Performance comparison between Kotlin and Java in Back-end applications

Authors

  • Lucas Silva Instituto Master de Ensino Presidente Antônio Carlos
  • Bruno Antonio Joannuci Instituto Master de Ensino Presidente Antônio Carlos https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7245-6055
  • Alfredo José Tadeu de Oliveira Instituto Master de Ensino Presidente Antônio Carlos https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6064-6342
  • Walter Rodrigues De Andrade Instituto Master de Ensino Presidente Antônio Carlos

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47224/revistamaster.v11i21.660

Keywords:

Computação em Nuvem; Saúde; Desafios; Tecnologia; Segurança da Informação;

Abstract

In the current back-end development landscape, Java remains the dominant language. Meanwhile, Kotlin, initially focused on Android, has emerged as a strong contender, notable for its conciseness, null-safety features, and full JVM compatibility. However, its performance in server-side applications has not yet been sufficiently investigated. The main objective of this research is to compare the performance and usability of REST APIs developed in Java and Kotlin. Additionally, it analyzes the learning curve and the impact on the maintenance of existing systems. To achieve this, identical APIs were implemented in both languages and subjected to load tests, evaluating response time and CPU utilization. Each experiment was repeated to ensure the reliability of the results.

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References

FLAUZINO, M. et al. Are you still smelling it? A comparative study between Java and Kotlin language. In: Proceedings of the VII Brazilian Symposium on Software Components, Architectures, and Reuse. New York: Association for Computing Machinery, 2018. p. 23-32.

GLUKHOV, D.; MULLAYANOV, B. The Performance Evaluating of Kotlin and Java Implementations. In: 2020 International Multi-Conference on Industrial Engineering and Modern Technologies (FarEastCon). New York: IEEE, 2020. p. 1-7.

MONTOYA-GAMEZ, Arnoldo. Benchmarking Java and Kotlin in Android Runtime Environment. 2020. Dissertação (Mestrado em Engenharia da Computação) – Iowa State University, Ames, 2020.

NAKAMURA, Hayataka et al. Performance Study of Kotlin and Java Programs with Bytecode Analysis. Journal of Information Processing, v. 32, p. 380-395, 2024.

PUTRANTO, Bambang Purnomosidi Dwi et al. A Comparative Study of Java and Kotlin for Android Mobile Application Development. In: 2020 3rd International Seminar on Research of Information Technology and Intelligent Systems (ISRITI). New York: IEEE, 2020. p. 383-388.

REDDY, Hemasundara et al. Optimizing Java applications with advanced functional programming: a comparative analysis of Java, Scala, and Kotlin. Journal of Informatics Education and Research, [S. l.], v. 5, n. 2, 2022. DOI: 10.52783/jier.v5i2.2466. Disponível em: https://www.jier.org/index.php/journal/article/view/2466/2031. Acesso em: 25 jun. 2025.

Published

2026-08-26

How to Cite

SILVA, Lucas; JOANNUCI, Bruno Antonio; DE OLIVEIRA, Alfredo José Tadeu; DE ANDRADE, Walter Rodrigues. Performance comparison between Kotlin and Java in Back-end applications. Revista Master - Ensino, Pesquisa e Extensão, [S. l.], v. 11, n. 21, 2026. DOI: 10.47224/revistamaster.v11i21.660. Disponível em: https://revistamaster.emnuvens.com.br/RM/article/view/660. Acesso em: 27 aug. 2026.