====== Configuration ======

[[dido:99_annexes:annex-b-terms-and-definitions:start|Go to Terms and Definitions]]

===== Discussion =====

A Configuration specifies or records the characteristics, values, relationships, constraints, and settings associated with a subject.

The configured subject can include:

  * An [[dido:99_annexes:annex-b-terms-and-definitions:i:infrastructure_environment|Infrastructure Environment]]
  * An [[dido:99_annexes:annex-b-terms-and-definitions:i:infrastructure_resource|Infrastructure Resource]]
  * A [[dido:99_annexes:annex-b-terms-and-definitions:p:platform|Platform]]
  * A service
  * A software component
  * A network
  * A security control
  * An [[dido:99_annexes:annex-b-terms-and-definitions:a:artifact|Artifact]]

A Configuration identifies information such as:

  * Property values
  * Resource selections
  * Relationships among resources
  * Constraints
  * Dependencies
  * Enabled or disabled capabilities
  * Security settings
  * Operational parameters
  * References to governing policies or Baselines

A Configuration can describe:

  * A required state
  * A planned state
  * A deployed state
  * An observed state
  * A prior state

The context in which the Configuration is used determines which type of state it represents.

A Configuration differs from [[dido:99_annexes:annex-b-terms-and-definitions:d:declarative_configuration|Declarative Configuration]]:

  * Configuration is the general concept for information that specifies or records the characteristics of a subject
  * Declarative Configuration specifies the required state of a subject without prescribing the sequence of operations used to establish that state

A Configuration also differs from an [[dido:99_annexes:annex-b-terms-and-definitions:i:infrastructure_configuration|Infrastructure Configuration]]:

  * Configuration applies to any configured subject
  * Infrastructure Configuration applies specifically to Infrastructure Resources, Infrastructure Environments, and their relationships

===== Definition =====

//information that specifies or records the characteristics, values, relationships, constraints, and settings associated with a subject//

===== Source =====

Dido Solutions, Inc. and Jackrabbit Consulting, Inc.

===== Note =====

A Configuration does not by itself establish that the configured subject is:

  * Valid
  * Approved
  * Authorized
  * Deployed
  * Operational
  * Secure
  * Compliant
  * Consistent with an observed state

Separate requirements and processes govern those determinations.

A Configuration can be represented as:

  * Human-readable text
  * Machine-readable data
  * A structured document
  * A database record
  * A model
  * A generated [[dido:99_annexes:annex-b-terms-and-definitions:a:artifact|Artifact]]
  * A composition of multiple controlled inputs

The term does not prescribe a configuration language, schema, file format, storage mechanism, management tool, or implementation technology.

===== Example =====

A Configuration for a compute resource identifies its processor allocation, memory allocation, storage relationships, network relationships, operating-system settings, security controls, and monitoring settings.

A Declarative Configuration uses such information to specify the required result without prescribing the procedural sequence used to establish it.

----

<WRAP centeralign>
© 2026 Dido Solutions, Inc. and Jackrabbit Consulting, Inc.
</WRAP>