---
title: Customizing config.yaml
description: Customizing config.yaml files for Llama Stack templates
sidebar_label: Customizing config.yaml
sidebar_position: 4
---
# Customizing config.yaml Files

The `config.yaml` files generated by Llama Stack templates are **starting points** designed to be customized for your specific needs. They are not meant to be used as-is in production environments.

## Key Points

- **Templates are starting points**: Generated `config.yaml` files contain defaults for development/testing
- **Customization expected**: Update URLs, credentials, models, and settings for your environment
- **Version control separately**: Keep customized configs in your own repository
- **Environment-specific**: Create different configurations for dev, staging, production

## What You Can Customize

You can customize:
- **Provider endpoints**: Change `http://localhost:8000` to your actual servers
- **Swap providers**: Replace default providers (e.g., swap Tavily with Brave for search)
- **Storage paths**: Move from `/tmp/` to production directories
- **Authentication**: Add API keys, SSL, timeouts
- **Models**: Different model sizes for dev vs prod
- **Database settings**: Switch from SQLite to PostgreSQL
- **Tool configurations**: Add custom tools and integrations

## Best Practices

- Use environment variables for secrets and environment-specific values
- Create separate `config.yaml` files for different environments (dev, staging, prod)
- Document your changes with comments
- Test configurations before deployment
- Keep your customized configs in version control

Example structure:
```
your-project/
├── configs/
│   ├── dev-config.yaml
│   ├── prod-config.yaml
└── README.md
```

The goal is to take the generated template and adapt it to your specific infrastructure and operational needs.
