Source code ownership
You should own the website you paid us to build.
Every Mosaic Ridge site is custom Next.js, and you are never locked into us. We host and run it for you, and the full source code, database, and deployment are yours to take whenever you want them. No escrow, no balance-due gate, no licensing carve-out.
During your Care Plan we host and run the live site for you. Whenever you want it in your own accounts, whether to take it in-house or hand it to another developer, we hand over everything you need, for free. No exit fee, no balance-due gate.
The direct answer
Yes. The code is yours, the database is yours, and the domain is yours.
Most web development relationships are structured to keep the client dependent on the agency forever. The site is hosted on an account the agency controls. The CMS is a proprietary platform the agency configured. The plugins are licensed to the agency. The domain is sometimes even registered to the agency. When the relationship sours, the client discovers that “their” website isn't actually transferable.
We structure engagements the opposite way. During your Care Plan we host and run the whole site for you (hosting, database, and deployment), so one team is accountable for uptime, security patching, and updates and you do not have to think about any of it. But nothing is locked to us. The codebase is written in open-source frameworks (Next.js, React, TypeScript, Node.js) that any senior developer can read and continue maintaining, and the moment you want the code, it is yours: we hand over the repository, a full database export, and the files, free of charge.
The Care Plan is a maintenance retainer, not a hostage situation. When you stop renewing it, nothing about the code stops being yours. You can keep the site on our hosting month to month, take over hosting yourself, or have us hand everything over at no charge. The choice is always yours, and none of the options cost you a fee to leave.
What is yours, whenever you want it
Six artifacts. Documented, transferable, and inheritable.
When you ask for the code, or move off our hosting, a successor developer should be able to pick up your codebase and be productive in hours, not weeks. The package is structured to make that real.
- Git repository: full source
- The complete Next.js / React / TypeScript codebase in a repository on the GitHub or GitLab account of your choice. Commit history, branches, and pull-request record included.
- Database schema & migrations
- PostgreSQL schema with seed data and migration scripts where applicable. Anything stored about your site is in a database you control, in a format any developer can read.
- Environment variable template
- A documented `.env.example` listing every secret the site needs and where it comes from: Stripe, Supabase, Resend, analytics. No magic configuration only we know about.
- Deployment playbook
- Step-by-step setup for the host of your choice: Vercel, Netlify, Railway, AWS, or your own VPS. We default to Vercel because it pairs cleanly with Next.js, but the code is not Vercel-specific.
- Architecture documentation
- A README documenting the architecture, third-party integrations, and any non-obvious decisions a future developer would need to understand the codebase.
- Procurement deliverables (on request)
- Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR / VPAT) aligned with Section 508 / WCAG 2.1 AA, sub-processor list, and Certificate of Insurance issued at award.
Compared honestly
Where ownership actually lives.
A factual comparison across the four most common approaches buyers choose between. We've flagged partial-ownership scenarios honestly. There are some, and the differences matter when you leave.
| Question | Mosaic Ridge | WordPress agency | Squarespace / Wix | Webflow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Do you receive the full working source code? | Yes Full Next.js codebase | Partial WP core is GPL, but theme/plugin licenses often belong to the agency | No Proprietary platform; no source code exists for you to receive | Partial Static HTML/CSS export only; CMS, forms, e-commerce do not export |
| Can you change hosts without permission or fees? | Yes Any Node-compatible host | Partial Yes, but plugin licenses may need re-buying | No Platform hosting is mandatory | No CMS-driven sites must stay on Webflow |
| If you stop paying the vendor, does the site keep running? | Yes No runtime lock-in; we hand over everything free so any developer can keep it running | Partial Depends on whether the agency hosts and holds plugin licenses | No Subscription stops, site goes offline | No Subscription stops, site goes offline |
| Can a different developer maintain it after handoff? | Yes Any senior Next.js developer | Partial In theory; plugin sprawl makes inheritance expensive in practice | No No code for another developer to maintain | Partial Only inside the Webflow visual editor |
| Are recurring fees optional after launch? | Yes Care Plan is optional after Year 1; no exit fee to leave | No Plugin subscriptions, hosting, and security maintenance recur | No Platform subscription is mandatory | No Webflow workspace subscription is mandatory |
| Cost to move to a different provider? | Yes Free. No exit fee. | Partial Typically $1,500–$5,000+ rebuild | No Effectively a rebuild from scratch | Partial Free static export, but no CMS or forms |
The exit ramp, free
The Handover Package. No exit fee.
When you want to leave, for any reason or no reason, we hand over everything you need to take the site elsewhere, at no charge. You or your developer take it from there. We don't make the door hard to find.
Handover Package: included, no charge
What we hand over
- The full Git repository: complete source code and commit history, in a repo you control.
- Every project file and asset that makes up the site.
- The database schema and a complete data export you can import anywhere.
- Documented environment variables and configuration, so any developer knows exactly what the app needs.
- A deployment guide for standing the site up on the host of your choice.
The Handover Package is free and happens once. After we hand everything over, you have no recurring relationship with us unless you choose to retain one. The site is genuinely yours, and you or any Next.js developer can take it from here.
Frequently asked
Common questions about source code ownership.
- Can clients get the source code?
- Yes. We host and maintain the site for you, so you don't have to manage code day to day, but the code is yours whenever you want it. There's no vendor lock-in: ask any time and we hand over the full source to a repository you own, with no escrow conditions, no balance-due gates, and no licensing carve-outs that exclude the code your project paid for. Database schema, environment variable templates, and deployment configuration are included, and the handover is free.
- What exactly is included if I request the code?
- We host and maintain the running site for you, and when you ask for the code you get all of it: a Git repository with the complete Next.js / React / TypeScript source code, a PostgreSQL schema with seed data and migration scripts where applicable, an environment variable template documenting every secret the site needs, a deployment playbook covering hosting setup on a provider of your choice (Vercel, Netlify, Railway, AWS, your own VPS), a README documenting the architecture and any third-party integrations, and our internal documentation for the codebase. On procurement engagements we also issue an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR / VPAT) aligned with Section 508 / WCAG 2.1 AA.
- Is there a fee to move my site off your hosting?
- No. The Handover Package is free. When you want to leave, we hand over everything you need to take the site elsewhere at no charge: the full Git repository with complete history, every project file, a complete database export, documented environment variables and configuration, and a deployment guide. You or any developer can stand it up on the host of your choice from there. There's no exit fee, because an exit you have to pay for isn't really an exit.
- How does this compare to a WordPress agency build?
- WordPress code is technically yours, but the working site depends on a long chain of paid plugins, the licenses for which often belong to the agency. Many WordPress agencies host the site themselves and bill monthly for the hosting plus required plugin updates; ending the relationship means rebuying licenses, finding a new host, and frequently hiring a new developer because plugin sprawl makes the codebase hard for a successor to inherit. Our builds are custom-coded, not a rented template. The Next.js codebase is self-contained, and the dependencies are open-source packages on npm that you can audit and continue updating without our involvement.
- How does this compare to Squarespace, Wix, or Shopify?
- Squarespace, Wix, and Shopify are proprietary platforms. The site you build there is a hosted document inside their database: there is no source code to take with you, and a meaningful export is not possible. When you stop paying, the site goes offline. Our builds are written in open-source languages and frameworks (Next.js, TypeScript, PostgreSQL) and run on infrastructure we host and maintain for you, with the code yours to take whenever you want it. We have moved client e-commerce sites off Shopify onto custom Next.js + Stripe builds for exactly this reason.
- Doesn't Webflow let me export my code?
- Webflow's code export gives you static HTML, CSS, and JS for marketing pages (useful, but it does not include the CMS, the forms, the e-commerce, or any database-backed content). Once you export, you lose the visual editor and have to find a developer to maintain the static files manually. What we build is the actual production codebase your developer (or ours, or any other Next.js shop) can keep developing in. There's no fork in the road where the editor and the code diverge.
- Will another developer be able to pick this up if we part ways?
- Yes. That is the point of using mainstream tooling. Next.js, React, TypeScript, and PostgreSQL are the most widely adopted stack in modern web development, and any senior web developer can read the codebase without specialized training. We follow conventional file structures, type everything strictly, and document the non-obvious decisions. A successor developer can be productive in a few hours rather than the weeks typically required to untangle a WordPress plugin maze.
- Can my in-house developers work on the codebase alongside you?
- Yes. We routinely grant in-house teams collaborator access to the Git repository during the build so they can review pull requests, run the code locally, and contribute changes. After handoff, your team can own the repository entirely and engage us for specific scopes via the Care Plan or hourly retainer ($125/hr, $115/hr for active Care Plan clients).
- What happens to my site if Mosaic Ridge goes out of business?
- Your site keeps running. You own your domain and your data, the code is yours whenever you want it, and the handover is free, so there's no lock-in to strand you. There is no proprietary service of ours the site depends on at runtime: no managed CMS and no licensed component, just a standard Next.js app you or any other shop can take over and host. The Care Plan is a maintenance retainer, not an infrastructure dependency. You would simply move the site to a host of your choice and engage another Next.js shop for any future updates.
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