snapshot of https://github.com/mattermost/mattermost.git (master, 2026-09-16; blobs > 131072B omitted)

docs/develop/contribute/more-info/desktop/architecture/configuration.md

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+---
+title: "Configuration"
+sidebar_position: 1
+---
+
+### Config module
+
+The **configuration** module in the **Common** module is responsible for facilitating reading from and writing to external configuration sources. It also consolidates, verifies, and upgrades configuration where applicable.
+
+#### Files
+
+We have a few different configuration files in the Desktop App, but the main one is `config.json`. Most of the user's configuration from the Settings Window is stored there, as well as any user-configured servers.
+
+The application supports different configuration versions and allows for them to be migrating to the version supported by the configuration module via the `upgradePreferences` module. When no configuration is found, the `defaultPreferences` object is copied over to the main configuration module.
+
+We also support a build configuration in which the packager of the application can pre-define servers and a few other configuration items.
+
+#### Registry
+
+We support reading from the Windows registry to allow system administrators to define Group Policy that will pre-define servers and potentially disable user-defined servers and automatic updates as per administrator wishes.
+
+Templates for these can be found under `resources\windows\gpo`.
+
+### Server manager
+
+The `ServerManager` is a singleton class that acts as a single source of truth for all server configuration, managing adding/modifying/removing servers and serving the server information to the rest of the application.
+
+#### Initialization
+
+We populate the `ServerManager` with all servers provided by the **configuration** module, marking them as pre-defined when applicable to not allow the user to modify them. Servers are given a unique UUID when the app initialized, and this UUID acts as the global way of identifying the server to the rest of the application.
+
+An external call is responsible for populating information about the specific Mattermost server (eg. server version, plugins installed), but the data is stored within the `ServerManager`.
+
+#### Modification
+
+The `ServerManager` is the only place that allows the persistent server configuration to be modified. Changes cannot be made directly through the **configuration** module. Once a server is modified, the `ServerManager` will update the **configuration** module with the new changes.
+
+When a server is added or updating, up to two events will be emitted:
+- `SERVERS_UPDATE`: This event is emitted when the `ServerManager` has new changes. This could be a name, URL or an ordering change.
+- `SERVERS_URL_MODIFIED`: This event is emitted specifically when a URL has changed, signifying that the application might need to fetch new remote server information or refresh any views associated with the server to reflect the new URL.
+
+#### Lookup
+
+We provide a server lookup call that allows for an arbitrary URL to be provided and potentially matched to a server. If found, the UUID will be provided. This function is useful for deep linking or for cross-server linking, when only a URL is available when the request is provided.