts

• In Java, checking type is required before casting an object. This is also true in situations where casting the object is obvious. Unlike Java, Kotlin has a smart casts feature that handles such redundant casts automatically. In Kotlin, you don’t need to cast inside a statement if it’s already checked with the ‘is operator.’

Checked Exceptions 

• In the topic of kotlin vs java one significant difference between Java and Kotlin is that the latter does not support checked exceptions. As a result, no exceptions must be caught or declared.

• If a Java developer finds it infuriating to use try/catch blocks in their code, they may prefer Kotlin. However, if the developer believes that checked exceptions promote error recovery and the creation of robust code, Java is the better choice.

Functional Programming: Higher-Order Functions and Lambdas 

• Callables in Java enable higher-order functions, and lambdas were introduced with Java 8. They are pre-built in Kotlin. A higher-order function is one that accepts functions as input or outputs a function. Lamba methods are essentially anonymous. When it comes to Kotlin, there are a few things to be aware of.

• Kotlin functions are excellent. This means they can be saved in data structures and variables that can be passed as arguments to and returned from higher-order functions. Kotlin, as a statically typed programming language, uses a variety of function types to represent functions. It also includes a set of specialized language constructs, such as lambda expressions.

Primitive types

• There are eight primitive data types: char, double, float, and int. Variables of a primitive type are not objects in Java, unlike in Kotlin. This means they aren’t objects that were instantiated from a class or struct.

Public Fields

• Encapsulation is critical in any program to achieve the desired level of maintainability. It is possible to enforce how callers interact with an object by encapsulating its representation. If the public API remains unchanged, it is possible to change the representation without modifying callers.

• N- on-private or public fields in Java are useful in situations where an object’s callers must change based on its representation. It simply means that such fields expose an object’s representation to callers. Non-private fields do not exist in Kotlin.

Wildcard Types

• ‘?’ represents an unknown type in generic code. It is referred to as the wildcard. A wildcard can be used in a variety of ways, including as the type of a field, local variable, or parameter. While Java’s type system supports wildcards, Kotlin does not. It does, however, have two distinct features: declaration-site variance and type projections as an alternative to wildcard types.

Implicit conversions

• In Kotlin, there is no support for implicit widening conversions for numbers. As a result, smaller types cannot be converted to larger types. Unlike Java, which supports implicit conversions, Kotlin requires an explicit conversion to be performed.

Kotlin vs Java: Head-to-Head Comparison

So, Java or Kotlin? This head-to-head comparison of Kotlin vs Java highlights the similarities and differences between the two. Here you can see a clear difference between Kotlin and Java in android. If you want a quick summary of the differences, we’ve included a table below:

Features	Java	Kotlin
Coroutines	Is Unavailable	Is Available
Extension Functions	Is Unavailable	Is Available
Check Exceptions	Is Available	Is Unavailable
Data classes	It is necessary to write a lot of boilerplate code.	Only the data keyword needs to be added to the class definition.
Code Conciseness	Is not very concise	Is better than java
Primitive Types	Primitive type variables are not objects.	Objects are primitive type variables.
Inline Functions	Is Unavailable	Is Available
Smart Casts	Is Unavailable	Is Available
Higher-Order Functions and Lambdas	Callables are used to implement higher-order functions. In Java 8, lambdas expressions are introduced.	Pre-built features
Non-private Fields	Is Available	Is Unavailable
Support for Constructors	There are no secondary builders. However, multiple constructors are possible (constructor overloading)	It is possible to have one or more secondary constructors.
Implicit Widening Conversions	Is Unavailable	Is Available
Static Members	Is Available	Is Unavailable
Ternary Operator	Is Available	Is Unavailable
Wildcard Types	Is Available	Is Unavailable, declaration-site variance, and type projects are available as alternatives.
Native Support for Delegation	Is Unavailable	Is Available
Null Pointer Exceptions	Is Available	Is Unavailable

Which is better: Kotlin or Java?

• So how do you know which to use when deciding between Java and Kotlin? Obviously, some features are better in Kotlin, while others are better in Java. Those who do not want to abandon either of the two most popular programming languages for Android development have another option. Java takes the lead in general-purpose programming. On the other hand, more developers and organizations are using Kotlin to create Android apps quickly. In the comparison of Kotlin vs Java which is better, you will see that Kotlin is a preferred choice for developers as it is more efficient.

Conclusion

• In this blog on Java vs Kotlin for android, regardless of their differences, Java and Kotlin are fully interoperable. Java and Kotlin both compile to bytecode. This means that Java code can be called from Kotlin and vice versa. From this blog, you can determine whether you should learn Kotlin or Java.

• This adaptability has two benefits. First, it makes it easier to get started with Kotlin by gradually introducing Kotlin code into a Java project. Second, both languages can be used in any Android application development project at the same time. For further clarification get in touch with Tagline and hire android app developers as per your convenience. 

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