---
layout: docs
page_title: Controller - Configuration
sidebar_title: controller
description: |-
  The controller stanza configures controller-specific parameters.
---

# `controller` Stanza

The `controller` stanza configures Boundary controller-specific parameters.

```hcl
controller {
  name = "example-controller"
  description = "An example controller"
  database {
    url = "postgresql://<username>:<password>@10.0.0.1:5432/<database_name>"
  }
}
```

- `name` - Specifies a unique name of this controller within the Boundary controller cluster.

- `description` - Specifies a friendly description of this controller.

- `database` - Configuration block with one parameter, `url`, for connecting to Postgres.
  ~> If set, specifies the URL used to connect to the database for
           initialization (otherwise a Docker container will be started). This can
           refer to a file on disk (file://) from which a URL will be read; an env
           var (env://) from which the URL will be read; or a direct database URL.