# ConfigMaps & Secrets

In Portainer you can create configurations outside of a service's image or running containers. This allows you to keep your images as generic as possible, without the need to bind-mount configuration files into the containers, or to use environment variables.

{% hint style="info" %}
This section was previously known as **Configurations**.
{% endhint %}

<figure><img src="../../../.gitbook/assets/2.15-kubernetes_config_map_config_map_secrets_list.png" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

A ConfigMap or Secret with the **external** flag was created outside of Portainer, which means Portainer has limited knowledge on it compared to one created within Portainer. A label of **unused** means that Portainer cannot see any applications that are using this ConfigMap or Secret. This label may also appear on **external** resources because of the limited information available.

{% content-ref url="add.md" %}
[add.md](add.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="add-1.md" %}
[add-1.md](add-1.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="remove.md" %}
[remove.md](remove.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}