Kotlin/Native target support | Kotlin (original) (raw)
The Kotlin/Native compiler supports a great number of different targets, though it is hard to provide the same level of support for all of them. This document describes which targets Kotlin/Native supports and breaks them into several tiers depending on how well the compiler supports them.
Mind the following terms used in tier tables:
- Gradle target name is a target name that is used in the Kotlin Multiplatform Gradle plugin to enable the target.
- Target triple is a target name according to the
<architecture>-<vendor>-<system>-<abi>structure that is commonly used by compilers. - Running tests indicates out of the box support for running tests in Gradle and IDE.
This is only available on a native host for the specific target. For example, you can runmacosX64andiosX64tests only on macOS x86-64 host.
Tier 1
- The target is regularly tested on CI to be able to compile and run.
- We provide a source and binary compatibility between compiler releases.
| Gradle target name | Target triple | Running tests | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple macOS hosts only: | |||
| macosX64 | x86_64-apple-macos | ✅ | Apple macOS on x86_64 platforms |
| macosArm64 | aarch64-apple-macos | ✅ | Apple macOS on Apple Silicon platforms |
| iosSimulatorArm64 | aarch64-apple-ios-simulator | ✅ | Apple iOS simulator on Apple Silicon platforms |
| iosX64 | x86_64-apple-ios-simulator | ✅ | Apple iOS simulator on x86-64 platforms |
| iosArm64 | aarch64-apple-ios | Apple iOS and iPadOS on ARM64 platforms |
Tier 2
- The target is regularly tested on CI to be able to compile, but may not be automatically tested to be able to run.
- We're doing our best to provide a source and binary compatibility between compiler releases.
| Gradle target name | Target triple | Running tests | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| linuxX64 | x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu | ✅ | Linux on x86_64 platforms |
| linuxArm64 | aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu | Linux on ARM64 platforms | |
| Apple macOS hosts only: | |||
| watchosSimulatorArm64 | aarch64-apple-watchos-simulator | ✅ | Apple watchOS simulator on Apple Silicon platforms |
| watchosX64 | x86_64-apple-watchos-simulator | ✅ | Apple watchOS 64-bit simulator on x86_64 platforms |
| watchosArm32 | armv7k-apple-watchos | Apple watchOS on ARM32 platforms | |
| watchosArm64 | arm64_32-apple-watchos | Apple watchOS on ARM64 platforms with ILP32 | |
| tvosSimulatorArm64 | aarch64-apple-tvos-simulator | ✅ | Apple tvOS simulator on Apple Silicon platforms |
| tvosX64 | x86_64-apple-tvos-simulator | ✅ | Apple tvOS simulator on x86_64 platforms |
| tvosArm64 | aarch64-apple-tvos | Apple tvOS on ARM64 platforms |
Tier 3
- The target is not guaranteed to be tested on CI.
- We can't promise a source and binary compatibility between different compiler releases, though such changes for these targets are quite rare.
| Gradle target name | Target triple | Running tests | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| androidNativeArm32 | arm-unknown-linux-androideabi | Android NDK on ARM32 platforms | |
| androidNativeArm64 | aarch64-unknown-linux-android | Android NDK on ARM64 platforms | |
| androidNativeX86 | i686-unknown-linux-android | Android NDK on x86 platforms | |
| androidNativeX64 | x86_64-unknown-linux-android | Android NDK on x86_64 platforms | |
| mingwX64 | x86_64-pc-windows-gnu | ✅ | 64-bit Windows 7 and later using MinGW compatibility layer |
| Apple macOS hosts only: | |||
| watchosDeviceArm64 | aarch64-apple-watchos | Apple watchOS on ARM64 platforms |
We don't recommend library authors to test more targets or provide stricter guarantees than the Kotlin/Native compiler does. You can use the following approach when considering support for native targets:
- Support all the targets from tier 1, 2, and 3.
- Regularly test targets from tier 1 and 2 that support running tests out of the box.
The Kotlin team uses this approach in the official Kotlin libraries, for example, kotlinx.coroutines and kotlinx.serialization.
Last modified: 27 November 2024