How do you protect your source code?
As you grow, you need to hire developers, and freelancers, to scale. However, you always run into the risk of source cloning (esp. with freelancers). I wonder what strategies Indies and Indie++s are applying to protect your code.
Some ideas I have come across, but aren't full proof:
- NDA agreements - Only provide a legal cover, with nuances.
- Remote IDEs (e.g. gitpod)- Can still copy code (May not protect against download and Ctrl+c Ctrl+v)
- Remote VM - anyone?
Guidance really appreciated.
P.S. Not looking for suggestions like "Execution matters, don't worry about copying"; While I might agree in principle with them, I still need something more secure.
Trending on Indie Hackers
If someone is working on your code, it's impossible to competely stop them from copying the code, and it wouldn't sense in the first place if it's not an isolated feature that they are building. Just cover youself from the legal side, hire good developers and don't worry much about it. Any decent developer would not care about stealing your source code.
You need to realize.
If someone is editing something. It can walk away.
Dont sweat it.
If you're here, asking these questions, you dont have a 100 million idea.
If you did, youd have a shot at funding with a solid process.
Build what you can. Repeat process untill you have enough success/luck and then hire a team u might trust