Overview
About
Kiit is a Kotlin Tool-Kit, a simple, light-weight, modular framework to build Apps, APIs, CLIs, Jobs, and more for Start-ups, Personal projects, and SMBs ( small-medium sized businesses ). These libraries can be used for both Server and Android and there are modules for the server that abstract infrastructure ( Queues, Files, SMS, Emails, Alerts ) with integrations for AWS ( SQS, S3 ), Twilio ( SMS ), SendGrid ( Email ), Slack ( Alerts ) and more. Multi-platform support is planned as a future state.
Goals
The Kiit framework was originally designed for and extracted from a sizable and sophisticated production Mobile Startup with a Server backend. Kiit is a Kotlin first framework architected with the explicit goals and purposes below in mind:
 | Simple | Designed with simplicity in mind, modular and very light-weight. |
 | Kotlin | 100% Kotlin, emphasis on functional, immutable code (pragmatic: without pure FP, no category-theory) |
 | Shared | Full-Stack for Android and Server, resonably light-weight and suitable for both. |
 | Platforms | Long-term goals of making this support Kotlin Multi-Platform ( Javascript, iOS ) |
 | Costs | Reducing costs with rapid development, full-stack / sharable code for both Server and Android. |
 | Guides | Easy to follow docs, examples, guides, and blogs and videos coming soon |
 | Portable | Reasonable abstractions of Cloud components for portability between cloud providers ( currently only AWS ) |
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Uses
Kiit can be used to quickly build well structured and scalable architecture and applications for different target groups.
 | Mobile | Set up the back-end for your mobile apps. Use Kotlin code and libraries for both Server and Android |
 | Personal | Learn Kotlin, functional programming, for self-improvement or side projects |
 | Startups | Start with a strong base architecture to quickly build high-quality MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) that can scale |
 | SMB | For small to medium sized businesses, build backend applications with pre-built application/service templates/components |
 | Enterprise* | There are several components in Kiit that can currently be used in the Enterprise, such as the App, Utilities, CLI. However, Kiit is simpler and thus less comprehensive in some areas than enterprise offerings such as Spring.io, Vertx.io, Micronaut.io, all of which are very solid solutions and recommendations for the enterprise. |
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Tech
Kiit is built for the JVM using 100% Kotlin so that many modules can be used for both Server and Android ( and soon Multi-Platofrm). There are also thin abstractions over some infrastructure services such as Files, queues, docs. Currently, only AWS implementations are available for the infrastructure abstractions. However, in the future, support for Google and Azure cloud services may be implemented. Other services are used directly.
| Infrastructure | - | Usage | Provider |
| Files |  |
Abstracted | AWS S3 ( see files ) |
| Queues |  |
Abstracted | AWS SQS ( see queues ) |
| Documents | |
Abstracted | AWS Dynamo ( see docs ) |
| Entities |  |
Abstracted | Support for MySql ( see data docs )PostGres & Mongo coming soon |
| APIs |  |
Direct Usage | Ktor ( from JetBrains ) - used as the Http server using our Universal API approach |
| Http Client | |
Partially Abstracted | OkHttp |
| Metrics |  |
Partially Abstracted | Micrometer.io ( see tracking ) |
| Logs |  |
Abstracted | Logback ( see logger ) |
| SMS | |
Abstracted | Twilio ( see sms ) |
 |
Abstracted | SendGrid ( see email ) | |
| Alerts |  |
Abstracted | Slack Web Hooks ( see alerts ) |
| Dates |  |
Aliased | ThreeTen BP is used for Full-Stack / Android alignment |
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Modules
These are the main architecture components available in Kiit.
| Component | Docs | Version | Target | Status | License | About |
| Foundations: Libraries used by most projects | ||||||
 |
Results |  |
Android / Server | Stable |  |
Successes / Failure Modeling |
 |
Utilities | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
Utility Components |
|
Context | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
Stores Common Dependencies |
 |
Actors | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
Micro Actor Library |
| Applications: Runnable apps and services | ||||||
|
App | |
Server | Stable | |
Runnable App Template |
 |
CLI | |
Server | Stable | |
Command Line Interface |
|
Server | |
Server | Stable | |
Http Server ( using Ktor ) and our Universal APIs |
|
API | |
Server / Console | Stable | |
Universal APIs |
|
Jobs | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
Pausable Background jobs/queues library |
| Infrastructure: Infrastructure components | ||||||
 |
Cache | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
Caching library |
|
Core | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
Infrastructure Abstractions(Files, Queues, etc) |
|
Notifications | |
Server | Stable | |
Email, SMS, Slack, Push |
|
Tracking | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
Diagnostics related library |
| Data: Database related modules | ||||||
|
DB | |
Server | Stable | |
Convenient datbase operations over JDBC |
|
Query | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
A light-weight SQL Query builder |
|
Data | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
Repository pattern for data persistence |
|
Entities | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
Light-weight Data-Mapper for models/tables |
| Support: Misc support libraries and tools | ||||||
|
Slate Kit | |
Server / Console | Stable | |
Slate Kit CLI for MacOS |
|
Generator | |
Server / Console | Stable | |
Project templates and code generator |
| Providers: 3rd Party Integrations | ||||||
|
Logback | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
Logback logging provider for Slate Kit logs |
|
DataDog | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
DataDog metrics provider for Slate Kit metrics |
|
AWS | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
AWS S3, SQS provider files/queues |
| Connectors: Connects 2 or modules together | ||||||
|
API / CLI | |
Server / Console | Stable | |
Makes Universal APIs run on the CLI |
|
API / Jobs | |
Server | Stable | |
Makes Universal APIs accessible from jobs/queues |
|
Entities/DB | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
Makes Entities/Databases available in the Context |
| Internal: Internal libraries (not for public use) | ||||||
 |
Http | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
Thin library on top of OkHttp for RPC calls |
|
Meta | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
For Reflections and meta-programming |
|
Policy | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
For middleware and enforcing policies like once, every |
|
Serialization | |
Android / Server | Stable | |
Custom serializer/deserializer for Slate Kit Universal APIs |
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Design
The architecture of the Kiit can be visualized in this high-level diagram of the modules and how they are logical organized.
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Philosophy
Philosophy, design goals, approaches and standards
| Tech | Built in Kotlin, for the JVM ( multi-platform coming later), and designed to be reusable for both Client ( Android ) and Server (Backend/APIs/Services). |
| Design | Library based approach instead of a "Framework". Structured into several modules so you can pick as little or as much as you want. |
| Standards | Check our coding standards |
| Approach | Simplicity and Practicality above all else |
| Components | Composable, single-purpose components as building blocks. Organized into various projects. |
| Portable | Designed for reasonably low vendor lock-in via a "library" based approach. |
| Minimal | Dependencies on external, 3rd-party libraries are kept to a minimum. Json Simple, OkHttp( for Http client ), Logback( Optional ), Micrometer ( Optional ) |
| License | See license. This is a Dual license, with support for Apache 2.0 for majority of users. |
| Style | Emphasis on immutability
and pragmatic functional programming as much as possible.
However, this is NOT a 100% purely functional code base, and there is NO category theory. |
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Releases
Releases occur roughly every 2 weeks to 1 month for planned releases and uses Semantic Versioning in format MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
| Type | Cycle | Version | Note(s) | |
| Hot-Fix | |
On Demand | 2.0.2 | For critical issues |
| Patches |  |
~ 2 Weeks | 2.0.3 | For planned bug-fixes. Roughly every 2 weeks or as needed |
| Minor | |
~ 1 Month | 2.1.0 | For small or moderate changes and/or new features. |
| Major |  |
~ 3 Months | 3.0.0 | For major releases with new features and potentially breaking changes/ redesigns |
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Timeline
| 1 | 2015 | |
Started off as an idea in 2015. Slate Kit was being built in-parallel with a mobile app/start-up. The idea was to keep the architecture as decoupled from the business/mobile app as possible in Scala. |
| 2 | 2016 | |
Actively builing out the architecture components. Separating code into various projects for better organization |
| 3 | 2017 | |
Slate Kit almost fully extracted from a mobile startup and converted from Scala to Kotlin to allow for full-stack client ( Android ) and Server development and code reuse. This greatly reduced time, costs and made development for other projects much simpler using 1 language for Android and Server. |
| 4 | 2018 |  |
Actively used in production and in beta apps. Dog-fooding this framework helped to polish up the components and discover and update use-cases. Slate Kit become a major effort and a cornerstone for mobile work and some future SAAS product ideas. |
| 5 | 2019 | |
Emphasis on tooling, build automation, package distribution to BinTray, Unit-Tests and website updated with docs. |
| 6 | 2020 | |
Established stable, production ready, and well tested modules on both Server and Android, approach public release. |
| 7 | 2021 | |
Finalize organization of modules, documentation, website and communication channels. Begin work a Slate Kit based MBaas ( Mobile Backend as a Service ) as a self-hosted alternative to Google Firebase. |
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Security
Security details of the various modules will be coming soon and available/documented within each applicable module such as App, CLI, Jobs, APIs, Queues, etc. Generally speaking, most modules security revolve around protecting sensitive configuration settings, data during transmission and authentication / authorization for runnable services such as the App, CLI, APIs.
| Type | Security | Note(s) |
| Conf | Config settings | Settings can be encrypted or loaded from env vars |
| Files | AWS S3 | Also refer to AWS S3 docs |
| Queues | AWS SQS | Also refer to AWS SQS docs |
| App | Runnable App | See module docs for more info |
| APIs | Web/Http APIs | See module docs for more info |
| CLI | CLI | See module docs for more info |
| Data | Sql | See module docs for more info |
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