Tracing Performance Metrics in Kotlin Multiplatform Projects via Compile-Time Code Instrumentation

Performance analysis requires to collect metrics such as method execution times. For JVM bytecode, this is typically achieved through load-time code instrumentation using agents. Kotlin, however, presents unique challenges as it can be compiled to various targets beyond the JVM, including WASM and native code. These diverse targets render traditional agent-based instrumentation unsuitable, requiring a more versatile technique to cover all target platforms conveniently. In this paper, we leverage Kotlin’s flexible compiler architecture and present a work-in-progress Kotlin compiler plugin that employs compile-time instrumentation. By adding target-agnostic performance metric tracing code during compilation instead of target specific code at load time, we address a critical need in the growing field of Kotlin Multiplatform projects.