Kotlin Flow API ~ Android cheat sheet

RxJava
Type Supertype Description Features Implementation Code example Android usecase
equivalent

• Flow starts separately for

An asynchronous data • General go to type General data type for multi
each collector
stream that sequentially • Can be converted to shot asynchronous data
Flow - • Various intermediate & ter- Example A Flowable
emits values and completes SharedFlow / StateFlow streams like the many call-
minal operators
normally or with an excep- with .shareIn and .stateIn Example B backs inside the View.java
• Automatic backpressure (Observable with BPM)
tion (Unicast broadcaster). operators. class or remote server data.
management

• All subscribes receive all Useful for broadcasting ex-

A Flow shared between mul- • Can be configured with
emited values pensive events to subscrib-
tiple collectors (aka sub- sharing strategy from the Example A
SharedFlow Flow • n most recent values are PublishSubject ers that can come and go.
scribers), so that only one SharingStarted interface.
saved in replay cache Example B Like sharing remote gps
flow is effectively run (Multi- • Eagerly, Lazily and While-
• New subscribers get the (Starts with no value) data between multipe activi-
cast broadcaster). Subscribed
replay cache & new values ties

• emit() function to update

A mutable SharedFlow that value
MutableSharedFlow SharedFlow & provides functions to emit Same as SharedFlow See SharedFlow
See SharedFlow PublishSubject Same as SharedFlow
• tryEmit() function for
values to the flow. non-suspending updates
FlowCollector (Starts with no value)

A specialized and limited • Always has an initial value • Can be configured with Similar to LiveData but with
version of SharedFlow that • Fixed replaysize of 1 sharing strategy from the far more operators and not
StateFlow • No buffering SharingStarted interface. Example A limited to mainthread. Rec-
SharedFlow requires an initial value and BehaviorSubject
emits a read only single • Read access to current • Eagerly, Lazily and While- ommended for KMM proj-
Example B
data value to its subscribers. value without collecting Subscribed (Always emits something) ects. Does require manual
lifecycle management.

• Read/write access to cur-

rent value without collecting MutablaLiveData equivalent,
MutableStateFlow StateFlow & A mutable StateFlow that • Setting the same value as Same See
SeeStateFlow BehaviorSubject
Sameas
asStateFlow
StateFlow StateFlow same up- and downsides
provides a setter for value. before does nothing (dis- from StateFlow apply
MutableSharedFlow tinct until changed built in) (Always emits something)

Creates a Flow and allows • Conceptually very similar • Useful when you need to Converting multi shot An-
values to be emitted from a to a blocking queue run computations
Cold (emitsinlazy)
differ- Example A droid (Java) callback API’s
callbackFlow - different CoroutineContext. • Default capacity of 64 ele- - to a Flow like the onLoca-
ent CoroutineContexts Example B
Uses a hot SendChannel ments • Can convert cluncky call- tionResult() and the onTex-
(function, returns Flow) internally. • Buffer can be configured tChanged() listeners.
back API’s to nicer Flows

Version 1.1 ~ March 2021

by Remy Benza