---
title: "Configuration"
date: 2018-04-15T21:17:16-07:00
draft: false
---

## Configuration Files

By default WTF looks in a `~/.wtf/` directory for a YAML file called
`config.yml`. If the `~/.wtf/` directory doesn't exist, WTF will create that directory
on start-up, and then display instructions for creating a new
configuration file.

In other words, WTF expects to have a YAML config file at: `~/.wtf/config.yml`.

#### Example Configuration Files

A couple of example config files are provided in the `_sample_configs/`
directory of the Git repository.

To try out WTF quickly, copy
`simple_config.yml` into `~/.wtf/` as `config.yml` and relaunch WTF. You
should see the app launch and display the <a href="/posts/modules/security/">Security</a>,
<a href="/posts/modules/clocks/">Clocks</a> and <a href="/posts/modules/status/">Status</a> widgets onscreen.

#### Custom Configuration Files

To try out different configurations (or run multiple instances of WTF),
you can pass the path to a config file via command line arguments on
start-up.

To load a custom configuration file (ie: one that's not
`~/.wtf/config.yml`), pass in the path to configuration file as a
parameter on launch:

```bash
    $> wtf --config=path/to/custom/config.yml
```

## Environment (ENV) Variables

Some modules require the presence of environment variables to function
properly. Usually these are API keys or other sensitive data that one
wouldn't want to have laying about in the config files. 

For modules that require them, the name of the required environment
variable(s) can be found in that module's "Required ENV Variables"
section of the documentation. See <a href="/posts/modules/opsgenie/">OpsGenie</a> for an example.