The choice of configuration file is described in the PDF:
"The httpd.conf configuration file is using OpenBSD's modern style of a sane cofiguration language, that attempts to be exible and humand-readable. It does not use a markup with semicola or tags, just english keywords and blocks identified by curly braces (\
fg"). This is commonly called the parse.y-based configuration within OpenBSD, because it originates from the grammar and parser that was written for pf."
But still, the developer of the configuration file format has to think of all possible use-cases of httpd. It seems to me that life for the developer, as well as the user, could be much simpler with a programming language instead.
Can you give an example of a config file being used for what you're describing? Because I've always written software to treat config files like #defines that don't need a recompile, and maybe setup a variable number of strictly defined structs.
"The httpd.conf configuration file is using OpenBSD's modern style of a sane cofiguration language, that attempts to be exible and humand-readable. It does not use a markup with semicola or tags, just english keywords and blocks identified by curly braces (\ fg"). This is commonly called the parse.y-based configuration within OpenBSD, because it originates from the grammar and parser that was written for pf."