.. _config_py:

***************************
`The config.py File`:index:
***************************

There are multiple configuration files that are read at startup by pgAdmin. These
files are used for configuration options that:

* may be required to be set prior to startup of pgAdmin as they control how
  the application will operate.
* system administrators may wish to control across an organisation to enforce
  security policies.
* are so rarely or unlikely to be changed that it doesn't
  make sense to allow them to be changed through the user interface.

The configuration files are as follows:

* ``config.py``: This is the main configuration file, and should not be modified.
  It can be used as a reference for configuration settings, that may be overridden
  in one of the following files.

* ``config_distro.py``: This file is read after ``config.py`` and is intended for
  packagers to change any settings that are required for their pgAdmin distribution.
  This may typically include certain paths and file locations. This file is optional,
  and may be created by packagers in the same directory as ``config.py`` if
  needed.

* ``config_local.py``: This file is read after ``config_distro.py`` and is intended
  for end users to change any default or packaging specific settings that they may
  wish to adjust to meet local preferences or standards.This file is optional,
  and may be created by users in the same directory as ``config.py`` if
  needed.

* ``config_system.py``: This file is read after ``config_local.py`` and is
  intended for system administrators to include settings that are configured
  system-wide from a secure location that users cannot normally modify and that
  is outside of the pgAdmin installation. The location for this file varies
  based on the platform, and only needs to be created if desired.

  .. csv-table::
     :header: "**Platform**", "**File Location**"

     Linux,/etc/pgadmin/config_system.py
     macOS,/Library/Preferences/pgadmin/config_system.py
     Windows,%CommonProgramFiles%\\pgadmin\\config_system.py

.. note:: If the SERVER_MODE or DATA_DIR settings are changed in
     ``config_distro.py``, ``config_local.py``, or ``config_system.py`` you
     will most likely need to re-set the LOG_FILE, SQLITE_PATH, SESSION_DB_PATH,
     STORAGE_DIR, KERBEROS_CCACHE_DIR, and AZURE_CREDENTIAL_CACHE_DIR values
     as well as they will have been set based on the default configuration or
     overridden by the runtime.

The default ``config.py`` file is shown below for reference:

.. literalinclude:: ../../web/config.py
   :language: python
