Configuration model

Dispatch keeps almost all settings in the SQL config table, managed through the dashboard and seeded with sensible defaults on first run. Only a few bootstrap items live in appsettings.json, because they’re needed before the database is available.

Bootstrap items (appsettings.json)

• ConnectionStrings:DispatchLog - the SQL connection string (required).
• The first-run admin password (seeded once, then stored only as a bcrypt hash in SQL).
• The dashboard TLS certificate path/password (optional; otherwise a self-signed cert is generated).
• The log directory.

Everything else - ports, allow-lists, provider credentials, retry policy, retention - is in the SQL config table. Secrets there (provider API keys, SMTP passwords, TLS cert password) are encrypted at rest.

Settings groups

• Connections - the SMTP listener, the HTTP API, and the dashboard (ports, allow-lists, toggles).
• Relay provider - upstream provider credentials.
• TLS certificate - the shared cert for SMTP STARTTLS + HTTPS API.
• Retention & purge - how long history and spool files are kept.
• SMTP authentication - username/password pairs for SMTP AUTH.
• Spool - directory and worker count.

See the config key reference for every key, its default, and whether changing it needs a restart.