How to audit differences between environment config files
- Step 1Export the configs for comparison — Copy the resolved configuration for two environments. Use your application's config dump command, or copy the raw config files. Ensure secrets are excluded (compare structure, not secret values).
- Step 2Paste and diff — Paste the base environment (development or staging) in the left panel and the target environment (staging or production) in the right panel. Click Diff.
- Step 3Review expected vs unexpected differences — Expected differences: database URLs, API endpoints, log levels. Flag unexpected differences for investigation: a feature flag enabled in staging but disabled in production, a rate limit higher in production than staging.
- Step 4Document and resolve config drift — Create a ticket for each unexpected configuration difference. Update the environment config files to resolve unintentional drift. Re-run the diff to confirm the environments are aligned on non-intentional settings.
Frequently asked questions
How should I structure config files to make intentional differences easy to track?+
Use a layered config approach: a base config file with shared settings and a per-environment override file with only the intentional differences. The diff between two environments' override files should contain only the expected differences — any shared key that appears in both override files is worth examining for unintentional drift.
How do I compare configs without exposing secrets in the diff?+
Replace secret values with a placeholder before diffing: use the JSON Key Filter to remove secret keys entirely, or replace their values with [SECRET]. Diff the structure — key presence, non-secret values — not the actual secret values.
Is the config data transmitted to JAD Apps?+
No. Diffing runs entirely in your browser. Configuration values and connection strings are never transmitted to JAD Apps servers.
Privacy first
Conversion runs locally in your browser. No file is uploaded — only metadata counters are saved for signed-in dashboard stats.