New Kotlin Framework Gains Popularity: Ktor and KMP Are Changing the Ecosystem

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New framework for Kotlin gaining popularity: Ktor and Kotlin Multiplatform are changing the ecosystem

The ecosystem of the Kotlin programming language continues to develop rapidly. If just a few years ago Kotlin was associated exclusively with Android development, today it is confidently gaining ground in server-side and cross-platform areas. The main driver of this growth has been the Ktor framework, which, according to the latest developer surveys (JetBrains Developer Survey 2024-2025), shows a record increase in popularity — more than 45% year over year.

What is Ktor and why is it so popular?

Ktor is a modern framework for creating server-side applications in Kotlin, developed by JetBrains. Its key feature is asynchronicity and modularity "out of the box." Unlike cumbersome solutions like Spring Boot, Ktor offers a lightweight, configurable architecture where the developer connects only the necessary components.

Main reasons for Ktor's growing popularity:

Native support for Kotlin coroutines — maximum performance when working with input/output and concurrent requests.
Minimalistic start — only a few lines of code are needed to launch a simple server, which is ideal for microservices.
Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) — Ktor integrates perfectly with KMP, allowing the use of shared code on both the server and client sides (Android, iOS, Web).
Flexibility — unlike the "magical" annotations of Spring, Ktor uses explicit configurations and DSL, giving full control over the application.

Kotlin Multiplatform: not just server-side

Alongside Ktor, Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) is also gaining momentum. According to GitHub statistics, the number of KMP projects has grown by 60% over the last six months. Developers are increasingly choosing KMP for creating cross-platform applications, as it allows writing business logic once, while interfaces are native to each platform.

The "Ktor + KMP" combination creates a powerful tool: a server-side part on Ktor and shared client code on KMP. This is especially in demand in startups and medium-sized businesses, where development speed and cost reduction are important.

Use cases and examples

Already today, large companies are implementing Ktor in production. For example:

JetBrains Space — part of the platform's infrastructure runs on Ktor.
Cash App (Square) — uses KMP and Ktor for financial services.
Netflix — is experimenting with Ktor for microservices.

Example of a simple REST API in Ktor:

fun main() {    embeddedServer(Netty, port = 8080) {        routing {            get("/") {                call.respondText("Hello, Kotlin!", ContentType.Text.Plain)            }        }    }.start(wait = true)}

Prospects and conclusions

Analysts predict that by the end of 2025, Ktor will enter the top 5 frameworks for server-side development on the JVM. If you are looking for a modern, lightweight, and high-performance tool for microservices or cross-platform projects — now is the best time to start learning Ktor and Kotlin Multiplatform.