GitHub tried to put worries about its independence under Microsoft to rest Thursday, announcing a partnership with Google Cloud that will make it easier for developers to use a new software development tool unveiled this week at Google Cloud Next.
Developers will be able to choose Google Cloud Build from within GitHub if they have packaged their applications using Docker, the companies announced Thursday. At some point in the near future, GitHub will automatically detect those filetypes and suggest Google Cloud Build as a way to get those files out into the world.
Google Cloud Build is a continuous integration service, a way of automating the software development process to quickly and easily get new code into existing applications after it has been created and tested. Companies like Chef and Puppet also offer tools that automate these processes, which allows companies to ship software much faster than older techniques allowed.
Google was likely hoping to announce its own deal for GitHub this week at Cloud Next 2018 in San Francisco, but Microsoft beat it to the punch in June, snapping up the code repository used by millions of developers for $7.5 billion in June. Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene wouldn’t confirm whether or not the company made an official bid for GitHub in an interview with CNBC this week, but offered some pretty strong hints that Google was interested in making a deal.
For its part, Microsoft has insisted that it will let GitHub be an independent resource for software developers once the deal closes, which is expected later this year. At our GeekWire Cloud Tech Summit last month, Microsoft Azure CTO Mark Russinovich said that “our key goal, primary goal, is to not mess with what’s working there, and so you’re going to see us take a very hands-off approach.”
