ADR-0002: Use Markdown for Architectural Decision Records

Context and Problem Statement

We want to record architectural decisions made in this project. Which format and structure should these records follow?

MADR 2.1.2 with Log4brains patch
MADR 2.1.2 – The original Markdown Architectural Decision Records
Michael Nygard’s template – The first incarnation of the term “ADR”
Sustainable Architectural Decisions – The Y-Statements
Other templates listed at https://github.com/joelparkerhenderson/architecture_decision_record
Formless – No conventions for file format and structure

Chosen option: “MADR 2.1.2 with Log4brains patch”, because

Implicit assumptions should be made explicit. Design documentation is important to enable people understanding the decisions later on. See also A rational design process: How and why to fake it.
The MADR format is lean and fits our development style.
The MADR structure is comprehensible and facilitates usage & maintenance.
The MADR project is vivid.
Version 2.1.2 is the latest one available when starting to document ADRs.
The Log4brains patch adds more features, like tags.

The “Log4brains patch” performs the following modifications to the original template:

Change the ADR filenames format (NNN-adr-name becomes YYYYMMDD-adr-name), to avoid conflicts during Git merges.
Add a draft status, to enable collaborative writing.
Add a Tags field.

You can view the ADRs by browsing this following list: