Appwrite Kotlin SDK

Installation

kotlin

// build.gradle.kts — Android
implementation("io.appwrite:sdk-for-android:1.8.1")

// build.gradle.kts — Server (Kotlin JVM)
implementation("io.appwrite:sdk-for-kotlin:1.8.1")

Setting Up the Client

Client-side (Android)

kotlin

import io.appwrite.Client
import io.appwrite.ID
import io.appwrite.Query
import io.appwrite.enums.OAuthProvider
import io.appwrite.services.Account
import io.appwrite.services.Realtime
import io.appwrite.services.TablesDB
import io.appwrite.services.Storage
import io.appwrite.models.InputFile

val client = Client(context)
    .setEndpoint("https://<REGION>.cloud.appwrite.io/v1")
    .setProject("[PROJECT_ID]")

Server-side (Kotlin JVM)

kotlin

import io.appwrite.Client
import io.appwrite.ID
import io.appwrite.Query
import io.appwrite.services.Users
import io.appwrite.services.TablesDB
import io.appwrite.services.Storage
import io.appwrite.services.Functions

val client = Client()
    .setEndpoint("https://<REGION>.cloud.appwrite.io/v1")
    .setProject(System.getenv("APPWRITE_PROJECT_ID"))
    .setKey(System.getenv("APPWRITE_API_KEY"))

Code Examples

Authentication (client-side)

kotlin

val account = Account(client)

// Signup
account.create(
    userId = ID.unique(),
    email = "user@example.com",
    password = "password123",
    name = "User Name"
)

// Login
val session = account.createEmailPasswordSession(
    email = "user@example.com",
    password = "password123"
)

// OAuth
account.createOAuth2Session(activity = activity, provider = OAuthProvider.GOOGLE)

// Get current user
val user = account.get()

// Logout
account.deleteSession(sessionId = "current")

User Management (server-side)

kotlin

val users = Users(client)

// Create user
val user = users.create(
    userId = ID.unique(),
    email = "user@example.com",
    password = "password123",
    name = "User Name"
)

// List users
val list = users.list()

// Get user
val fetched = users.get(userId = "[USER_ID]")

// Delete user
users.delete(userId = "[USER_ID]")

Database Operations

Note: Use TablesDB (not the deprecated Databases class) for all new code. Only use Databases if the existing codebase already relies on it or the user explicitly requests it.

kotlin

val tablesDB = TablesDB(client)

// Create database (server-side only)
val db = tablesDB.create(databaseId = ID.unique(), name = "My Database")

// Create row
val doc = tablesDB.createRow(
    databaseId = "[DATABASE_ID]",
    tableId = "[TABLE_ID]",
    rowId = ID.unique(),
    data = mapOf("title" to "Hello", "done" to false)
)

// Query rows
val results = tablesDB.listRows(
    databaseId = "[DATABASE_ID]",
    tableId = "[TABLE_ID]",
    queries = listOf(Query.equal("done", false), Query.limit(10))
)

// Get row
val row = tablesDB.getRow(databaseId = "[DATABASE_ID]", tableId = "[TABLE_ID]", rowId = "[ROW_ID]")

// Update row
tablesDB.updateRow(
    databaseId = "[DATABASE_ID]",
    tableId = "[TABLE_ID]",
    rowId = "[ROW_ID]",
    data = mapOf("done" to true)
)

// Delete row
tablesDB.deleteRow(
    databaseId = "[DATABASE_ID]",
    tableId = "[TABLE_ID]",
    rowId = "[ROW_ID]"
)

File Storage

kotlin

val storage = Storage(client)

// Upload file
val file = storage.createFile(
    bucketId = "[BUCKET_ID]",
    fileId = ID.unique(),
    file = InputFile.fromPath("/path/to/file.png")
)

// Get file preview
val preview = storage.getFilePreview(
    bucketId = "[BUCKET_ID]",
    fileId = "[FILE_ID]",
    width = 300,
    height = 300
)

// List files
val files = storage.listFiles(bucketId = "[BUCKET_ID]")

// Delete file
storage.deleteFile(bucketId = "[BUCKET_ID]", fileId = "[FILE_ID]")

Real-time Subscriptions (client-side)

kotlin

val realtime = Realtime(client)

val subscription = realtime.subscribe("databases.[DATABASE_ID].tables.[TABLE_ID].rows") { response ->
    println(response.payload)
}

// Cleanup
subscription.close()

Serverless Functions (server-side)

kotlin

val functions = Functions(client)

// Execute function
val execution = functions.createExecution(
    functionId = "[FUNCTION_ID]",
    body = """{"key": "value"}"""
)

// List executions
val executions = functions.listExecutions(functionId = "[FUNCTION_ID]")

Server-Side Rendering (SSR) Authentication

SSR apps using Kotlin server frameworks (Ktor, Spring Boot, etc.) use the server SDK to handle auth. You need two clients:

•Admin client — uses an API key, creates sessions, bypasses rate limits (reusable singleton)
•Session client — uses a session cookie, acts on behalf of a user (create per-request, never share)

kotlin

import io.appwrite.Client
import io.appwrite.services.Account
import io.appwrite.enums.OAuthProvider

// Admin client (reusable)
val adminClient = Client()
    .setEndpoint("https://<REGION>.cloud.appwrite.io/v1")
    .setProject("[PROJECT_ID]")
    .setKey(System.getenv("APPWRITE_API_KEY"))

// Session client (create per-request)
val sessionClient = Client()
    .setEndpoint("https://<REGION>.cloud.appwrite.io/v1")
    .setProject("[PROJECT_ID]")

val session = call.request.cookies["a_session_[PROJECT_ID]"]
if (session != null) {
    sessionClient.setSession(session)
}

Email/Password Login (Ktor)

kotlin

post("/login") {
    val body = call.receive<LoginRequest>()
    val account = Account(adminClient)
    val session = account.createEmailPasswordSession(
        email = body.email,
        password = body.password,
    )

    // Cookie name must be a_session_<PROJECT_ID>
    call.response.cookies.append(Cookie(
        name = "a_session_[PROJECT_ID]",
        value = session.secret,
        httpOnly = true,
        secure = true,
        extensions = mapOf("SameSite" to "Strict"),
        path = "/",
    ))
    call.respond(mapOf("success" to true))
}

Authenticated Requests

kotlin

get("/user") {
    val session = call.request.cookies["a_session_[PROJECT_ID]"]
        ?: return@get call.respond(HttpStatusCode.Unauthorized)

    val sessionClient = Client()
        .setEndpoint("https://<REGION>.cloud.appwrite.io/v1")
        .setProject("[PROJECT_ID]")
        .setSession(session)

    val account = Account(sessionClient)
    val user = account.get()
    call.respond(user)
}

OAuth2 SSR Flow

kotlin

// Step 1: Redirect to OAuth provider
get("/oauth") {
    val account = Account(adminClient)
    val redirectUrl = account.createOAuth2Token(
        provider = OAuthProvider.GITHUB,
        success = "https://example.com/oauth/success",
        failure = "https://example.com/oauth/failure",
    )
    call.respondRedirect(redirectUrl)
}

// Step 2: Handle callback — exchange token for session
get("/oauth/success") {
    val account = Account(adminClient)
    val session = account.createSession(
        userId = call.parameters["userId"]!!,
        secret = call.parameters["secret"]!!,
    )

    call.response.cookies.append(Cookie(
        name = "a_session_[PROJECT_ID]", value = session.secret,
        httpOnly = true, secure = true,
        extensions = mapOf("SameSite" to "Strict"), path = "/",
    ))
    call.respond(mapOf("success" to true))
}

Cookie security: Always use httpOnly, secure, and SameSite=Strict to prevent XSS. The cookie name must be a_session_<PROJECT_ID>.

Forwarding user agent: Call sessionClient.setForwardedUserAgent(call.request.headers["User-Agent"]) to record the end-user's browser info for debugging and security.

Permissions & Roles (Critical)

Appwrite uses permission strings to control access to resources. Each permission pairs an action (read, update, delete, create, or write which grants create + update + delete) with a role target. By default, no user has access unless permissions are explicitly set at the document/file level or inherited from the collection/bucket settings. Permissions are arrays of strings built with the Permission and Role helpers.

kotlin

import io.appwrite.Permission
import io.appwrite.Role

Database Row with Permissions

kotlin

val doc = tablesDB.createRow(
    databaseId = "[DATABASE_ID]",
    tableId = "[TABLE_ID]",
    rowId = ID.unique(),
    data = mapOf("title" to "Hello World"),
    permissions = listOf(
        Permission.read(Role.user("[USER_ID]")),     // specific user can read
        Permission.update(Role.user("[USER_ID]")),   // specific user can update
        Permission.read(Role.team("[TEAM_ID]")),     // all team members can read
        Permission.read(Role.any()),                 // anyone (including guests) can read
    )
)

File Upload with Permissions

kotlin

val file = storage.createFile(
    bucketId = "[BUCKET_ID]",
    fileId = ID.unique(),
    file = InputFile.fromPath("/path/to/file.png"),
    permissions = listOf(
        Permission.read(Role.any()),
        Permission.update(Role.user("[USER_ID]")),
        Permission.delete(Role.user("[USER_ID]")),
    )
)

When to set permissions: Set document/file-level permissions when you need per-resource access control. If all documents in a collection share the same rules, configure permissions at the collection/bucket level and leave document permissions empty.

Common mistakes:

•Forgetting permissions — the resource becomes inaccessible to all users (including the creator)

•Role.any() with write/update/delete — allows any user, including unauthenticated guests, to modify or remove the resource

•Permission.read(Role.any()) on sensitive data — makes the resource publicly readable

API Reference

For complete method documentation, see the reference files:

•Account — The Account service allows you to authenticate and manage a user account.
•Avatars — The Avatars service aims to help you complete everyday tasks related to your app image, icons, and avatars.
•Assistant
•Console — The Console service allows you to interact with console relevant information.
•Databases — The Databases service allows you to create structured collections of documents, query and filter lists of documents
•Functions — The Functions Service allows you view, create and manage your Cloud Functions.
•Graphql — The GraphQL API allows you to query and mutate your Appwrite server using GraphQL.
•Health — The Health service allows you to both validate and monitor your Appwrite server's health.
•Locale — The Locale service allows you to customize your app based on your users' location.
•Messaging — The Messaging service allows you to send messages to any provider type (SMTP, push notification, SMS, etc.).
•Migrations — The Migrations service allows you to migrate third-party data to your Appwrite project.
•Project — The Project service allows you to manage all the projects in your Appwrite server.
•Projects — The Project service allows you to manage all the projects in your Appwrite server.
•Proxy — The Proxy Service allows you to configure actions for your domains beyond DNS configuration.
•Sites — The Sites Service allows you view, create and manage your web applications.
•Storage — The Storage service allows you to manage your project files.
•TablesDB
•Teams — The Teams service allows you to group users of your project and to enable them to share read and write access to your project resources
•Tokens
•Users — The Users service allows you to manage your project users.
•Vcs