Guides for Owners of Old Code
Everything an owner needs to know about code they no longer use: what it is still worth, how a buyer judges it, how to prepare it safely, and how selling compares with open-sourcing, archiving or deleting it.
Start here: the pillar guides
Six long-form guides that cover the whole subject. Read the first one if you are new.
What Is Old Source Code Still Worth?
What old source code from a shut-down product is still worth, what makes one codebase worth more than another, and why no revenue does not mean no value.
9 min readPillar guideHow Codebase Value Is Measured: Size, Originality, History, Quality and Rights
Codebase value is measured on size, originality, history, quality and rights. How each is checked without sharing code, and where a dead product scores.
8 min readPillar guideSell, Archive, Open Source or Delete: Your Options for Code You No Longer Use
Sell, archive, open source or delete code you no longer use: what each route costs, what you keep, what you give up, and which choices cannot be undone.
8 min readPillar guideHow Selling Your Old Code Works, From First Message to Payment
How selling your old code works, step by step: the short form, the call, the review, the cash offer, the contract, cleaning and transfer. See every stage.
8 min readPillar guideHow to Prepare a Codebase for Sale (Step by Step)
How to prepare a codebase for sale in eight steps: inventory repos, confirm ownership, list third-party code, scrub secrets and personal data. Start today.
8 min readPillar guideTaxes When You Sell Source Code or Software IP: US, UK, EU, Canada and Australia
How taxes on selling source code or software IP work in the US, UK, EU, Canada and Australia: income or capital gain, timing and VAT. Know before you sign.
8 min readKnow what you have
What a buyer looks at, and how to check it yourself.
How to Count Lines of Code (and Why Original Lines Matter More)
How to count lines of code with free tools like cloc and tokei, what to exclude (vendored, generated and minified files) and how to turn it into a size.
5 min readGuideWhy Git History Makes Old Code Worth More
Why git history makes old code worth more: commits, pull requests and reviews show how software changed. How to check you still have it, and why zips fail.
5 min readGuideBeyond the Code: Why Docs, Tests, Tickets and Designs Add Value
Why docs, tests, tickets and design files make old code worth more, how to export them from GitHub Issues, Jira, Linear and Figma, and what to leave out.
5 min readGuideOpen Source Inside Your Codebase: What It Means When You Sell
Open source in your codebase does not stop a sale. What you actually sell, how library licenses stay in place, and permissive vs copyleft in plain English.
5 min readGuideWhy Real-World Code Matters for AI Training and R&D
Why real-world code matters for AI training and R&D, what production code with history teaches that tutorials cannot, and why private code is scarce.
5 min readRights and clean-up
Who can sell, and what must come out before anything moves.
Who Owns the Code? Founders, Employees, Contractors and Agencies
Who owns the code your startup built? How employee, founder, contractor and agency code is owned in the US, UK and EU, and how to fix the usual gaps.
6 min readGuideHow to Remove API Keys and Passwords From Old Code, Including Git History
How to remove API keys and passwords from old code, including git history: why deleting a file is not enough, why you rotate first and which tools to use.
6 min readGuidePersonal Data in Old Code: What to Find and Remove Before You Sell
Personal data hides in old code: seed files, fixtures, logs and hard-coded records. What GDPR counts as personal data and how to find and remove it.
5 min readGuideAgencies and Freelancers: Which Old Code You Can Sell, and Which You Cannot
Agency and freelancer code: which old code you can sell (own products, internal tools, some components) and which client work you cannot. Check yours.
5 min readGuideWhat Is in a Source Code Purchase Agreement
What a source code purchase agreement contains: assignment of rights, scope, ownership warranties, cleaning duties and payment. Read before signing.
6 min readWhen a product or company ends
Decisions in the first weeks decide how much survives.
Shutting Down a Software Company: What to Do With the Code, Repos and Accounts
Shutting down a software company? A 30-day checklist for the code, repos and accounts, so nothing valuable is deleted by accident. Start before you cancel.
6 min readGuideWhat Companies Can Do With the Code of Retired Products
What a company can do with the code of retired products, legacy repos and acquired tech, what keeping them costs and who decides. Read before you archive.
6 min readGuideSelling Code When the Company Is Dissolved, Insolvent or in Liquidation
Selling code when the company is dissolved, insolvent or in liquidation: who holds the rights, how UK bona vacantia works and who must sign first.
6 min readGuide10 Red Flags When Someone Offers to Buy Your Code
Ten red flags when someone offers to buy your code, from install requests and upfront fees to code before a contract, plus what a fair process looks like.
5 min readFind out what your old code is worth right now.
Tell us about the product in about a minute. No code needed. We review the details and come back with a cash offer or a plain no.
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