DataLad uses the same configuration mechanism and syntax as Git itself. Consequently, datalad can be configured using the git config command. Both a global user configuration (typically at ~/.gitconfig), and a local repository-specific configuration (.git/config) are inspected.
In addition, datalad supports a persistent dataset-specific configuration. This configuration is stored at .datalad/config in any dataset. As it is part of a dataset, settings stored there will also be in effect for any consumer of such a dataset. Both global and local settings on a particular machine always override configuration shipped with a dataset.
All datalad-specific configuration variables are prefixed with datalad..
It is possible to override or amend the configuration using environment variables. Any variable with a name that starts with DATALAD_ will be available as the corresponding datalad. configuration variable, replacing any __ (two underscores) with a hyphen, then any _ (single underscore) with a dot, and finally converting all letters to lower case. Values from environment variables take precedence over configuration file settings.
In addition, the DATALAD_CONFIG_OVERRIDES_JSON environment variable can be set to a JSON record with configuration values. This is particularly useful for options that aren't accessible through the naming scheme described above (e.g., an option name that includes an underscore).
The following sections provide a (non-exhaustive) list of settings honored by datalad. They are categorized according to the scope they are typically associated with.