The following article explains how does Kotlin supports functional programming.

Basically, Kotlin is a multi-paradigm language. It contains several features that make it easier to write functional code. The following list shows these features.

  1. Basically, in Kotlin, functions can be treated as values and passed as arguments to other functions. Also, they can be returned as results from functions, and stored in variables or data structures. Therefore, we refer to them as first-class citizens. This makes it easy to write functional-style code that is composable and reusable.
  2. Higher-order functions: These are functions that take other functions as arguments or return functions as results. Higher-order functions are a fundamental building block of functional programming and are used extensively in libraries such as Kotlin’s standard library and in popular functional programming libraries such as Arrow and Kotlinx.
  3. Lambdas: Kotlin provides a concise syntax for defining anonymous functions called lambdas. Lambdas make it easy to write functional-style code that is easy to read and write.
  4. Immutable data structures: Kotlin provides several immutable data structures such as List, Set, and Map, which can be used to write functional-style code. Immutable data structures are safe to use in concurrent environments and can help prevent bugs caused by the mutable state.
  5. Extension functions: Kotlin’s extension functions allow you to add new functionality to existing classes, which is a common pattern in functional programming. In order to add more functionality to existing classes, we use Extension functions. So, it makes it easier to write functional-style code that is easy to read and write.
  6. Null safety: Kotlin’s null safety features help prevent null pointer exceptions, which are a common source of bugs in functional programming. Null safety features such as nullable types and safe calls make it easier to write functional-style code that is safe and reliable.

Overall, Kotlin provides several features that make it easy to write functional-style code. These features make Kotlin a popular choice for functional programming and have contributed to its growing popularity among developers.


Further Reading

Constructors in Kotlin

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Princites