Tutorials Software Architect Tutorial
Architecture Decision Records
Architecture Decision Records: free step-by-step lesson with examples, common mistakes, and interview tips — part of Software Architect Tutorial on Toolliyo Academy.
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Software Architect Tutorial · Lesson 9 of 100
Architecture Decision Records
Foundations & Styles → Distributed & Data → Cloud & Quality → Leadership & Cases
Foundations & Styles · 1 — Decide · ~6 min · Architecture Foundations
What is this?
An ADR is a short doc: context, decision, consequences. It replaces tribal memory and endless Slack archaeology.
Why should you care?
Governance that only lives in meetings disappears. ArchDesk keeps ADRs next to code.
See it live — copy this example
These are architecture exercises: fill templates, draw boxes, write ADRs. No cloud bill required.
# ADR-001: Use modular monolith for v1
Status: Accepted
Context: 6 engineers, one product, unclear scale axes
Decision: Single deployable API with module boundaries
Consequences: Faster delivery; revisit microservices at 3 teamsWhat happened?
- Context prevents cargo-culting.
- Consequences show you thought about downsides.
Practice next
- Write ADR-001 for a real decision.
- Add Status and date.
- Link it from the README.
- Write ADR-002 about auth.
- Mark one ADR as Deprecated.
Remember
ADR = context + decision + consequences. Keep them short. Supersede, do not delete history.
New hire onboarding
Engineer asks why not microservices.
Outcome: They read ADR-001 in 3 minutes.
Interview prep for this lesson
Practice these questions aloud after reading—each links to a full structured answer.
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