The .NET Framework gives developers and administrators control over how applications run. The .NET Framework uses configuration files to control, for example, which protected resources an application can access, what version of an assembly (an application component) an application uses, and where remote applications and objects are located. These human-readable, XML-based files give system administrators the ability to manage applications on an individual computer or on all computers across an enterprise.
There are several .NET Framework configuration files, and each file has a different scope. The machine and application configuration files follow the same syntax and provide information such as binding redirects, the location of code, and binding modes for particular assemblies. Security configuration files are used to set security policy, and can be set on a per-user, per-machine, and per-enterprise basis.