diff --git a/libraries/app/CMakeLists.txt b/libraries/app/CMakeLists.txt
index 077eb4aa..93e540f9 100644
--- a/libraries/app/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/libraries/app/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ add_library( graphene_app
              database_api.cpp
              impacted.cpp
              plugin.cpp
+             config_util.cpp
              ${HEADERS}
              ${EGENESIS_HEADERS}
            )
diff --git a/programs/witness_node/main.cpp b/programs/witness_node/main.cpp
index 53753bef..d051eed6 100644
--- a/programs/witness_node/main.cpp
+++ b/programs/witness_node/main.cpp
@@ -34,28 +34,17 @@
 #include <graphene/utilities/git_revision.hpp>
 //#include <graphene/snapshot/snapshot.hpp>
 
-#include <fc/exception/exception.hpp>
 #include <fc/thread/thread.hpp>
 #include <fc/interprocess/signals.hpp>
-#include <fc/log/console_appender.hpp>
-#include <fc/log/file_appender.hpp>
-#include <fc/log/logger.hpp>
-#include <fc/log/logger_config.hpp>
 
 #include <boost/filesystem.hpp>
 
 #include <boost/property_tree/ptree.hpp>
-#include <boost/property_tree/ini_parser.hpp>
-#include <boost/algorithm/string/predicate.hpp>
-#include <boost/algorithm/string/classification.hpp>
-#include <boost/algorithm/string/split.hpp>
 
 #include <graphene/utilities/git_revision.hpp>
-#include <boost/version.hpp>
 #include <boost/algorithm/string/replace.hpp>
 
 #include <iostream>
-#include <fstream>
 
 #ifdef WIN32
 # include <signal.h> 
@@ -65,9 +54,6 @@
 
 using namespace graphene;
 namespace bpo = boost::program_options;
-         
-void write_default_logging_config_to_stream(std::ostream& out);
-fc::optional<fc::logging_config> load_logging_config_from_ini_file(const fc::path& config_ini_filename);
 
 int main(int argc, char** argv) {
    app::application* node = new app::application();
@@ -134,59 +120,7 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
             data_dir = fc::current_path() / data_dir;
       }
 
-      fc::path config_ini_path = data_dir / "config.ini";
-      if( fc::exists(config_ini_path) )
-      {
-         // get the basic options
-         bpo::store(bpo::parse_config_file<char>(config_ini_path.preferred_string().c_str(), cfg_options, true), options);
-
-         // try to get logging options from the config file.
-         try
-         {
-            fc::optional<fc::logging_config> logging_config = load_logging_config_from_ini_file(config_ini_path);
-            if (logging_config)
-               fc::configure_logging(*logging_config);
-         }
-         catch (const fc::exception&)
-         {
-            wlog("Error parsing logging config from config file ${config}, using default config", ("config", config_ini_path.preferred_string()));
-         }
-      }
-      else 
-      {
-         ilog("Writing new config file at ${path}", ("path", config_ini_path));
-         if( !fc::exists(data_dir) )
-            fc::create_directories(data_dir);
-
-         std::ofstream out_cfg(config_ini_path.preferred_string());
-         for( const boost::shared_ptr<bpo::option_description> od : cfg_options.options() )
-         {
-            if( !od->description().empty() )
-               out_cfg << "# " << od->description() << "\n";
-            boost::any store;
-            if( !od->semantic()->apply_default(store) )
-               out_cfg << "# " << od->long_name() << " = \n";
-            else {
-               auto example = od->format_parameter();
-               if( example.empty() )
-                  // This is a boolean switch
-                  out_cfg << od->long_name() << " = " << "false\n";
-               else {
-                  // The string is formatted "arg (=<interesting part>)"
-                  example.erase(0, 6);
-                  example.erase(example.length()-1);
-                  out_cfg << od->long_name() << " = " << example << "\n";
-               }
-            }
-            out_cfg << "\n";
-         }
-         write_default_logging_config_to_stream(out_cfg);
-         out_cfg.close(); 
-         // read the default logging config we just wrote out to the file and start using it
-         fc::optional<fc::logging_config> logging_config = load_logging_config_from_ini_file(config_ini_path);
-         if (logging_config)
-            fc::configure_logging(*logging_config);
-      }
+      app::load_configuration_options(data_dir, cfg_options, options);
 
       bpo::notify(options);
       node->initialize(data_dir, options);
@@ -228,111 +162,4 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
       delete node;
       return 1;
    }
-}
-
-// logging config is too complicated to be parsed by boost::program_options, 
-// so we do it by hand
-//
-// Currently, you can only specify the filenames and logging levels, which
-// are all most users would want to change.  At a later time, options can
-// be added to control rotation intervals, compression, and other seldom-
-// used features
-void write_default_logging_config_to_stream(std::ostream& out)
-{
-   out << "# declare an appender named \"stderr\" that writes messages to the console\n"
-          "[log.console_appender.stderr]\n"
-          "stream=std_error\n\n"
-          "# declare an appender named \"p2p\" that writes messages to p2p.log\n"
-          "[log.file_appender.p2p]\n"
-          "filename=logs/p2p/p2p.log\n"
-          "# filename can be absolute or relative to this config file\n\n"
-          "# route any messages logged to the default logger to the \"stderr\" logger we\n"
-          "# declared above, if they are info level are higher\n"
-          "[logger.default]\n"
-          "level=info\n"
-          "appenders=stderr\n\n"
-          "# route messages sent to the \"p2p\" logger to the p2p appender declared above\n"
-          "[logger.p2p]\n"
-          "level=info\n"
-          "appenders=p2p\n\n";
-}
-
-fc::optional<fc::logging_config> load_logging_config_from_ini_file(const fc::path& config_ini_filename)
-{
-   try
-   {
-      fc::logging_config logging_config;
-      bool found_logging_config = false;
-
-      boost::property_tree::ptree config_ini_tree;
-      boost::property_tree::ini_parser::read_ini(config_ini_filename.preferred_string().c_str(), config_ini_tree);
-      for (const auto& section : config_ini_tree)
-      {
-         const std::string& section_name = section.first;
-         const boost::property_tree::ptree& section_tree = section.second;
-
-         const std::string console_appender_section_prefix = "log.console_appender.";
-         const std::string file_appender_section_prefix = "log.file_appender.";
-         const std::string logger_section_prefix = "logger.";
-
-         if (boost::starts_with(section_name, console_appender_section_prefix))
-         {
-            std::string console_appender_name = section_name.substr(console_appender_section_prefix.length());
-            std::string stream_name = section_tree.get<std::string>("stream");
-
-            // construct a default console appender config here
-            // stdout/stderr will be taken from ini file, everything else hard-coded here
-            fc::console_appender::config console_appender_config;
-            console_appender_config.level_colors.emplace_back(
-               fc::console_appender::level_color(fc::log_level::debug, 
-                                                 fc::console_appender::color::green));
-            console_appender_config.level_colors.emplace_back(
-               fc::console_appender::level_color(fc::log_level::warn, 
-                                                 fc::console_appender::color::brown));
-            console_appender_config.level_colors.emplace_back(
-               fc::console_appender::level_color(fc::log_level::error, 
-                                                 fc::console_appender::color::cyan));
-            console_appender_config.stream = fc::variant(stream_name).as<fc::console_appender::stream::type>(GRAPHENE_MAX_NESTED_OBJECTS);
-            logging_config.appenders.push_back(fc::appender_config(console_appender_name, "console", fc::variant(console_appender_config, GRAPHENE_MAX_NESTED_OBJECTS)));
-            found_logging_config = true;
-         }
-         else if (boost::starts_with(section_name, file_appender_section_prefix))
-         {
-            std::string file_appender_name = section_name.substr(file_appender_section_prefix.length());
-            fc::path file_name = section_tree.get<std::string>("filename");
-            if (file_name.is_relative())
-               file_name = fc::absolute(config_ini_filename).parent_path() / file_name;
-            
-
-            // construct a default file appender config here
-            // filename will be taken from ini file, everything else hard-coded here
-            fc::file_appender::config file_appender_config;
-            file_appender_config.filename = file_name;
-            file_appender_config.flush = true;
-            file_appender_config.rotate = true;
-            file_appender_config.rotation_interval = fc::hours(1);
-            file_appender_config.rotation_limit = fc::days(1);
-            logging_config.appenders.push_back(fc::appender_config(file_appender_name, "file", fc::variant(file_appender_config, GRAPHENE_MAX_NESTED_OBJECTS)));
-            found_logging_config = true;
-         }
-         else if (boost::starts_with(section_name, logger_section_prefix))
-         {
-            std::string logger_name = section_name.substr(logger_section_prefix.length());
-            std::string level_string = section_tree.get<std::string>("level");
-            std::string appenders_string = section_tree.get<std::string>("appenders");
-            fc::logger_config logger_config(logger_name);
-            logger_config.level = fc::variant(level_string).as<fc::log_level>(5);
-            boost::split(logger_config.appenders, appenders_string, 
-                         boost::is_any_of(" ,"), 
-                         boost::token_compress_on);
-            logging_config.loggers.push_back(logger_config);
-            found_logging_config = true;
-         }
-      }
-      if (found_logging_config)
-         return logging_config;
-      else
-         return fc::optional<fc::logging_config>();
-   }
-   FC_RETHROW_EXCEPTIONS(warn, "")
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file