Book Image

Simplifying Application Development with Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile

By : Róbert Nagy
Book Image

Simplifying Application Development with Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile

By: Róbert Nagy

Overview of this book

Sharing code between platforms can help developers gain a competitive edge, and Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile (KMM) offers a sensible way to do it. KMM helps mobile teams share code between Android and iOS in a flexible way, leaving room for native development. The book begins by helping you to gain a clear understanding of the Kotlin Multiplatform approach, how it works, and how it is different from cross-platform technologies, such as React Native and Flutter, and code sharing options, such as C++. You'll then see how your team can use this software development kit (SDK) to build native applications more effectively by learning timeless concepts and working through practical examples. As you advance, you'll get to grips with the core concepts, understand why UI sharing fails, and get hands-on with developing a small KMM application. Finally, you'll discover expert tips and best practices, along with production- and adoption-related questions, that will help you take the next step in your project and career. By the end of this Kotlin book, you'll have gained a solid understanding of the capabilities of KMM and be able to share code between Android and iOS flexibly.
Table of Contents (15 chapters)
1
Section 1 - Getting Started with Multiplatform Mobile Development Using Kotlin
5
Section 2 - Code Sharing between Android and iOS
10
Section 3 - Supercharging Yourself for the Next Steps

Recapitulating what you have learned

We started this book by reasoning about what market need Kotlin Multiplatform tries to meet. We explored native applications, why people tend to turn to technologies such as React Native and Flutter, and why these technologies may not turn out to be the best solutions, generally speaking.

Furthermore, we discussed how to differentiate multiplatform from cross-platform notions, what a multiplatform technology tries to achieve, and how Kotlin Multiplatform leverages its tech stack to provide a sensible multiplatform solution.

After reading the first two chapters, you are expected to have a broader understanding of which technology is more suitable for a specific use case, project, or client need.

In Chapter 3, Introducing Kotlin for Swift Developers, we made a slight detour to ensure that iOS developers don't feel alienated by Kotlin and that everyone has the necessary knowledge to start learning about Kotlin Multiplatform.

Then...