# Vendor lock-in

> When leaving a provider would cost so much that you are stuck with it.

- Level: Basic
- Topics: Cloud
- URL: https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/vendor-lock-in/
- In Spanish: [Vendor lock-in](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/es/vendor-lock-in/)

**Vendor lock-in** is the situation where a company depends so heavily on one supplier's products that switching to another would be slow, risky or very expensive. It is not a contract clause; it builds up quietly as you use features only that vendor has.

In the cloud it usually looks like this: an app built on a provider's own database, its own queues, its own serverless functions and its own identity system. Each service is convenient on its own, but together they mean the code only runs there. Moving the data out can also cost money, since providers often charge for data leaving their network.

Some lock-in is a fair trade: managed services save real work, and a team that avoids every one of them often ends up building and running a lot of plumbing itself. The point is to choose it with open eyes: know which pieces would be hard to move, keep data in open formats, and prefer open standards like SQL, containers or Kubernetes where switching might matter.

## An analogy

Like a phone ecosystem. Your photos, apps, watch and headphones all work best together, so changing brands means much more than buying a new phone.

## Keep in mind

- It is the cost of switching, not a ban on switching.
- It grows from using features only one provider offers.
- Fees for moving data out add to the cost of leaving.
- Open standards and open data formats keep the exit door open.

## Go deeper

- [Vendor lock-in on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vendor_lock-in)

## Related terms

- [Cloud computing](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/cloud-computing/): Renting computers over the internet instead of buying your own.
- [Database](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/database/): An organized store of data that programs can search and update safely.
- [Serverless](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/serverless/): Code that runs only when called; you never see or manage the server.
- [Open standard](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/open-standard/): A public rulebook anyone can follow, so products from different makers work together.
- [SQL](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/sql/): The language you use to ask a database questions.
- [Container](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/container/): A sealed box with a program and everything it needs to run anywhere.
- [Kubernetes](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/kubernetes/): The system that runs and babysits containers across many machines.
- [Open data](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/open-data/): Data anyone can freely download, use and share, for any purpose.