What Makes an Example Configuration Safe to Publish?
From the earlier reference collection. Read the current software blog.
Publish a useful configuration shape while replacing secrets, personal information, and machine-specific paths with explicit placeholders.
Keep the structure, remove sensitive values
An example configuration should teach the format without revealing credentials or private data. Preserve the keys and relationships that a reader needs to understand, but replace real passwords, access tokens, private hostnames, and personal identifiers with obvious placeholders. A value like REPLACE_WITH_TOKEN is safer and clearer than a realistic-looking string that might accidentally be copied into production.
Do not assume that deleting a password makes a sample harmless. A username, email address, internal domain, customer identifier, or location can still identify a person or organization. Review comments and filenames too; sensitive data can appear in a path or a note even when the main values are generic.
Make placeholders unmistakable
Use placeholders that cannot plausibly be mistaken for working secrets. For example, https://example.invalid/api signals that an endpoint must be replaced, while https://api.company-name.net may look operational. Label required values and explain where an operator obtains them. If a sample uses a default port or local path, state whether it is safe for a development environment only.
A worked snippet can show shape without real data: api_key = "REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_KEY" and data_dir = "/path/to/your/data". Add a nearby note that the key should be supplied through the deployment's approved secret mechanism when available. Do not imply that the application supports a particular secret manager unless that is established.
Separate examples by purpose
One sample rarely fits every environment. A minimal local example can show the smallest working configuration, while a deployment example can explain additional choices such as binding address, storage, and logging. Mark each example's purpose and assumptions. Avoid embedding a developer's home directory, workstation path, or local network address as though it were a universal default.
If a value must be changed before use, call that out in the prose and in a comment beside the field. Explain which fields can be omitted and what happens when they are omitted. Readers should not have to infer whether an example is complete, illustrative, or safe to paste as-is.
Review the file before release
Treat example configuration as publishable data. Search the file and its history for credential-shaped strings, email addresses, internal domains, and realistic identifiers. Check whether a sample was copied from a live deployment, since redaction may leave indirect clues. If a real credential was ever committed, removing it from the latest version does not make it safe; the credential owner should rotate it and follow the project's incident process.
Conclude with a simple reader test: could someone tell which values are placeholders, what must be changed, and whether the file is intended for local testing or deployment? If not, improve the labels before publishing. A safe example remains useful because it communicates the structure precisely while making private values impossible to confuse with recommended defaults.