Kotlin
JVM / C-style · 2011Actively developedTyped application development across JVM, native and browser targets.
Procedural · Functional · Object-oriented
Links
- Homepage
- https://kotlinlang.org/
- Reference / standard
- https://kotlinlang.org/docs/home.html
- Wikipedia (English)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotlin_(programming_language)
Tracked release
- Version
- 2.4.21
- Artifact
- Compiler / toolchain
- Published
- Date not verified
- Source checked
- 2026-10-22
Use & ecosystem
- Suited for
- Web backends, Frontend UIs, Desktop applications, Mobile applications
- Family / tradition
- C-style, Functional / ML / lazy
- Maturity
- Established
- Ecosystem breadth
- Broad
Sustained use by independent organizations in Android, server applications and shared application development supports Established and Broad. Newer targets still have separate maturity levels.
Industry & practical use
Android applications and JVM backends are its strongest established areas. Multiplatform tools also support shared mobile code and desktop applications.
Compilers, libraries & tooling
Gradle, IDE support and Java interoperability provide extensive tooling. Kotlin-specific libraries cover concurrency, serialization and application development; not every JVM dependency works on Native or Wasm.
Platforms & deployment
- General toolchains
- Linux, Windows, macOS, Android
- Specialized tooling
- Browser, iOS
- Browser execution
- JavaScript, WebAssembly
- Native cross-compilation
- Restricted / involved
JVM deployments and Android are routine. Native, JavaScript and Wasm have different target restrictions; Apple targets depend on Apple tooling.
Kotlin/Native cross-builds are restricted by supported host–target combinations and platform SDKs.
Project health & support
JetBrains and the Kotlin Foundation provide institutional backing. Google’s Android support is significant, while multiplatform components retain their own release and stability policies.
Use, ecosystem & platform assessment reviewed 2026-10-22 · Sources below
History & origin
JetBrains publicly introduced Kotlin in 2011. It grew around Java interoperability, then expanded through Android development and multiplatform compilation.
- Creators
- JetBrains, Andrey Breslav
- Origin
- 2011 — Public announcement by JetBrains.
Influences & descendants
Influenced by
- Not yet documented in this catalogue.
Influenced in this catalogue
- No linked entries yet.
Language features
- Typing
- Static
- Execution
- Bytecode VM, JIT, AOT, Transpiled
- Block structure
- Explicit delimiters
- Semicolons
- Optional
- Lexical closures
- Yes
- Namespaced modules
- Yes
- Pattern matching
- Partial
- Macro system
- No built-in macro system
Implementation notes
- A mature JVM/Android ecosystem does not make every new multiplatform backend equally mature. when expressions are more limited than general algebraic structural matching.
Sources & references
- Project overview
- https://kotlinlang.org/
- Language / implementation reference
- https://kotlinlang.org/docs/home.html
Use, ecosystem & platform sources
- Project overview
- https://kotlinlang.org/
- Language / implementation reference
- https://kotlinlang.org/docs/home.html
See the classification definitions for implementation-dependent features. Influence links cover the entries documented here.