conf
A simple and robust configuration management library for Node.js applications and modules.
What is conf?
Conf is a Node.js library for managing configuration data in applications and modules. It handles the storage, retrieval, and validation of settings, abstracting away low-level details like file paths and serialization. It solves the problem of persistently storing user preferences or app state in a simple, reliable way.
Node.js developers building command-line tools, desktop applications, or modules that need to persist user settings or small-scale configuration data.
Developers choose Conf for its simplicity, adherence to system conventions, and robust features like atomic writes and JSON Schema validation. It is a refined alternative to older solutions like configstore, with better cross-platform support and fewer permission issues.
Overview
Simple config handling for your app or module
Use Cases
Best For
- Storing user preferences in CLI tools
- Managing application settings in Node.js modules
- Persisting small-scale configuration data with validation
- Handling encrypted config files for obscurity
- Implementing versioned configuration migrations
- Watching config file changes in multi-process environments
Not Ideal For
- Applications requiring concurrent writes from multiple processes to the same config file
- Projects that need to store large datasets or act as a database replacement
- Systems where secure encryption is mandatory for protecting sensitive data
- Scenarios demanding robust, bug-free migration systems for critical upgrades
Pros & Cons
Pros
Changes are written to disk atomically, preventing data corruption if the process crashes during a write, as highlighted in the API section.
Integrates JSON Schema with AJV for strict data validation and defaults, supporting draft-2020-12 and custom validation options per the README.
Adheres to system-specific user config directories by default, avoiding permission issues common in older solutions like configstore, as explained in the FAQ.
Supports custom formats like YAML through serialize/deserialize functions, allowing developers to use non-JSON config files easily.
Cons
Explicitly does not support multiple processes writing to the same store, limiting its use in scalable or distributed applications.
The migrations feature has known bugs with no plans for fixes from the author, relying on community pull requests for improvements.
Encryption is intended for obscurity, not security, with keys easily accessible in plain-text Node.js apps, as warned in the options section.
Reads and writes the entire JSON file on every change, making it inefficient for large datasets, as noted in the project description.
Frequently Asked Questions
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