Type casting in Kotlin: Unsafe vs. safe

Kotlin type casting, a vital feature for converting data types in programming, is facilitated by explicit and implicit methods in the language. Explicit type casting in Kotlin involves two operators: the unsafe `as` operator, which can throw exceptions if a cast fails, and the safe `as?` operator, which returns null instead of an exception when a cast cannot be performed. This makes the safe operator preferable for avoiding application crashes, although it requires handling nullable types. In contrast to Java, Kotlin does not support implicit type conversion from smaller to larger types, necessitating explicit casting through functions like `toLong()`. Kotlin also supports implicit type casting through smart casts, which automatically infer types when certain conditions are met, allowing developers to simplify their code by reducing the need for explicit casts. Understanding these casting mechanisms is crucial for Kotlin developers to manage type conversions effectively and avoid errors in their applications.