KPRC and KMP Notebook Demo

A Kotlin Multiplatform demonstration project showcasing Kotlin RPC (KRPC) communication between a Ktor backend and a Compose Desktop frontend, with shared business logic.

Project Structure

kprc-and-kmp-notebook-demo/
├── shared/                    #  Shared Kotlin Multiplatform module
│   ├── src/                   # Common data models, RPC definitions
│   └── build.gradle.kts       # Kotlin RPC + Serialization
├── app-backend/              #  Ktor Server Backend  
│   ├── src/                   # Server implementation
│   ├── logs/                  # Runtime logs
│   ├── Makefile              # Build & run commands
│   └── build.gradle.kts       # Ktor + RPC Server
├── app-notebook/             #  Compose Desktop Frontend
│   ├── src/                   # UI implementation  
│   ├── Makefile              # Build & run commands
│   └── build.gradle.kts       # Compose Desktop + RPC Client
├── buildSrc/                 #  Build convention plugins
├── gradle/                   #  Version catalog & wrapper
└── settings.gradle.kts       # Multi-module configuration

How to Run

Prerequisites

• Java 17+
• Gradle (via wrapper)

Step 1: Start the Backend Server

cd app-backend
make run

This starts the Ktor server with RPC endpoints, typically on http://localhost:8080

Step 2: Start the Desktop UI

cd app-notebook  
make run

This launches the Compose Desktop application that connects to the backend via RPC

Alternative: Using Gradle directly

# Backend
./gradlew :app-backend:run

# Frontend (in separate terminal)
./gradlew :app-notebook:run

Development Commands

Backend (app-backend/)

make build    # Build backend
make test     # Run tests  
make clean    # Clean artifacts
make help     # Show all commands

Frontend (app-notebook/)

make build         # Build desktop app
make test          # Run tests
make test-verbose  # Run tests with details
make clean         # Clean artifacts  
make help          # Show all commands

Technology Stack

Component	Technology	Purpose
Backend	Ktor Server	HTTP server & routing
Frontend	Compose Desktop	Native desktop UI
RPC	Kotlin RPC (KRPC)	Type-safe client-server communication
Navigation	Voyager	Frontend screen navigation
Build	Gradle + KMP	Multi-module build system

Testing

# Test everything
./gradlew check

# Test specific modules
./gradlew :shared:test
./gradlew :app-backend:test  
./gradlew :app-notebook:test

Demo

See the application in action: