source/core-developers/configuration-provider-and-configuration.md

---
layout: core-developers
title: Configuration Provider & Configuration
---

# Configuration Provider & Configuration

The ConfigurationProvider interface describes the framework's configuration\. By default, the framework loads its configurations via an XML document by using the `StrutsXmlConfigurationProvider`\. The provider can be configured through a Dispatcher's [DispatcherListener](dispatcher-listener.html)\.

## Example



```java
 static {
   Dispatcher.addDispatcherListener(new DispatcherListener() {
     ....
     public void dispatcherInitialized(Dispatcher du) {
         ConfigurationManager confManager = du.getConfigurationManager();
         confManager.addConfigurationProvider( ... );
     }
     ....
   });
 }

```

## Configuration provider


`ConfigurationProvider` is the basic piece of configuration used to tie all the options together in `ConfigurationManager`\. There is few different implementations that are already used internally by the Apache Struts:

+ `XmlConfigurationProvider` \- proprietary XWork implementation which are using `xwork.xml` file as source of configuration 

+ `StrutsXmlConfigurationProvider` \- primary configuration provider, represents `struts.xml` and `struts-plugin.xml` files

+ `PropertiesConfigurationProvider` \- used to load `struts.properties`
+ `ServletContextAwareConfigurationProvider` \- marking interface allowing to inject `ServletContext` into provider

To inject your custom configuration provider use `configProviders` `<init-param/>` in [web.xml](web-xml.html)