KotlinConf’26: Josh Long on Spring Evolution and Kotlin Integration
In an interview ahead of KotlinConf’26, Josh Long, Spring’s first Developer Advocate, discusses the dramatic evolution of the Spring ecosystem over the past decade. Long highlights how Spring has expanded from traditional enterprise web applications to encompass microservices, distributed systems, and now AI-powered services. He emphasizes that the community has grown significantly, attracting developers from diverse backgrounds who utilize Spring for various modern use cases. A key focus of the conversation is the seamless integration between Spring Boot and Kotlin. Long explains that while Spring was originally built on Java, the framework aims to feel natural and idiomatic for any JVM language. He praises the collaboration between the Spring and Kotlin teams, noting that Kotlin has become a first-class citizen within the Spring ecosystem. This partnership ensures that Kotlin developers experience coherent and consistent integrations, making it an elegant choice for building modern applications. Long asserts that there has never been a better time to be a JVM or Spring developer, given the robust support for contemporary development needs and the vibrant open-source community surrounding these technologies.
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KotlinConf’26: Josh Long on Spring Evolution and Kotlin Integration
In an interview ahead of KotlinConf’26, Josh Long, Spring’s first Developer Advocate, discusses the dramatic evolution of the Spring ecosystem over the past decade. Long highlights how Spring has expanded from traditional enterprise web applications to encompass microservices, distributed systems, and now AI-powered services. He emphasizes that the community has grown significantly, attracting developers from diverse backgrounds who utilize Spring for various modern use cases. A key focus of the conversation is the seamless integration between Spring Boot and Kotlin. Long explains that while Spring was originally built on Java, the framework aims to feel natural and idiomatic for any JVM language. He praises the collaboration between the Spring and Kotlin teams, noting that Kotlin has become a first-class citizen within the Spring ecosystem. This partnership ensures that Kotlin developers experience coherent and consistent integrations, making it an elegant choice for building modern applications. Long asserts that there has never been a better time to be a JVM or Spring developer, given the robust support for contemporary development needs and the vibrant open-source community surrounding these technologies.
Kotlin : A concise multiplatform language developed by JetBrains | The JetBrains Blog