Handling configuration files in full stack Java application

Question

In our full stack application (Java+React), we need to handle large configuration files. These configuration files includes both JSON and YAML files. These configuration files store information (say user settings) that may change during application lifetime. We need to provide some way to our customers so that they can change these files and store/fetch them to/from application. We don't want to re-deploy the application for each modification in configuration files.

• Do we have any utility in Java or node.js for this?
• Is there any web-based IDE available that can be easily plugged into our application and allow customers to change the configuration files?

Answer 1

So you have a full stack application, meaning you already have a database for the backend. The database would be the most optimal place to store those configurations.

You can have for example a table named Configuration_properties, with columns property_name, property_value and/or FK user if different properties apply to different users.

to provide some way to our customers so that they can change these files and store/fetch them to/from application

Changing a property that exists as a row in a table in DB would be much easier and much more efficient than modifying a huge file that exists somewhere.