What are the Configuration Files used by the .NET Framework?

Configuration Files for .NET Framework

When examining the uses for ASP.NET’s configuration files, we must look at the machine.config file as well as the web.config file. The main difference between these two files is that the [html]machine.config [/html]file is applied system-wide while the web.config is applied to each application based on the inheritance rules. Each configuration option set within the [html]machine.config[/html] file is applied to every application and by using the [html]allowOverride [/html]attribute in conjunction with the tag, you can prevent individual web.config files from overriding these settings.

When ASP.NET is initially installed, a default [html]machine.config[/html] file is set up for your system with the standard configuration section handlers used within ASP.NET as well as many other configuration items. You can edit this default file to tailor your ASP.NET configuration to your requirements. You can also configure the same options in the lower-level web.config files to give you more granular control over individual applications.

You can configure almost all functional items of ASP.NET through the configuration files. The options available to you using the default ASP.NET [html]machine.config[/html] file includes everything from browser compatibility options to secure authentication options.