Which Option to Choose?
We'll cover the following
Options to run Kotlin code
Kotlin doesn’t dictate which option you choose to run the code; it’s entirely up to you, depending on your needs and liking. Here are a few things to consider when choosing your option:
-
To intermix Kotlin code with Java or other languages on the JVM, compile the code using
kotlinc-jvm
. Then, simply throw the jar file into the classpath or modulepath along with a reference to thekotlin-stdlib.jar
file, and use it like you’d use any jar created from Java source code usingjavac
. -
If you have multiple Kotlin files and intend to run the program as a Kotlin program, then use the kotlin tool to run the code.
-
To implement system-level or back-end tasks using Kotlin, create a single Kotlin file and run it as script using the
-script
option. Alternatively, use the shebang to directly run the file from the command line or a cron task. -
To enjoy static typing and compile-time verification that comes with Kotlin for creating web applications, use the option to compile Kotlin to JavaScript.
-
To run Kotlin code on different native platforms, like iOS and WebAssembly, use Kotlin/Native to compile the code to the desired targets.
-
During active development, run the code from within the IDE for ease of development and the convenience offered by the IDEs.
-
To experiment with small snippets of code, run
kotlinc-jvm
as REPL.
The next lesson concludes the discussion for this chapter.
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