ktor

CLI for Ktor, a Kotlin framework for building asynchronous servers

TLDR

Create a new project (interactive)

$ ktor new

Create with specific plugins

$ ktor new --plugins [routing,content-negotiation,ktor-serialization]

Create with custom name

$ ktor new --name [myapp]

Generate with Gradle Kotlin DSL

$ ktor new --build-system gradle-kotlin

List available plugins

$ ktor plugins list

Search for plugins

$ ktor plugins search [auth]

Show version

$ ktor --version

ktor is the CLI for Ktor, a Kotlin framework for building asynchronous servers and clients. It scaffolds new projects with selected features.ktor new generates a project with build files, application configuration, and plugin setup. Plugins add functionality like authentication, serialization, and WebSockets.Ktor applications configure features in Application.kt using DSL. Plugins are installed in modules: install(ContentNegotiation), install(Authentication), etc.The framework runs on multiple engines: Netty, Jetty, Tomcat, or CIO (Kotlin coroutines). Choose based on requirements—Netty is default for production.Configuration via HOCON (application.conf) or YAML specifies ports, hosts, and plugin settings. Environment variables override configuration values.

COMMANDS

new

Create new Ktor project.

plugins list|search

Browse available plugins.

--version

Display CLI version.

--help

Display help information.

NEW OPTIONS

--name name

Project name.

--package package

Base package name.

--plugins list

Comma-separated plugin list.

--build-system type

Build system: gradle-kotlin, gradle-groovy, maven.

--engine engine

Server engine: netty, jetty, tomcat, cio.

--configuration type

Configuration method: hocon, yaml.

--ktor-version version

Ktor version.

--kotlin-version version

Kotlin version.

--output path

Output directory.

--interactive

Interactive mode.

PLUGINS

routing

HTTP routing.

content-negotiation

Content type negotiation.

ktor-serialization-kotlinx-json

JSON serialization.

auth, auth-jwt

Authentication support.

call-logging

Request logging.

websockets

WebSocket support.

cors

Cross-origin resource sharing.

sessions

Session management.

status-pages

Error handling.

INSTALL

brew install ktor

CAVEATS

Requires Kotlin knowledge. Plugin compatibility may vary across Ktor versions. CIO engine has limited features compared to Netty. Some plugins require additional configuration.

HISTORY

Ktor was created by JetBrains and first released in 2017. It was designed as a native Kotlin framework leveraging coroutines for asynchronous programming. Unlike Spring, Ktor is lightweight with explicit configuration. Version 2.0 (2022) brought significant API changes. Ktor is popular for microservices and API development in Kotlin projects.