Kotlin/Wasm – Finally, the missing piece for a full stack Kotlin webapp!

Building a full stack webapp entirely using Jetbrains frameworks and Kotlin has long been a dream of mine. If you’re like me (a longtime Android and backend developer), you want to write everything in Kotlin including the front end, but doing that has historically been the hardest, trickiest part. While there are some frameworks that can help bridge the gap, it’s always felt a little disjointed when integrating them with the rest of the stack.

But no longer! With Kotlin/Wasm reaching Beta and having full support in modern browsers, we finally have the missing piece to do everything in our webapp using Kotlin and Jetbrains’ well-supported frameworks in a performant, pixel-perfect way. We’ll walk through building a full stack webapp from top to bottom using Kotlin/Wasm + Compose Multiplatform + Coroutines + Exposed + Ktor, finally uniting the UI, business logic, database, and server. Through code examples and contextual discussion you’ll get a solid introduction on how to use Kotlin and its frameworks at every level of the stack, why that’s so desirable, why Kotlin/Wasm is a key unlock, as well as an introduction to frameworks you might not have used yet but should consider (Exposed, Ktor). Let’s go spin up some fully Kotlinized webapps!

1. Wasm: Finally, the missing piece for full stack Kotlin webapps! Dan Kim | @dankim
2. Last year…
3. Uh…how do I build a webapp in 2025?
4. Database Exposed Coroutines Vaadin + Vaadin Boot
5. It was…pretty solid
6. Some stuff was a little clunky
7. Imperative UI
8. No built in reactivity
9. More verbose, more hoops
11. "Sure we can do that for you, Dan" – Your friends at JetBrains
12. Wasm is in Beta
13. Supported by all modern browsers
14. OK, but what is Wasm?
15. Wasm in a nutshell • WebAssembly (Wasm) is a binary format that runs inside the browser's sandbox • Your Kotlin UI code runs natively in the browser with no JavaScript framework, no DOM manipulation, and no translation layer • No DOM, draws directly to an HTML <canvas> element • Full control over rendering • Renders your UI using Skia, so every pixel is drawn to canvas
16. Pamela Hill's Wasm Lightning talk from 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIEBQ_czdxs
17. Uh…how do I build a (Kotlin) webapp in 2025 2026?
18. Database Exposed Coroutines
19. Database Exposed Coroutines 🥳 Ktor 🥳
20. Database Exposed Coroutines 🥳 Ktor 🥳 🥳 Compose Multiplatform 🥳
21. Let’s build something!
22. A demo todo app
23. Goals (and non-goals)
24. Goals •See what's possible with lightweight, unified tools and frameworks works designed to work together (Kotlin + JetBrains libs) •Get you excited about Wasm! •Get you thinking about how you can use some or all of these in your projects!
25. Goals – How •A small codebase and surface area •Core features only •Code that's easy to follow and understand
26. 486 lines of code • UI — 277 • Server / API — 133 • Everything else — 38 • Database — 26 • Shared — 12
27. Non-goals •Tests •DI •"Scalable" Architecture •Production ready code
28. Setup
29. kmp.jetbrains.com
31. Three modules :shared models and constants :server Ktor backend that serves the API and the Wasm app :composeApp Compose Multiplatform UI
32. Libraries and versions • composeMultiplatform = "1.11.0" • exposed = "1.3.0" • kotlin = "2.3.21" • kotlinx-coroutines = "1.11.0" • kotlinx-serialization = "1.11.0" • ktor = "3.5.0" • ktorfit = "2.7.3" • material3 = "1.11.0-alpha07" • sqlite-jdbc = "3.53.1.0"
33. Model
34. Model / DTO @Serializable data class TodoItem( val id: Int, val title: String, val done: Boolean, val createdAt: Long, )
35. Database + Exposed
36. SQLite
37. JetBrains Exposed
38. Exposed in a nutshell •Kotlin-first SQL library from JetBrains •Two APIs: DSL for SQL-like query building, DAO traditional ORM object style •Wraps JDBC — works with any JDBC-supported databases •Schema definition, migrations, and transactions in Kotlin •No annotation processing, no code generation
39. Why Exposed is great • No magic, completely explicit • No lazy loading surprises, no proxy objects, no relationships you didn't expect • Kotlin classes are your schema • Tables are objects, columns are properties • Flexibility in style • DSL reads like SQL, DAO reads like objects • Zero annotation, zero code generation — it's just Kotlin
40. Exposed doesn't try to hide the database away. It makes working with one more enjoyable because you're just writing idiomatic Kotlin.
41. Schema object TodoItems : IntIdTable("todo_items") { val title = varchar("title", 255) val done = bool("done").default(false) val createdAt = long("created_at") }
42. Schema object TodoItems : IntIdTable("todo_items") { val title = varchar("title", 255) val done = bool("done").default(false) val createdAt = long("created_at") val assignee = reference("assignee_id", Users).nullable() } object Users : IntIdTable("users") { val firstName = varchar("first_name", 255) }
43. Database initialization fun init() { File("data").mkdirs() ExposedDatabase.connect( "jdbc:sqlite:$DB_PATH", “org.sqlite.JDBC” ) transaction { SchemaUtils.create(TodoItems) } }
44. DAO interface class TodoItemEntity(id: EntityID<Int>) : IntEntity(id) { companion object : IntEntityClass<TodoItemEntity>(TodoItems) var title by TodoItems.title var done by TodoItems.done var createdAt by TodoItems.createdAt fun toTodoItem() = TodoItem(id.value, title, done, createdAt) }
45. Coroutines + transactions wrapper suspend fun <T> dbQuery(block: suspend () - > T): T = withContext(Dispatchers.IO) { suspendTransaction { block() } }
46. Simple query val todos = dbQuery { TodoItemEntity.all() .orderBy(TodoItems.createdAt to SortOrder.DESC) .map { it.toTodoItem() } }
47. Simple query val todos = dbQuery { TodoItemEntity.all() .orderBy(TodoItems.createdAt to SortOrder.DESC) .map { it.toTodoItem() } } / / DSL val todos = dbQuery { TodoItems.selectAll() .orderBy(TodoItems.createdAt to SortOrder.DESC) .map { it.toTodoItem() } }
48. "Complex" query val todos = dbQuery { TodoItemEntity.find { (TodoItems.done eq false) and (TodoItems.title like "%kotlin%") } .orderBy(TodoItems.createdAt to SortOrder.DESC) .map { it.toTodoItem() } }
49. "Complex" query val todos = dbQuery { TodoItemEntity.find { (TodoItems.done eq false) and (TodoItems.title like "%kotlin%") } .orderBy(TodoItems.createdAt to SortOrder.DESC) .map { it.toTodoItem() } } // DSL val todos = dbQuery { TodoItems.selectAll() .where { TodoItems.done eq false } .andWhere { TodoItems.title like "%kotlin%" } .orderBy(TodoItems.createdAt to SortOrder.DESC) .map { it.toTodoItem() } }
50. Server
51. Ktor
52. Ktor in a nutshell •Kotlin-first HTTP framework from JetBrains •Coroutine-native — every handler is a suspend function •Extensible via plugins: auth, serialization, CORS, compression, and more •No reflection, no annotation processing
53. Why Ktor is great •Explicit, no magic •Install only what you need, not everything under the sun •Wide variety of plugins •CORS, auth, serialization, WebSockets, Server- Sent Events, rate limiting, OpenAPI support, logging, OpenTelemetry support, custom •Starts in milliseconds, tiny footprint •No classpath scanning, no reflection, no huge framework bootstraping
54. Initializing Ktor fun Application.module() { Database.init() install(CORS) { anyHost() ... } install(ContentNegotiation) { json(Json { ignoreUnknownKeys = true explicitNulls = false }) } routing { staticFiles("/", File("composeApp/build/dist/wasmJs/developmentExecutable")) route("/api/todos") { get { . .. } post { ... } put("/{id}") { . .. } delete("/{id}") { ... } } } }
55. Ktor: CORS plugin install(CORS) { anyHost() allowMethod(HttpMethod.Get) allowMethod(HttpMethod.Post) allowMethod(HttpMethod.Put) allowMethod(HttpMethod.Delete) allowHeader(HttpHeaders.ContentType) }
56. Ktor: Serialization plugin install(ContentNegotiation) { json(Json { ignoreUnknownKeys = true explicitNulls = false }) }
57. Ktor: Routing routing { staticFiles( "/", File("composeApp/build/dist/wasmJs/developmentExecutable") ) get { .. . } post { . .. } put("/{id}") { .. . } delete("/{id}") { . .. }
58. API surface • GET /api/todos — list all, newest first • POST /api/todos — create, returns new row • PUT /api/todos/{id} — toggle done, optionally rename • DELETE /api/todos/{id} — delete one
59. Request contracts @Serializable data class CreateTodoRequest(val title: String) @Serializable data class UpdateTodoRequest( val done: Boolean, val title: String? = null )
60. Ktor: API endpoints get { . . . } post { . .. } put("/{id}") { ... } delete("/{id}") { . .. }
61. GET get { . . . }
62. GET get { val todos = dbQuery { TodoItemEntity.all() .orderBy(TodoItems.createdAt to SortOrder.DESC) .map { it.toTodoItem() } } call.respond(todos) }
63. Ktor: API endpoints get { . . . } post { . .. } put("/{id}") { ... } delete("/{id}") { . .. }
64. POST post { . .. }
65. POST post { val request = call.receive<CreateTodoRequest>() val todo = dbQuery { TodoItemEntity.new { title = request.title done = false createdAt = System.currentTimeMillis() }.toTodoItem() } call.respond(HttpStatusCode.Created, todo) }
66. POST + query val todo = dbQuery { TodoItemEntity.new { title = request.title done = false createdAt = System.currentTimeMillis() }.toTodoItem() }
67. POST + query val todo = dbQuery { TodoItemEntity.new { title = request.title done = false createdAt = System.currentTimeMillis() }.toTodoItem() } // DSL val todo = dbQuery { TodoItems.insert { it[title] = request.title it[done] = false it[createdAt] = System.currentTimeMillis() }.toTodoItem() }
68. Ktor: API endpoints get { . . . } post { . .. } put("/{id}") { ... } delete("/{id}") { . .. }
69. PUT put("/{id}") { ... }
70. PUT put("/{id}") { val id = call.parameters["id"] ?. toIntOrNull() ?: return@put call.respond(HttpStatusCode.BadRequest) val request = call.receive<UpdateTodoRequest>() val todo = dbQuery { TodoItemEntity.findById(id) ? . apply { done = request.done request.title ?. let { title = it } } ?. toTodoItem() } if (todo != null) call.respond(todo) else call.respond(HttpStatusCode.NotFound) }
71. Ktor: API endpoints get { . . . } post { . .. } put("/{id}") 1 { .. . } 2 delete("/{id}") 3 { 4 .. . } 4
72. DELETE delete("/{id}") 3 { 4 .. . } 4
73. DELETE delete("/{id}") { val id = call.parameters["id"] ?. toIntOrNull() ?: return@delete call.respond(HttpStatusCode.BadRequest) val deleted = dbQuery { TodoItemEntity.findById(id) ? . delete() ! = null } if (deleted) call.respond(HttpStatusCode.NoContent) else call.respond(HttpStatusCode.NotFound) }
74. DELETE + query val deleted = dbQuery { TodoItemEntity.findById(id) ?. delete() != null }
75. DELETE + query val deleted = dbQuery { TodoItemEntity.findById(id) ?. delete() != null } / / DSL val deleted = dbQuery { TodoItems.deleteWhere { TodoItems.id eq id } > 0 }
76. Client API Setup
77. Server routes routing { ... route("/api/todos") { get { ... } post { .. . } put("/{id}") { ... } delete("/{id}") { .. . } } }
78. Request contracts @Serializable data class CreateTodoRequest(val title: String) @Serializable data class UpdateTodoRequest( val done: Boolean, val title: String? = null )
79. Ktorfit: An ode to Retrofit internal interface TodoApi { @GET("api/todos") suspend fun getTodos(): List<TodoItem> @Headers("Content-Type: application/json")+ @POST("api/todos") suspend fun createTodo(@Body request: CreateTodoRequest): TodoItem @Headers("Content-Type: application/json") @PUT("api/todos/{id}") suspend fun updateTodo(@Path("id") id: Int, @Body request: UpdateTodoRequest): TodoItem @DELETE("api/todos/{id}") suspend fun deleteTodo(@Path("id") id: Int) }
80. Ktorfit: An ode to Retrofit internal interface TodoApi { @GET("api/todos") suspend fun getTodos(): List<TodoItem> @Headers("Content-Type: application/json")+ @POST("api/todos") suspend fun createTodo(@Body request: CreateTodoRequest): TodoItem @Headers("Content-Type: application/json") @PUT("api/todos/{id}") suspend fun updateTodo(@Path("id") id: Int, @Body request: UpdateTodoRequest): TodoItem @DELETE("api/todos/{id}") suspend fun deleteTodo(@Path("id") id: Int) }
81. Ktorfit: An ode to Retrofit internal interface TodoApi { @GET("api/todos") suspend fun getTodos(): List<TodoItem> @Headers("Content-Type: application/json")+ @POST("api/todos") suspend fun createTodo(@Body request: CreateTodoRequest): TodoItem @Headers("Content-Type: application/json") @PUT("api/todos/{id}") suspend fun updateTodo(@Path("id") id: Int, @Body request: UpdateTodoRequest): TodoItem @DELETE("api/todos/{id}") suspend fun deleteTodo(@Path("id") id: Int) }
82. Ktorfit: An ode to Retrofit internal interface TodoApi { @GET("api/todos") suspend fun getTodos(): List<TodoItem> @Headers("Content-Type: application/json")+ @POST("api/todos") suspend fun createTodo(@Body request: CreateTodoRequest): TodoItem @Headers("Content-Type: application/json") @PUT("api/todos/{id}") suspend fun updateTodo(@Path("id") id: Int, @Body request: UpdateTodoRequest): TodoItem @DELETE("api/todos/{id}") suspend fun deleteTodo(@Path("id") id: Int) }
83. Ktorfit: An ode to Retrofit internal interface TodoApi { @GET("api/todos") suspend fun getTodos(): List<TodoItem> @Headers("Content-Type: application/json")+ @POST("api/todos") suspend fun createTodo(@Body request: CreateTodoRequest): TodoItem @Headers("Content-Type: application/json") @PUT("api/todos/{id}") suspend fun updateTodo(@Path("id") id: Int, @Body request: UpdateTodoRequest): TodoItem @DELETE("api/todos/{id}") suspend fun deleteTodo(@Path("id") id: Int) }
84. API client @Composable internal fun rememberTodoApi(serverUrl: String): TodoApi { val client = rememberHttpClient() return remember(client) { Ktorfit.Builder() .httpClient(client) .baseUrl(serverUrl) .build() .createTodoApi() } }
85. HTTP client @Composable private fun rememberHttpClient(): HttpClient { val json = remember { Json { ignoreUnknownKeys = true explicitNulls = false } } val client = remember { HttpClient { install(ContentNegotiation) { json(json) } defaultRequest { contentType(ContentType.Application.Json) accept(ContentType.Application.Json) } } } DisposableEffect(client) { onDispose { client.close() } } return client }
86. A bit about Coroutines
87. The whole stack is coroutines
88. The whole stack is coroutines / / Exposed DB bridge suspend fun <T> dbQuery(block: suspend () - > T): T = withContext(Dispatchers.IO) { suspendTransaction { block() }= }+
89. The whole stack is coroutines / / Exposed DB bridge suspend fun <T> dbQuery(block: suspend () - > T): T = withContext(Dispatchers.IO) { suspendTransaction { block() }= }+ // Ktor route handling get { . .. }+
90. The whole stack is coroutines / / Exposed DB bridge suspend fun <T> dbQuery(block: suspend () - > T): T = withContext(Dispatchers.IO) { suspendTransaction { block() }= }+ // Ktor route handling get { . .. }+ public typealias RoutingHandler = suspend RoutingContext.() -> Unit+
91. The whole stack is coroutines / / Exposed DB bridge suspend fun <T> dbQuery(block: suspend () - > T): T = withContext(Dispatchers.IO) { suspendTransaction { block() }= }+ // Ktor route handling get { . .. }+ public typealias RoutingHandler = suspend RoutingContext.() -> Unit+ / / API interface suspend fun getTodos(): List<TodoItem>+
92. The whole stack is coroutines / / Exposed DB bridge suspend fun <T> dbQuery(block: suspend () - > T): T = withContext(Dispatchers.IO) { suspendTransaction { block() }= }+ // Ktor route handling get { . . . }+ public typealias RoutingHandler = suspend RoutingContext.() -> Unit+ / / API interface suspend fun getTodos(): List<TodoItem>+ / / API call from UI fun toggle(todo: TodoItem) = scope.launch { .. . }-
93. Wasm time!
94. Wasm in a nutshell • WebAssembly (Wasm) is a binary format that runs inside the browser's sandbox • Your Kotlin UI code runs natively in the browser with no JavaScript framework, no DOM manipulation, and no translation layer • No DOM, draws directly to an HTML <canvas> element • Full control over rendering • Renders your UI using Skia, so every pixel is drawn to canvas
95. Why Wasm is great • Because you can write a web UI with Kotlin! • Lines of CSS you have to write: 0 • Lines of JavaScript you have to write: 0 • Wasm runs at near-native speed since it's a compiled binary • Skia renders pixel perfect UI the same way on every browser, every OS
96. ‹ › localhost:8080 ↻ image App Title N items · N complete · N incomplete Add Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete · · ·
97. ‹ › localhost:8080 ↻ image App Title N items · N complete · N incomplete Add Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Add Todo Placeholder text... Cancel Add
98. ‹ › localhost:8080 ↻ image App Title N items · N complete · N incomplete Add Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Edit Item Todo item title goes here Cancel Update
99. Wasm bootstrap @OptIn(ExperimentalComposeUiApi : : class) fun main() { ComposeViewport { TodoApp() } }
100. App container @Composable fun TodoApp(serverUrl: String = "http: / / localhost:$SERVER_PORT/")+{ val api = rememberTodoApi(serverUrl) val scope = rememberCoroutineScope { CoroutineExceptionHandler { _, t -> println( "ERROR: ${t :: class.simpleName}: ${t.message}" ) } } var todos by remember { mutableStateOf<List<TodoItem >> (emptyList()) } var addingTodo by remember { mutableStateOf(false) } var editingTodo by remember { mutableStateOf<TodoItem?>(null) } val listState = rememberLazyListState() var scrollToTopTrigger by remember { mutableStateOf(0) } LaunchedEffect(Unit) { todos = api.getTodos() } ... + TodoScreen( todos = todos, listState = listState, onAddClick = { addingTodo = true }, onToggle = { todo -> toggle(todo) }, onEdit = { todo - > editingTodo = todo }, onDelete = { todo -> delete(todo) }, ) ... + }
101. App container @Composable fun TodoApp(serverUrl: String = "http: // localhost:$SERVER_PORT/")+{ ... }+
102. App state @Composable fun TodoApp(serverUrl: String = "http: / / localhost:$SERVER_PORT/")+{ val api = rememberTodoApi(serverUrl) val scope = rememberCoroutineScope { CoroutineExceptionHandler { _, t - > println( "ERROR: ${t : : class.simpleName}: ${t.message}" ) } } var todos by remember { mutableStateOf<List<TodoItem >> (emptyList()) } var addingTodo by remember { mutableStateOf(false) } var editingTodo by remember { mutableStateOf<TodoItem?>(null) } val listState = rememberLazyListState() var scrollToTopTrigger by remember { mutableStateOf(0) } LaunchedEffect(Unit) { todos = api.getTodos() } . .. }+
103. App state @Composable fun TodoApp(serverUrl: String = "http: / / localhost:$SERVER_PORT/")+{ val api = rememberTodoApi(serverUrl) val scope = rememberCoroutineScope { CoroutineExceptionHandler { _, t -> println( "ERROR: ${t :: class.simpleName}: ${t.message}" ) } } var todos by remember { mutableStateOf<List<TodoItem >> (emptyList()) } var addingTodo by remember { mutableStateOf(false) } var editingTodo by remember { mutableStateOf<TodoItem?>(null) } val listState = rememberLazyListState() var scrollToTopTrigger by remember { mutableStateOf(0) } LaunchedEffect(Unit) { todos = api.getTodos() } . . . }+
104. TodoScreen @Composable fun TodoApp(serverUrl: String = "http: / / localhost:$SERVER_PORT/") { . . . +TodoScreen( todos = todos, listState = listState, onAddClick = { addingTodo = true }, onToggle = { todo -> toggle(todo) }, onEdit = { todo -> editingTodo = todo }, onDelete = { todo -> delete(todo) }, ) . . . }
105. TodoScreen @Composable fun+TodoScreen( todos: List<TodoItem>, listState: LazyListState, onAddClick: () -> Unit, onToggle: (TodoItem) -> Unit, onEdit: (TodoItem) - > Unit, onDelete: (TodoItem) -> Unit, )+{ +MaterialTheme { Surface(modifier+= Modifier.fillMaxSize(), color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.background) { Box(modifier+= Modifier.fillMaxSize()) { Column( modifier+= Modifier .align(Alignment.TopCenter) .widthIn(max = 640.dp) .fillMaxWidth() .fillMaxHeight() .padding(horizontal = 24.dp, vertical = 28.dp), ) { +TodoHeader(todos = todos, onAddClick = onAddClick,) Spacer(modifier = Modifier.height(12.dp)) HorizontalDivider() Spacer(modifier = Modifier.height(4.dp)) TodoList( modifier = Modifier.weight(1f), todos = todos, listState = listState, onToggle = onToggle, onEdit = onEdit, onDelete = onDelete, ) } } } } }
106. TodoScreen TodoHeader(todos = ! todos, onAddClick = onAddClick,) TodoList( modifier = Modifier.weight(1f), todos = todos, listState = listState, onToggle = onToggle, onEdit = onEdit, onDelete = onDelete, )
107. ‹ › localhost:8080 ↻ image App Title N items · N complete · N incomplete Add Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete · · ·
108. TodoList private fun TodoList( modifier: Modifier = Modifier, todos: List<TodoItem>, listState: LazyListState, onToggle: (TodoItem) -> Unit, onEdit: (TodoItem) -> Unit, onDelete: (TodoItem) -> Unit, ) { LazyColumn(state = listState, modifier = modifier) { items(todos, key = { it.id }) { todo - > TodoRow( todo = todo, onToggle = { onToggle(todo) }, onEdit = { onEdit(todo) }, onDelete = { onDelete(todo) }, ) HorizontalDivider() } } }
109. TodoList LazyColumn(state = listState, modifier = modifier) { ... }1
110. TodoList LazyColumn(state = listState, modifier = modifier) { items(todos, key = { it.id }) { todo -> TodoRow( todo = todo, onToggle = { onToggle(todo) }, onEdit = { onEdit(todo) }, onDelete = { onDelete(todo) }, ) HorizontalDivider() } }1
111. TodoRow @Composable private fun TodoRow( todo: TodoItem, onToggle: () - > Unit, onEdit: () -> Unit, onDelete: () - > Unit, ) { Row( modifier = Modifier .fillMaxWidth() .padding(vertical = 4.dp), verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically, ) { Checkbox(checked = todo.done, onCheckedChange = { onToggle() }) TodoTitleText(todo = todo, onClick = onEdit, modifier = Modifier.weight(1f)) TextButton(onClick = onDelete) { Text("Delete") } } }
114. Connecting actions
115. Add a todo
116. ‹ › localhost:8080 ↻ image App Title N items · N complete · N incomplete Add Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Add Todo Placeholder text... Cancel Add
117. App container @Composable fun TodoApp(serverUrl: String = "http: // localhost:$SERVER_PORT/")+{ ... var addingTodo by remember { mutableStateOf(false) } TodoScreen( todos = todos, listState = listState, onAddClick = { addingTodo = true }, onToggle = { todo -> toggle(todo) }, onEdit = { todo - > editingTodo = todo }, onDelete = { todo -> delete(todo) }, ) ... }
118. App container @Composable fun TodoApp(serverUrl: String = "http: // localhost:$SERVER_PORT/")+{ ... var addingTodo by remember { mutableStateOf(false) } TodoScreen( todos = todos, listState = listState, onAddClick = { addingTodo = true }, onToggle = { todo -> toggle(todo) }, onEdit = { todo - > editingTodo = todo }, onDelete = { todo -> delete(todo) }, ) ... }
119. Adding a todo if (addingTodo) { AddTodoDialog( onDismiss = { addingTodo = false }, onAdd = { title -> addingTodo = false scope.launch { api.createTodo(CreateTodoRequest(title)) todos = api.getTodos() scrollToTopTrigger + + } }, ) }
120. AddTodoDialog @Composable fun AddTodoDialog(onDismiss: () -> Unit, onAdd: (String) - > Unit) { TodoInputDialog( title = "New Todo", placeholder = "What needs to be done?", confirmLabel = "Add", onDismiss = onDismiss, onConfirm = onAdd, ) }
121. TodoInputDialog @Composable private fun TodoInputDialog( title: String, confirmLabel: String, initialValue: TextFieldValue = TextFieldValue(""), placeholder: String? = null, onDismiss: () - > Unit, onConfirm: (String) -> Unit, ) { var field by remember { mutableStateOf(initialValue) } val focusRequester = remember { FocusRequester() } AlertDialog( onDismissRequest = onDismiss, title = { Text(title) }, text = { TextField( value = field, onValueChange = { field = it }, placeholder = placeholder ? . let { { Text(it) } }, singleLine = true, keyboardOptions = KeyboardOptions(imeAction = ImeAction.Done), keyboardActions = KeyboardActions(onDone = { if (field.text.isNotBlank()) onConfirm(field.text) }), modifier = Modifier .fillMaxWidth() .focusRequester(focusRequester) .onKeyEvent { if (it.key == Key.Escape) { onDismiss(); true } else false }, ) }, confirmButton = { TextButton(onClick = { onConfirm(field.text) }, enabled = field.text.isNotBlank()) { Text(confirmLabel) } }, dismissButton = { TextButton(onClick = onDismiss) { Text("Cancel") } }, )
125. Edit a todo
126. ‹ › localhost:8080 ↻ image App Title N items · N complete · N incomplete Add Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Todo item title goes here Delete Edit Item Todo item title goes here Cancel Update
127. TodoList LazyColumn(state = listState, modifier = modifier) { items(todos, key = { it.id }) { todo -> TodoRow( todo = todo, onToggle = { onToggle(todo) }, onEdit = { onEdit(todo) }, onDelete = { onDelete(todo) }, ) HorizontalDivider() } }
128. App container @Composable fun TodoApp(serverUrl: String = "http: // localhost:$SERVER_PORT/")+{ ... var editingTodo by remember { mutableStateOf<TodoItem?>(null) } TodoScreen( todos = todos, listState = listState, onAddClick = { addingTodo = true }, onToggle = { todo -> toggle(todo) }, onEdit = { todo - > editingTodo = todo }, onDelete = { todo -> delete(todo) }, ) ... }
129. App container @Composable fun TodoApp(serverUrl: String = "http: // localhost:$SERVER_PORT/")+{ ... var editingTodo by remember { mutableStateOf<TodoItem?>(null) } TodoScreen( todos = todos, listState = listState, onAddClick = { addingTodo = true }, onToggle = { todo -> toggle(todo) }, onEdit = { todo - > editingTodo = todo }, onDelete = { todo -> delete(todo) }, ) ... }
130. Editing a todo editingTodo ?. let { todo - > EditTodoDialog( todo = todo, onDismiss = { editingTodo = null }, onUpdate = { newTitle - > editingTodo = null scope.launch { api.updateTodo( todo.id, UpdateTodoRequest(done = todo.done, title = newTitle) ) todos = api.getTodos() } }, ) }
131. EditTodoDialog @Composable fun EditTodoDialog(todo: TodoItem, onDismiss: () - > Unit, onUpdate: (String) - > Unit) { TodoInputDialog( title = "Update Todo", confirmLabel = "Update", initialValue = TextFieldValue( todo.title, selection = TextRange(todo.title.length) ), onDismiss = onDismiss, onConfirm = onUpdate, ) }
135. Toggling a todo
136. TodoRow Row( modifier = Modifier .fillMaxWidth() .padding(vertical = 4.dp), verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically, ) { Checkbox(checked = todo.done, onCheckedChange = { onToggle() }) TodoTitleText(todo = todo, onClick = onEdit, modifier = Modifier.weight(1f)) TextButton(onClick = onDelete) { Text("Delete") } }
137. toggle() fun toggle(todo: TodoItem) = scope.launch { api.updateTodo( todo.id, UpdateTodoRequest(done = !todo.done) ) todos = api.getTodos() }
140. Delete a todo
141. TodoRow Row( modifier = Modifier .fillMaxWidth() .padding(vertical = 4.dp), verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically, ) { Checkbox(checked = todo.done, onCheckedChange = { onToggle() }) TodoTitleText(todo = todo, onClick = onEdit, modifier = Modifier.weight(1f)) TextButton(onClick = onDelete) { Text("Delete") } }
142. Deleting a todo fun delete(todo: TodoItem) = scope.launch { api.deleteTodo(todo.id) todos = api.getTodos() }
145. 486 lines of code • UI — 277 • Server / API — 133 • Everything else — 38 • Database — 26 • Shared — 12
146. One more thing...
147. Compose
148. Compose Multiplatform
149. Wasm bootstrap @OptIn(ExperimentalComposeUiApi : : class) fun main() { ComposeViewport { TodoApp() } }
150. Desktop
151. Desktop bootstrap fun main() = application { Window( onCloseRequest = : : exitApplication, title = "KC2026") { TodoApp() } }
155. Android
156. Android bootstrap class MainActivity : ComponentActivity() { override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) { super.onCreate(savedInstanceState) setContent { Box(Modifier.safeDrawingPadding()) { TodoApp(serverUrl = "http: // 10.0.2.2:$SERVER_PORT/") } } } }
160. iOS
161. iOS bootstrap fun MainViewController() = ComposeUIViewController { TodoApp() }
162. iOS bootstrap @main struct iOSApp: App { var body: some Scene { WindowGroup { ContentView() } } } struct ContentView: UIViewControllerRepresentable { func makeUIViewController(context: Context) -> UIViewController { MainKt.MainViewController() } func updateUIViewController(_ uiViewController: UIViewController, context: Context) {} }
167. Wrap up
168. Summary •JetBrains makes a whole suite of lovely tools that work well together •Consistently, uniformly architected so they are easy to reason about (eg, coroutines) •Lightweight alternatives to do-everything frameworks •Enables development at all levels of the stack with idiomatic Kotlin
169. Wasm caveats •Renders to a <canvas >: by default, no DOM, accessibility layer, or copy-paste •Workarounds exist, additional effort, early days •Scrolling has improved greatly but a keen eye might see some jank •Debugging in the browser can be "tricky" •No view source / DOM to inspect •Reliance on println •Stack traces can be cryptic
170. Mobile caveats •There's a more boilerplate setup in your build for multiplatform •For Android you'd want to follow more precise architecture patterns (MVVM, etc) •For iOS there's more harness code and integration with Xcode
171. 486 lines of code • UI 1— 277 • Server / API 2— 133 • Everything else 3— 38 • Database 4— 26 • Shared 5— 12
172. 486 lines of code • UI 1— 277 • Server / API 2— 133 • Everything else 3— 38 • Database 4— 26 • Shared 5— 12
173. 486 lines of code • UI 1— 277 • Server / API 2— 133 • Platform specific 3— 38 • Database 4— 26 • Shared 5— 12
174. You can do so much with Kotlin now
175. Go build something for yourself
176. Go build something for yourself with a friend
177. https://github.com/lateplate/kc2026-app
178. Have an amazing KotlinConf!
179. Thank You, and Don ’ t Forget to Vote @dankim.com