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Deployment configuration overview

This section explains how to operate {{ product_name }} configuration safely across environments.

What you get from this section

  • Clear configuration loading and precedence rules
  • Correct usage of override.conf and environment overrides
  • Split key references for db.conf, monitor.conf, alpine.conf, and logback.xml
  • Production-oriented override examples

Quick answers

  • Runtime entry point is application.conf.
  • include "override" is intentionally last so custom values win.
  • Keep shipped defaults unchanged and place environment values in override.conf.
  • Restart processes after configuration changes.

Documentation map

Topic Purpose Page
Configuration loading model Understand include order and effective precedence Configuration loading model
Environment override mechanism Override dotted keys with CONFIG_FORCE_* Environment overrides (CONFIG_FORCE_*)
Override workflow and examples Apply environment-specific settings safely Override workflow and examples
Database configuration keys Full db.conf key reference Reference: db.conf
Monitoring and tracing keys Full monitor.conf key reference Reference: monitor.conf
Server runtime keys Full alpine.conf key reference Reference: alpine.conf
Logging and syslog keys Full logback.xml appender/runtime logging reference Reference: logback.xml
  1. Configuration loading model
  2. Override workflow and examples
  3. Environment overrides (CONFIG_FORCE_*)
  4. Deep key references as needed

Common deployment use cases

  1. Start with Configuration loading model.
  2. Build override.conf using Override workflow and examples.
  3. Validate startup and health checks.
  1. Identify keys in Reference: db.conf, Reference: monitor.conf, Reference: alpine.conf, and Reference: logback.xml.
  2. Apply only target changes in override.conf.
  3. Restart and verify metrics/logs.
  1. Review CONFIG_FORCE_* mapping rules in Environment overrides (CONFIG_FORCE_*).
  2. Standardize naming in deployment manifests.

External references

Frequently asked questions

Should I edit db.conf, monitor.conf, or alpine.conf directly?

No. Keep shipped defaults unchanged and place deployment-specific values in override.conf.

Why is override.conf included last?

In HOCON, later values override earlier ones. Including override last guarantees your environment values take precedence.

Does only the server load monitor.conf?

Yes. In the default deployment model, monitor.conf is loaded by alpine-server.

How should I configure secrets?

Use environment substitutions such as ${?ALPINE_DB_PASSWORD} instead of cleartext values in committed files.

Do configuration changes require restart?

Yes. Configuration is read at process startup, so changes require restarting affected processes.