Configuration management is the software design practice of separating adjustable settings (paths, hyperparameters, file names) from program logic so they can be changed without modifying code. The underlying tension is between cohesion and coupling: centralizing settings in one place aids discoverability but forces passing many parameters through function signatures (weakening cohesion), while using shared global/imported settings creates coupling because dependent code breaks if those settings are absent. This belongs to the domain of software design principles as applied to data science and machine learning project structure, where configuration is typically expressed through hierarchical, structured formats (e.g., YAML) rather than embedded constants or unstructured environment variables.
Configuration management is the software design practice of separating adjustable settings (paths, hyperparameters, file names) from program logic so they can be changed without modifying code. The u…