Config -

Whenever possible, allow an option to be omitted and fall back to a safe default. This reduces the cognitive load on users and makes your software easier to run out of the box. Example: If PORT is not set, default to 8080 .

Once born, a topic follows specific behaviors defined by its parameters: Kafka Topic Configuration Reference for Confluent Platform config

Secrets management and encryption. How it works: Centralised service for dynamic secrets, access control, and audit logging. Applications fetch secrets via API or sidecar. Whenever possible, allow an option to be omitted

A configuration file is a non-executable file used by computer programs to store settings and parameters. Instead of embedding these settings directly into the "source code" (the permanent logic of the app), developers put them in a separate file. This allows anyone—from a system administrator to an end-user—to change the program's behavior without needing to rewrite or recompile the entire application. The Different Faces of "Config" Once born, a topic follows specific behaviors defined

Print a summary of loaded config (excluding secrets) to help debugging. Mask sensitive fields like passwords with *** . Example output: