ADR 0007: Flags off by default
- Status: Accepted
- Date: 2026-11-02 (released in 2.0.0)
Context
1.x showed a country flag for every language, loaded from flagcdn.com. Several mappings were contested (Catalan, Basque and Galician shown with Spain's flag; Esperanto with the EU's; Kurdish with Iraq's), and any single flag is wrong for many speakers of a language spoken in several countries.
Decision
Off by default in 2.0. When on, use regional flags where they exist, a language-code badge where a flag would be contested, and offer emoji flags (no requests) and a custom flagUrl (self-hosting).
Alternatives considered
- Bundle an SVG flag set. Hundreds of kilobytes in the package for an option most sites won't use;
flagUrlalready allows self-hosting any set.
Consequences
The default switcher makes no third-party image requests and doesn't misrepresent anyone's language. Upgrading from 1.x removes flags unless show-flags is added, which the Upgrade Guide covers.