Kotlin is a statically typed, general-purpose programming language designed for type safety and concise syntax. It functions as a cross-platform development toolkit that enables the sharing of business logic across mobile, web, and server-side environments by compiling a unified intermediate representation into platform-specific machine code, bytecode, or source code.
The project distinguishes itself through a multi-target build orchestration model that manages complex compilation units and hierarchical source sets. Developers can define common interface logic that is satisfied by platform-specific implementations through an expected-actual declaration mechanism. This architecture is supported by a native interoperability layer that parses header files to generate bindings, allowing direct communication between managed code and existing C or C++ libraries.
The ecosystem includes comprehensive infrastructure for managing project dependencies, build tasks, and environment isolation. It provides specialized configurations for targeting diverse execution environments, including mobile application development, browser-based deployment, and server-side systems. The build system utilizes an incremental graph to track dependency changes, ensuring efficient compilation across varied hardware and operating systems.
