 |
| Image Source:- https://bit.ly/2YenHwv |
In this tech-savvy world, every business wants to maintain its momentum by increasing its engagement with the latest technology. The need for mobile apps is increasing and hence there is fierce competition among companies to make the best apps. And with the rapid growth of mobile app development, choosing the best tools and technology can be daunting.
In 2022, mobile app development will be an even bigger challenge for developers and businesses. There are various technologies and tools used for application development. Flutter and Kotlin are two leading frameworks that have recently become popular.
Flutter and Kotlin are open-source programming languages. They provide developers with features like high performance, customization options, easy development process, etc. If you are planning to start a mobile app development project, this article will help you decide which technology is the best choice for you.
What is Flutter?
Flutter is an open-source framework for mobile app development created by Google. Flutter is a cross-platform framework that allows iOS and Android applications to be developed from the same source code. Flutter uses Dart as a programming language.
Flutter is Google's user interface toolkit for creating beautiful, natively compiled mobile, web, and desktop applications from a single codebase. Flutter works with existing code and is used by developers and organizations around the world.
Features of Flutter
Flutter has several unique features that set it apart from other frameworks.
Hot reload
Flutter's "Hot Reload" helps you experiment, create user interfaces, add features, and troubleshoot problems faster and more easily. Enjoy sub-second reload times without losing emulator, simulator or hardware state.
Expressive user interface
Provide a beautiful user interface with fluid animations and little or no platform-specific code. Flutter includes a modern React-style framework (with widgets), built-in UI elements (so you don't have to implement Cupertino or Material Design), and a variety of platforms, layouts, and basic widgets.
Native performance
Apps built with Flutter run at native speeds because ARM C/C++ and Dart libraries are compiled to native code. Access native SDK functions and SDKs for iOS and Android from a single codebase written in Dart. Flutter compiles native ARM code for multiple platforms using the LLVM compiler infrastructure. Everything is bundled in native libraries, so there's no need to link different binaries for each platform like other frameworks do. Therefore, applications built with the Flutter function are just like any other compiled application.
Customizable Widgets
You can customize an existing widget or create a new one from scratch. Some widgets come with Flutter so you don't have to build everything from scratch.
Enjoyable user experience
Satisfy your users with Flutter's built-in beautiful material design and Cupertino widgets (iOS flavor), rich motion APIs, smooth natural scrolling, and platform awareness. With the rich motion API, you can build apps with scalable user interfaces or add parallax effects to scrolling.
What is Kotlin?
Kotlin is an open-source, versatile, statically typed "pragmatic" programming language for JVM and Android that combines object-oriented and functional programming features. It focuses on interoperability, security, clarity, and tool support.
Kotlin was formed in 2010 from JetBrains, the company behind IntelliJ IDEA, and has been open source since 2012. Kotlin team leader Andrey Breslav announced Kotlin 1.0 in February 2016.
Features Kotlin
Interoperable
Kotlin is 100% Java compatible. This means we can use any existing Java libraries, JVM, and frameworks with Kotlin.
Concise
Kotlin code is more concise than Java code. This reduces writing additional code, which means we need to write less Java code to achieve the same functionality. This helps reduce boilerplate code in Android development. This results in less code, which means fewer errors and more readable code.
Easy maintenance
Kotlin has a more expressive syntax; It's easier to understand code while it's being maintained. You can do more with fewer lines; They reduce your attack surface (places where insects hide).
Safe
The Kotlin-type system handles null references. There are no base types in Kotlin, which are basically Java types that have no parameters or no generic type parameters attached. This helps us prevent null pointer exceptions in our code.
Smart cast
This function automatically converts fixed and changing values. We don't have to play it explicitly. This means that you don't need to use the cast-in operator; You can write cleaner and more readable code.
Higher order function
Higher-order functions accept another function as a parameter or return a function as output, or both. These functions store any additional values in variables and data structures. Functions in Kotlin are also objects that have their own type and behavior.
Kotlin vs. Flutter - which one is better for app development
Kotlin and Flutter are two of the most widely used cross-platform frameworks that allow app developers to build their own mobile apps using a single codebase. Kotlin and Flutter are already on the market and have received positive reactions from the developer community.
However, Flutter has gained more traction than Kotlin, but that doesn't mean it's better than Kotlin. Both frameworks have advantages and disadvantages and are suitable for various application development projects.
Conclusion
Flutter and Kotlin are two great options for cross-platform mobile app development, but you can't use both at the same time. Flutter is a framework that supports cross-platform application development. It was made famous by Google and is now used to create AdWords and Pixel Dungeons. Kotlin is a separate and independent language from Java. Spending your efforts learning Kotlin won't ruin your Java programming experience.
Before deciding on a frame, determine your needs and evaluate each one accordingly. Flutter can be easier to set up in many situations, while Kotlin is better suited for more detailed and complex applications. There is no one-size-fits-all approach here — each option has its own merits.