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Build Spring Boot Apps with the Kotlin Programming Language

4.4 Filled star Filled star Filled star Filled star Empty star
Based on 760 ratings
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Matt Greencroft and Virtual Pair Programmers

Kotlin is a programming language for the JVM (and also for Javascript and native code too) which was created by JetBrains - the company behind the IntelliJ IDE. It offers a number of enhancements over Java, including that it's less verbose, has immutable variables, and almost always gets rid of the NullPointerException. Compared to other JVM languages, such as Scala, Kotlin is an easy transition for Java developers, and the Kotlin team hope that it will eventually replace Java alltogether.

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Kotlin is a programming language for the JVM (and also for Javascript and native code too) which was created by JetBrains - the company behind the IntelliJ IDE. It offers a number of enhancements over Java, including that it's less verbose, has immutable variables, and almost always gets rid of the NullPointerException. Compared to other JVM languages, such as Scala, Kotlin is an easy transition for Java developers, and the Kotlin team hope that it will eventually replace Java alltogether.

In this course we learn how to code in Kotlin, with a particular focus on how to build full stack Spring Boot applications with Kotlin.

This course is aimed at existing Spring Framework Java developers who want to upgrade their skills to use Kotlin instead of (or as well as) Java.

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What's inside

Learning objective

Build fully functional, robust and efficient applications with spring boot and the kotlin programming language

Syllabus

What is Kotlin, and why Java developers should consider using it. Installing and configuring IntelliJ
What is Kotlin
Configuring and installing IntelliJ
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Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Useful for Java developers to sharpen their language and skillset
Focuses on Kotlin to develop full stack Spring Boot applications
Taught by Matt Greencroft and Virtual Pair Programmers, who have experience in Kotlin development
Has a structured curriculum that covers various aspects of Kotlin and Spring Boot development
Suitable for existing Spring Framework Java developers who want to transition to Kotlin

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Reviews summary

Kotlin & spring boot for java developers

According to students, this course serves as an excellent bridge for experienced Java developers looking to incorporate Kotlin into their skillset, especially for building Spring Boot applications. Learners found the explanations clear and easy to follow, appreciating the instructor's approach that often contrasts Kotlin features with their Java equivalents. The emphasis on practical, hands-on coding and building a real application is frequently highlighted as a major strength, providing a solid foundation. While many praised the comprehensive introduction, some reviewers noted that the course could go deeper into more advanced Kotlin features or complex Spring Boot patterns. A few also mentioned that the course material might use slightly older versions of libraries, requiring minor updates during setup, but the core concepts remain highly relevant.
Minor parts may use slightly older libraries.
"Some dependencies used in the course were slightly outdated, but it was easy enough to update them myself to the latest versions."
"I had to make minor adjustments to the code provided due to newer versions of Kotlin or Spring Boot requiring slight syntax changes."
"While the core concepts are timeless, be prepared for potential minor versioning issues with libraries."
"The course structure holds up well, even if library versions aren't always the absolute latest at the time of taking it."
Covers essentials well, less on advanced topics.
"While excellent for the basics, I felt it could go deeper into more advanced Kotlin language features like coroutines."
"Good introduction, but don't expect a deep dive into complex Spring Boot patterns specifically for Kotlin."
"I wish there were modules on more advanced topics or optimization techniques using Kotlin features in Spring."
"Covers the core concepts needed to start, but leaves room for further self-study on advanced areas."
Concepts are explained well, especially for Java developers.
"As an experienced Java developer, I found the explanations on Kotlin features very clear and easy to grasp, making the transition smooth."
"The instructor does a great job explaining the 'whys' behind Kotlin features and how they compare to Java, which is super helpful."
"Everything was explained in a clear and concise manner which was very helpful for someone new to Kotlin."
"I appreciate the way complex ideas were broken down into understandable parts, making Kotlin less intimidating."
Excellent for Java developers learning Kotlin.
"This course is perfectly tailored for Java developers transitioning to Kotlin. The comparisons were invaluable."
"If you know Java and Spring, this course will get you productive with Kotlin very quickly."
"I found the approach of showing Java vs Kotlin syntax side-by-side extremely helpful for learning."
"It felt like an easy upgrade from Java thanks to the way the course is structured."
Focus on building a real Spring Boot application.
"I really liked the hands-on coding exercises and building a real application from start to finish. It's not just theory."
"The practical examples helped solidify my understanding of using Kotlin effectively with Spring Boot."
"The course provides a practical way to learn Kotlin and apply it immediately to backend development."
"Building the project was the most valuable part for me, seeing how the language features integrate with the framework."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Build Spring Boot Apps with the Kotlin Programming Language with these activities:
Create a Kotlin hello world project
Creating a very simple hello world project will help you setup your development tools and verify they are installed and working correctly as well as ensure that you are comfortable with the IDE
Show steps
  • Open your IDE of choice (e.g. IntelliJ)
  • Create a new Kotlin project
  • In the main function, write the code to print "Hello world" to the console
  • Run the project
Watch a tutorial on Kotlin variable assignment
Following a guided tutorial on variable assignment will help you understand how variables are declared and how they can be assigned values in Kotlin.
Browse courses on Variable Assignment
Show steps
  • Find a tutorial on Kotlin variable assignment
  • Watch the tutorial and take notes on the key concepts
  • Try out the concepts you learned in your own code
Practice writing Kotlin code to create and manipulate variables
Practicing writing Kotlin code to create and manipulate variables will help you reinforce your understanding of the material and improve your programming skills.
Browse courses on Variable Assignment
Show steps
  • Create a new Kotlin file
  • Declare several variables of different data types
  • Assign values to the variables
  • Print the values of the variables to the console
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Participate in a peer session to discuss Kotlin exception handling
Participating in a peer session to discuss Kotlin exception handling will allow you to learn from others and share your own knowledge. This will help you to better understand the material and improve your programming skills.
Browse courses on Exception Handling
Show steps
  • Find a peer session or study group that is focused on Kotlin exception handling
  • Attend the session and actively participate in the discussion
  • Share your own knowledge and experiences with exception handling
Write a blog post about your experience learning Kotlin
Writing a blog post about your experience learning Kotlin will help you to reflect on what you have learned and share your knowledge with others. This will help you to better understand the material and improve your writing skills.
Browse courses on Kotlin
Show steps
  • Choose a topic for your blog post
  • Write an outline for your post
  • Write the first draft of your post
  • Edit and revise your post
  • Publish your post
Contribute to an open-source Kotlin project
Contributing to an open-source Kotlin project will allow you to learn from others and share your own knowledge. This will help you to better understand the material and improve your programming skills.
Browse courses on Kotlin
Show steps
  • Find an open-source Kotlin project that you are interested in
  • Read the project's documentation
  • Start working on a small contribution
  • Submit a pull request to the project
Mentor a junior developer who is learning Kotlin
Mentoring a junior developer who is learning Kotlin will allow you to share your knowledge and help others to grow. This will help you to better understand the material and improve your communication skills.
Browse courses on Kotlin
Show steps
  • Find a junior developer who is interested in learning Kotlin
  • Set up a regular meeting time
  • Create a learning plan
  • Provide feedback and support

Career center

Learners who complete Build Spring Boot Apps with the Kotlin Programming Language will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Full-Stack Developer
This course will help you become a Full Stack Developer. Full Stack Developers use programming languages to build both the front-end and back-end of web applications. Kotlin is a modern programming language that is well-suited for developing full stack applications. It is concise, easy to read, and has a number of features that make it a good choice for full stack development, such as its support for both front-end and back-end development. This course will teach you the fundamentals of Kotlin and how to use it to build full stack applications with Spring Boot.
See salaries and explore the career path for Full-Stack Developer
Software Engineer
This course will help you become a Software Engineer. Kotlin is increasingly used by companies such as Pinterest, Google, Netflix, and Coursera. As the adoption of Kotlin increases, the demand for Software Engineers who are proficient in the language will grow. This course will teach you fundamental Kotlin concepts, such as declaring variables, using control flow, and working with objects and classes. You will also learn how to use Kotlin to build web applications with Spring Boot.
See salaries and explore the career path for Software Engineer
Web Developer
This course will help you progress as a Web Developer. Kotlin is a modern programming language that is well-suited for developing web applications. It is concise, easy to read, and has a number of features that make it a good choice for web development, such as its support for lambdas and its null safety features. This course will teach you the fundamentals of Kotlin and how to use it to build web applications with Spring Boot.
See salaries and explore the career path for Web Developer
Backend Developer
This course will help you become a Backend Developer. Backend Developers use programming languages to build the server-side of web applications. Kotlin is a modern programming language that is well-suited for developing backend applications. It is concise, easy to read, and has a number of features that make it a good choice for backend development, such as its support for concurrency and its null safety features. This course will teach you the fundamentals of Kotlin and how to use it to build backend applications with Spring Boot.
See salaries and explore the career path for Backend Developer
Game Developer
This course may be useful for Game Developers. Game Developers use programming languages to build video games. Kotlin is a modern programming language that is well-suited for developing video games. It is concise, easy to read, and has a number of features that make it a good choice for game development, such as its support for concurrency and its null safety features. This course will teach you the fundamentals of Kotlin and how to use it to build video games.
See salaries and explore the career path for Game Developer
Cloud Engineer
This course may be useful for Cloud Engineers. Cloud Engineers use programming languages to build and deploy cloud applications. Kotlin is a modern programming language that is well-suited for developing cloud applications. It is concise, easy to read, and has a number of features that make it a good choice for cloud development, such as its support for concurrency and its null safety features. This course will teach you the fundamentals of Kotlin and how to use it to build cloud applications.
See salaries and explore the career path for Cloud Engineer
DevOps Engineer
This course may be useful for DevOps Engineers. DevOps Engineers use programming languages to automate the software development process. Kotlin is a modern programming language that is well-suited for developing DevOps tools. It is concise, easy to read, and has a number of features that make it a good choice for DevOps, such as its support for concurrency and its null safety features. This course will teach you the fundamentals of Kotlin and how to use it to build DevOps tools.
See salaries and explore the career path for DevOps Engineer
Security Engineer
This course may be useful for Security Engineers. Security Engineers use programming languages to build and deploy security systems. Kotlin is a modern programming language that is well-suited for developing security systems. It is concise, easy to read, and has a number of features that make it a good choice for security development, such as its support for concurrency and its null safety features. This course will teach you the fundamentals of Kotlin and how to use it to build security systems.
See salaries and explore the career path for Security Engineer
Blockchain Developer
This course may be useful for Blockchain Developers. Blockchain Developers use programming languages to build and deploy blockchain applications. Kotlin is a modern programming language that is well-suited for developing blockchain applications. It is concise, easy to read, and has a number of features that make it a good choice for blockchain development, such as its support for concurrency and its null safety features. This course will teach you the fundamentals of Kotlin and how to use it to build blockchain applications.
See salaries and explore the career path for Blockchain Developer
Data Engineer
This course may be useful for Data Engineers. Data Engineers use programming languages to build and deploy data pipelines. Kotlin is a modern programming language that is well-suited for developing data pipelines. It is concise, easy to read, and has a number of features that make it a good choice for data engineering, such as its support for concurrency and its null safety features. This course will teach you the fundamentals of Kotlin and how to use it to build data pipelines.
See salaries and explore the career path for Data Engineer
Systems Analyst
This course may be useful for Systems Analysts. Systems Analysts use programming languages to analyze and design computer systems. Kotlin is a modern programming language that is well-suited for developing systems analysis tools. It is concise, easy to read, and has a number of features that make it a good choice for systems analysis, such as its support for concurrency and its null safety features. This course will teach you the fundamentals of Kotlin and how to use it to build systems analysis tools.
See salaries and explore the career path for Systems Analyst
Technical Writer
This course may be useful for Technical Writers. Technical Writers use programming languages to write documentation for software and hardware products. Kotlin is a modern programming language that is well-suited for writing technical documentation. It is concise, easy to read, and has a number of features that make it a good choice for technical writing, such as its support for code snippets and its null safety features. This course will teach you the fundamentals of Kotlin and how to use it to write technical documentation.
See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Writer
Data Scientist
This course may be useful for Data Scientists. Data Scientists use programming languages to analyze data and build models. Kotlin is a powerful programming language that can be used for a variety of data science tasks, such as data cleaning, data analysis, and machine learning. This course will teach you the fundamentals of Kotlin and how to use it for data science tasks.
See salaries and explore the career path for Data Scientist
Machine Learning Engineer
This course may be useful for Machine Learning Engineers. Machine Learning Engineers use programming languages to build and deploy machine learning models. Kotlin is a powerful programming language that can be used for a variety of machine learning tasks, such as data preprocessing, feature engineering, and model training. This course will teach you the fundamentals of Kotlin and how to use it for machine learning tasks.
See salaries and explore the career path for Machine Learning Engineer
Mobile Developer
This course may be useful for Mobile Developers. Mobile Developers use programming languages to build mobile applications. Kotlin is a modern programming language that is well-suited for developing mobile applications. It is concise, easy to read, and has a number of features that make it a good choice for mobile development, such as its support for Android development. This course will teach you the fundamentals of Kotlin and how to use it to build mobile applications.
See salaries and explore the career path for Mobile Developer

Reading list

We've selected eight books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Build Spring Boot Apps with the Kotlin Programming Language.
Cover image
Kotlin in Action, Second Edition
Save
"Kotlin in Action" comprehensively covers Kotlin from the basics to advanced topics, making it a great supplementary book to this course. It delves into the language's features, best practices, and design patterns, providing a deeper understanding of Kotlin's capabilities and nuances.
Kotlin in Action, Second Edition
Paperback
$$$
Cover image
Kotlin in Action, Second Edition
Save
Practical guide to using Kotlin for building Android apps. It covers a wide range of topics, including creating user interfaces, working with data, and testing your apps. It also includes several case studies to help you learn how to apply Kotlin in real-world projects.
Kotlin in Action, Second Edition
Paperback
$$$
Kotlin in Action, Second Edition
Kindle Edition
$$
Cover image
Kotlin for Android Developers
Save
Practical guide to using Kotlin for building Android apps. It covers a wide range of topics, including creating user interfaces, working with data, and testing your apps. It also includes several case studies to help you learn how to apply Kotlin in real-world projects.
Kotlin for Android Developers: Learn Kotlin the...
Paperback
$$
Kotlin Cookbook
Save
Collection of recipes for solving common programming problems in Kotlin. It covers a wide range of topics, including working with strings, collections, and dates. It also includes several recipes for working with Android and Java.
Kotlin Cookbook
Paperback
Check
Kotlin Cookbook
Kindle Edition
Check
Cover image
Programming Kotlin
Save
Provides a comprehensive overview of the Kotlin programming language. It covers all the major features of Kotlin, including its syntax, object-oriented programming, and functional programming capabilities. It also includes several case studies to help you learn how to apply Kotlin in real-world projects.
Programming Kotlin: Create Elegant, Expressive, and...
Paperback
$$
Programming DSLs in Kotlin
Kindle Edition
$
Cover image
Excel Cookbook
Save
Fun and engaging way to learn Kotlin. It uses a visual approach to explain the concepts of Kotlin, making it easy to understand even for beginners. It also includes several exercises and projects to help you practice what you have learned.
Excel Cookbook: Recipes for Mastering Microsoft...
Paperback
$$$
Excel Cookbook
Kindle Edition
$$
Cover image
Head First Kotlin
Save
"Head First Kotlin" introduces Kotlin in a creative and engaging way, using interactive exercises and real-world examples. It covers the basics of the language, including its syntax, data types, and object-oriented programming, making it suitable for beginners or those seeking a refresher.
Head First Kotlin: A Brain-Friendly Guide
Paperback
$$$
Head First Android Development: A Learner's Guide...
Paperback
$$$
HEAD FIRST KOTLIN
Paperback
$$
(中文) Head First Kotlin programming(Chinese Edition)
Paperback
$$$
Head First Kotlin: A Brain-Friendly Guide
Kindle Edition
$$
Cover image
Learning Spring Boot 3.0
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"Dependency Injection with Spring" explores the principles and practices of dependency injection in Spring applications. While it is not Kotlin-specific, it provides a solid foundation for understanding how to use dependency injection effectively, which is essential for building scalable and maintainable Spring Boot applications.
Learning Spring Boot 3.0 - Third Edition: Simplify...
Paperback
$$
Learning Spring Boot 3.0: Simplify the development...
Kindle Edition
$$

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Rating
4.4 Filled star Filled star Filled star Filled star Empty star
Effort
8 total hours
Via
Udemy
Instructors
Matt Greencroft
Virtual Pair Programmers
Language
English
Traffic lights
Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Useful for Java developers to sharpen their language and skillset
Focuses on Kotlin to develop full stack Spring Boot applications
Taught by Matt Greencroft and Virtual Pair Programmers, who have experience in Kotlin development
Has a structured curriculum that covers various aspects of Kotlin and Spring Boot development
Suitable for existing Spring Framework Java developers who want to transition to Kotlin
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