Configuration

The SignalWire Server SDK uses a layered configuration system. Settings can come from constructor parameters, environment variables, JSON config files, or sensible defaults. The layers are resolved in priority order:

1. Constructor parameters — highest priority
2. Config file values — loaded from JSON, override environment variables
3. Environment variables — override defaults
4. Defaults — built-in fallback values

from signalwire import AgentBase
# Constructor parameters take precedence over everything else
agent = AgentBase(
    name="my-agent",
    port=9000,                        # Overrides PORT env var and config file
    config_file="my_config.json",     # Explicit config file path
)

Config File Discovery

When no explicit config_file is provided, the SDK searches for JSON config files in this order:

1. config.json
2. agent_config.json
3. swml_config.json
4. .swml/config.json
5. ~/.swml/config.json
6. /etc/swml/config.json

See ConfigLoader for the full file discovery logic and environment variable substitution syntax.

Key Configuration Areas

Quick Example

{
  "service": {
    "name": "support-agent",
    "host": "0.0.0.0",
    "port": 8080,
    "route": "/support"
  },
  "security": {
    "auth": {
      "basic": {
        "user": "${AUTH_USER|support_agent}",
        "password": "${AUTH_PASSWORD}"
      }
    },
    "ssl_enabled": true,
    "domain": "support.example.com",
    "ssl_cert_path": "/etc/ssl/certs/support.crt",
    "ssl_key_path": "/etc/ssl/private/support.key"
  },
  "agent": {
    "auto_answer": true,
    "record_call": false
  },
  "skills": [
    { "name": "datetime" },
    {
      "name": "native_vector_search",
      "params": {
        "index_file": "./support_docs.swsearch",
        "tool_name": "search_support"
      }
    }
  ]
}