---
name: app-configuration-getting-started
title: Getting started with App Configuration
description: App Configuration also provides the option to enable or disable configuration aggregation. It facilitates a Cloud Governance SME with up-to-date configuration data of IBM Cloud resources in one place so that comprehensive information is available for governance and compliance initiatives.
last-updated: 2026-06-01
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/app-configuration?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

# Getting started with App Configuration
{: #getting-started}

IBM Cloud® App Configuration is a centralized feature management and configuration service for use with web and mobile applications, microservices, and distributed environments. Instrument your applications with App Configuration SDKs, and use the App Configuration dashboard or App Configuration administrator API to define features flags or properties, which are organized into collections and targeted to segments. Change feature flag states in the cloud to activate or deactivate features in your application or environment, often without restarting. You can also manage the properties for distributed applications centrally.
App Configuration also provides the option to enable or disable configuration aggregation. It facilitates a Cloud Governance SME with up-to-date configuration data of IBM Cloud resources in one place so that comprehensive information is available for governance and compliance initiatives.
{: shortdesc}

App Configuration currently offers four pricing [plans](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/app-configuration?topic=app-configuration-ac-faqs-usage&format=markdown#faq-ac-pricing): Lite, Basic, Standard, and Enterprise.

You need an IBM Cloud® account. If you don't have an account, create one [here](https://cloud.ibm.com/registration/){: external}. Log in to your IBM Cloud account.
{: note}

The basic steps that get you started:

1. [Create an App Configuration service instance](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/app-configuration?topic=app-configuration-ac-create-an-instance&format=markdown). Learn about [rollout strategies](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/app-configuration?topic=app-configuration-ac-rollout-strategies&format=markdown) to understand how to safely release features to your users.

1. [Create a collection](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/app-configuration?topic=app-configuration-ac-collections&format=markdown#ac-create-a-collection)

1. [Integrate App Configuration service SDKs](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/app-configuration?topic=app-configuration-ac-integrate-sdks&format=markdown)

1. [Create segments](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/app-configuration?topic=app-configuration-ac-segments&format=markdown#ac-create-segment)

1. [Target feature flags to segments](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/app-configuration?topic=app-configuration-ac-feature-flags&format=markdown#targeting-segment-with-feature-flag) or [Target properties to segments](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/app-configuration?topic=app-configuration-ac-properties&format=markdown#targeting-segment-with-properties)

1. [Target collections to feature flags](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/app-configuration?topic=app-configuration-ac-feature-flags&format=markdown#collection-target-feature-flags) or [Target collections to properties](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/app-configuration?topic=app-configuration-ac-properties&format=markdown#collection-target-properties)

1. [Enable feature flag](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/app-configuration?topic=app-configuration-ac-feature-flags&format=markdown#enabling-feature-flag) (ON/OFF).

1. [Enable Configuration Aggregator](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/app-configuration?topic=app-configuration-ac-configuration-aggregator&format=markdown#ac-enable-configuration-aggregator-single-account) (ON/OFF).