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Software escrow for installed applications. Recover licensed software on your terms.
Access to the applications your business depends on should never end unexpectedly. Software escrow safeguards the on-premises and self-hosted software your teams use every day, with a recovery path you control.
From $189 /mo
- ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified
- Agreements for any number of parties
Deposit currentFleet Ledger · On-premises · Escrow Pro
Synced daily
Trusted by 3 500+ teams in over 150 countries, from regulated enterprises to fast-growing software vendors
Why software escrow
Licensed software shouldn't end when the vendor does.
Software escrow keeps the code and everything around it current in one place, with release conditions agreed up front, so a release follows a process every party has already signed.
The vendor
Fleet Ledger
On-premises software
- Repositories sync daily
- Anything else, uploaded
Codekeeper vault
Fleet Ledger 8.2
- Source code4 repositories
- Build scriptsIncluded
- DocumentationInstall guide
- Database schemaSynced today
Beneficiaries
What software escrow holds
Recover knowing what's in the deposit.
An installed application only comes back if the build scripts, installers, environment files, and license files come back with it. Every on-premises application is built from a few core components, and software escrow keeps each one current in one place.
Deposit · Fleet LedgerOn-premises · Escrow ProSynced today- 1
Source code
The codebase every recovery starts from, with the build scripts that turn it into a working installation.
Source code escrow - 2
- 3
Documentation
The know-how an engineering team follows to install, run, and recover the software.
Document escrow - 4
Files outside your tools
Installers, license files, and anything else that doesn't live in a repository.
Deployment assets escrow
GitHub · GitLab · Bitbucket · Azure DevOps · AWS · Azure · Google Cloud
What is software escrow?
Third-party software. Without the dependency risk.
Software escrow, sometimes called source code escrow, is a recovery safety net for the installed software you license. An agreement between the vendor, their users, and Codekeeper keeps a copy of the software in a secure vault, synced daily. Vendors use it to clear procurement, and users receive the copy if a release condition is met.
Want to know more? Read our introduction to software escrow
Software escrow guards against
Vendor failure.
Keep the software running through a bankruptcy or a discontinued product.
Security gaps.
Fix vulnerabilities that are no longer being patched, using the released code.
Frozen deals.
Win enterprise deals that ask for continuity terms before anyone signs.
Who it's for
Built for both sides of a software license.
Every process, every client, and every working day can ride on an application someone else wrote. Software escrow gives both sides a plan for the day its vendor can't support it.
You run software from a vendor
- The risk
- The software runs part of your operations, and only the vendor can fix it.
- With Escrow
- Put release rights in writing before you sign, so the code, data, and documentation are there if the vendor stops.
- With Escrow Pro
- Know the deposit builds before you need it, and start any recovery from a tested isolated compile.
You sell software customers install
- The risk
- Enterprise buyers ask what happens to them if you stop, and the deal waits on the answer.
- With Escrow
- Answer the continuity question in due diligence with a certificate, and add customers to the same deposit as they sign.
- With Escrow Pro
- Show buyers the software builds, with a Recoverability Certificate from each passed rebuild.
Keep certificates on file for your exit plan and, with Pro, Rebuild Reports, SBOMs, and exit workbooks.
How a recovery works
What happens when a software vendor stops.
Two things are at stake: the deposit your team recovers from, and the software already running on your servers. Escrow takes care of the first, so the second can keep running. Continuity keeps the services it depends on paid meanwhile.
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1
Every day before
Nothing has gone wrong yetThe depositSynced and checkedYour repositories sync to the deposit daily, and a monthly check documents which agreed items are there. On Escrow Pro, Codekeeper's AI agents also rebuild it when you choose.
The software on your serversRunningThe vendor supports it, ships updates, and fixes what breaks.
The software on your serversRunning · mappedThe vendor supports it. We map the hosted components and outside services the installation depends on at setup, and keep that map current.
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2
The vendor stops
Insolvency, discontinued support, or a material breachThe depositReleased to youIf a release condition in your agreement is met, we check the request against it and hand the deposit to your team: source code, build scripts, data, and documentation, as last synced and checked.
The software on your serversUnsupportedIt keeps running, but nobody patches it. A security flaw, an expiring license key, or an operating system update can bring it to a stop.
The software on your serversKept onLicense servers, hosted components, and third-party services on the map stay paid and switched on for an agreed period, so the installation keeps working.
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3
While it's recovered
Self-Run Recovery, by your teamThe depositRecovered by your teamYour engineers, or a partner you choose, build it from the deposit, fix what needs fixing, and keep the installation current. On Escrow Pro, they start from the last passed run's tested isolated compile and exit workbook.
The software on your serversKept runningPatches and fixes come from your own build now, so the installation stays supported for as long as you need it.
The software on your serversStill switched onEverything on the map stays on while your team builds from the deposit, so the switch to your own build happens on your schedule.
Choose who runs the recovery, and whether the service stays on.
Self-Run RecoveryEscrow This page
For the software your own team can bring back. Keep a copy of the installed software in a neutral vault, released to your team to build and maintain when a release condition is met.
From $199
Managed RecoveryResilience
For the software you can't risk rebuilding yourself. Return critical third-party software to working order, with Codekeeper's engineers taking on the recovery. Explore Resilience
From $399
Full ContinuityContinuity
For the services that just can't go offline. Keep the hosting and services behind an application paid and switched on for an agreed period while it's recovered. Explore Continuity
From $1,449
Plans for on-premises software
Choose what release day looks like.
Escrow holds the deposit and releases it to your team for recovery. Escrow Pro adds Agentic Verification, so your team starts from a build that has already passed.
| Software, from | Released to youEscrow$199 |
Tested in advanceEscrow Pro Recommended$449 |
|---|---|---|
| Held, checked, and released | ||
| A copy of your software in a neutral vault | Included | Included |
| Daily sync through 50+ integrations | Included | Included |
| Monthly checks for missing files | Included | Included |
| Released to your team to recover | Included | Included |
| Proven to build | ||
| Agentic Verification: up to four rebuilds a year, on supported technology stacks | Not included | Included |
| Codekeeper's own AI, off public models | Not included | Included |
| Missing files flagged in each rebuild | Not included | Included |
| A tested isolated compile, ready to deploy | Not included | Included |
| An exit workbook for the recovery | Not included | Included |
| Recoverability Certificates and SBOMs | Not included | Included |
Agentic Verification · Escrow Pro
Walk into any recovery scenario with a working build on file.
Trust what's in your vault because you've seen it build. Codekeeper's AI agents rebuild your deposit in the sealed Codekeeper AI Verification Lab and flag missing pieces while there's time to add them. A release then hands your team an isolated compile to start from.
Up to four rebuilds a year.
Start each run whenever you choose, on supported technology stacks, and see your deposit turned back into working software.
A certificate for every passed run.
Add a Recoverability Certificate to your file each time a rebuild passes.
The full Pro evidence file.
Keep a Rebuild Report, an SBOM, and an exit workbook ready for any review.
Every software escrow plan
Restore essential software with the fine print taken care of.
Release on verified conditions.
Ask for a release by phone, chat, or email, 24/7/365, and begin the recovery once the condition checks out.
Monthly deposit checks.
Recover from a deposit that's checked every month, with each check recorded in a Vault Report.
Terms agreed in advance.
Sign a custom two-party, three-party, or multi-party agreement that sets out your release rights in full.
Negotiation led by our counsel.
Leave every round of talks with the other party to Codekeeper's in-house counsel, under the jurisdiction you choose.
Daily syncs and manual uploads.
Sync your repositories daily through 50+ integrations, and upload installers, license files, and runbooks by hand.
Encrypted storage no one can alter.
Keep source code in an access-controlled, immutable vault, with AES-256 encryption and MFA.
Other applications
Protecting a different kind of system?
SaaS escrowRunning in a vendor's cloud? Hold the code, data, credentials, and configuration it runs on.From $299- AI escrowBuilt around a model? Hold the models, agents, prompts, and workflows that run it.From $649
Software BackupHosting a service you built yourself? Keep versioned copies of its code, configuration, and data.From $89
Secure a way back for every application you license.
Every licensed application is a dependency you can plan for. Talk with our software escrow specialists about keeping yours recoverable: the risk around the application, a roadmap from first call to first deposit, and answers to your legal and technical questions.
What is software escrow?
Software escrow is an agreement in which a software vendor deposits the source code, data, and documentation of an application with a neutral escrow agent, such as Codekeeper. The agent holds and checks the deposit for both sides. If an agreed release condition is met, the deposit goes to the user, who can then maintain the software without the vendor.
Which agreement structures are available?
The agreement structures available for software escrow are two-party, three-party, and multi-party. A two-party agreement can extend protection to any user who asks, while three-party and multi-party agreements name each beneficiary and its release terms.
What are the release conditions?
The release conditions are the ones written into the agreement: insolvency, bankruptcy, discontinued support, or material breach by default, plus any terms the parties add. Codekeeper verifies the condition before releasing the deposit.
Who pays for software escrow?
Software escrow is paid for by the vendor, the user, or both. Vendors often cover it to clear due diligence on enterprise deals, and users often cover it because the software runs part of their operations.
How much does software escrow cost?
Software escrow costs $199 per application per month on Escrow and $449 on Escrow Pro, for an on-premises or self-hosted application. Each agreement also has a one-time setup fee of $499, and release processing costs $199 per hour, should a release ever be requested. One beneficiary comes included, and more are available as an add-on. See Escrow pricing.
Do automated and manual deposits work on the same plan?
Yes, automated and manual deposits work on the same plan. Connected repositories sync every day, and your team uploads anything else by hand whenever it changes.
Does Agentic Verification ever need input from the vendor?
Agentic Verification only needs input from the vendor to fill a gap. When the deposit is complete, the agents rebuild the software on their own. If a run finds something missing, it is flagged, the vendor adds it to the deposit, and you run the rebuild again.
Do we need software escrow if we have a disaster recovery plan?
Yes, you need software escrow even with a disaster recovery plan, for any software you license. A disaster recovery plan restores systems you control, but the source code still sits with the vendor. For software you build yourself, Software Backup is the closer fit.