JetBrains launches cross-platform UI framework for Kotlin

JetBrains has officially launched Compose Multiplatform 1.0, a tool that promises to speed the development of user interfaces for desktop, Android, and web applications, using the company’s Kotlin programming language.

Compose Multiplatform has reached stable status and can be used for building production-level apps, the company said on December 2. The UI framework for Kotlin takes a declarative and reactive approach to building UIs, allowing UI code to be shared across platforms and sparing developers from dealing with UI update logic.

Compose Multiplatform allows parts of the UI to be previewed without building the entire app. A common API is shared with Jetpack Compose by Google, simplifying adoption. A Grade plug-in allows applications to be packaged for major operating systems while also offering interoperability with existing Java frameworks. Developers can use Compose Multiplatform in Java apps or use Java components in Compose Multiplatform apps.

In addition, developers can create web apps using Kotlin, with Compose Multiplatform providing a reactive Kotlin API for manipulating the DOM with CSS-in-JS support. Kotlin support is provided sans JavaScript interoperability mechanisms, thus providing more type safety and future proofing. Code for the UI and state management can be shared between Android, desktop, and web, with Jetpack Compose-based apps for Android being portable to the desktop.

Since the launch of Compose Multiplatform Alpha this summer, improvements have been made to make the framework more powerful and cover more edge cases, JetBrains said. The beta version was launched earlier this fall, with critical issues fixed and accessibility features added for Windows. The JetBrains Toolbox App application manager is now also built on Compose Multiplatform, leading to decreased memory consumption, better performance, and smaller installer size, JetBrains said.