No Rewrite by Default · Accounts in Your Name · Written Runbook · Defined Response Times
Your Developer Left. We Take Over Your App Safely.
Your developer, freelancer or agency has left, and nobody owns the app. We take over the existing codebase safely, move access into your company's control, document how it runs and keep it maintained.
What Is a Software Takeover?
A software takeover is when a new team assumes responsibility for an existing application that someone else built, such as a former employee, a freelancer, an agency or an AI coding tool. The new team secures access, captures how the system works, stabilises it and then maintains it. Codersarts helps you take over an existing codebase safely, without a risky rewrite, and becomes the accountable team that keeps your application running.
The goal is simple: your app should never depend on one person who might not answer the phone.
Taking Over an Existing App at a Glance
Question | Answer |
|---|---|
Who it is for | Businesses whose developer, freelancer or agency has left, or who inherited an app they do not fully understand |
Rewrite by default | No; we stabilise and maintain what exists unless the numbers clearly favour a rebuild |
First step | Secure access handover and a baseline review |
What you keep | All code, accounts, data, backups and documentation, in your company's name |
Typical start | Within 2 business days of approval and secure access |
How it continues | Managed Run, a monthly retainer with defined response times |
Starting prices | Go-Live from $2,000 if the app needs redeploying; Managed Run from $1,000 per month |
Signs Your App Needs a New Owner
The developer who built it has left, gone quiet or moved to another project
Your agency has ended the contract or stopped responding to support requests
Nobody on your team knows how to deploy a change or restart the app
Hosting, domains or code repositories sit in someone's personal account
Security updates have not been applied for months
Small bugs stay unfixed because everyone is afraid of breaking something
You are paying for hosting but cannot see what you are paying for
The Real Risks of an Orphaned Application
Risk | What it causes | How a takeover fixes it |
|---|---|---|
Access held by one person | You cannot deploy, renew a domain or rotate a key without them | Move every account and credential into your company's control |
Knowledge in one head | Nobody knows why things were built the way they were | Capture setup, deployment and key decisions in writing |
Unpatched dependencies | Known vulnerabilities stay open | Plan and apply security and dependency updates |
Unsupported runtimes | The platform stops receiving security fixes | Plan a tested upgrade path |
No monitoring | Outages are discovered by customers | Connect monitoring and alerts to a named owner |
Untested backups | A failure becomes permanent data loss | Prove backups with a timed restore test |
Release fear | The roadmap freezes because every change feels risky | Add a safe deployment and rollback process |
Who Should Own What: The Ownership Checklist
The first job in any takeover is making sure your business, not a former supplier, controls the system. We help you confirm ownership of each item below.
Asset | Who should own it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
Code repositories | Your company account | So you can always access, move or audit your code |
Cloud hosting account | Your company account | So hosting cannot be switched off or held back |
Domain and DNS | Your company registrar account | So your website and email cannot disappear on renewal day |
Database and backups | Your company account | So your data is always recoverable |
API keys and secrets | Issued to your company, stored securely | So access can be rotated when people leave |
Email and messaging providers | Your company account | So customer emails keep flowing |
App store and payment accounts | Your company account | So releases and revenue stay under your control |
Analytics and monitoring | Your company account | So history and alerts stay with the business |
Where an asset is still in a former supplier's name, we help you plan the transfer. We never take over accounts in our own name.
How We Take Over Your Application
1. Secure Access Handover
You share access through a secure, separately approved handoff, never by email or chat. We sign a mutual NDA if you need one and request only the access each step requires, starting with read-only access where possible.
2. Knowledge Capture
If the previous developer or agency is still reachable, we arrange a short handover call and collect any notes, scripts and documentation. If they are not, we reconstruct how the system works from the code, configuration and hosting setup.
3. Baseline Review
We review the code, dependencies, runtime versions, hosting, backups, monitoring and access. You receive a plain-language baseline report that separates urgent risks from routine improvements.
4. Stabilisation
We fix the urgent issues first, with your approval: exposed secrets, missing backups, unpatched critical vulnerabilities and user-facing bugs. If the app is not hosted properly, the Go-Live Package redeploys it on a managed server with monitoring and a tested restore.
5. Safe Releases
We set up a repeatable way to deploy changes and roll them back, so updates stop feeling dangerous.
6. Ongoing Ownership
From here, Managed Run keeps the app secure, updated and monitored every month, with a named incident-response owner and defined response times.
What We Document During a Takeover
How to set up the application from scratch
How to deploy a change and how to roll it back
Every environment variable and external service the app depends on
Where backups live, how often they run and how to restore them
Known issues, risks and the reasoning behind important design decisions
This documentation belongs to you. If you ever change provider, the next team starts from a clear map instead of guesswork.
Should You Maintain or Rewrite the App?
Most inherited apps do not need a rewrite. Rewrites are slow, expensive and often reintroduce bugs that the old code had already solved. We recommend one only when the evidence supports it.
Situation | Our usual recommendation |
|---|---|
The app works, but nobody maintains it | Take over and maintain |
Outdated dependencies and runtime | Take over, then upgrade in planned steps |
Serious security gaps in specific areas | Take over and fix those areas first |
A core part is built on an abandoned platform | Replace that part, keep the rest |
The code cannot support the business's next stage at all | Plan a phased rebuild, keeping the current app running meanwhile |
Working With Your Previous Developer or Agency
A takeover goes faster when the previous team helps, but it does not depend on them. We keep handover conversations professional and focused on facts: what runs where, how it is deployed and what is unfinished. If the relationship has ended badly, we work entirely from the code and systems you control.
Deliverables of a Takeover
Confirmed company ownership of every critical account and asset
A baseline report with prioritised risks and estimates
A written runbook for setup, deployment, rollback and restore
Monitoring and alerting connected to a named owner
Backups verified by a restore test
A first-month plan agreed with you
Common Takeover Scenarios
Scenario | What usually goes wrong | Where we start |
|---|---|---|
Freelancer finished the MVP and moved on | Hosting and code sit in the freelancer's accounts | Ownership transfer, then baseline review |
Agency contract ended | Slow or no replies, unclear deployment process | Knowledge capture and runbook |
In-house developer resigned | Undocumented decisions and personal credentials | Credential rotation and documentation |
App built by the founder with AI tools | Nobody else understands how it runs | Baseline review and Go-Live redeployment |
Acquired product or inherited system | Unknown dependencies and outdated runtimes | Security review and upgrade plan |
Your First 30 Days After a Takeover
Period | What happens |
|---|---|
Days 1 to 3 | Secure access handover, read-only review and ownership checklist |
Days 4 to 10 | Baseline report, monitoring connected, backups verified with a restore test |
Days 11 to 20 | Urgent fixes you approve, runbook written, safe deployment set up |
Days 21 to 30 | First planned updates, first monthly report and next-month priorities agreed |
If the app needs redeploying on a managed server, the Go-Live package runs during this period and the timeline adjusts accordingly.
When Access Is Missing or Incomplete
Takeovers rarely start with perfect access. Common gaps and how we handle them:
Lost passwords for company-owned accounts: we help you use the provider's official account recovery process
Code only on a former developer's machine: we help you request the repository and confirm it matches what is running
Hosting in a supplier's account: we plan a migration into a new account in your company's name, with minimal downtime
Unknown API keys: we identify which services the app calls, then issue and rotate new keys under your company
No documentation at all: we reconstruct it from the running system and the code
Red Flags We Check First
Some issues need attention before anything else, because they can cause damage while the takeover is still under way:
Secrets or customer data exposed in a public repository
Admin accounts shared between several people or still held by former staff
Domains or certificates close to expiry
Backups that have stopped running or have never been restored
Critical security updates that are months overdue
Scheduled jobs that fail silently every day
If we find any of these, we tell you immediately rather than waiting for the baseline report.
Who We Take Over Apps For
Startups After a Freelancer Leaves
The MVP is live, the freelancer has moved on and customers are arriving. We make sure the product keeps working while you decide what to build next.
Businesses Ending an Agency Contract
You want continuity without paying the original agency's rates or waiting for their replies. We provide a clean transition and ongoing support.
Founders Who Built With AI Tools
You built the app yourself with AI coding tools and now need someone else to own it. See AI-built app to production for apps that are not live yet.
Why Choose Codersarts for Your App Takeover
We combine a careful, no-rewrite approach with an accountable monthly service. You get documented ownership, tested backups and one team responsible for the app from the first week.
Pricing
Service | Price | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
Go-Live | Starting at $2,000, one-time | If the app needs redeploying on a properly managed server |
Stabilisation fixes | $50 per hour, with your approval | To close urgent risks from the baseline review |
Managed Run | Starting at $1,000 per month | To own and maintain the app every month |
24/7 Critical Incident Cover | $250 per month | If the app must be supported at night and at weekends |
Hosting is billed by your cloud provider at actual cost. The final scope is confirmed after a free scoping call and a first look at the code.
What Is Not Included
Recovering access to accounts that legally belong to a third party
Disputes or negotiations with your former developer or agency
Major new features or a full rewrite, which we quote separately
Third-party fees for hosting, platforms and services you use
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you take over an app built by another developer or agency?
Yes. Most of the apps we support were built by someone else. We start with a secure handover and a baseline review before changing anything.
What if the previous developer will not help?
We can work entirely from the code, configuration and hosting you control. A cooperative handover is faster, but not required.
Do you rewrite the code when you take over?
No. We stabilise and maintain the existing app, and recommend a rebuild only when the evidence clearly supports it.
What access do you need?
Read-only access for the review, then the access needed to deploy and maintain the app, always in accounts owned by your company.
What if hosting or domains are in someone else's name?
We help you plan the transfer into your company's accounts before we take on operational responsibility.
How long does a takeover take?
Access and baseline review usually take a few days. If the app needs redeploying, the Go-Live package takes 5 to 7 business days.
Will you document how the app works?
Yes. You receive a runbook covering setup, deployment, rollback and restore, and it belongs to you.
What happens after the takeover?
Managed Run keeps the app secure, updated and monitored every month, with a named incident owner.
Give Your App an Owner Again
Tell us what the app does, who built it and what access you still have. We will plan a safe takeover and send a clear quote.