External Configuration

Why External Configuration Matters

Spring Boot Cloud Config Server centralizes configuration across microservices with environment-specific properties. In production architectures with 50+ microservices, centralized configuration eliminates duplicated properties—managing database URLs, feature flags, and credentials in single Git repository with encryption support for sensitive values.

Problem: Hardcoded configuration properties require rebuilds for environment changes.

Solution: Spring Cloud Config Server with environment-specific Git-backed properties.

Implementation Example

// Implementation details for external-configuration
// See full guide for comprehensive examples

Production Configuration

spring:
  cloud:
    config:
      uri: http://config-server:8888 # => Config server URL
      fail-fast: true # => Fail if config server unavailable
      retry:
        max-attempts: 6

Production Patterns

Best Practices:

• Follow Spring Boot conventions
• Test in staging before production
• Monitor metrics and health checks
• Use environment-specific configuration

Trade-offs

Production recommendation: Use Spring Boot auto-configuration as default. Manual configuration only for edge cases.

Next Steps

• See related in-the-field guides for comprehensive production patterns