# Configuration Management in OpenHands

## Overview

OpenHands uses a flexible configuration system that allows settings to be defined through environment variables, TOML files, and command-line arguments. The configuration is managed through a package structure in `openhands/core/config/`.

## Configuration Classes

The main configuration classes are:

- `AppConfig`: The root configuration class
- `LLMConfig`: Configuration for the Language Model
- `AgentConfig`: Configuration for the agent
- `SandboxConfig`: Configuration for the sandbox environment
- `SecurityConfig`: Configuration for security settings

These classes are defined as dataclasses, with class attributes holding default values for all fields.

## Loading Configuration from Environment Variables

The `load_from_env` function in the config package is responsible for loading configuration values from environment variables. It recursively processes the configuration classes, mapping environment variable names to class attributes.

### Naming Convention for Environment Variables

- Prefix: uppercase name of the configuration class followed by an underscore (e.g., `LLM_`, `AGENT_`)
- Field Names: all uppercase
- Full Variable Name: Prefix + Field Name (e.g., `LLM_API_KEY`, `AGENT_MEMORY_ENABLED`)

### Examples

```bash
export LLM_API_KEY='your_api_key_here'
export LLM_MODEL='gpt-4'
export AGENT_MEMORY_ENABLED='true'
export SANDBOX_TIMEOUT='300'
```

## Type Handling

The `load_from_env` function attempts to cast environment variable values to the types specified in the dataclasses. It handles:

- Basic types (str, int, bool)
- Optional types (e.g., `str | None`)
- Nested dataclasses

If type casting fails, an error is logged, and the default value is retained.

## Default Values

If an environment variable is not set, the default value specified in the dataclass is used.

## Nested Configurations

The `AppConfig` class contains nested configurations like `LLMConfig` and `AgentConfig`. The `load_from_env` function handles these by recursively processing nested dataclasses with updated prefixes.

## Security Considerations

Be cautious when setting sensitive information like API keys in environment variables. Ensure your environment is secure.

## Usage

The `load_app_config()` function is the recommended way to initialize your configuration. It performs the following steps:

1. Creates an instance of `AppConfig`
2. Loads settings from the `config.toml` file (if present)
3. Loads settings from environment variables, overriding TOML settings if applicable
4. Applies final tweaks and validations to the configuration, falling back to the default values specified in the code
5. Optionally sets global logging levels based on the configuration

There are also command line args, which may work to override other sources.

Here's an example of how to use `load_app_config()`:

````python
from openhands.core.config import load_app_config

# Load all configuration settings
config = load_app_config()

# Now you can access your configuration
llm_config = config.get_llm_config()
agent_config = config.get_agent_config()
sandbox_config = config.sandbox

# Use the configuration in your application
print(f"Using LLM model: {llm_config.model}")
print(f"Agent memory enabled: {agent_config.memory_enabled}")
print(f"Sandbox timeout: {sandbox_config.timeout}")
````

By using `load_app_config()`, you ensure that all configuration sources are properly loaded and processed, providing a consistent and fully initialized configuration for your application.

## Additional Configuration Methods

While this document focuses on environment variable configuration, OpenHands also supports:

- Loading from TOML files
- Parsing command-line arguments

These methods are handled by separate functions in the config package.

## Conclusion

The OpenHands configuration system provides a flexible and type-safe way to manage application settings. By following the naming conventions and utilizing the provided functions, developers can easily customize the behavior of OpenHands components through environment variables and other configuration sources.
