Developer tools company Appcelerator acquired Aptana, creator of an integrated development environment for building web apps. The acquisition is set to provide web developers with an enterprise-grade platform to build “rich native applications that integrate easily with the cloud.” Appcelerator notes that, through the growth of cloud computing and mobility, there is the need for a platform that “better orchestrates and enables the extension of the web to mobile devices.”  It will also unite the Appcelerator and Aptana developer communities, creating a base of more than 1.5 million.

Appcelerator said it “leads the industry in cross-platform development,” with “tens of millions” of users using more than 10,000 native iOS, Android and desktop applications built using the technology. In addition, with more than 3,000 APIs in its flagship Appcelerator Titanium product, it also claims to offer “the deepest set of capabilities available of any development platform on the market.” The Aptana acquisition extends this to create a development environment that will “significantly improve developer productivity, integration and cloud connectivity.”

Jeff Haynie, CEO of Appcelerator, notes: “We have always focused on enabling the best possible native application experience. This announcement furthers that vision by empowering our growing community of developers to build, test, and deploy native, cloud-connected mobile applications faster and with higher quality than ever before.”

In January 2011, Appcelerator said that it had doubled in size since November 2010, adding staff in engineering, sales, professional services, support, and marketing roles. In January 2011, it announced it is working with Verizon Wireless to offer tools to enable the creation and publishing of apps via the operator’s V CAST Apps store. It has also partnered with PayPal to enable m-commerce support to developers, with eBay, PayPal’s parent, becoming a strategic investor in Appcelerator.

As part of the deal, the Aptana team has joined Appcelerator, and Appcelerator intends to integrate support for its mutual customer base and combined developer community “over the coming months.” It will offer a free beta of the integrated Appcelerator/Aptana offering late in the first quarter, and will make additional product roadmap announcements in the coming months. No financial details of the deal were disclosed.