Kodee’s Kotlin Roundup: KotlinConf ’26 Updates, New Releases, and More | The Kotlin Blog

KotlinConf 2026 is shaping up to be an exciting event with a full schedule of talks, workshops, and speakers now available online, offering attendees a comprehensive conference experience. The Kotlin Foundation has launched a mentorship program to aid newcomers in making their first open-source contributions, providing guidance from experienced maintainers and potential rewards like a trip to KotlinConf 2026. Kotlin 2.3 introduces enhancements such as smarter checks and improved APIs, while Ktor 3.4.0 and Compose Hot Reload 1.0.0 bring significant updates to server-side Kotlin and UI development, respectively. The conference will also feature Golden Kodee Community Awards to recognize significant contributors to the Kotlin community, with finalists announced in April and winners revealed live at the event. Additionally, Kotlin's real-world application is highlighted through Amazon Fashion's migration of a large backend service from Java to Kotlin, resulting in more efficient and testable code. The text also discusses new tools and integrations like Qodana for Android Kotlin and Koog with the Agent Client Protocol, as well as a guide for adopting Kotlin in Java-heavy environments.