Architecture Decision Records

Key architecture decision records (ADRs) governing Narwhal Portal development.

ADR-0001: Adoption of Skaffold for Inner-Loop Development

• Status: Accepted
• Decision: Standardize on Skaffold file synchronization and automated incremental builds for local cluster development instead of manual build/push cycles.
• Impact: Reduced developer feedback loop from 2 minutes to under 3 seconds.

ADR-0002: gRPC / Protocol Buffers Contract Standardization

• Status: Accepted
• Decision: Define gRPC-web with compiled Protocol Buffers schemas as the primary communication contract between the portal and cluster control planes.
• Impact: Guaranteed end-to-end type safety with a 60% reduction in JSON serialization overhead.