# ADR 0010: API Is Control Plane Only

## Status
Proposed

## Context
The API is useful for local administration, automation, and dashboard control. FreeDMR is a live voice stream program, so API work must not delay packet processing.

## Decision
API operations are bounded control-plane actions and must not perform heavy serialization or block packet routing.

## Rationale
Control operations should act on sessions, subscriptions, mesh peers, and reporting state. Heavy views should come from snapshots or reporting feeds.

## Consequences
The API remains small and predictable. Complex dashboard state should not be assembled synchronously from hot packet state.

## Compatibility
Old API endpoints may be adapted if needed, but the v2 API should not expose raw legacy internals as its primary contract.

## Testing Requirements
Tests must cover auth, bounded request bodies, destructive-action gating, audit logging, and packet-path independence under API load.