> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL. > For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.itential.com/itential-cloud/configuration-manager/golden-configurations/overview/llms.txt. > For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.itential.com/_mcp/server. # Golden Configuration overview > Manage baseline configurations and compliance for devices and services In Golden Configuration, configurations are organized as a hierarchical, tree-like structure of nodes, each associated with a baseline configuration pattern. Child nodes inherit the configuration of their parent by default, though they can be specialized after creation. Devices or adapter instances are then linked (added) to these nodes, allowing their current state to be graded against the related configuration. ## Types of configurations Two types of Golden Configurations exist: * [CLI Golden Configuration](./cli) - Measure device compliance * [JSON Golden Configuration](./json) - Measure the compliance of services that communicate with Itential Platform via adapters ## Create Golden Configurations Golden Configurations can be created from the Configuration Manager homepage: #### Open Create modal Click the **Create (+)** button located at the top of the side navigation menu. The Create modal will open. #### Select Golden Configuration Select **Golden Configuration** from the dropdown. The modal will finish populating. #### Name and configure * Type a name for the Golden Configuration into the **Name** field * Select which **type** of Golden Configuration to create * If you are creating a CLI Golden Configuration, select an appropriate configuration parser from the dropdown (this determines the syntax that will be used in your node configurations) #### Create Click **Create**. The newly created Golden Configuration will display. For example, if you are using the Golden Configuration to manage Cisco IOS devices, select **cisco-ios**. For more information, see [Configuration Parsers](./use-parsers). ## Open Golden Configurations To open a Golden Configuration that already exists, select the **Golden Configurations** dropdown from the side navigation menu and click the Golden Configuration you would like to open. ![](/_fern-img/57024e90b712129bf046c31d244ace9f49130262ea2ffc691094d0c59e7b5053.webp) ### Browse using Collection modal You can also browse Golden Configurations using the card-based Collection modal: #### Open Collection modal Click the **Search (🔍)** button located at the top of the side navigation menu. The Collection modal will open. #### View Golden Configurations Click the **Golden Configurations** tab. ![](/_fern-img/25a3392c89e1e6aa16e7c20333c4cb2e72ced0d4d6836db3a59e60732ad8c4f1.webp) ### Collection modal elements | Label | UI Element | Description | | :---: | ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1 | Toolbar | An assortment of buttons used to perform collection management actions (from left to right: **Refresh**, **Import**, **Select All**, **Delete**, and **Export**) | | 2 | Search Bar | Searches the collection by configuration name | | 3 | Sort By | Determines what order the configurations are displayed in | | 4 | Pin | Pins the configuration to the Configuration Manager homepage | | 5 | Selection Box | Selects the configuration for bulk actions, such as deletion or export | | 6 | Menu Button | Opens a menu that allows you to **Edit**, **Delete**, or **Export** the configuration | ## Navigate the Golden Configuration UI Upon creating or opening a configuration, you will be presented with the following interface. In general, actions that affect the Golden Configuration tree are performed on the left side of the UI, while actions that affect the selected node are performed on the right. ![](/_fern-img/7b296deefb80e3074957294480d5989fc475866acbfccaf73c53de208b1f1e72.webp) | Label | UI Element | Description | | :---: | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1 | Menu | Opens a menu that allows you to view the metadata of, delete the current version of, or delete all versions of the Golden Configuration | | 2 | Golden Configuration Tree | Provides an interface for managing the Golden Configuration's tree and the individual nodes within it | | 3 | Tabs | - The **Node Details** tab displays information about the current state of the selected node - The **Configuration** tab allows you to define the node's baseline configuration - The **Devices & Groups/Manage** tabs allow you to associate devices or adapter instances with the selected node, respectively (tab availability is dependent on the Golden Configuration's OS type) | ## Golden Configuration tree Newly-created Golden Configurations have a one-node tree, consisting only of the base node (of which any additional nodes will be children). From the tree structure visualization, you can: * Select a node for editing by clicking it * Add nodes to, or delete nodes from, the tree * View compliance statistics for the entire tree or a selected node * Create new versions of the tree ### Add and delete child nodes To add a child node to the tree: #### Open node menu Hover over an existing node's **menu (⋮)** button. A menu of node management actions will appear. #### Add child Select **Add Child** from the menu. A new node will be created, inheriting its configuration from the parent. The process for deleting a child node is nearly identical; just select **Delete** from the menu instead. ![](/_fern-img/ebd624017cade943e510b6a1e9b9be40e998fdb442d81f7625094c6ffb70e79f.webp) ### Run compliance against a node To run a compliance check against all devices or adapter instances assigned to a node: #### Open node menu Hover over the node's **menu (⋮)** button. A menu of node management actions will appear. #### Run compliance Select **Run Compliance** from the menu. A compliance report will be generated for each device or adapter instance. You can also view compliance details for: * The entire tree by clicking the **Tree Statistics** button located at the upper-left of the tree visualization * The selected node via the **Node Details** tab ### Tree versioning A Golden Configuration can maintain multiple versions of its tree, allowing you to track changes to the Golden Configuration and revert to previous versions if necessary. The name of the selected tree version is displayed directly above the base node (by default, it is **initial**). To create a new version: #### Open version selector Select the **Change Version** button located to the left of the active version name. A dropdown menu will appear. #### Create new version Click the **Create New Version (+)** button located next to the dropdown. The dropdown will be replaced by a text input field. #### Name the version Enter the name of the new version into the text input field. #### Save Click the **Save (✔)** button. The new version will be created and made active. If multiple versions of the tree exist, you can switch between them at any time via the **Change Version** button. ## Next steps #### [CLI Golden Configuration](./cli) Manage device compliance #### [JSON Golden Configuration](./json) Manage service compliance #### [Configuration Parsers](./use-parsers) Configure syntax parsers > Manage baseline configurations and compliance for devices and services