Difference between web.config and machine.config?

Question

What is the difference between web.config and machine.config?

I have read that:-

The web.config files specify configuration settings for a particular web application, and are located in the application's root directory; the machine.config file specifies configuration settings for all of the websites on the web server, and is located in $WINDOWSDIR$\Microsoft.Net\Framework\Version\Config.

Is there anything which I am missing or any other technical aspect? I want to know more about both the files.

Answer 1

Each CLR version has a machine.config file, along with an additional web.config file, which I refer to as the "machine level web.config file".

Additionally, as you note, each web application also has a web.config file. Directories inside a web application can also have web.config files too.

Now, the key point is that config files inherit from each other. That means, a web application will read settings defined in the machine.config file and the machine level web.config file (for its given framework version), and its own web.config file.

A common use case for defining things in the machine.config would be to share values between many applications on the server, like a connection string perhaps, or SMTP server settings, things like that.