As previously discussed, Kotlin was designed to be a better Java, and as such, there are a number of advantages to using Kotlin over Java:
- Null safety: One common occurrence in Java programs is the throwing of NullPointerException. Kotlin alleviates this issue by providing a null-safe type system.
- Presence of extension functions: Functions can easily be added to classes defined in program files to extend their functionality in various ways. This can be done with extension functions in Kotlin.
- Singletons: It is easy to implement the singleton pattern in Kotlin programs. The implementation of a singleton in Java takes considerably more effort than when it is done with Kotlin.
- Data classes: When writing programs, it is a common scenario to have to create a class for the sole purpose of holding data in variables. This often leads to the writing of many lines of code for such a mundane task. Data classes in Kotlin make it extremely easy to create such classes that hold data with a single line of code.
- Function types: Unlike Java, Kotlin has function types. This enables functions to accept other functions as parameters and the definition of functions that return functions.