# Creating a free form configuration profile in Amazon AppConfig
<a name="appconfig-free-form-configurations-creating"></a>

*Configuration data* is a collection of settings that influence the behavior of your application. A *configuration profile* includes, among other things, a URI that enables Amazon AppConfig to locate your configuration data in its stored location and a configure type. With freeform configuration profiles, you can store your data in the Amazon AppConfig hosted configuration store or any of the following Amazon Web Services services and Systems Manager tools:


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| Location | Supported file types | 
| --- | --- | 
|  Amazon AppConfig hosted configuration store  |  YAML, JSON, and text if added using the Amazon Web Services Management Console. Any file type if added using the Amazon AppConfig [CreateHostedConfigurationVersion](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/appconfig/2019-10-09/APIReference/API_CreateHostedConfigurationVersion.html) API action.  | 
|  [Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3)](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/Welcome.html)  |  Any  | 
|  [Amazon CodePipeline](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/codepipeline/latest/userguide/welcome.html)  |  Pipeline (as defined by the service)  | 
|  [Amazon Secrets Manager](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/secretsmanager/latest/userguide/intro.html)  |  Secret (as defined by the service)  | 
|  [Amazon Systems Manager Parameter Store](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/systems-manager/latest/userguide/systems-manager-parameter-store.html)  |  Standard and secure string parameters (as defined by Parameter Store)  | 
|  [Amazon Systems Manager document store (SSM documents)](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/systems-manager/latest/userguide/documents.html)  |  YAML, JSON, text  | 

A configuration profile can also include optional validators to ensure your configuration data is syntactically and semantically correct. Amazon AppConfig performs a check using the validators when you start a deployment. If any errors are detected, the deployment stops before making any changes to the targets of the configuration.

**Note**  
If possible, we recommend hosting your configuration data in the Amazon AppConfig hosted configuration store as it offers the most features and enhancements.

For freeform configurations stored in the Amazon AppConfig hosted configuration store or SSM documents, you can create the freeform configuration by using the Systems Manager console at the time you create a configuration profile. The process is described later in this topic. 

For freeform configurations stored in Parameter Store, Secrets Manager, or Amazon S3, you must create the parameter, secret, or object first and store it in the relevant configuration store. After you store the configuration data, use the procedure in this topic to create the configuration profile.

**Topics**
+ [Understanding validators](appconfig-creating-configuration-and-profile-validators.md)
+ [Understanding configuration store quotas and limitations](appconfig-creating-configuration-and-profile-quotas.md)
+ [Understanding the Amazon AppConfig hosted configuration store](appconfig-creating-configuration-and-profile-about-hosted-store.md)
+ [Understanding configurations stored in Amazon S3](appconfig-creating-configuration-and-profile-S3-source.md)
+ [Creating an Amazon AppConfig freeform configuration profile (console)](appconfig-creating-free-form-configuration-and-profile-create-console.md)
+ [Creating an Amazon AppConfig freeform configuration profile (command line)](appconfig-creating-free-form-configuration-and-profile-create-commandline.md)