Kotlin Native

Kotlin/Native is a technology for compiling Kotlin code to native binaries which can run without a virtual machine. Kotlin/Native includes an LLVM-based backend for the Kotlin compiler and a native implementation of the Kotlin standard library.

Why Kotlin/Native?

Kotlin/Native is primarily designed to allow compilation for platforms on which virtual machines are not desirable or possible, such as embedded devices or iOS. It is ideal for situations when a developer needs to produce a self-contained program that does not require an additional runtime or virtual machine.

Target platforms

Kotlin/Native supports the following platforms:

macOS
iOS, tvOS, watchOS
Linux
Windows (MinGW)
Android NDK

The full list of supported targets is available here.

Interoperability

Kotlin/Native supports two-way interoperability with native programming languages for different operating systems. The compiler creates:

an executable for many platforms
a static library or dynamic library with C headers for C/C++ projects
an Apple framework for Swift and Objective-C projects

Kotlin/Native supports interoperability to use existing libraries directly from Kotlin/Native:

static or dynamic C libraries
C, Swift, and Objective-C frameworks

It is easy to include compiled Kotlin code in existing projects written in C, C++, Swift, Objective-C, and other languages. It is also easy to use existing native code, static or dynamic C libraries, Swift/Objective-C frameworks, graphical engines, and anything else directly from Kotlin/Native.

Kotlin/Native libraries help share Kotlin code between projects. POSIX, gzip, OpenGL, Metal, Foundation, and many other popular libraries and Apple frameworks are pre-imported and included as Kotlin/Native libraries in the compiler package.

Multiplatform projects allow sharing common Kotlin code between multiple platforms, including Android, iOS, JVM, JavaScript, and native. Multiplatform libraries provide required APIs for common Kotlin code and help develop shared parts of a project in Kotlin in one place and share it with some or all target platforms.

You can use Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile to create multiplatform mobile applications with code shared between Android and iOS.

How to get started

Tutorials and documentation

New to Kotlin? Take a look at Getting started with Kotlin.