The Kotlin/JVM compiler

The Kotlin/JVM backend compiler is what helps translate code written in Kotlin into Java bytecode, which is code that can be run on the JVM or Android. Kotlin was initially designed for the Java world, including Android, and the Kotlin/JVM compiler was the one that paved the way for the Kotlin language.

How it works

The Kotlin/JVM compiler generates the same .class executables that the Java compiler does, which is the Java bytecode that can be run on the JVM:

Figure 2.1 – How Kotlin/JVM works

This means that you can decompile your Java bytecode, the .class executables, and check the Java code, which is quite handy if you want to see what the generated Kotlin code looks like.

So, the Kotlin/JVM value proposition was (and still is) that it provides the rich palette of language features of Kotlin and translates the code you write with it into the same Java bytecode that has seamless interoperability with any other Java...