Basic Concepts

Correct usage of the Configuration Management module requires understanding some key concepts:

• Active Store: This is where Drupal reads configuration; it is the configuration that actually drives the system. Content types, fields, and image styles are saved into the database; which is the usual active store.
• Data Store: This is a set of files where the values for the configurations being tracked are recorded. When a configuration is being tracked, all changes in the Active Store can be reverted to the values in the Data Store and vice versa.
• Track Configurations: This is the activation of the mechanism to detect changes in configurations and record them; when a configuration is tracked, it is automatically exported to the Data Store.
• Component: Represents a group of configurations. Content types, fields, and text formats are examples of different types of components.
• Identifier: This is a name that uniquely identifies a configuration of a certain type of component.