Refactor config for better readability

**Description**
Currently validation lacks proper sorting support.

**Proposed solution**
Add configurable sorting with sensible defaults.

**Priority**: Low/Medium

Start by locating the configuration validation entry point and any existing sorting-related tests. Confirm the expected default ordering and configuration surface from current behavior; done means validation supports configurable sorting with sensible defaults and the relevant checks pass.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.