Kotlin is a statically-typed JVM language, enabling code that is expressive, short, and readable. Spring Framework 5.0 has good support for Kotlin.

In this chapter, we will explore some of the important features of Kotlin and learn how to create a basic REST service with Kotlin and Spring Boot.

By the end of this chapter, you will understand the following:

• What is Kotlin?
• How does it compare with Java?
• How to create a Kotlin project in Eclipse?
• How to create a Spring Boot project with Kotlin?
• How to implement and unit test a simple Spring Boot REST service using Kotlin?