From Java to Kotlin — applying it at Productboard

A pair of years back, I resolved to master a manufacturer-new programming language: Kotlin. In this short article, I’ll describe what drove me to take on that problem, the rewards of working in Kotlin, and why Productboard is the perfect suit for Kotlin engineers. 

My path into engineering

I started coding when I was in 3rd quality. I employed Pascal to publish my very first code, prior to settling on C for a even though. I then touched on C# when finding out for my Master’s, receiving a task the summer season I still left college as a C# developer, the place I worked on automation and designed a framework for testing in C#. 

Immediately after some time, I bought an give to switch to product engineering, to be someone who develops code that goes to manufacturing, which was tremendous exciting. I turned dependable not just for creating the suitable choices, but also for how matters looked on the back stop. 

Close to this time, I started thinking about not just what we had been building, but how we were being creating it. The enterprise experienced 14 teams spread throughout the globe, and every single developer experienced their possess way of approaching how to code and develop things. So as a substitute of focusing on code, I begun acquiring our establish framework, generating it improved suited to our team’s needs. At this place, I was working primarily in PowerShell. 

Later on on, I begun working in Java. My very first working experience with that language arrived as part of a problem with the automation team. I went from understanding practically nothing about Java to having a totally performing piece of code right after just a couple of days — and profitable the problem! 

All over this time, we experienced a prerequisite to retail store our pipelines as code. We tried using working with CircleCI, a cloud-based mostly AI system, but we experienced to abandon it since it didn’t match the task. So in its place, we went with TeamCity, which experienced help for writing pipeline-as-code in Kotlin. And which is in which my Kotlin journey started.

Finding to grips with Kotlin

I’m not a theoretical individual. Instead than investing a month examining a e-book right before I start applying a thing, I need to get into it as rapid as possible. So I watched some movies by JetBrains about how to create pipelines in Kotlin. I also took a few on the web Kotlin courses. Following that, I was completely ready to commence playing all around with it. So I downloaded the IntelliJ Notion from JetBrains and started creating some scripts.

What amazed me is that it’s very uncomplicated to produce code in Kotlin compared to Java. You really do not have to publish a ton of boilerplate, due to the fact it presents you all the supporting language. You do not require to write just about every getter and setter. All those people issues you have to do in Java, Kotlin hides them from you. So you can create a fairytale, and you can compile it and execute it. And, ideally, the fairytale really should have a content ending. 

Why Kotlin is such a terrific language to function with

It took me about six months to totally get to grips with Kotlin and be assured when coding, but I beloved the journey. Kotlin is created in a way that helps make all the things obvious. You’re not building as a device but as a human, which can make the learning curve additional pleasurable. 

In comparison to Java, Kotlin permits you to be additional productive. You can develop stuff speedier simply because you don’t need to code the boilerplate. The language is outlined in a way that you just kind a information course and Kotlin gives you all the things you will need — whether it is for equals, formatting to string, getters, setters, or everything else. Primarily, Kotlin will allow you to variety a lot less and get extra than Java. 

Kotlin at Productboard — and why I joined

When I joined Productboard in early 2022, the engineering section experienced made the final decision to change to Kotlin and absent from Ruby. Possessing experimented with a handful of languages, like Node.js, they recognized that Kotlin had the greatest organizational effects — and the best likely for upcoming results. 

The enterprise was scaling fast at the time, doubling its engineering headcount each and every quarter, and it was a problem to preserve filling seats with Ruby engineers. At the similar time, the Czech Republic — the place our engineering workforce is predominantly based mostly — is a robust marketplace for Kotlin developers. So Kotlin was the greatest preference to assist the business seek the services of, scale, and get matters shipped more rapidly.

Other than the possibility to operate on an exciting job in a firm that embraced Kotlin, the opportunity to operate remotely was one particular of the significant bonuses for me in this article at Productboard. I got applied to doing work remotely all through COVID. As well as, I’m an introvert — I enjoy my room, my time, and my way of doing work. I was offered the freedom listed here to determine in which and how I want to get the job done. 

Empowerment and autonomy are extremely valued below at Productboard, and it’s definitely the kind of company exactly where values actually necessarily mean something in exercise. So it was a rather easy determination for me to be part of the crew.

What I’m performing on appropriate now

I perform in a group identified as Apollo, and we are component of the Insights tribe. We are responsible for a performance named notes — a device of responses that is captured in Productboard —  and all the magic that takes place ahead of you can switch them into attributes. Right now, we’re working with yet another crew to support deliver equipment-studying capabilities to our clients. 

Earlier, we ended up operating on insights automation, which concerned simplifying the approach of categorizing notes, connecting them to doable attributes you could build, and rating how nicely these features could remedy shopper troubles. Our operate saved shoppers time when bettering the all round UX. 

What I’m on the lookout forward to doing the job on in the long term

With my background in infrastructure and DevOps, I’m nonetheless hunting at how the products and services we establish behave. How can we make them additional observable and secure? How can we make it much easier to investigate possible problems? How can we make matters superior — superior logging, improved tracing, far better metrics, far better dashboards? 

Also, as a even bigger-photograph venture, I’d like to look at building some greatest methods for all people who works in Kotlin. How we do items like logging, how we consume Kafka messages, and how we expose the valid info to Datadog or other techniques. 

How Productboard supports builders switching to Kotlin

A further terrific issue about Productboard is the normal attitude of ongoing skilled growth and aid. Not only are we actively using the services of Kotlin developers to push us forwards, but we also do anything we can to aid builders to learn or strengthen their Kotlin techniques. 

We have an optional bi-weekly meeting known as Kotlin Place of work Several hours, for illustration, in which we get alongside one another for an hour to discuss everything Kotlin-linked. So say you locate a new library that helps make your existence less complicated. You do a swift prototype, existing it to every person else, and then get their suggestions. In these conferences, you can chat about nearly anything linked to how we use Kotlin — most effective methods, thoughts, ideas, and ideas. It is a great area to understand. 

On best of that, we’re very conscious of leveraging the Kotlin knowledge we previously have in-home to help other individuals learn and mature. If any individual normally takes on the obstacle of switching to Kotlin, we make confident that they’re supported and guided by a extra seasoned Kotlin engineer. 

All round, I appreciate the troubles listed here at Productboard. Even soon after 12 decades as an engineer, I’m even now keen to master new factors and problem myself. And that mentality properly fits with the general ethos of the enterprise. If there is 1 factor you can be absolutely sure of, it’s that you are going to by no means be bored in this article at Productboard.  

Fancy becoming a member of us on our mission to make items that issue? We’re selecting across the board. Head about to our occupations webpage to see our offered positions. We’d adore to hear from you!