How and when is the app/etc/config.php file generated?

How is it generated?

It is generated from the 2 code points:

• How is the app/etc/config.php file generated by the \Magento\Framework\Module\Status::setIsEnabled()?
• How is the app/etc/config.php file generated by the \Magento\Setup\Model\Installer::createModulesConfig()?

Notes

Any modules sequence changes will be applied only on the app/etc/config.php file generation.

When is it generated?

As you can see from the 2 articles above, the app/etc/config.php file is generated in the following 4 cases:

1. On the module:enable console command.

• On the module:disable console command.
• On the setup:upgrade console command.
• On a initial Magento 2 installation.

See also:

• What is the app/etc/config.php file?
• How are the app/etc/config.php and app/etc/env.php files loaded?
• How is the <sequence> tag defined and handled in a module.xml?