> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.siderolabs.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview

> Talos Linux machine configuration reference.

export const VersionWarningBanner = () => {
  const latestVersion = "v1.13";
  const [latestUrl, setLatestUrl] = useState(null);
  const [currentVersion, setCurrentVersion] = useState(null);
  const [isBeta, setIsBeta] = useState(false);
  const parseVersion = v => v.replace("v", "").split(".").map(Number);
  const isGreaterVersion = (a, b) => {
    const [aMajor, aMinor] = parseVersion(a);
    const [bMajor, bMinor] = parseVersion(b);
    if (aMajor > bMajor) return true;
    if (aMajor === bMajor && aMinor > bMinor) return true;
    return false;
  };
  useEffect(() => {
    if (typeof window === "undefined") return;
    const {pathname, hash, search} = window.location;
    const match = pathname.match(/\/talos\/(v\d+\.\d+)\//);
    if (!match) return;
    const detectedVersion = match[1];
    if (detectedVersion === latestVersion) return;
    setCurrentVersion(detectedVersion);
    if (isGreaterVersion(detectedVersion, latestVersion)) {
      setIsBeta(true);
    }
    const newPath = pathname.replace(`/talos/${detectedVersion}/`, `/talos/${latestVersion}/`);
    setLatestUrl(`${newPath}${search}${hash}`);
  }, []);
  if (!latestUrl || !currentVersion) return null;
  return <div className="not-prose sticky top-6 z-50 my-6">
      <div className="border border-yellow-500/30 bg-yellow-500/10 px-4 py-3 rounded-xl">
        <div className="text-sm">
          {isBeta ? <>
              ⚠️ You are viewing a <strong>beta version</strong> of Talos ({currentVersion}).
              This version may be unstable.
              <a href={latestUrl} className="ml-2 underline text-yellow-400 hover:text-yellow-300 font-medium">
                View latest stable version {latestVersion} →
              </a>
            </> : <>
              ⚠️ You are viewing an older version of Talos ({currentVersion}).
              <a href={latestUrl} className="ml-2 underline text-yellow-400 hover:text-yellow-300 font-medium">
                View the latest version {latestVersion} →
              </a>
            </>}
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>;
};

<VersionWarningBanner />

Talos Linux machines are fully configured using a single YAML file called the machine configuration.

This file is a multi-document configuration that may contain multiple YAML documents, separated by `---` (three dashes).

Each document represents a partial machine configuration. Talos parses and validates each document independently, then merges them into a single effective configuration before applying it to the machine. Documents are processed sequentially, and later documents take precedence over earlier ones.

At present, most configuration options are defined within the [v1alpha1](./v1alpha1/config) document, which is the only mandatory document in the configuration file.

Configuration documents may be named (contain a `name:` field) or unnamed. Unnamed documents can appear only once in the machine configuration, while named documents can be supplied multiple times, provided each has a unique name.

The `v1alpha1` document uses a legacy structure. All other configuration documents follow this common schema:

```yaml theme={null}
apiVersion: v1alpha1 # version of the document
kind: NetworkRuleConfig # type of document
name: rule1 # only for named documents
```

> **Note:** YAML treats certain characters,such as `!`, `?`, `*`, and `&`, as part of its own syntax.
> When defining configuration values that include these characters (for example, in selectors or filters like `diskSelector` or `network.interfaces.match` in the [Machine Config](../configuration/v1alpha1/config)), wrap them in quotes (`"..."`) to ensure they are parsed correctly.

This section contains the configuration reference, to learn more about Talos Linux machine configuration management, please see:

* [quick guide to configuration generation](../../getting-started/getting-started#step-6%3A-generate-cluster-configuration)
* [configuration management in production](../../getting-started/prodnotes#step-6%3A-generate-machine-configurations)
* [configuration patches](../../configure-your-talos-cluster/system-configuration/patching)
* [editing live machine configuration](../../configure-your-talos-cluster/system-configuration/editing-machine-configuration)