# Configurations API

You can modify the settings entirely through the Sitefinity CMS backend UI. All Sitefinity-specific settings are taken out of the project’s `web.config` file and put into separate configuration files in the `App_Data/Sitefinity/Configurations` folder. The `web.config` file includes only standard ASP.NET configurations. This means that Sitefinity CMS upgrades do not override client configuration settings.

* Basic settings\
  To configure Sitefinity CMS settings, in the menu at the upper part of the screen, click *Administration* » *Settings*.\
  The *Basic Settings* page appears. On this page, you can change in a user-friendly way the most commonly used settings, such as general settings, settings for comments and languages.
* Advanced settings\
  If you need to configure settings other than those on *Basic Settings* page, click *Advanced*.\
  The *Settings* page appears.\
  The *Settings* page has the following structure:
  * Treeview with a list of all configuration sections.
  * Element section for editing configuration elements.
  * List of properties that could be configured in the backend.

## Basic settings and multiple sites

If you are using Sitefinity CMS with multiple sites, you can configure the *Basic settings* in the following way:

* Settings set per site\
  You can set basic setting for each individual site.  These settings include:
  * *Time zone*
  * *Social sharing*
* Globally set settings\
  All other settings, you can configure using the *Global settings*.\
  All sites inherit the setting from the global settings.

  To open the global settings, on *Basic Settings* page, click link *Global settings*.

> info **NOTE**: If you want each site to have settings different from the ones inherited from the global settings, select the site, using the site selector in the upper-left part of the screen, click *Administration* » *Settings* » *Break inheritance*.

## Advanced settings 

If you need to configure other settings, you must click *Advanced* link.\
The *Settings* page appears.

The *Settings* page has the following structure:

* Treeview with a list of all configuration sections.
* Element section for editing configuration elements.
* List of properties that could be configured in the backend.

## Advanced settings in Auto-storage mode of configurations

When your system is in Auto-storage mode of configurations, there are additional information displayed for each configuration section. The configuration section\`s source is displayed under the section title, when it is opened for editing, or next to each section title, when a list of configuration sections is displayed.
Configuration sections can have the following possible sources:

* *Default*\
  The configurations are loaded with default values from the assemblies.
* *Some default values are modified*\
  Modified values are persisted and loaded from the configuration files in the file system, the rest of the values are loaded from the assembly defaults. It does not matter if one, some, or all values have been changed. Only properties with modified default values are marked as *Modified* and their default values are displayed under their current ones.
* *File system* The configurations are loaded from the file system. The section has no default values and was created and exists only in a configuration file on the file system.
* *Database*\
  The configurations are loaded from the database. The section has no default values and was created and exists only in the database in table `sf_xml_config_items`.

> info  **NOTE**: When the Sitefinity CMS instance is running in Auto-storage mode with `ReadOnlyConfig` restriction level, you can modify or delete only settings that are persisted in the database.

## System restart

Some backend activities require system restart. For example, after changing some settings or configurations, Sitefinity CMS automatically restarts your application.

Among the most common actions that evoke automatic system restart are:

* Adding new language
* Creating a new site when using multisite
* Activating and deactivating modules from *Modules & Services*
* Creating a module using the *Module builder*
* Editing the `web.config` file