GitHub Marketplace: Driving Automation and Fostering Innovation in Software Development

GitHub, a central hub for collaborative software development, has revolutionized the open-source software (OSS) ecosystem through its GitHub Marketplace, a platform launched in 2017 to host automation tools aimed at enhancing the efficiency and scalability of software projects. As the adoption of automation in OSS production grows, understanding the trends, characteristics, and underlying dynamics of this marketplace has become vital. Furthermore, despite the rich repository of academic research on software automation, a disconnect persists between academia and industry practices. This study seeks to bridge this gap by providing a systematic analysis of the GitHub Marketplace, comparing trends observed in industry tools with advancements reported in academic literature, and identifying areas where academia can contribute to practical innovation.