TheHandoverDocumentationChecklistEveryFreelanceDeveloperShouldGiveYou

At minimum, you should have: a high-level architecture overview (what the major pieces are and how they connect), setup instructions for running the project locally, and a clear deployment process for pushing changes to production. Without this, your product is dependent on one person's undocumented knowledge — a real risk if that person becomes unavailable for any reason.

Access credentials for all third-party services (hosting, database, domain, analytics, payment processor) should be documented and owned by you, not just known only to the developer — this is as much a security practice as a handover one.

Good documentation shouldn't wait until a project ends — ask for it incrementally as major pieces are built, so you're never more than a small update behind if you need to bring in someone else or continue the relationship on different terms. A developer with real production experience treats this as standard practice, not a special request.

This is also what protects a fixed-price or retainer relationship from becoming a lock-in — with clear documentation, you genuinely have the option to work with someone else later, which keeps the relationship healthy for both sides.

Before wrapping up initial development, confirm you have: architecture documentation, local setup instructions, deployment documentation, and full access to all third-party service accounts under your own ownership. This is a reasonable, standard request — not an unusual one — and a developer with genuine production experience will expect it.