This presentation by dotnet introduces the concept of Decision Records in .NET, showing developers how tracking architectural decisions enhances code understanding and maintainability.

Decision Records: Understanding Why Those Decisions Were Made in .NET

Developers often face complex .NET systems and wonder why a particular design or architectural choice was made. This presentation addresses this by introducing Decision Records—detailed, searchable logs documenting every major decision in your application.

What Are Decision Records?

Structured documentation of key choices in .NET projects
Useful for:
- Authentication (e.g., ASP.NET Identity)
- Service discovery (.NET Aspire)
- UI architecture (Blazor)
Build systems that are
- More maintainable
- Easier to audit
- Less frustrating for future developers

Examples of Decision Record Applications

.NET Aspire 13: Streamlining cloud-native orchestration (More info)
ASP.NET Core 10: Secure, modern web development (More info)
.NET MAUI 10: Multi-platform UI strategies (Details)
C# 14 & F# 10: Utilizing new language features in architectural decisions (C# 14; F# 10)
Visual Studio 2026: Leveraging improvements for codebase documentation (Announcement)

Why Document Decisions?

Prevent knowledge loss during team transitions
Provide rationale for specific approaches (e.g., why choose one authentication method over another)
Make it easier to audit and enhance the solution later

Community & Further Learning

Official Blog: https://aka.ms/dotnet/blog
Social: Twitter TikTok Mastodon LinkedIn Facebook
Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet
Q&A: https://aka.ms/dotnet-qa
Forums: https://aka.ms/dotnet/forums
Microsoft Learn: https://aka.ms/learndotnet

Conclusion

Decision Records empower you to build .NET applications that are easier to understand, maintain, and evolve. By capturing the reasoning behind each key decision, you unlock deeper insights into your codebase and ensure smoother transitions as projects grow and teams change.

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