Embodiments are directed to accessing configuration settings for a variety of different hardware or software components and to providing a common interface for accessing and presenting component configuration settings. In one scenario, a computer system receives a request to access configuration settings for hardware and/or software components. The request specifies at least one namespace for the corresponding hardware or software component. The computer system accesses a directory to determine which configuration settings are available for the specified namespace, and further accesses configuration metadata to determine where the configuration settings for the hardware or software components are stored and how the configuration settings are to be accessed. Then, upon determining where the configuration settings are stored and how the configuration settings are to be accessed, the computer system accesses the configuration settings at the specified location in the manner specified in the configuration metadata.