Google closes doors of sourcecode hosting site Code

Google Code, where developers could host open source projects, is closing its doors. Google has announced that. There are now better alternatives such as GitHub and Bitbucket, so Code is no longer necessary, according to Google.

The search giant launched Code in 2006, saying it was because there was limited choice for developers who wanted to upload their code, for example to collaborate in a team. There are now better alternatives, such as GitHub and Bitbucket, so Google Code is no longer necessary, says the search giant. The source code hosting site will therefore close its doors.

The site closure is gradual. It is already no longer possible to create new projects, but for existing projects nothing will change in the coming months. However, from 24 August it is no longer possible to make changes; from then on the site will be available in read-only mode. As of January next year, the site will be permanently closed, although tarballs with the content of projects will still be offered throughout 2016.

Google has created a tool that allows developers to export their code to GitHub. Projects on Google Code that use Subversion or Mercurial for versioning are converted to Git projects. Google states that it has already transferred nearly a thousand projects from Google Code to GitHub.