CloudCannon gives you precise control over editing experiences. You can customize inputs, configure collections, structure navigation, and define exactly how content teams interact with your site. This level of control lets you craft interfaces that match how your teams actually work — whether you’re building for clients who need a simplified editorial workflow or internal teams with complex content requirements.

Traditionally, exercising that control has meant working in configuration files: editing, committing changes, deploying, and checking the results. It’s a manageable workflow for initial setup, but it becomes a drag when you’re refining details, responding to client feedback, or maintaining multiple sites. Configuration Mode eliminates that friction entirely, letting you build and refine editing interfaces with immediate visual feedback.

Configuration Mode transforms site setup from a file-editing process into an interactive workflow. When you toggle it on, purple “Edit configuration” buttons appear throughout CloudCannon’s interface. Each button opens the specific section of your configuration file that controls what you’re looking at — collection settings, input configurations, navigation structure, or UI elements.

The difference is that changes take effect immediately. Adjust how a collection is structured or displayed and you’ll see your new settings reflected in the interface right away. Modify an input configuration and the editing interface updates to match. There’s no deployment step, no waiting, and no guessing whether your changes will produce the intended result.

This compressed feedback loop matters most during the refinement phase. When a client asks for a different way to organize their content or your team needs a specialized input for a particular content type, you can implement and validate the change in seconds. For agencies managing multiple client sites, this means you can respond to feedback during a call rather than scheduling follow-up work.

Your content team sees a polished editing interface Direct link to this section

When Configuration Mode is off, all the purple configuration buttons disappear. Your content creators see exactly what you’ve built for them — a clean, focused interface with no technical controls or extraneous options. This separation is what turns customizable architecture into a polished editing experience.

The distinction matters for professional handoffs. When you deliver a site to a client or internal team, they’re not navigating around developer tools or wondering what various buttons might do. They’re working in an interface that’s been crafted specifically for their content workflow, with nothing exposed that they don’t need to understand.

Because Configuration Mode is permission-based, different team members see different interfaces. You can grant configuration access to developers while keeping the editing experience simple for content creators. There’s no risk of accidental configuration changes and no ongoing maintenance burden from teams working around controls they don’t understand.

Full access to CloudCannon’s configuration system Direct link to this section

Configuration Mode provides direct access to the settings that define your site’s editing experience. You can adjust which collections appear in navigation, making it straightforward to reorganize content types as client needs evolve. Collection-level settings become more intuitive because you’re modifying them in context rather than locating the right section in a configuration file.

The tool works across CloudCannon’s cascade system, letting you define input behavior at global, collection, and file levels. Each change shows you exactly how it affects the editing interface your team will use. Some examples of how you might use configuration mode include

1. Changing the sort and view options available to editors

2. Enabling or disabling file actions available to editors

3. Configuring inputs at a collection or site level, including making fields required for certain items

This visual approach to configuration means you’re not just defining how inputs should behave or how collections should be organized — you’re seeing the editing experience you’re creating as you build it. You can make decisions about interface design with full context, which leads to better outcomes for your content teams.

Getting started Direct link to this section

Configuration Mode is available for sites using Unified Configuration. If you’re working with legacy configuration, you’ll need to migrate first. The feature integrates with CloudCannon’s permission system, so you control which team members have access to configuration tools.

For workflows where direct file editing is preferable, that option remains available. You can still access your configuration file through the File Browser and edit it in the Data Editor. Configuration Mode adds a visual layer on top of the same underlying system, giving you flexibility in how you work.

Configuration Mode is easy to understand when you see it in action. The video below walks through a typical workflow: enabling Configuration Mode, adjusting collection settings, modifying input configurations, and seeing those changes reflected immediately in the editing interface. You'll see how the purple "Edit configuration" buttons appear throughout CloudCannon's interface, how changes take effect without deployment, and what the experience looks like for content editors when Configuration Mode is turned off.

Better editing experiences, delivered faster Direct link to this section

Configuration Mode changes how you exercise CloudCannon’s flexibility. When you can configure, preview, and refine in real time, you can deliver more polished editing experiences in less time. This matters when you’re trying to win new business — you can demonstrate CloudCannon’s customization capabilities without requiring deep technical explanations. It matters for client relationships as well, because you can respond to requests for interface adjustments quickly rather than treating them as scoped maintenance work.

For teams managing multiple sites, the efficiency gains compound. Small refinements become quick adjustments. Setting up a new collection or modifying input behavior shifts from a file-editing task to something you can handle while reviewing the site with a client.

The result is that CloudCannon’s core strength — giving you unprecedented control over editing experiences — becomes more accessible. You can craft interfaces that match exactly how your content teams work, and you can do it without the friction that has traditionally come with that level of customization. Configuration Mode doesn’t change what CloudCannon can do; it changes how efficiently you can deliver those carefully crafted editing experiences to the people who need them.