Configuration files and scripts should use placeholders, environment variables, or parameterized values instead of hardcoding specific configuration values. Hardcoded values make configurations inflexible and difficult to adapt across different environments or deployments. Use placeholder formats that clearly indicate what type of value should be provided: ```bash # Good - uses placeholder format IMAGE=: # Avoid - hardcoded specific values IMAGE=lmcache/vllm-openai:2025-05-17-v1 ``` This approach ensures configurations remain flexible and can be easily customized for different environments, deployments, or use cases without requiring code changes.