Where Does CircleCI Store Pipeline Config?
CircleCI reads pipeline config from .circleci/config.yml inside each repo, with contexts and project settings living in the web app rather than on disk.
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CircleCI configures pipelines per repository through a .circleci folder holding config.yml. Workflows, jobs, executors, and orbs all declare there in versioned YAML. The web app contributes contexts, schedules, and project settings around it.
Secrets stay out of the file by design. Environment variables and contexts inject at runtime while the committed config stays shareable. Self hosted runners add machine level config, but cloud runners need nothing local at all.
Where CircleCI stores this, by platform
.circleci/config.yml
Pipeline definition per repo with workflows and jobs. Secrets belong in web contexts, never committed. Validate by pushing.
.circleci/config.yml
Same repo relative config on Mac runners and local CLI runs. The circleci CLI validates config offline before pushing.
.circleci\config.yml
Windows executors read the same repo config. Self hosted runners add machine config, cloud needs none.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add CircleCI to a repo?
Add a .circleci folder with config.yml at the repo root and push to trigger validation. The web UI validates on commit with helpful errors. Version 2.1 syntax enables orbs and executors.
Where do CircleCI secrets go?
Store them as project environment variables or contexts in the web UI, never in config.yml. The file is committed and public in open source. Contexts share secrets across projects safely.
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