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Kotlin Academy · Lesson

Actors and Structured State Management

Use actor-style patterns to serialize state access in concurrent code.

Actors and Structured State Management is a free Kotlin Academy lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 4 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the Kotlin Academy learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.

What Is an Actor?

An actor is a coroutine that owns private mutable state and communicates via a channel. External code never accesses the state directly — only via messages.

import kotlinx.coroutines.*
import kotlinx.coroutines.channels.*
sealed class CounterMsg
object Increment : CounterMsg()
class GetCount(val response: CompletableDeferred<Int>) : CounterMsg()
fun CoroutineScope.counterActor() = actor<CounterMsg> {
    var counter = 0
    for (msg in channel) {
        when (msg) {
            is Increment -> counter++
            is GetCount  -> msg.response.complete(counter)
        }
    }
}

Using the Actor

Send messages to the actor using send. The actor processes them one at a time, serializing state access.

import kotlinx.coroutines.*
import kotlinx.coroutines.channels.*
// (CounterMsg sealed class from previous scene)
fun main() = runBlocking {
    val counter = counterActor()
    repeat(100) { counter.send(Increment) }
    val response = CompletableDeferred<Int>()
    counter.send(GetCount(response))
    println("Count: ${response.await()}") // 100
    counter.close()
}

Actor Replaces Mutex

Actors eliminate the need for mutexes by making state access sequential by design. All mutations happen inside one coroutine.

import kotlinx.coroutines.*
import kotlinx.coroutines.channels.*
sealed class Msg
object Inc : Msg()
data class Get(val d: CompletableDeferred<Int>) : Msg()
fun CoroutineScope.safeCounter() = actor<Msg> {
    var n = 0
    for (m in channel) when(m) {
        is Inc -> n++
        is Get -> m.d.complete(n)
    }
}
fun main() = runBlocking {
    val a = safeCounter()
    repeat(1000) { a.send(Inc) }
    val d = CompletableDeferred<Int>()
    a.send(Get(d))
    println(d.await()) // 1000
    a.close()
}

Typed Message Protocol

Define your message protocol as a sealed class hierarchy for exhaustive handling in the actor's when expression.

sealed class BankMsg
data class Deposit(val amount: Double) : BankMsg()
data class Withdraw(val amount: Double, val result: CompletableDeferred<Boolean>) : BankMsg()
data class Balance(val result: CompletableDeferred<Double>) : BankMsg()
// Actor holds balance privately — outside code sends messages only

State Machine as Actor

Actors are natural state machines: internal state transitions happen atomically in response to messages.

import kotlinx.coroutines.*
import kotlinx.coroutines.channels.*
enum class TrafficState { RED, GREEN, YELLOW }
fun CoroutineScope.trafficLight() = actor<Unit> {
    var state = TrafficState.RED
    for (msg in channel) {
        state = when (state) {
            TrafficState.RED    -> TrafficState.GREEN
            TrafficState.GREEN  -> TrafficState.YELLOW
            TrafficState.YELLOW -> TrafficState.RED
        }
        println("State: $state")
    }
}
fun main() = runBlocking {
    val light = trafficLight()
    repeat(6) { light.send(Unit) }
    light.close()
}

actor() Builder

The actor { } coroutine builder creates an actor with a channel inbox. The actor is a coroutine that processes messages from channel.

import kotlinx.coroutines.*
import kotlinx.coroutines.channels.*
fun CoroutineScope.logActor() = actor<String>(capacity = Channel.BUFFERED) {
    val log = mutableListOf<String>()
    for (msg in channel) {
        log.add(msg)
        println("[LOG] $msg")
    }
    println("Log entries: ${log.size}")
}
fun main() = runBlocking {
    val logger = logActor()
    repeat(5) { logger.send("Event $it") }
    logger.close()
    // actor finishes after close
}

Stopping an Actor

Close the actor's send channel with close(). The for-loop in the actor ends, allowing cleanup before the coroutine finishes.

import kotlinx.coroutines.*
import kotlinx.coroutines.channels.*
fun main() = runBlocking {
    val actor = actor<String> {
        for (msg in channel) println("Got: $msg")
        println("Actor done")
    }
    actor.send("hello")
    actor.send("world")
    actor.close()
    // Wait for actor to finish
    delay(50)
}

Actors with Backpressure

Set the actor's channel capacity to apply backpressure — senders suspend when the inbox is full.

import kotlinx.coroutines.*
import kotlinx.coroutines.channels.*
fun CoroutineScope.slowProcessor() = actor<Int>(capacity = 2) {
    for (item in channel) {
        delay(100) // slow processing
        println("Processed: $item")
    }
}
fun main() = runBlocking {
    val proc = slowProcessor()
    repeat(5) { proc.send(it) } // sender suspends when capacity full
    proc.close()
}

Actor vs Mutex Performance

Actors serialize access with no lock contention and suit complex state with multiple message types. Mutex is simpler for a single shared counter but less composable.

import kotlinx.coroutines.*
import kotlinx.coroutines.sync.*
// For a simple counter: Mutex is fine
val mutex = Mutex()
var simpleCounter = 0
// For complex state + multiple operations: Actor is cleaner
// Actor: messages describe intent; state changes are encapsulated
fun main() = runBlocking { println("Choose based on state complexity") }

CompletableDeferred for Request-Reply

For request-reply patterns inside an actor, include a CompletableDeferred in the message. The actor completes it; the sender awaits it.

import kotlinx.coroutines.*
import kotlinx.coroutines.channels.*
data class Query(val key: String, val reply: CompletableDeferred<String?>)
fun CoroutineScope.cacheActor() = actor<Any> {
    val cache = mutableMapOf<String, String>()
    for (msg in channel) when (msg) {
        is Pair<*, *> -> cache[msg.first as String] = msg.second as String
        is Query -> msg.reply.complete(cache[msg.key])
    }
}

Modern Alternative: StateFlow + coroutineScope

The actor builder is experimental and may be deprecated. The modern alternative is a ViewModel or service class with a MutableStateFlow updated from a single coroutine.

import kotlinx.coroutines.*
import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.*
class CounterService(scope: CoroutineScope) {
    private val _count = MutableStateFlow(0)
    val count = _count.asStateFlow()
    private val events = kotlinx.coroutines.channels.Channel<Unit>()
    init {
        scope.launch {
            for (e in events) _count.value++
        }
    }
    fun increment() { events.trySend(Unit) }
}

Quick Check

How do actors ensure safe concurrent state access?

Recap

Actors encapsulate mutable state in a single coroutine and expose operations as typed channel messages. They naturally serialize access, support state machines, and eliminate lock contention — at the cost of message-passing indirection.

Frequently asked questions

Is the “Actors and Structured State Management” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “Actors and Structured State Management” is free to read here on the web, and the Kotlin Academy course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the Kotlin Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.

What will I learn in “Actors and Structured State Management”?

Use actor-style patterns to serialize state access in concurrent code. You practise Kotlin Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start Kotlin Academy?

No prior experience is required. Kotlin Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 4 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.

How long does the “Actors and Structured State Management” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this Kotlin Academy lesson?

Yes. Every Kotlin Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

All lessons in this course

  1. Channel Basics: send, receive, and close
  2. Channel Types: Rendezvous, Buffered, Conflated, Unlimited
  3. Mutex and Semaphore for Shared State
  4. Actors and Structured State Management
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