kconfiguration

Kconfiguration is a term that may refer to distinct configuration systems used in free and open-source software. Two common meanings are the Linux kernel's Kconfig language and the KDE project's KConfig framework; both serve to declare and manage configurable options but operate at different layers and with different formats.

The kernel Kconfig system is a domain-specific language and collection of tools used by the Linux kernel build system to describe compile-time configuration options. Kconfig files define symbols, types (bool, tristate, int, string), default values, dependencies and help text. Frontends such as menuconfig, xconfig and nconfig present a navigable interface for choosing options, and the selected configuration is saved to a .config file used by kbuild. Kconfig enables conditional inclusion of features, modular builds, and generation of consistent build-time configurations.

KDE's KConfig is a runtime configuration framework used by KDE applications to read, write and manage user and system settings. It provides APIs for grouping keys, default values, parsing INI-style config files, and tools for integrating settings into application UIs. KConfig components include backends for shared config storage and higher-level helpers for generating configuration dialogs and skeletons. The framework emphasizes portability, consistency across applications, and integration with Qt.

Because "kconfiguration" is not a single standardized term, context (kernel build vs desktop application) determines which system is meant.