What "Full Source Code" Should Actually Include

"Full source code" should mean you can take the files, install them, and run the product without contacting anyone. Plenty of listings use the phrase for a compiled build plus a few config files, which is not the same thing.

Check for these before you pay

• Every file needed to build it, not just the output. If it is a compiled app, the project files must be there.
• Dependency list — requirements.txt, package.json, composer.json, or the equivalent. Without it, "install the dependencies" becomes guesswork.
• Database schema, if it uses one — the structure, not just an empty connection string.
• Setup instructions written for someone who has never seen it. "Run it" is not instructions.
• Configuration separated from code — an .env or config file, so keys are not buried in twenty places.
• What is NOT included. Paid APIs, fonts, stock images and third-party licences are commonly excluded, which is fine — as long as it is stated.

Questions worth asking the seller

1. What version of the language and framework does it target?
2. Will it run on shared hosting, or does it need a VPS?
3. Are any paid services required for it to function at all?
4. What exactly does the licence let me do — one project, or many?

A seller who answers those quickly and specifically is telling you something useful about what support will be like after the sale. Every product here lists its contents under What's included for exactly this reason.