From social interactions to educational and professional pursuits, Android applications are firmly ingrained in our daily lives.
With a staggering 2.5 billion active users spanning 190 countries, it is no shocker that Android has become the world’s most widely adopted operating system.
If you’re a savvy businessperson looking to capitalize on this enormous market opportunity, then it’s important that you select the best programming language for your project – one which enables maximum productivity with optimal results.
With the Android development world as a backdrop, it’s time for an epic battle between two programming languages – Java vs. Kotlin.
AN OVERVIEW OF JAVA
Java is a high-level, object-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems in 1995. It is widely used for building cross-platform applications due to its “write once, run anywhere” (WORA) capability, meaning that compiled Java code can run on all platforms that support Java without the need for recompilation. Here’s an overview of its key features and concepts:
Key Features
- Object-Oriented: Java is based on objects and classes, making it easier to manage and organize code.
- Platform Independence: Java programs are compiled into bytecode, which can be executed on any device with a Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
- Robust and Secure: Java includes features like garbage collection, exception handling, and type checking to create reliable and secure applications.
- Multithreading: Java has built-in support for multithreading, allowing concurrent execution of two or more threads for maximum CPU utilization.
- High Performance: Java performance is enhanced through the use of Just-In-Time (JIT) compilers.
- Distributed Computing: Java is designed with networking in mind, making it easy to work with networked applications.
Key Components
- Java Development Kit (JDK): Includes the tools needed to develop Java applications, such as the compiler (javac), a collection of libraries, and other utilities.
- Java Runtime Environment (JRE): Provides the libraries, Java Virtual Machine (JVM), and other components to run applications written in Java.
- Java Virtual Machine (JVM): An engine that provides a runtime environment to execute Java bytecode. JVM is platform-dependent and enables Java’s cross-platform capabilities.
Basic Concepts
- Classes and Objects: Core components of Java. A class defines a blueprint for objects.
- Inheritance: Mechanism for a new class to inherit properties and behaviors from an existing class.
- Polymorphism: Ability to process objects differently based on their data type or class.
- Encapsulation: Bundling of data (variables) and methods (functions) that operate on the data into a single unit or class.
- Abstraction: Hiding the complex implementation details and showing only the necessary features of an object.
Common Java Libraries and Frameworks
- Spring: A powerful framework for building enterprise-level applications.
- Hibernate: An object-relational mapping (ORM) framework for database operations.
- Apache Struts: A framework for creating Java EE web applications.
- JUnit: A framework for writing and running tests in Java.
Java Ecosystem
- Java SE (Standard Edition): For building desktop and simple server applications.
- Java EE (Enterprise Edition): For large-scale, distributed, and multi-tiered enterprise applications.
- Java ME (Micro Edition): For mobile and embedded devices.
Java’s versatility and extensive ecosystem make it a popular choice for a wide range of applications, from web development and enterprise systems to mobile applications
TOP APPS BUILT WITH JAVA
Some top applications built with Java:
Enterprise Applications
- LinkedIn: The professional networking site uses Java for its backend services.
- Netflix: Uses Java for its backend systems to manage streaming and other services.
- Uber: Java is a core part of Uber’s technology stack, especially for handling large-scale data processing.
Financial Services
- Goldman Sachs: Utilizes Java for its trading systems and other financial applications.
- CitiGroup: Java is extensively used for its banking and financial services.
- Barclays: Employs Java for various financial operations and trading systems.
Web Applications
- Amazon: Java is used for handling many backend services of the e-commerce giant.
- eBay: Utilizes Java for its backend to handle large volumes of transactions and data processing.
- Google: Many of Google’s web services and applications, including parts of YouTube, are built with Java.
Mobile Applications
- Android OS: Java is the primary language for Android app development.
- Spotify: Uses Java for parts of its Android application to deliver music streaming services.
- Signal: The secure messaging app uses Java for its Android client.
Big Data Technologies
- Hadoop: The framework for distributed storage and processing of large data sets is built using Java.
- ElasticSearch: A powerful search engine built on Java.
- Apache Kafka: A distributed event streaming platform built using Java.
Gaming
- Minecraft: The popular sandbox game is built using Java.
- Runescape: An MMORPG that has a client written in Java.
- Angry Birds: Some versions and iterations of this popular game have been developed using Java.
Social Media and Messaging
- Twitter: Initially built with Ruby on Rails, Twitter now uses Java for its backend services.
- WhatsApp: Uses Java for server-side applications to handle messaging and data processing.
- Pinterest: Utilizes Java for handling backend operations and services.
Government and Health Care
- NHS (National Health Service): Utilizes Java for various healthcare management systems.
- U.S. Department of Defense: Uses Java for many of its internal and external applications
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AN OVERVIEW OF KOTLIN
Kotlin is a modern, statically-typed programming language that runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and can also be compiled to JavaScript or native code. Developed by JetBrains, the company behind IntelliJ IDEA, Kotlin is designed to be fully interoperable with Java, providing a seamless transition for Java developers. It has gained significant popularity, especially in Android development, since its official endorsement by Google in 2017. Here’s an overview of Kotlin:
Key Features
- Interoperability with Java: Kotlin is fully compatible with Java, allowing developers to use Java libraries and frameworks directly in Kotlin projects.
- Concise Syntax: Kotlin reduces boilerplate code, making the codebase more readable and maintainable.
- Null Safety: Kotlin’s type system is designed to eliminate null pointer exceptions (NullPointerException) by distinguishing nullable and non-nullable types.
- Extension Functions: Kotlin allows developers to add new functionality to existing classes without modifying their source code.
- Coroutines: Kotlin provides built-in support for coroutines, simplifying asynchronous programming and enabling efficient management of long-running tasks.
- Smart Casts: Kotlin performs type checks and automatic type casting, reducing the need for explicit casts.
- Data Classes: Kotlin introduces data classes, which automatically generate boilerplate code like getters, setters, equals, hashCode, and toString methods.
Kotlin Ecosystem
- Kotlin/JS: Compiles Kotlin code to JavaScript, enabling front-end development.
- Kotlin/Native: Compiles Kotlin code to native binaries for iOS, Linux, Windows, and other platforms.
- Kotlin Multiplatform: Allows sharing common code across multiple platforms, including JVM, JavaScript, and native targets.
Use Cases and Applications
- Android Development: Kotlin is the preferred language for Android development due to its expressive syntax, safety features, and interoperability with Java.
- Server-Side Development: Frameworks like Ktor and Spring support Kotlin for building scalable server-side applications.
- Web Development: Kotlin/JS enables building web applications with Kotlin.
- Cross-Platform Development: Kotlin Multiplatform allows sharing code between Android, iOS, and web applications.
TOP APPS BUILT USING KOTLIN
Some of the apps created using kotlin are as follows –
Android Applications
- Trello: The project management tool uses Kotlin for its Android app, benefiting from Kotlin’s concise syntax and interoperability with existing Java code.
- Evernote: The note-taking and task management app has adopted Kotlin for its Android application, enhancing code maintainability and performance.
- Pinterest: The visual discovery engine uses Kotlin in its Android app to improve developer productivity and app performance.
- Coursera: The online learning platform utilizes Kotlin for its Android app, ensuring a robust and user-friendly experience.
- Netflix: Although not entirely built with Kotlin, Netflix uses Kotlin for some parts of its Android app to leverage Kotlin’s modern language features.
Financial Services
- Cash App: The popular mobile payment service by Square has integrated Kotlin into its Android app to streamline code and improve developer efficiency.
- Revolut: The fintech company uses Kotlin for its Android app to offer a seamless and efficient banking experience.
Social Media and Messaging
- Slack: The business communication platform has incorporated Kotlin into its Android app to enhance development speed and app reliability.
- Tinder: The dating app uses Kotlin to improve the performance and stability of its Android application.
- WhatsApp: While primarily developed in other languages, WhatsApp’s Android app uses Kotlin for some of its components.
E-Commerce
- Amazon: The e-commerce giant uses Kotlin in its Android app to ensure a smooth and efficient shopping experience for its users.
- eBay: The online marketplace has adopted Kotlin for parts of its Android application to enhance code quality and app performance.
Travel and Hospitality
- Airbnb: The travel and accommodation platform uses Kotlin in its Android app to provide a seamless user experience.
- Expedia: The travel booking company has integrated Kotlin into its Android app to improve code maintainability and app performance.
Health and Fitness
- Tide: The app for meditation and sleep uses Kotlin to ensure a smooth and reliable user experience on Android devices.
- Careem: The ride-hailing service based in the Middle East uses Kotlin for its Android app to improve performance and maintainability.
Entertainment
- HBO Now: The streaming service uses Kotlin in its Android app to provide a high-quality viewing experience for its users.
- Disney+: The streaming platform has adopted Kotlin for parts of its Android application to leverage modern language features and improve development speed.
Miscellaneous
- Basecamp 3: The project management tool uses Kotlin for its Android app to offer a robust and efficient user experience.
- Square: The financial services and mobile payment company uses Kotlin in its Android apps to improve code quality and developer productivity.
CONCLUSION –
Choose Java if:
- You’re maintaining or extending a large, existing Java codebase.
- You need stability and compatibility for enterprise applications.
- You prefer a straightforward, well-established language.
Choose Kotlin if:
- You’re developing new Android applications.
- You want concise syntax and modern language features.
- You need to interoperate with existing Java code but prefer a more expressive language.