What is Ktor, and Why Should You Learn It?
Start building backends using Kotlin.
Hello everyone, I’m back! I couldn’t write any stories for around 2 months, but from now on, I will try to write a new story every 2 or 3 days, as I used to do before.
Anyways, in this story, you will learn what Ktor is, and why you should learn it. I will talk about what Ktor is, what it offers and if it’s worth learning.
Let’s start!
What is Ktor?
Create asynchronous client and server applications. Anything from microservices to multiplatform HTTP client apps in a simple way. Open Source, free, and fun!
This is what Ktor’s official website says, and it’s true.
In Ktor, you can build incredible clients and servers using Kotlin. It can be microservices, multiplatform HTTP client apps or anything else you want. It’s open-source, free and fun.
You can start building backends with Ktor without having to learn any new languages.
I know, the amount of fun you have is different for everyone. But for me, it’s fun.
Ktor was made by JetBrains, and if you haven’t heard yet, JetBrains also created Kotlin, IntelliJ IDEA, Android Studio and many other tools.
Ktor’s Features
Ktor can do a lot of things, here are some of the most important features of Ktor.
- Routing
- Handling requests and responses
- Templating
- Content negotiation and serialization
- Authentication and authorization
- ions
- HTTP
- Sockets
- Logging
- Monitoring
- Administration
And a lot more.
Like, really. As you can see, Ktor offers a lot of features, and all of them are very easy to implement.
I won’t be explaining what all of those features do in this story, but I will write a lot of stories about Ktor and building stuff with Ktor, so if you are interested, make sure to follow me to see my latest posts once I post them!
Why you should learn Ktor
There are a lot of reasons to learn Ktor, or backend development in general. So, here are some of the two most important reasons to learn Ktor.
Not having to use services like Firebase
Ever tried to build a large application that requires a backend? Well, if you don’t know backend development you probably used a service like Firebase, and it was probably very limited.
So, at some point, the pricing and scalability also become a problem. What do you do then? You either pay a lot of money, or you hire a backend developer to build your custom backend for you. Both ways are very expensive.
There is an easier and cheaper way, though. You can always learn Ktor and backend development, and build your own backend for free. Of course, hosting will still need some money, but it will be a lot cheaper than the previous two ways.
More job opportunities
Knowing backend and Ktor would let you find jobs easier, or if you are a freelancer, it would let you apply for backend developer jobs.
It is a win-win in both cases!
Final Thoughts
If you want to learn backend development, and if you already know Kotlin, Ktor is an amazing framework to get started.
I hope this story helped you. I would love to hear if you have decided to try out Ktor or not!
And that’s it. Thanks for reading this story!
If you liked the story, make sure to clap to it! And feel free to ask me anything you want.
Follow me on Twitter:
Support me on Patreon:
