Executable Kotlin Scripts
Monday, December 23, 2019 |A user in #kotlin on Freenode asked how to run a Kotlin script. While the Kotlin docs are pretty clear on how to do that, I thought I’d make a quick post to show how to make an easily executable Kotlin script.
The first step is to name the file with a .kts extension:
test.kts
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println("Hello, world!")
You can then run it like this:
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$ kotlinc -script test.kts
Hello, world!
That’s pretty cool (and pretty quick on my laptop), but the command line is a bit cumbersome. Let’s fix that with two small changes. First, let’s add a shebang:
test.kts
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#!/usr/bin/env -S kotlinc -script
println("Hello, world!")
Then we set the executable bit and run it:
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$ chmod +x test.kts
$ ./test.kts
Hello, world!
Easy peasy. Now you a more powerful language in your shell scripting toolbox. Enjoy!
My name is Jason Lee. I am a software developer living in the middle of Oklahoma. I’ve been a professional developer since 1997,
using a variety of languages, including Java, Javascript, PHP, Python, Delphi, and even a bit of C#. I currently work for Red Hat
on the WildFly/EAP team, where, among other things, I maintain integrations for some MicroProfile specs, OpenTelemetry, Micrometer,
Jakarta Faces, and Bean Validation. (Full resume 