---
title: Configure Elastic APM Server
description: Configure APM Server for Fleet-managed, standalone, or Elastic Cloud deployments. Find settings for authentication, outputs, logging, TLS, and sampling.
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/configure
products:
- Elastic Cloud Hosted
- Elastic Documentation
- Elastic Observability
applies_to:
- Elastic Stack: Generally available
---
# Configure Elastic APM Server
How you configure the APM Server depends on your deployment method.
- **APM Server binary** users need to edit the `apm-server.yml` configuration file. The location of the file varies by platform. To locate the file, see [Installation layout](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/installation-layout).
- **Fleet-managed** users configure the APM Server directly in Kibana. Each configuration page describes the specific location.
- **Elastic cloud** users should see [Add APM user settings](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/configure) for information on how to configure Elastic APM.
The following topics describe how to configure APM Server:
- [General configuration options](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/general-configuration-options)
- [Anonymous authentication](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/configure-anonymous-authentication)
- [APM agent authorization](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/apm-agent-authorization)
- [APM agent central configuration](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/apm-agent-central-configuration)
- [Instrumentation](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/configure-apm-instrumentation)
- [Kibana endpoint](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/configure-kibana-endpoint)
- [Logging](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/configure-logging)
- [Output](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/configure-output)
- [Project paths](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/configure-project-paths)
- [Real User Monitoring (RUM)](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/configure-real-user-monitoring-rum)
- [SSL/TLS settings](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/ssl-tls-settings)
- [Tail-based sampling](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/tail-based-sampling)
- [Use environment variables in the configuration](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/use-environment-variables-in-configuration)
## Edit APM user settings
Provide your own user settings to customize how Elastic APM runs. The settings you can change depend on how Elastic APM is deployed. There are two modes:
New deployments created in Elastic Stack version 8.0 and later will be managed by Fleet.
Check [APM configuration reference](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/configure) for information on how to configure Elastic APM in this mode.
Deployments created prior to Elastic Stack version 8.0 are in legacy mode. Upgrading to or past Elastic Stack 8.0 will not remove you from legacy mode.
Check [Edit standalone APM settings (legacy)](#ec-edit-apm-standalone-settings) and [Supported standalone APM settings (legacy)](#ec-apm-settings) for information on how to configure Elastic APM in this mode.
To learn more about the differences between these modes, or to switch from Standalone APM Server (legacy) mode to Fleet-managed, check [Switch to the Elastic APM integration](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/switch-to-elastic-apm-integration).
## Edit standalone APM settings (legacy)
User settings are appended to the `apm-server.yml` configuration file for your instance and provide custom configuration options.
To add user settings:
1. Log in to the [Elastic Cloud Console](https://cloud.elastic.co?page=docs&placement=docs-body).
2. Find your deployment on the home page or on the **Hosted deployments** page, then select **Manage** to access its settings menus.
On the **Hosted deployments** page you can narrow your deployments by name, ID, or choose from several other filters. To customize your view, use a combination of filters, or change the format from a grid to a list.
3. From your deployment menu, go to the **Edit** page.
4. In the **APM** section, select **Edit user settings**. (For existing deployments with user settings, you may have to expand the **Edit apm-server.yml** caret instead.)
5. Update the user settings.
6. Select **Save changes**.
If a setting is not supported on Elastic Cloud, you will get an error message when you try to save.
## Supported standalone APM settings (legacy)
Elastic Cloud Hosted supports the settings listed in [APM documentation](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/solutions/observability/apm/apm-server/configure) under "APM Server binary" when running APM in standalone mode (legacy). For versions before 9, refer to [older documentation](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/observability/8.18/apm-configuring-howto-apm-server.html).
Some settings are intentionally restricted to maintain system stability.
To change logging settings, first [enable deployment logging](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/4300/deploy-manage/monitor/stack-monitoring/ece-ech-stack-monitoring).