Evaluating Kotlin for Real-World Mobile Projects
Article Summary
Urs Peter, a JetBrains-certified Kotlin trainer, reveals the hidden pitfalls that turn promising Kotlin projects into Java-with-different-syntax nightmares. Most teams waste months writing 'Java-ish Kotlin' instead of unlocking the language's real power.
This is the second installment in a comprehensive guide for adopting Kotlin in Java-dominated environments. Peter walks through two evaluation approaches: building greenfield microservices versus converting existing Java applications, with detailed code comparisons showing common mistakes and their solutions.
Key Takeaways
- Stick with Spring Boot when migrating: switching frameworks adds complexity without benefit
- Kotlin Collections replace Java Streams with cleaner syntax (3 lines vs 15)
- Extension methods eliminate static wrapper classes and improve code discoverability
- Data classes with copy() method solve Java record transformation tedium
- Named arguments make builders obsolete while providing compile-time safety
Critical Insight
Teams can avoid months of technical debt by learning idiomatic Kotlin patterns upfront rather than transliterating Java code.
