Where is airflow.cfg Located in Apache Airflow?

The airflow.cfg file is usually located in the Airflow home directory, which defaults to ~/airflow/. You can find the exact path by running airflow info and looking for the config_file entry.

Syntax

The main command to find the airflow.cfg location is:

• airflow info: Displays Airflow environment details including the config file path.

The airflow.cfg file itself is a plain text file with key-value pairs for Airflow settings.

bash

airflow info

Example

This example shows how to find the airflow.cfg file path using the airflow info command.

bash

airflow info | grep config_file

Output

/home/username/airflow/airflow.cfg

Common Pitfalls

Sometimes users expect airflow.cfg in system folders or the current directory, but it is actually in the Airflow home directory.

If you set the AIRFLOW_HOME environment variable, the config file will be inside that folder instead of the default ~/airflow/.

Also, running Airflow commands inside a virtual environment or container might change the location.

bash

### Wrong way: looking in current directory
ls airflow.cfg

### Right way: check with airflow info
airflow info | grep config_file

Quick Reference

Summary tips to locate airflow.cfg:

• Default location: ~/airflow/airflow.cfg
• Check AIRFLOW_HOME environment variable for custom location
• Use airflow info to find exact config file path
• Config file is a plain text file editable to change Airflow settings

Key Takeaways

The airflow.cfg file is located in the Airflow home directory, defaulting to ~/airflow/airflow.cfg.

Run airflow info and look for config_file to find the exact path of airflow.cfg.

Setting AIRFLOW_HOME changes where airflow.cfg is stored.

Do not expect airflow.cfg in the current directory unless AIRFLOW_HOME is set there.

Edit airflow.cfg carefully to configure Airflow behavior.