Long ago, in 1995, when Java was introduced. It was thought to be the most crucial component of future developments in the technical field. Owing to this significance in the initial years, Java enjoyed a lot of superiority for a long time. Till date, it is a competing programming language in the android app development field. However, with the passage of time. It is evident that Java has a vast number of competitors in its field. Nowadays, developers have a huge range of programming languages to choose from. These include C#, Kotlin, PHP, JavaScript, Scala, Clojure, etc.
However, there is a certain programming language among these, which has been static, and even Google I/O focuses on it. It’s Kotlin, which JetBrains created in 2011. As a matter of fact, it was officially announced by Google I/O that it might as well address and officially proclaim Kotlin as the primary supportive programming language for android app development.
Here, we will talk about the differences, pros and cons, and salient features of the two programming languages, Java and Kotlin. Basically, in the next few minutes, you will read a comprehensive battle of Kotlin vs Java. Stay tuned to comprehend this clash keeping each aspect in mind.
What is Java?
Java is Android’s native language, which connects with the operating system and uses Java directly on hardware. This language enables any application to be created and supports nearly all sorts of computers, and OS X can be Android, Windows, or Linux. For example, sun Microsystems (now owned by Oracle) developed Java, and Java may be used for Microservices.
In brief, Java is a widely used object-oriented programming language and software platform which is runs on billions of devices.
What Java has to provide?
Being one of the old programming languages, Java has a plethora of benefits to provide developers from different fields. Here, we have listed a few of these benefits:
- Java is a cross-platform language and can be used to develop android apps on multiple platforms with a single codebase. Developers have the advantage of putting in a little lesser effort into making an app function.
- Its code is robust, and Java can’t damage or compromise memory data from other OS X apps.
- Java is objective-oriented and facilitates the development of modular programs and the reuse of components that contribute to resilience.
- It’s ready to use, and you’re ready to utilize many third-party codes with Java.
- Java is easy to use, compile and simplify debugging and deployment when comparing Kotlin against Java to other languages
- Java is an open-source language that guarantees security because many of its libraries are run by reputable organizations, such as Google.
All these benefits and still raise the question of whether Kotlin is outperforming Java or not. Let us understand the Kotlin vs java stack overflow, the aspects that make Kotlin a preferable language. Coming from this battle, you might as well get your answers at the end of the article regarding the Kotlin vs Java battle.
It is imperative to understand the challenges that Java poses as a programming language for the developers. Let us look at these first.
Limitations of Java:
Let’s go through the disadvantages of Java:
- Learning Java is no piece of cake for the developers. It takes a comprehensive amount of time and effort to be learned. The syntax used by Java is not easy but complicated to understand when compared with other languages.
- With Java, certain content cannot be accessed, which may be incompatible with the user’s device or equipment.
- The enhancements of Java are not readily accessed as a part of the app development process.
- Android API design is not amicable with Java sometimes. There have been issues often reported in this aspect of the android app development.
- The test-driven nature of Java leads to a need for more code creation which further leads to a higher risk of errors and bugs.
- The Java programming languages are a bit slower and use a lot of system memory
What is Kotlin?
Not discussing the basics of kotlin in the Kotlin vs Java debate won’t be fair. Kotlin is the newly developed language inspired by Java, but it is an enhanced version with many more features. It is tidy, comparatively easy, and contains fewer formalities and restrictions than Java and other programming languages. However, developers still need to grasp the basic principles and structures of programming in order to utilize this language to create Android apps.
Kotlin vs. Java Popularity Comparison
According to Google Trends, Java garners a lot more interest than Kotlin. Java has gone through some ups and downs. But Kotlin isn’t even close to Java’s popularity.
Here are a few points that you must consider in the kotlin vs java debate.
#1. Easy to Comprehend
Kotlin is way easier than Java to learn and understand for a new developer. It provides the convenience of learning the language to the android app developing enthusiasts. While looking at the different aspects of kotlin vs Java, pros and cons, it is imperative to mention this significant point.
A person with zero experience in mobile app development can get his hands on this language and learn it with ease. Additionally, the language is fast than others, and for someone equipped with C# or Java, learning kotlin is a piece of cake.
#2. Android Studio has its Back
Android studio extends its full support to kotlin. You can choose Java simultaneously with kotlin without any hassle or questions. Hire Java developers, they can use kotlin in their app development procedure without any extra effort from their end.
#3. Amicable for developers:
By far, the developers are keen on using kotlin as it provides a comprehensive approach and the best performing environment for developing apps. When choosing a programming paradigm becomes tricky, kotlin comes to the rescue of the developers. With each language having its pros and cons, picking one language for extensive mobile app developments is often challenging. Kotlin is one such amicable language for the developers.
Kotlin has a great deal of functional and procedural programming. The various extensions provided by kotlin are icing on the cake for the developers. There is no need to repeat the decorative patterns or other traditions. This, in turn, helps in the modification of class.
#4. Meticulous coding with kotlin:
Kotlin has an advantage over other languages with its precise and reliable codes on point. In the dual between kotlin vs Java, the former provides a comfortable coding experience to the developers with its compact and accurate codes. Fewer codes mean fewer chances of bugs interfering with the development and implementation process.
Unlike Java, where the developer requires the coder to write extended lines of code, kotlin utilizes fewer boilerplate codes. Kolin has its anime in the field of coding because of the reliability of the codes written in kotlin. The common issues of the developers, like runtime errors, incorrect use of the null pointers, failure of syntax release, etc., are all covered up in kotlin.
#5. Consistency of data is well in control:
Another aspect that kotlin has blessed its developers with is the control over data consistency. Here is no requirement to monitor the data consistency manually. Thus, developers are relieved of the pains of doing the job manually using the manual command system.
In fact, there are certain methods that help the developers to change it. The first way to express it is using the keyword ‘var,’ and the second way is by using the ‘val’ keyword to use the read-only option. Thus, it only maintains the data constant but also lowers dangers and possibilities of defects. However, the keyword used in Java is ‘end’ which doesn’t help the app developers..
#6. Higher-order functions all the way up:
Well, the higher-order functions generally are languages that can receive or return other functions as arguments. The developers prefer these as they minimize the program and make a complex program a simple one. As a result, code writing becomes easier and graceful.
On the contrary, this feature is not highlighted in Java. This is because these commands are not accessible in Java.
Kotlin also has another feature in the bag, that is, the lambda expressions. As a result of this Kotlin feature, the functions need not be summoned in advance, and rather they can be called from another function effortlessly.
#7. Kotlin has the edge over Java in data classes:
Data classes are ruled over by kotlin, and Java is just another person in the courtroom. In simpler terms, classes are the place where data is stored that is termed as suffixes such as val or var. This saves a lot of time, and the codes can be easily read from here.
Limitations with Kotlin
Since each language has a certain plus and a few minus points, let’s discuss the disadvantages of kotlin.
- Kotlin takes an attended runtime, and the standard library of kotlin increases the size of .apk. This indicates that a size of around 800kb is good to go, but anything more than this will cost you a lot more time.
- Initial stages of development with kotlin are likely to cause trouble to the developer because of the size of the codes.
- Another drawback of kotlin is: for this language is: it is late incoming and the old establishment of Java in the market.
Brief comparison table of Kotlin vs Java
Look at the final comparison table of kotlin and java.
Takeaway
Evidently, the battle between the two programming languages was an interesting one. Say whatever, we have seen that Java was mostly outshined by kotlin. There are certain aspects where Java takes the reward. Yet, the major win is by kotlin. Its comprehensibility, compact codes, ease of learning, and several other factors make kotlin more preferred language for the developers.
Still not sure which technique to choose between Kotlin vs Java? Discuss with us about your product. TechiePixel can give you technical advice and we will provide you both Java developers and Kotlin developers for your project. These will be the perfect fit for your product and your industry.
