Source code ownership
You should own the website you paid us to build.
Every Mosaic Ridge build delivers the full Next.js source code, database schema, and deployment configuration to a Git repository in your name. There is no escrow, no balance-due gate, and no licensing carve-out.
When you stop paying us, the site keeps running on your hosting. If you ever want to leave, the Migration Package is a one-time $850 flat — and we hand the running site to whoever you want next.
The direct answer
Yes — the code is yours. The database is yours. The hosting account 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. The Git repository is created in your GitHub or GitLab account from day one. The database is provisioned in a Supabase or PostgreSQL project under your billing. The hosting is set up on Vercel under an account you control. The domain is registered to you. The codebase is written in open-source frameworks — Next.js, React, TypeScript, Node.js — that any senior web developer can read and continue maintaining.
The Care Plan is a maintenance retainer for organizations that prefer to outsource the ongoing patching, monitoring, and content updates. It is not an infrastructure dependency. If you cancel it, your site does not go offline; you just stop receiving updates from us.
What you receive at handoff
Six artifacts. Documented, transferable, and inheritable.
A successor developer should be able to pick up your codebase and be productive in hours, not weeks. The handoff 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 at handoff.
| 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 On your hosting; no runtime dependency on us | 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; Migration Package is a one-time exit | 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 $850 flat Migration Package | 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, published
The $850 Migration Package.
We publish the price because the option needs to be real, not theoretical. When a client wants to leave — for any reason, or no reason — the Migration Package moves the running site out of our hosting and into accounts you own.
Migration Package — $850 flat
What the fee covers
- Transfer the Vercel (or chosen host) project to an account you own.
- Move the production database — PostgreSQL, Supabase, or otherwise — into your billing account.
- Hand over domain DNS records to the registrar of your choice.
- Grant admin access to the GitHub or GitLab repository to whomever you designate.
- Walk a successor developer through the codebase architecture on a recorded call.
- Document any handoff items unique to your build in a written runbook.
The Migration Package is a one-time service. After it runs, you have no recurring relationship with us unless you choose to retain one. The site is genuinely yours and the next developer can take it from here.
Frequently asked
Common questions about source code ownership.
- Do you actually give clients the source code?
- Yes. Every build ships with the full source code delivered to a client-owned Git repository at handoff. There are 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.
- What exactly do I receive at handoff?
- 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.
- What's the $850 Migration Package and when would I use it?
- The Migration Package is a flat $850 service that physically transfers the running website out of our hosting and into accounts you own. We move the Vercel project (or set up your chosen host), transfer the database, hand over the domain DNS records, and grant repository admin to the GitHub or GitLab account of your choice. After the package, the site keeps running with no involvement from us. This is the exit ramp — we publish it so the option is real, not theoretical.
- 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 use no third-party CMS plugins. 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 you control. 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. Our deliverable 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?
- Because you already own the source code, the domain, and the hosting account, your site keeps running. There is no service of ours your site depends on at runtime — no proxy, no managed CMS, no licensed component. The Care Plan is a maintenance retainer, not an infrastructure dependency. If we disappeared tomorrow, your site would not notice; you would simply need to engage another Next.js shop for any future updates.
Ready to scope a build you actually own?
Tell us what you're scoping.
Every engagement starts with a written scope and ends with a Git repository in your name. Send the brief and we'll respond within one business day.