# Configuration Management ## Problem * Is your configuration too big and complex for files? * Is your configuration more like code than configuration? * Does configuration have a large production impact? * Are configuration changes hard to review? * Are multiple configuration changes hard to merge together when it’s time to ship? * Are you building a game with lots of assets and configuration? ## Dolt solves this by… Configuration is generally structured and managed as large text files. YAML and JSON formatted configuration is very popular. These formats are unordered, meaning standard version control solutions like Git cannot reliably produce [diffs](https://docs.dolthub.com/concepts/dolt/git/diff) and [merges](https://docs.dolthub.com/concepts/dolt/git/merge). Moreover, configuration can get quite large, running up against the file size limits of tools like Git. Some configuration is better modeled as [tables](https://docs.dolthub.com/concepts/dolt/sql/table). Tables by design are unordered. Tables can contain even JSON columns for parts of your configuration you want to remain loosely typed. Dolt is an ideal solution for version controlling tabular configuration. Dolt allows for all the version control features you came to know and love when your data was small like [branches](https://docs.dolthub.com/concepts/dolt/git/branch), [diffs](https://docs.dolthub.com/concepts/dolt/git/diff), and [human review via pull requests](https://docs.dolthub.com/concepts/dolthub/prs). This use case is particularly popular in video games where much of the game functionality is modeled as configuration. Store the likelihood of an item drop or the strength of a particular enemy in Dolt tables. Review and manage changes. When the configuration is ready, use a build process to create whatever format your game needs. ## Dolt replaces... ### Files in Git Most large configuration files are stored and versioned in Git. If the files get too large they are store in cloud storage and linked to Git using [git-lfs](https://git-lfs.com/). If the files are stored in git-lfs, you lose the ability to diff the contents of the files. Dolt improves the experience by adding query capabilities and large fine-grained diffs to the data stored in configuration files. The diff and merge experience will be greatly improved in Dolt for this type of data. ## Companies Doing This * [Scorewarrior](https://scorewarrior.com/) * [PhanXgames](https://www.phanxgames.com/) ## Case Studies Let us know if you would like us to feature your use of Dolt for configuration management here. ## Other Related Articles * [Version control for Video Game Development using Dolt](https://www.dolthub.com/blog/?q=game) * [Your config file should be a database](https://www.dolthub.com/blog/2023-05-15-your-config-file-should-be-a-database/) --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.dolthub.com/introduction/use-cases/configuration-management.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.