---
title: "How to use properties files from Dataflow instances"
canonical: "https://onesaitplatform.refined.site/space/DOCT/2220824688/How%20to%20use%20properties%20files%20from%20Dataflow%20instances"
format: markdown
---
Each Dataflow instance can configure a property file where developers can add custom properties for their pipelines. This guide explains how to do it.

## Persist Streamsets configuration directory

To use this capability, the Streamsets containers managed by the Dataflow must have a persisted volume for their configuration files. These files are in the directory /etc/sdc inside the container.

## Create the property file

Create a new file, for example, pipelines.properties in /etc/sdc directory inside the container that you are configuring. Add the properties that you need in this file, for example:

```
myserverhost=1.2.3.4
myserverport=9999
```

Now you have to link this property file with the Straemsets configuration. Edit the file /etc/sdc/sdc.properties and change the value of the property runtime.conf.location. If you used the name pipelines.properties, then this property must have the next value:

```
runtime.conf.location=pipelines.properties
```

Each time you add a new property to the pipelines.properties file you need to restart the streamsets instance where you add it.

## Using properties from Dataflow pipelines

After these steps, you can use the following expression in any form field in pipelines to use a property value:

```
${runtime:conf("myserverhost")}
${runtime:conf("myserverport")}
```

For example:

![image](media://b2b680f0-fc3d-4749-a359-bfb766f79d58)