Kotlin vs Java: The Battle of Programming Languages
Developing Android applications is a great option to drive success to your business but, picking up the best programming language is the real dilemma. For many of us, it is evident that Java is the best as it is everywhere and everyone praises it. However, after the arrival of Kotlin, this apparent belief in Java is somewhat shaken, and programmers start searching for various queries like:
- Kotlin or Java for Android?
- Kotlin vs Java for Android Development?
- Which is better Kotlin or Java for Android Development?
- Which language is best for Android App Development Java or Kotlin?
And the list goes on.
In order to resolve Kotlin vs Java issues and give you a clear vision, we have decided to come up with this write up. Here we will discuss which is best Kotlin vs Java Android Development.
So, let’s get started!
What is Java?
Java is the native language used by Android, applications that communicate with the operating system and directly use the hardware uses Java. This language allows to create any program and supports almost all types of machines, and OS X be it Android, Windows, or Linux. Java was developed by Sun Microsystems (now the property of Oracle) and one can use Microservices with Java.
Kotlin vs Java
So, the question is whether one should switch to Kotlin from Java or not? Well, it depends on preferences. However, before making the switch it’s important to understand the distinction between the two programming languages.
Checked Exceptions
One major difference between Java and Kotlin is that the latter has no provision for checked exceptions. Therefore, there is no need to catch or declare any exceptions.
If a developer working in Java finds it infuriating to use try/catch blocks in the code then the omission made by Kotlin can be considered a welcome change. However, it’s the opposite if the developer believes that checked exceptions encourage error recovery and the creation of robust code.
Code Conciseness
Comparing a Java class with an equivalent Kotlin class demonstrates the conciseness of Kotlin code. For performing the same operation that the Java class does, a Kotlin class necessitates for less code.
For example, a particular segment where Kotlin can significantly reduce the total amount of boilerplate code is findViewByIds.
Kotlin Android Extensions permit importing a reference to a View into the Activity file. This allows for working with that View as if it was part of the Activity.
Coroutines
CPU-intensive work and network I/O are long-running operations. The calling thread is blocked until the whole operation completes. As Android is single-threaded by default, an app’s UI gets completely frozen as soon as the main thread is blocked.
The traditional solution for the problem in Java is to create a background thread for the long-running or intensive work. However, managing multiple threads leads to an increase in the complexity as well as errors in the code.
Kotlin also allows the creation of additional threads. However, there is a better way of managing intensive operations in Kotlin, known as coroutines. Coroutines are stackless, which means they demand lower memory usage as compared to threads.
Coroutines are able to perform long-running and intensive tasks by suspending execution without blocking the thread and then resuming the execution at some later time. It allows the creation of non-blocking asynchronous code that appears to be synchronous.
The code using coroutines is not only clear but concise too. Moreover, coroutines allow for creating elegant additional styles of asynchronous non-block programming such as async/await.
Data Classes
Full-size projects have several classes that are solely meant to hold data. Though these classes have very little to no functionality, a developer needs to write a lot of boilerplate code in Java.
Usually, a developer needs to define a constructor, several fields to store the data, getter and setter functions for each of the fields, and equals(), hashCode(), and toString() functions.
Pros
- Java is multiplatform and works on practically any device, server or operating system
- Java coding is robust, and it is impossible for Java instruction to corrupt memory or compromise data from other applications of OS X
- Java is object-oriented and makes it easy to create modular applications and reuse the parts that contribute to the robustness
- It is ready to use, and with Java, you will get a lot of third-part code ready to be used.
- While comparing Kotlin vs Java performance, it to other languages, Java is easy to use, compiling and makes debugging and deploying even simpler
- Java is an open-source language that ensures safety since many of its libraries are managed by trusted companies like Google, Apache, and others.
Cons
- The syntax that Java uses can be a little complicated or cumbersome while comparing to other languages like C + or Python.
- With Java, it is impossible to access certain content that may be incompatible with the device or equipment being used.
- It isn’t easy to access the new Java enhancements in mobile development.
- There are times when Java causes problems with Android API design.
- Test-Driven Development for Java requires writing more code and carries a much higher risk of programming errors and bugs
- Java is a bit slower compared to other programming languages and takes a lot of system memory
Applications of Java
- Spotify
- Cash App
- Signal
- Amaze File Manager
What is Kotlin?
In Kotlin vs Java, Kotlin is the newly created language that is inspired by Java, but it is an improved version of it with so many additional features. It is clean, relatively simple, and carries fewer formalities and rules compared to Java and other programming languages. In order to use this language to program Android apps, developers still need to understand basic programming concepts and structures.
Non-private Fields
Encapsulation is essential in any program for achieving a desirable level of maintainability.
By means of encapsulating the representation of an object, it can be enforced how callers interact with it. Moreover, it is possible to change the representation without the need to modify callers, provided the public API remains unchanged.
Non-private fields or public fields in Java are useful in scenarios where the callers of an object need to change accordingly to its representation. It simply means that such fields expose the representation of an object to the callers. Kotlin doesn’t have non-private fields.
Kotlin vs Java: Head to Head Comparison
| Feature | Java | Kotlin |
| Checked Exceptions | Available | Unavailable |
| Code Conciseness | Can’t be labeled as concise | Better than Java |
| Coroutines | Unavailable | Available |
| Data Classes | Required to write a lot of boilerplate code | Requires adding only the data keyword in the class definition |
| Extension Functions | Unavailable | Available |
| Higher-Order Functions and Lambdas | Higher-order functions are implemented using Callables. Lambdas expressions are introduced in the Java 8 | Comes as one of the prebuilt features |
| Implicit Widening Conversions | Available | Unavailable |
| Inline Functions | Unavailable | Available |
| Native Support for Delegation | Unavailable | Available |
| Non-private Fields | Available | Unavailable |
| NullPointerExceptions | Available | Unavailable |
| Primitive Types | Variables of a primitive type aren’t objects | Variables of a primitive type are objects |
| Smart Casts | Unavailable | Available |
| Static Members | Available | Unavailable |
| Support for Constructors | Can’t have secondary constructors. Although, can have multiple constructors (constructor overloading) | Can have one or more secondary constructors |
| Ternary Operator | Available | Unavailable |
| Wildcard Types | Available | Unavailable, has declaration-site variance and type projects as an alternative |
