ADR-0001: Use Azure as cloud provider

Status

Accepted

Context

The Jersal organization needs a cloud provider for hosting applications, databases, and infrastructure. The main options considered were:

• Azure -- Microsoft's cloud platform
• AWS -- Amazon's cloud platform
• GCP -- Google's cloud platform

Key requirements:

• Support for PostgreSQL managed databases
• Static web app hosting
• OIDC integration with GitHub Actions
• Reasonable free tier for early-stage projects
• EU region availability for data residency

Decision

Use Microsoft Azure as the primary cloud provider for all Jersal projects.

Specific services in use:

Service	Purpose
Azure PostgreSQL Flexible Server	Shared database server
Azure Static Web Apps	Portfolio site + documentation hub hosting
Azure Storage	Terraform state backends
Azure AD	OIDC federated identity for CI/CD

Consequences

Positive

• Azure Static Web Apps provides a generous free tier suitable for static sites
• PostgreSQL Flexible Server supports multiple databases on a single server, reducing cost
• Native OIDC federation with GitHub Actions eliminates stored credentials
• swedencentral region provides EU data residency
• Professional experience with Azure at ATR Soft transfers directly

Negative

• Azure Static Web Apps does not support all regions (e.g., swedencentral), requiring westeurope for SWA resources
• Azure resource naming constraints (no hyphens in storage accounts) require careful naming conventions
• Vendor lock-in to Azure-specific services (mitigated by using Terraform for portability)

Neutral

• Azure pricing is comparable to AWS/GCP for the services used
• Azure DevOps is not used; GitHub Actions serves as the CI/CD platform