> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.towbar.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configuration and restart

> Find the Towbar environment file, validate changes, and restart only after every preflight succeeds.

Towbar keeps installation and integration configuration in a root-owned environment file. The CLI does not provide an editor or print its contents.

## `towbar config path`

Print the active environment-file path. The command accepts no arguments, does not require an installed release, and does not read or reveal the file.

```bash title="Print the configuration path" theme={"system"}
towbar config path
```

```text title="Default output" theme={"system"}
/etc/towbar/towbar.env
```

Use the result with an editor that can write a root-owned file:

```bash title="Open the environment file" theme={"system"}
sudo nano "$(towbar config path)"
```

## `towbar config validate`

Validate the current configuration without replacing running services.

```bash theme={"system"}
sudo towbar config validate
```

The command accepts no parameters. It requires root, Docker Engine, Compose v2, an installed release, and the current environment file.

Validation covers:

* required installation and database values;
* the complete Docker Compose model;
* API and worker environment parsing;
* runtime integration configuration;
* notification and log-forwarding JSON;
* the selected local or public gateway service; and
* Caddy configuration for the current domain and access mode.

A successful validation prints `Towbar: Configuration is valid` and exits with status `0`. A failure prints the specific parser or Compose error and exits nonzero. Running services remain unchanged.

## `towbar restart`

Apply a valid environment change to the current release.

```bash theme={"system"}
sudo towbar restart
```

The command accepts no parameters. It acquires the installation lock, validates the configuration, performs API, worker, integration, notification, log-forwarding, and Caddy preflights, then recreates changed services and waits for health.

If a preflight fails, the CLI prints that running services were not restarted and directs the operator to `sudo towbar doctor`. If containers fail after replacement begins, the command returns nonzero and also directs the operator to diagnostics.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Back up the current file">
    Preserve `/etc/towbar/towbar.env` in restricted storage before changing
    production configuration. The file contains credentials and encryption keys.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Edit the environment">
    `bash sudo nano "$(towbar config path)" `
  </Step>

  <Step title="Validate without restarting">
    `bash sudo towbar config validate `
  </Step>

  <Step title="Apply the validated change">
    `bash sudo towbar restart `
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm health">`bash sudo towbar doctor `</Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Never replace `TOWBAR_CREDENTIALS_KEY` on an existing installation. Stored
  credentials are encrypted with that key. A database backup without the
  matching key cannot recover those records.
</Warning>

Restart reuses the installed release and immutable images. It does not look up a newer release, pull replacement application images, or rebuild Towbar. Use `towbar upgrade` when changing versions.