What are the best practices for using Kotlin to build Android applications?

The idioms are the perfect way to take advantage of the versatility and the philosophy of Kotlin. Idioms make your code more expressive and concise. Additionally, using idioms will certainly show your command of the language, ultimately giving you extra points at a job interview.

Using Kotlin to build Android applications brings numerous advantages, and following best practices can help in creating maintainable, efficient, and robust apps. Here are some best practices for utilizing Kotlin in Android app development: Use Kotlin's Conciseness and Features: Leverage Kotlin's concise syntax, null safety, extension functions, data classes, and other language features to write clean and expressive code.

Follow Kotlin Coding Conventions: Adhere to Kotlin's coding conventions outlined in the official style guide to ensure consistency across the codebase. Use Kotlin Coroutines for Asynchronous Programming: Employ Kotlin Coroutines for handling asynchronous tasks like network requests, database operations, or long-running tasks. They offer a simpler and more readable alternative to callbacks or RxJava.

Utilize Kotlin Android Extensions: Kotlin Android Extensions provide a concise way to access views in activities, fragments, or RecyclerViews without findViewById(). Apply Dependency Injection: Use dependency injection frameworks like Dagger or Hilt to manage dependencies efficiently, enhance testability, and improve code maintainability.

Adopt MVVM or MVI Architecture: Follow a clear architectural pattern like Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) or Model-View-Intent (MVI) to separate concerns, improve testability, and maintain a clean codebase. Leverage Android Jetpack Libraries: Utilize Android Jetpack components such as ViewModel, LiveData, Room, Navigation, etc., which are built with Kotlin in mind to simplify development and improve app performance. Avoid Using !! Operator: Minimize or avoid using the !! operator to force null values. Instead, use safe calls (?.) and the Elvis operator (?:) to handle nullability.

Optimize Resource Handling: Utilize Kotlin's resource management features to handle resources efficiently, such as using use{} for managing resources that require cleanup (like files, streams, etc.). Write Unit Tests with Kotlin: Take advantage of Kotlin's testing framework and write unit tests to ensure the correctness of your code. Use tools like JUnit, Mockito, or Kotlin's built-in testing functionalities. Apply Kotlin Gradle DSL: Use Kotlin Gradle DSL for building your app's Gradle scripts in Kotlin. It provides type-safe configurations and enhances readability compared to the Groovy DSL.

Profile and Optimize Performance: Use Android Profiler and other performance analysis tools to identify performance bottlenecks and optimize your app for better responsiveness and efficiency.

Keep Learning and Stay Updated: Kotlin is an evolving language, so keep abreast of new features, best practices, and updates to the Android ecosystem to leverage the latest tools and practices.

Although it is harsh at the beginning, it is imperative to use architecture patterns and follow clean code practices along with clean architecture. Your future self and collaborators will thank you. Good practices had been tested and confirmed over decades to be the most effective way to produced good code. Don’t hesitate to tell the manager that you need more time to make a curated and cared code.