# ADR 0008 — CLI/templating first, customer panel later

**Status:** Accepted

## Context
A customer-facing control panel (self-service create/delete/backup/restore over
Docker + ZFS) is the single largest build — realistically months. Options: adopt
and extend an existing PaaS (Coolify/CapRover/Cloudron), build a bespoke panel
up front, or ship internal CLI tooling first and defer the UI.

## Decision
Build **provisioning as an internal CLI / templating tool first**
(`control-panel/`). The customer-facing web panel comes **later**, as a wrapper
over the same, proven CLI operations.

## Consequences
- ✅ Lowest initial risk; the provisioning logic (ZFS + DB + compose + routing)
  is validated end-to-end before any UI investment.
- ✅ The CLI doubles as the automation surface the future panel and CI call into
  — no throwaway work.
- ✅ Keeps early focus on correctness of isolation/backup rather than UX.
- ❌ No customer self-service until Phase 8; provisioning is operator-driven in
  the meantime.
- ↔️ Adopting an existing PaaS remains an option for the panel layer if building
  it proves too costly; the CLI would still own the ZFS/backup specifics.