diff --git a/app/server/config.js b/app/server/config.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c2e77f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/server/config.js
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+const fs = require('fs')
+const path = require('path')
+const nodeRoot = path.dirname(require.main.filename)
+const configPath = path.join(nodeRoot, 'config.json')
+
+console.log('WebSSH2 service reading config from: ' + configPath)
+
+// sane defaults if config.json or parts are missing
+let config = {
+  listen: {
+    ip: '0.0.0.0',
+    port: 2222
+  },
+  user: {
+    name: null,
+    password: null,
+    privatekey: null
+  },
+  ssh: {
+    host: null,
+    port: 22,
+    term: 'xterm-color',
+    readyTimeout: 20000,
+    keepaliveInterval: 120000,
+    keepaliveCountMax: 10,
+    allowedSubnets: []
+  },
+  terminal: {
+    cursorBlink: true,
+    scrollback: 10000,
+    tabStopWidth: 8,
+    bellStyle: 'sound'
+  },
+  header: {
+    text: null,
+    background: 'green'
+  },
+  session: {
+    name: 'WebSSH2',
+    secret: 'mysecret'
+  },
+  options: {
+    challengeButton: true,
+    allowreauth: true
+  },
+  algorithms: {
+    kex: [
+      'ecdh-sha2-nistp256',
+      'ecdh-sha2-nistp384',
+      'ecdh-sha2-nistp521',
+      'diffie-hellman-group-exchange-sha256',
+      'diffie-hellman-group14-sha1'
+    ],
+    cipher: [
+      'aes128-ctr',
+      'aes192-ctr',
+      'aes256-ctr',
+      'aes128-gcm',
+      'aes128-gcm@openssh.com',
+      'aes256-gcm',
+      'aes256-gcm@openssh.com',
+      'aes256-cbc'
+    ],
+    hmac: [
+      'hmac-sha2-256',
+      'hmac-sha2-512',
+      'hmac-sha1'
+    ],
+    compress: [
+      'none',
+      'zlib@openssh.com',
+      'zlib'
+    ]
+  },
+  serverlog: {
+    client: false,
+    server: false
+  },
+  accesslog: false,
+  verify: false
+}
+
+// test if config.json exists, if not provide error message but try to run anyway
+try {
+  if (fs.existsSync(configPath)) {
+    console.log('ephemeral_auth service reading config from: ' + configPath)
+    config = require('read-config')(configPath)
+  } else {
+    console.error('\n\nERROR: Missing config.json for webssh. Current config: ' + JSON.stringify(config))
+    console.error('\n  See config.json.sample for details\n\n')
+  }
+} catch (err) {
+  console.error('\n\nERROR: Missing config.json for webssh. Current config: ' + JSON.stringify(config))
+  console.error('\n  See config.json.sample for details\n\n')
+  console.error('ERROR:\n\n  ' + err)
+}
+
+module.exports = config