Ivan “CLOVIS” Canet

Kotlin tricks: Mandatory varargs

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Kotlin tricks: Mandatory varargs

Did you know there are a few different ways to make Kotlin varargs mandatory?

Gradle vocabulary: projects, builds, artifacts…

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Gradle vocabulary: projects, builds, artifacts…

To understand discussions about Gradle, it's necessary to understand how things are named—and that can be quite confusing.

What is the smallest number in Kotlin?

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

What is the smallest number in Kotlin?

We use floating-point numbers all the time: Float and Double. Both of these types have a few specific cases that you may not know about. Let's review them.

I tried context parameters, Kotlin's new multi-receiver extension functions

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I tried context parameters, Kotlin's new multi-receiver extension functions

Kotlin is getting a new concept that will widen the possibility of extension functions. The feature is still experimental in the latest Kotlin version, which makes it the perfect time to try them out.

Your first Gradle task in 2025

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Your first Gradle task in 2025

Best practices in Gradle have changed quite a few times over the years, but the online tutorials are rarely updated. Let's review what is recommended as of Gradle 8, in 2025.

Docker misconception: should I use ENTRYPOINT or CMD?

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Docker misconception: should I use ENTRYPOINT or CMD?

Docker offers two ways to control what is executed when a container starts, ENTRYPOINT and CMD. Often, they are confused and misused.

MongoDB documents are strange

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

MongoDB documents are strange

MongoDB stores all its information in its own binary format called BSON. Lately, I've been writing my own implementation of BSON, and so I've been studying its specification. Here are a few things I learned about BSON documents.

Lifting Kotlin testing: Comparing JUnit, Kotlin-test, Kotest, Prepared and TestBalloon

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Lifting Kotlin testing: Comparing JUnit, Kotlin-test, Kotest, Prepared and TestBalloon

Which Kotlin test framework should you use in 2025? Is there still room to innovate?

Back to basics: When sets break

Mon, 12 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Back to basics: When sets break

Sets are one of the most basic data structures of modern programming. Unlike arrays, sets require the data to confirm to a few invariants. Let's review what they are, and what happens when we break them.

Deep dive into Angular and Compose differences

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Deep dive into Angular and Compose differences

Angular and Compose are both declarative UI frameworks and can both target the web ecosystem. Still, their approach is very different. Let's take a look at the similarities and the differences.

What does it mean to be a better Java? (Part 3)

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

What does it mean to be a better Java? (Part 3)

This week, we explore software architecture: interfaces, classes, objects and inheritance. We grade Kotlin through Java's prism, and thus mainly focus on object-oriented design.

What does it mean to be a better Java? (Part 2)

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

What does it mean to be a better Java? (Part 2)

Last week, we studied ways in which Kotlin improves upon Java when it comes to creating and destroying objects, eliminating Java pitfalls and footguns. This week, we discuss the common supertypes: Object, Any and Comparable.

What does it mean to be a better Java? (Part 1)

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

What does it mean to be a better Java? (Part 1)

In the old days, programming languages would come and go. In the modern age, languages remain for decades as platforms on top of which new ecosystems are born, never to be dethroned. Java is the venerable sage of the server-side world—but new languages still attempt to take it on.

Don't touch Throwable

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Don't touch Throwable

Throwable is the supertype of all things that can be thrown. It often appears in codebases as an upper bound for error handling. Here's why you shouldn't do it.

The vulnerability is by design

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The vulnerability is by design

We should all strive to write code that is harder—if not impossible—to exploit. Sometimes, however, the vulnerability comes from places we thought we could trust.

Typing the web: TypeScript & KotlinJS

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Typing the web: TypeScript & KotlinJS

When I talk about KotlinJS, people often ask me “Why not just TypeScript?”. This article compares the type system and standard libraries to understand how different the languages are.

GitLab over GitHub

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

GitLab over GitHub

Over the years, many people have asked me why I prefer using GitLab over GitHub. Although an exhaustive comparison wouldn't be possible in a single article, I'd like to highlight a few points of interest.

That time I broke KotlinX.Coroutines

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

That time I broke KotlinX.Coroutines

A story about contributing to open source, how the community finds bugs before they reach customers, and a weird edge case I didn't know about.

What is really hexagonal architecture?

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

What is really hexagonal architecture?

Hexagonal architecture is one of the most popular software architectures at the moment. Let's dive into what it is, what it isn't, and how to know when a project isn't benefitting from it.

Dependency Injection without a framework

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Dependency Injection without a framework

Dependency Injection is more popular than ever. As with all popular things, the original idea is becoming more and more diluted down, to the point that discussing it is becoming difficult. Let's go back to the roots, and see what DI really is.