Which Programming Language is Better for Food App Development? Java or Kotlin?
Published: 2023-04-05 12:00:02

Java is the predominant programming language used for food app development since the inception of online food delivery startups. While Java still dominates the programming language market, we cannot avoid advanced languages like Kotlin for food app development. Even Android has announced that Kotlin is the most preferred language for Android after Java. As an Android app developer, we should prefer things that make our work easy and saves money. Let us now see which is better for [food app development](https://www.spotneats.com/food-ordering-delivery-software-for-restaurants). Java or Kotlin.

## What Exactly is Kotlin?

Kotlin is a cross-platform, statistically typed programming language. The main goal of Kotlin for which it was developed is to improve the coding experience.

The sweet spot of Kotlin is that it is designed to interoperate completely with Java.

## How has Kotlin Evolved Till Now?

The USP of Kotlin is its multi-platform operation capability. So far in each subsequent version of Kotlin, the convenience of cross-platform capability is better than what it was before. 

So with an integrated development environment, developers can create an app for all platforms.

The latest version of Kotlin has seen an upward rise in mobile scalability which is of many benefits while developing food ordering and delivery applications. So with less time and resources, we can create a food app that handles unlimited orders and lakhs of restaurants at the same time.

It is to be noted that not all but major players in the on-demand space like Uber Airbnb, Ola, Swiggy, etc are switching towards Kotlin because of the edge it provides over others.

## How is Java at Present?

Java is no less a programming language than Kotlin. Java houses numerous libraries and many open-source tools. That said, Java is tedious and has a lot of complications. With more complexity comes more development time and resources. For someone who is bootstrapping an online food delivery startup, spending more and more money on app development is next to impossible.

Even if Kotlin is outperforming Java in many areas, one cannot outrightly remove Java from app development. Java has numerous libraries and open-source tools which can be of much help to Kotlin since Kotlin is interoperable with Java. So, Java and Kotlin can co-exist.

Still, Kotlin can be made as a single most independent programming language in the future if some obstructions like libraries, and open-source tools are added to it. We can now see the areas where Kotlin Obviously overpowers Java.

## Code Conciseness

Java focuses more on code understandability than being concise. Kotlin is readable, concise and so it is less prone to error. Issues, and minor bugs can be quickly sorted, and most important of all they can be easily identified. Fewer bugs and issues mean less time spent.

A simple calculator function is written in Java:

public class ClearBridge {

public static double calculate (double a, String op, double b) throws Exception {

    switch (op) {

    case “add”:

    return a + b;

    case “subtract”:

    return a – b;

    case “multiply”:

    return a * b;

    case “divide”:

    return a / b;

    default:

    throw new Exception();

    }

}

The same function is written in Kotlin:

fun calculate (a: Double, op: String, b: Double): Double {

    when (op) {

    “add” -> return a + b

    “subtract” -> return a – b

    “multiply” -> return a * b

    “divide” – > return a / b

    else -> throw Exception()

}

The difference is obvious and self-explanatory.

Procedural programming is a strong area of Kotlin. Kotlin combines procedural programming with functional programming. 

More articulate and readable codes are safer because you will face little to no crashes and site failures. 

Kotlin supports all IDEs which also includes Android Studio. So, you can use all development tools for maintaining the codebase at scale and this is something that Kotlin has an upper hand over Java.

Code conciseness is enough to prove increased productivity in using Kotlin. But there are many more things to say about increased productivity.

- Object declaration
- Parameter language
- Extension functions

Above are the features that equip Kotlin to be more powerful.

This is something I am saying first. Existing libraries and source tools from Java can be used in Kotlin without any change. Developers can also use the existing codes of Java in Kotlin without any hassles. So, the transition from Java to Kotlin is not as hard as you might think.

While it is not necessary for all who use Java to move to Kotlin. But knowing Java makes it easier to adapt to Kotlin and the transition for you will be smoother than you think. Surely, Kotlin will add value to your food app development and certainly, there are only advantages to using modern techniques.

The feasibility of switching to Kotlin can also be made with respect to the size and complexity of the food ordering and delivery app.

**Simple app solution:** It takes anywhere between 150 to 200 hours of development. In this case, you can switch to Kotlin.

**Moderately complex app solution:** The development time takes around 6 to 8 months to complete. In this case, both Java and Kotlin are preferred but Kotlin can be given priority.

**Complex solution:** Sometimes highly scalable and more complex solutions for use in many regions require somewhat a year of development. Here java is highly recommended.

SpotnEats is our prebuilt app solution which can be used in the [food delivery startup](https://www.spotneats.com/food-ordering-delivery-software-for-restaurants). Since it is pre-built it can be quickly installed after some customizations. Our developers are equally competent in both Kotlin and Java and so we faced no problems in the development phase.