Create the Web.config file for an ASP.NET application

This article describes how to create the Web.config file that's used to control the behavior of individual ASP.NET applications.

Original product version:   ASP.NET
Original KB number:   815179

Summary

The Microsoft .NET Framework, and ASP.NET in particular, uses XML-formatted .config files to configure applications. This practice is a departure from conventional registry and metabase configuration mechanisms. There's currently no Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in or other Microsoft-provided administration tool that you can use to create and to modify .config files.

Hierarchy of .config files

The .NET Framework relies on .config files to define configuration options. The .config files are text-based XML files. Multiple .config files can, and typically do, exist on a single system.

System-wide configuration settings for the .NET Framework are defined in the Machine.config file. The Machine.config file is located in the %SystemRoot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\%VersionNumber%\CONFIG\ folder. The default settings that are contained in the Machine.config file can be modified to affect the behavior of Microsoft .NET applications on the whole system.

You can change the ASP.NET configuration settings for a single application if you create a Web.config file in the root folder of the application. When you do this, the settings in the Web.config file override the settings in the Machine.config file.

Create a Web.config file

You can create a Web.config file by using a text editor such as Notepad. You must create a text file that is named Web.config in the root directory of your ASP.NET application. The Web.config file must be a well-formed XML document and must have a format similar to the %SystemRoot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\%VersionNumber%\CONFIG\Machine.config file.

The Web.config file must contain only entries for configuration items that override the settings in the Machine.config file. At a minimum, the Web.config file must have the <configuration> element and the <system.web> element. These elements will contain individual configuration elements.

The following example shows a minimal Web.config file:

XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
    <system.web>
    </system.web>
</configuration>

The first line of the Web.config file describes the document as XML-formatted and specifies the character encoding type. This first line must be the same for all .config files.

The lines that follow mark the beginning and the end of the <configuration> element and the <system.web> element of the Web.config file. By themselves, these lines do nothing. However, the lines provide a structure that permits you to add future configuration settings. You add the majority of the ASP.NET configuration settings between the <system.web> and </system.web> lines. These lines mark the beginning and the end of the ASP.NET configuration settings.

References

• ASP.NET Configuration

• Format of ASP.NET Configuration Files

• How To Edit the Configuration of an ASP.NET Application