Kotlin Native backend, codenamed Kotlin N, is a LLVM backend for the Kotlin compiler, runtime implementation and native code generation facility using LLVM toolchain.
Kotlin N is primarily designed to allow compilation for platforms where virtual machines are not desirable or possible (such as iOS, embedded targets), or where developer is willing to produce reasonably-sized self-contained program without need to ship an additional execution runtime.
Kotlin N compiler produces mostly portable (modulo pointer size and target triplet) LLVM bitcode, and as such is easily portable, as long as there's LLVM codegenerator for the platform. However, as actual producing of the native code requires platform linker and some basic runtime shipped with the translator, we only support a subset of all possible target platforms. Currently Kotlin N is being shipped and tested with support for the following platforms:
- Mac OS X 10.10 and later (x86-64)
- x86-64 Ubuntu Linux (14.04, 16.04 and later), other Linux flavours may work as well
- Apple iOS (arm64 and simulator on x86-64), cross-compiled on MacOS X host
- Raspberry Pi, cross-compiled on Linux host
Adding support for other target platforms shalln't be too hard, if LLVM support is available.
Language and library version supported by this EAP release mostly match Kotlin 1.1. However, there are certain limitations, see section Known Limitations.
Currently Kotlin N uses reference counting based memory management scheme with cycles garbage collection algorithm. Multiple threads could be used, but no shared objects between threads are allowed.
Kotlin N provides efficient interoperability with libraries written in C, including automated bindings generation. See samples coming with distributable.
Download Kotlin N redistributable and unpack it. You can run command line compiler with
./dist/bin/kotlinc <some_file>.kt <dir_with_kt_files> -o <executable>.kexe
One may use '-h' flag to kotlinc to see available flags.
For documentation on C interoperability stubs see INTEROP.md.
*** DO NOT USE THIS PREVIEW RELEASE FOR ANY PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS ***
This is purely technology preview of Kotlin N technology, and is not yet tuned for benchmarking and competitive analysis of any kind.
Standard library in Kotlin N is known to be incomplete and doesn't include certain methods available in standard library of Kotlin.
Coroutines are not yet supported with this release.
Full reflection and class object references are not implemented. Notice that property delegation (including lazy properties) does work.
Due to significant difference in exception handling model on MS Windows and other LLVM targets, current Kotlin N may not produce executables working on MS Windows. This situation could be improved in upcoming releases.