What is vendor lock-in?
Lock-in rarely comes from a contract. It comes from where your code, data and accounts live.
In short
Vendor lock-in is the situation where leaving a supplier would cost so much time, money or risk that you effectively cannot. In software it comes from code you cannot export, data in a format only one platform reads, or accounts registered in the supplier's name rather than yours. It is avoided by owning the repository, the data and the accounts.
Also called: Lock-in, Platform lock-in
Why it matters when your prototype goes to production
Early on, lock-in feels theoretical. It becomes real the day you want to change supplier, raise money and face technical due diligence, or bring engineering in-house. Then three questions decide how hard it is: can you take the code, can you take the data, and are the accounts in your name?
How to keep the exit open
- Keep the code in a repository your organisation owns. Lovable, for example, syncs to GitHub.
- Prefer open, standard foundations such as PostgreSQL, which many hosts run.
- Register hosting, domains and payment accounts to your company, not to a contractor.
- Get infrastructure billed to you directly.
We work that way by default: you own the code, data and infrastructure, and infrastructure is billed to you at cost.
Common questions
Is using a managed platform lock-in?
Not by itself. It is lock-in when you cannot take your code and data elsewhere in a reasonable time. Standard databases and an exportable repository keep that time short.
Related terms
Read next
Sources
More on this: Product strategy & scoping · All glossary terms
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