// the find
rjaros/kvision
Object oriented web framework for Kotlin/JS
KVision is a Kotlin/JS framework for building web UIs entirely in Kotlin — no HTML, CSS, or JavaScript required. It targets teams who want a single language across frontend and backend, particularly Kotlin shops already using Ktor, Spring Boot, or Vert.x. The fullstack RPC integration via Kilua RPC is the main differentiator.
1. The fullstack RPC layer with Kilua RPC is genuinely useful — shared data models and type-safe remote calls across frontend and backend without writing REST glue code by hand. 2. Component library is wide: Bootstrap, Chart.js, Tabulator, Leaflet, datetime pickers, file upload — most common UI needs are covered without reaching for npm. 3. Supports both reactive (StateFlow, Flows) and imperative patterns, so you're not locked into one mental model. 4. Actively maintained — last push today, CI badges are green, and the project has been running long enough to have a RealWorld example app.
1. 1,346 stars for a framework that's been around for years is a signal about community size — finding answers outside the official docs means posting in Slack/Discord and waiting. 2. Kotlin/JS IR compilation and Gradle's multiplatform setup add meaningful build complexity; cold builds in large projects are slow, and Webpack config files scattered per-module get unwieldy fast. 3. You're trading HTML/CSS knowledge for KVision's component API — when something renders wrong, debugging the virtual DOM through a Kotlin abstraction layer is harder than inspecting a template. 4. Bootstrap as the default style foundation means escaping its opinions (for a custom design system) requires fighting the component wrappers, not just overriding CSS variables.