Programming languages: How to learn Kotlin with these resources for developers

Kotlin is popular among developers—in fact, it’s the fourth “most loved” programming language, according to a 2020 Stack Overflow survey. It’s easy to see why: Kotlin is simple to use, it’s functional and object-oriented, it’s compatible with Java, and it’s fully supported by Google as a first-class language for Android apps.

What does it take to learn the popular Kotlin programming language, which JetBrains created and is Google’s preferred Android programming language? The following list of resources can help you get started programming in Kotlin.

SEE: Hiring kit: Android developer (TechRepublic Premium)

Books about Kotlin

“Kotlin in Action:” Intended for experienced Java users, this book will teach you to use Kotlin to create production-quality applications.

“Head First Kotlin: A Brain-Friendly Guide:” A complete introduction to coding in Kotlin, this hands-on book uses a unique method to teach the reader how to think like “a great Kotlin developer” according to the publisher. The book features language fundamentals, collections, generics and higher-order functions.

“Atomic Kotlin:” For beginners and experienced programmers, this book breaks down the concepts of programming with Kotlin into manageable, easy steps as well as offer summaries of concepts. The book also offers support for Windows, Mac and Linux.    

“Android Studio 4.1 Development Essentials – Kotlin Edition:” This book has been fully updated for Android Studio 4.1. Intended to teach the skills necessary to develop Android 11 based applications using the Kotlin programming language, this book starts with the basics and covers other topics including data types, flow control, functions, lambdas and object-oriented programming.

“Kotlin Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide:” For beginners and advanced programmers alike, this book will teach you to create reliable, concise applications with Kotlin.

SEE: Getting started with Kotlin: A resource guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic) 

Kotlin courses and tutorials

The Complete Android + Kotlin Developer Course: Perfect for beginners, this online course from Udemy will teach you to use Kotlin like a pro. It includes lectures on the latest Android APIs and services and how to build several different types of real-world mobile apps.

Kotlin for Beginners: Learn Programming With Kotlin: This course, also offered through Udemy, is great for helping beginners learn about variables and nullable types, conditionals, loops, object-orientation and much more.

Kotlin Bootcamp for Programmers by Google: Designed by Google experts, this two-week course is for intermediate-level programmers who want to learn the essentials of the Kotlin programming language.

Kotlin Essential Training: This course from LinkedIn Learning is intended for people who already know at least one programming language. It provides a comprehensive overview of Kotlin from project setup to rudimentary syntax to managing data and much more.

Free Kotlin for Android Course: This free course offered by Antonio Leiva is for Android developers who want to master the Kotlin language.

Kotlin for Android Developers: This free, week-long course offered through Udacity teaches you the essentials of Kotlin and how to convert Android apps from Java to Kotlin.

Kotlin Koans: This tutorial offers a series of self-guided exercises to help familiarize you with Kotlin syntax and idioms.

Kotlin Coroutines: This tutorial teaches you how to use Coroutines to manage background threads and simplify code.

Videos about Kotlin

Getting Started with Kotlin: This short video with Google Developer Advocate Wojtek Kaliciński will walk you through how to get started using Kotlin.

How to Kotlin – from the Lead Kotlin Language Designer: In this video from the 2018 Google I/O event, JetBrains Lead Kotlin Language Designer Andrey Breslav demonstrates how to use Kotlin. Breslav explains how to transition from Java to Kotlin.

Kotlin Tutorial: This almost hour-and-a-half-long tutorial by Derek Banas teaches you the core syntax of Kotlin through example code.

SEE: 20 programming languages that are attracting the most new learners (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Websites about Kotlin

Kotlinlang.org: The official Kotlin website has a plethora of useful information and resources.

JetBrains/kotlin: The GitHub site for Kotlin.

Kotlin Blog: The official JetBrains blog which provides helpful information and announcements.

Kotlin Style Guide: Offers the complete definition of Google’s Android coding standards for source code and formatting with Kotlin.

Kotlin Samples: A large collection of samples demonstrating various uses for Kotlin.

Get Started with Kotlin on Android: An introductory site designed to help you learn the basics of getting started using Kotlin with Android.

Android Testing with Kotlin: Provides a way to test your Kotlin code without affecting your main application.

From Java to Kotlin: Offers a “cheat sheet” for converting Java code into Kotlin code.

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