Owning your code: what to ask before you sign with any agency
Where will the repository live? The answer should be your own account, from the first commit rather than at handover. If the code only exists in the agency's workspace, you are renting it.
Whose name is on the hosting, the domain, and the database? These get set up in a hurry at the start of a project and quietly become the thing that makes leaving expensive. They should be yours on day one.
What is proprietary? Some agencies build on an in-house framework you cannot take elsewhere. That is not automatically bad, but you should know before you sign, not when you ask for the code.
What does handover include? Written documentation, credentials, and a walkthrough for whoever picks it up next. And finally: what happens if we stop working together — a supplier who has thought about that answer is usually the safer one.
