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Architectural Decision Records (ADRs)

Architectural Decision Records (ADRs) capture important architectural decisions made throughout our platform's evolution. Each ADR documents the context, decision, and consequences of significant technical choices, providing transparency and historical context for future development.

What are ADRs?​

ADRs are lightweight documents that record architectural decisions. They help teams:

  • Understand the "why" behind current architecture choices
  • Avoid repeating past discussions when similar decisions arise
  • Onboard new team members with historical context
  • Track the evolution of our architectural thinking

ADR Structure​

Each ADR follows a consistent template:

  1. Title - A concise description of the decision
  2. Status - Proposed, Accepted, Deprecated, or Superseded
  3. Context - The circumstances that led to this decision
  4. Decision - What we decided to do
  5. Consequences - The positive and negative outcomes

Decision Categories​

Our ADRs are organized by category:

System Architecture​

High-level architectural patterns, service boundaries, and system design decisions.

Integration Patterns​

Decisions about how services communicate, data flow, and external system integration.

Data Architecture​

Database choices, data modeling decisions, and data flow patterns.

Security & Compliance​

Security architecture decisions, authentication patterns, and compliance requirements.

Performance & Scaling​

Performance optimization decisions, scaling strategies, and resource management.

Technology Choices​

Programming languages, frameworks, tools, and platform decisions.

Recent Decisions​

Creating an ADR​

When making significant architectural decisions:

  1. Use our ADR template to ensure consistency
  2. Involve relevant stakeholders in the decision process
  3. Document alternatives considered and why they were rejected
  4. Update related documentation when ADRs are accepted
  5. Reference ADRs in code comments and documentation

ADRs are living documents that evolve with our understanding. They should be updated when circumstances change or new information becomes available.