The Comprehensive Guide to Architectural Decision Records

Everything you need to know about ADRs

Photo by Joshua Sortino on Unsplash

What Are Architectural Decision Records (ADRs)

Architectural decision records (ADRs) capture significant architectural decisions, including their context and outcomes. They were initially introduced by Michael Nygard in a 2011 blog post.

An ADR typically comprises a brief text file detailing a particular architectural choice. These records can be written in plain text, AsciiDoc/Markdown format, or using a wiki page template.

Benefits of Using ADRs

Let’s see some of the main benefits of using ADRs:

• They capture essential information about the software that can be reviewed at any time.

• They can act as an effective means to document the software architecture. The ADR highlights why a particular decision was made. It also describes trade-off analysis, for instance, choosing performance over scalability.

• If the developers want to understand why a particular technology was chosen for a given project, they can find the explanation in the ADR. This reduces internal debates. Developers have the critical thinking, so it’s crucial to let them understand the whys. This leads to more trust within the teams.

• They help new team members to get familiar with the architectural way of thinking. Newcomers will understand what aspects play the most significant roles in the infrastructure. They will get an idea of what has been done in the past.

• If someone wants to propose a new technology, it may turn out that the topic has already been discussed and rejected. The reason is in the ADR. So, they can invest their time in searching for a new solution.

• Maintain transparency inside and outside of the teams. Anyone interested in the topic can read about the decision process. This way, different groups can learn from each other.

ADR Structure