This tutorial introduces the method in which ASP.NET manages configuration information. It gives a taste of how ASP.NET configuration works. We'll see details about ASP.NET configuration in later tutorials. ASP.NET is a feature-rich system for developing and deploying Web sites. The features we'll see in more detail as we examine ASP.NET further include some the following: *session state *caching content to help optimize your Web site's responses *tracing requests *mapping specific file extensions to custom handlers *authenticating users.