At KotlinConf 2025, JetBrains teased a few of the new options which can be coming to Kotlin within the subsequent replace to the language.
“From thrilling language and ecosystem updates and strong AI instruments that empower Kotlin improvement to main Kotlin Multiplatform milestones and a strategic partnership for the backend, KotlinConf 2025 introduced a wave of reports that set the tone for the 12 months forward,” JetBrains wrote in a weblog put up.
In Kotlin 2.2, builders can sit up for guard circumstances in when-with-subject, multi-dollar interpolation, non-local break and proceed, and context parameters.
JetBrains additionally revealed some language options that can be added to future releases after 2.2, together with positional destructuring, name-based destructuring, enhanced nullability, wealthy errors, must-use return values, and ‘CheckReturnValue.’
The K2 compiler is now the default compiler in IntelliJ IDEA 2025.1, leading to important decreases in compilation time. In keeping with JetBrains, utilizing K2 for the IntelliJ monorepo that features most JetBrains tasks and accommodates over 12 million traces of Kotlin code decreased compilation time by over 40%.
JetBrains defined that having the K2 compiler prepared is enabling the Kotlin workforce to be extra assured within the stability of compiler internals, permitting them to start work on designing a brand new steady compiler plugin API for the frontend. It will lengthen the compiler with customized checks and code technology.
The corporate can also be persevering with improvement of Amper, an experimental Kotlin and JVM construct instrument. It now has a transparent configuration path, IDE assist, and error reporting.
Updates to Kotlin Multiplatform embody a brand new plugin for IntelliJ IDEA and Android Studio, an experimental launch of Swift Export that’s coming to Kotlin 2.2.20, steady model of Compose Multiplatform for iOS, and Compose Scorching Reload.
Different updates from KotlinConf 2025 embody:
- Open-sourcing of Koog, a framework for creating AI brokers in Kotlin
- Updates to Kotlin/Wasm, comparable to sooner incremental builds, smaller output binaries, and a greater developer expertise
- Partnership with the Spring workforce to enhance Kotlin for server-side work
- Ktor 3 updates like enhanced configuration assist, server-sent occasions, and WebAssembly assist
- Kotlin Language Server Protocol (LSP) and a brand new Kotlin extension for Visible Studio Code are within the early levels of improvement
