The recent webinar on Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) provided valuable insights into the future of Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP). We're super grateful to the brilliant Jetbrains team for hosting these.
In this blog post, we'll explore the key takeouts discussed during the webinar from the team who are shaping the future of Kotlin.
The cornerstone of the webinar was the announcement and exploration of Kotlin Multiplatform’s stability. Marton Braun, a Kotlin Developer Advocate at JetBrains, articulated this milestone: "Kotlin Multiplatform is stable. That means it's production-ready, and you can start using it now." This of course is a declaration of a new era for Kotlin developers. The assurance of stability and production readiness is a game-changer, empowering us to integrate KMP confidently into our projects.
In the context of Kotlin Multiplatform's evolution, an important consideration for developers is the seamless integration of dependency injection frameworks. Koin, a widely-used DI framework in the Kotlin ecosystem, is fully compatible with Kotlin Multiplatform. This compatibility ensures that Koin users can continue to leverage its straightforward and efficient dependency management capabilities across the diverse range of platforms supported by KMP. The integration of Koin with KMP allows for a consistent DI approach, whether the target platform is Android, iOS, or any other platform within the KMP spectrum. This compatibility not only underscores Koin's adaptability but also highlights its utility as a dependable DI solution in multiplatform development projects.
A significant portion of the webinar was dedicated to the impressive performance enhancements in KMP. The speakers delved into various features such as Gradle configuration cache support and incremental compilation, emphasizing their role in enhancing both build-time and runtime performance. Svetlana Isakova stated, "The team has put in a lot of work to improve performance," highlighting the diligent efforts behind these advancements. For developers, this translates to more efficient development cycles and optimized applications. The improved performance in KMP leads to more efficient execution of applications using Koin, resulting in faster startup times and smoother resolution of runtime dependencies.
Compose Multiplatform emerged as a star in the webinar, promising to revolutionize UI development. The framework extends Jetpack Compose to platforms beyond Android, including iOS🔥. "Compose Multiplatform complements the code-sharing story in KMP," the speakers noted, highlighting its capability to share not just business logic but also the UI layer across platforms. This development is pivotal in our pursuit of a unified and efficient UI development process. The integration of Compose Multiplatform allows Koin users to extend their dependency injection patterns seamlessly into shared UI code, facilitating consistent architecture across platforms.
JetBrains Fleet represents the future of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) for KMP. Although in its early stages, Fleet is set to offer a rich development experience with features like cross-language support. “Fleet is a Next Generation IDE by JetBrains...providing cross-language support for these two languages [Kotlin and Swift],” shared the webinar speakers. This insight into Fleet paints a picture of a more integrated and seamless development environment for Kotlin practitioners. The introduction of JetBrains Fleet IDE, which supports KMP, means Koin users can anticipate more intuitive tooling and better IDE support for managing dependencies in a multiplatform project.
Addressing the complexities of project configuration, the Amper project was introduced as an innovative solution. This experimental tool aims to enhance the user experience in project setup and configuration, a topic often associated with intricacies and challenges. Amper is a project configuration tool designed to enhance the user experience and toolability in IDEs, particularly for Kotlin and Kotlin Multiplatform projects, though it also supports Java and Swift. Its primary focus is on simplifying the process of building projects, with potential future expansions to packaging, publishing, and more. Implemented as a Gradle plugin, Amper currently uses YAML for its configuration format, chosen for its simplicity and declarative nature, which aids in reducing errors and improving tooling. The tool aims to validate the effectiveness of this approach, with the possibility of exploring other languages like Kotlin for configuration in the future. This points towards a more simplified and efficient project setup process for developers.
The webinar was not only an update on KMP's status, but also a strong call to action for Kotlin developers worldwide. It marked the beginning of a new era where stability, performance, and comprehensive tool support redefine the possibilities in cross-platform development. With the insights and foresight shared in the webinar, we are now equipped to step into this new frontier, and the future of Kotlin development appears more promising than ever.