Configuration File Locations
These are the standard locations on a Solus installation for software configuration files.
Solus uses a "stateless" system configuration. For what that means see the Clear Linux Guide to Stateless Configuration.
| Type | Applies to | Location(s) | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| User - preserved during package updates | Per-user | ~/.config/~/others | Highest |
| System - preserved during package updates | All users on the system | /etc/ | |
| OS provided (aka defaults) - overridden by package updates | All users on the system | /usr/share/defaults/ | Lowest |
A user configuration file overrides the system configuration, and the system configuration overrides the OS provided configuration. If no user configuration is provided, then the system configuration is used, and if no system configuration is provided, then the OS provided configuration is used.
Different software expects user configuration files in different places. Many software packages store these under the XDG_CONFIG_HOME directory: ~/.config. Some applications insist on placing them straight into the home directory. For example the fish shell uses the ~/.config/fish directory to store user configurations, while the bash shell uses the ~/.bashrc configuration file straight from the home directory. Consult documentation before customizing software to ensure you put things in the right place.
Some common configuration files:
| Software | Configuration files |
|---|---|
| apcupsd | /etc/changeme |
| cups | /etc/cups/ |
| samba | /etc/samba/smb.conf/usr/share/defaults/samba/ |
| pam | /etc/pam.d//usr/share/defaults/etc/pam.d/ |
| ssh | $HOME/.ssh//usr/share/defaults/etc/ssh/ |
| ssl | /etc/ssl//usr/share/defaults/etc/ssl/ |
| tigervnc | $HOME/.vnc/xstartup |
| xrdp | /etc/X11/Xwrapper.config |