This directory contains the centralized configuration for the TFM aInventory system. Starting from Phase 7, the application has moved away from scattered .env files and hardcoded values towards a structured, domain-specific YAML configuration approach.

Overview
Quick Start
Configuration Files
Environment Variable Overrides
Load Order
Security Best Practices
Troubleshooting

Overview

The config/ directory is the single source of truth for all application settings. By using YAML, we achieve:

Structure: Hierarchical settings grouped by domain.
Documentation: Inline comments explaining every variable.
Flexibility: Easy overrides via environment variables.
Safety: Clear separation between non-sensitive config and secrets.

Quick Start

To set up your configuration for a new installation:

Clone the examples:

cp config/backend.yaml.example config/backend.yaml
cp config/frontend.yaml.example config/frontend.yaml
cp config/network.yaml.example config/network.yaml
cp config/docker.yaml.example config/docker.yaml
cp config/secrets.yaml.example config/secrets.yaml

Generate Secrets: Open config/secrets.yaml and fill in your API keys. Generate a strong JWT secret:
```
python3 -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_urlsafe(64))"
```

Verify YAML Syntax: Ensure your changes are valid YAML:

python3 -c "import yaml; [yaml.safe_load(open(f)) for f in ['config/backend.yaml', 'config/frontend.yaml', 'config/network.yaml', 'config/docker.yaml', 'config/secrets.yaml']]"

Configuration Files

backend.yaml

Controls the FastAPI backend, database, AI integration, and logging.

Section	Variable	Description	Default
database	`sqlite_path`	Path to the SQLite DB file	`data/inventory.db`
database	`wal_mode`	Enable Write-Ahead Logging	`true`
ai	`primary_ai_provider`	`gemini` or `claude`	`gemini`
auth	`jwt_secret_key`	Secret for JWT (use `secrets.yaml`)	-
logging	`log_level`	`DEBUG`, `INFO`, `WARNING`, `ERROR`	`INFO`

frontend.yaml

Controls the Next.js frontend application behavior and PWA settings.

Variable	Description	Default
`api.backend_url`	Full URL of the backend API	`http://localhost:8916`
`features.offline_enabled`	Enable service worker caching	`true`
`pwa.app_name`	Display name of the PWA	`TFM aInventory`

network.yaml

Defines host-side port mappings and SSL/CORS policies.

Variable	Description	Default
`ports.backend_port`	Host port for backend	`8916`
`ports.frontend_port`	Host port for frontend	`8917`
`ssl.ssl_enabled`	Enable HTTPS via Caddy	`true`
`cors.allowed_origins`	List of allowed origins	`*`

docker.yaml

Resource limits and container orchestration settings.

Variable	Description	Default
`resources.backend_cpu_limit`	Max CPU cores for backend	`1.0`
`resources.backend_memory_limit`	Max RAM for backend	`1G`
`volumes.use_named_volumes`	Use named volumes vs bind	`true`

secrets.yaml

CRITICAL: This file contains sensitive data. It is ignored by Git and must NEVER be committed. It contains:

JWT_SECRET_KEY
GEMINI_API_KEY
CLAUDE_API_KEY
DATABASE_PASSWORD (optional)
LDAP_PASSWORD (optional)

Environment Variable Overrides

Any value in the YAML files can be overridden by a system environment variable. The naming convention is: DOMAIN_SECTION_VARIABLE (all uppercase).

Examples:

backend.yaml: database.sqlite_path -> BACKEND_DATABASE_SQLITE_PATH
network.yaml: ports.backend_port -> NETWORK_PORTS_BACKEND_PORT
secrets.yaml: GEMINI_API_KEY -> GEMINI_API_KEY (Directly mapped for common secrets)

Environment variables take precedence over YAML files. This is useful for Docker deployments where secrets are injected at runtime.

Load Order

The application loads configuration in the following priority:

System Environment Variables (Highest)
secrets.yaml
Domain YAML files (backend.yaml, etc.)
Code Defaults (Lowest)

Security Best Practices

Permissions: Set strict permissions on secrets.yaml:
```
chmod 600 config/secrets.yaml
```
Rotation: Rotate your JWT_SECRET_KEY and API keys every 90 days.
CORS: In production, never use allowed_origins: "*". List specific IPs or FQDNs.
Volume Mounts: In Docker, mount the config/ directory as read-only (:ro) except for the secrets.yaml if needed by a management tool.

Troubleshooting

Invalid YAML Syntax

If the application fails to start with a configuration error:

Check for tabs instead of spaces (YAML requires spaces).
Check for missing colons or incorrect indentation.
Use a linter: python3 -m yaml.scanner config/backend.yaml.

Configuration Not Applying

Verify the variable name matches exactly (case-sensitive in YAML).
Check if an environment variable is overriding the YAML value.
Ensure the file is in the correct directory: /app/config/ inside the container.

Secret Exposure

If you accidentally commit a YAML file containing secrets:

Delete the file from the repository.
Immediately rotate all exposed keys and secrets.
Purge the secret from Git history using git-filter-repo or BFG Repo-Cleaner.

TFM aInventory - Centralized Configuration Management System

README.md

TFM aInventory Configuration Management (v1.12.0)

Table of Contents