Architecture Decision Records (ADR)

This directory contains Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) for significant architectural decisions made in the CROP frontend application.

What is an ADR?

An ADR is a document that captures an important architectural decision made along with its context and consequences. ADRs help maintain institutional knowledge and provide historical context for why certain decisions were made.

Format

Each ADR follows this structure:

# ADR [number]: [Title]

**Status:** [Proposed | Accepted | Deprecated | Superseded]
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Authors:** [Team/Person]
**Related PRs:** #123

## Context and Problem Statement
[Describe the problem and context]

## Decision Drivers
[Key factors influencing the decision]

## Considered Options
[List of options with pros/cons]

## Decision
[The chosen solution with detailed explanation]

## Consequences
[Positive and negative outcomes]

## References
[Links to related resources]

## Future Considerations
[Potential future improvements]

Naming Convention

ADRs are numbered sequentially: 001-title-in-kebab-case.md

Status Definitions

• Proposed: Decision under discussion, not yet implemented
• Accepted: Decision approved and implemented
• Deprecated: Decision no longer recommended but still in use
• Superseded: Decision replaced by a newer ADR

Current ADRs

When to Create an ADR

Create an ADR when making decisions about:

• Architecture patterns: Service boundaries, data flow, state management
• Technology choices: Libraries, frameworks, databases
• Performance strategies: Caching, retry logic, optimization techniques
• Security implementations: Authentication, authorization, data protection
• Breaking changes: API changes, major refactors, migration strategies

ADR Lifecycle

1. Draft: Create ADR with "Proposed" status, share with team
2. Review: Discuss pros/cons, gather feedback
3. Decision: Update status to "Accepted" once consensus reached
4. Implementation: Implement the decision, reference ADR in PRs
5. Evolution: Update ADR if implementation details change significantly
6. Deprecation: Mark as "Deprecated" or "Superseded" when replaced

Best Practices

• Be concise: Focus on the decision, not implementation details
• Include alternatives: Document why other options were rejected
• Show tradeoffs: Acknowledge both positive and negative consequences
• Add references: Link to relevant documentation and articles
• Update when needed: Keep ADRs current with reality

References

• ADR GitHub Organization
• Documenting Architecture Decisions by Michael Nygard
• ADR Tools