Site configuration

Site configuration refers to the settings pages that Drupal core and installed modules collect under Configuration in the admin menu, at /admin/config: basic site settings, cron, performance, regional settings and more. Most of them save to Drupal's configuration system; URL aliases, also listed there, are content entities instead.

How site configuration works in Drupal 11

The Configuration page, at /admin/config, is an overview built from the admin menu. Core's SystemController::overview() loads the enabled menu links below the Configuration entry, hides those you may not use and groups them. Core defines these sections: Media, Web services, Development, Region and language, Search and metadata, System, User interface, Workflow and Content authoring. The User module adds People. Modules put their own settings pages inside these sections, so the list depends on what is installed.

If you hold the Administer site configuration permission and the status report finds problems, the overview also shows an error message that links to the status report.

Behind the screens, the Configuration API gives modules one place to store settings. The API overview names simple settings, such as your site name, and configuration entities, such as views and content types. It is meant for what you would want to synchronize from a development site to production. The core Configuration Manager module provides the screens for that, listed under Configuration, then Development, then Configuration synchronization, with the permissions Synchronize configuration, Export configuration and Import configuration.

Example

Go to Configuration › System. There, the Basic site settings page holds the site name and front page. Under Configuration › Development you find Maintenance mode and, when the Configuration Manager module is installed, Configuration synchronization. You change a value, save it, and later export it with the rest of the site's configuration.

Common mistakes

• Assuming every setting on these pages is configuration. The maintenance mode switch is stored as a State value, while its message is configuration. The Configuration API overview says to use State for values that should not travel between instances, so exporting configuration does not carry the switch.
• Syncing values that differ per environment. The User Guide says configuration that must not sync should be set as an override in settings.php, not in the database.
• Looking in the wrong menu. Content types, blocks and menus live under Structure. Configuration holds settings for site features.

For marketing and content teams

What you see under Configuration depends on your permissions, because the overview hides every link you may not open. If a setting you need is missing from your menu, ask an administrator. The Synchronize page needs the restricted Synchronize configuration permission, so plan moves between sites with the person who deploys.

With DXPR

DXPR Theme has its own settings page, which sits under Appearance rather than Configuration. See DXPR Theme.

Sources

• Drupal User Guide: Concept: Administrative overview
• Drupal User Guide: Synchronizing configuration versions
• Drupal.org: Configuration API overview
• Drupal core 11.4.10: SystemController
• Drupal core 11.4.10: system.links.menu.yml
• Drupal core 11.4.10: SiteMaintenanceModeForm
• Drupal core 11.4.10: config.routing.yml
• Drupal core 11.4.10: path.links.menu.yml
• Drupal core 11.4.10: PathAlias entity