diff --git a/configuration/configuration.js b/configuration/configuration.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..22541be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/configuration/configuration.js
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+const fs = require("fs")
+
+const BASE_PATH = __dirname + "/networks"
+
+const DEFAULT_CONFIGURATION = {
+  collateral: {
+    repairRewardPercentage: 10,
+    maxNumberOfSlashes: 2,
+    slashCriterion: 2,
+    slashPercentage: 20,
+  },
+  proofs: {
+    // period has to be less than downtime * blocktime
+    period: 120, // seconds
+    timeout: 30, // seconds
+    downtime: 64, // number of blocks
+    downtimeProduct: 67 // number of blocks
+  },
+  reservations: {
+    maxReservations: 3
+  }
+}
+
+function loadConfiguration(name) {
+  const path = `${BASE_PATH}/${name}/configuration.js`
+  if(fs.existsSync(path)) {
+    return require(path)
+  } else {
+    return DEFAULT_CONFIGURATION
+  }
+}
+
+module.exports = { loadConfiguration }
diff --git a/configuration/networks/hardhat/configuration.js b/configuration/networks/hardhat/configuration.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b15d587
--- /dev/null
+++ b/configuration/networks/hardhat/configuration.js
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+module.exports = {
+  collateral: {
+    repairRewardPercentage: 10,
+    maxNumberOfSlashes: 2,
+    slashCriterion: 2,
+    slashPercentage: 20,
+  },
+  proofs: {
+    // period has to be less than downtime * blocktime
+    // blocktime can be 1 second with hardhat in automine mode
+    period: 60, // seconds
+    timeout: 30, // seconds
+    downtime: 64, // number of blocks
+    downtimeProduct: 67 // number of blocks
+  },
+  reservations: {
+    maxReservations: 3
+  }
+}
diff --git a/deploy/marketplace.js b/deploy/marketplace.js
index c4cc9db..d1cb51d 100644
--- a/deploy/marketplace.js
+++ b/deploy/marketplace.js
@@ -1,25 +1,5 @@
 const { loadZkeyHash } = require("../verifier/verifier.js")
-
-// marketplace configuration
-const CONFIGURATION = {
-  collateral: {
-    repairRewardPercentage: 10,
-    maxNumberOfSlashes: 2,
-    slashCriterion: 2,
-    slashPercentage: 20,
-  },
-  proofs: {
-    period: 60,
-    timeout: 30,
-    // `downtime` needs to be larger than `period` when running hardhat
-    // in automine mode, because it can produce a block every second
-    downtime: 64,
-    downtimeProduct: 67
-  },
-  reservations: {
-    maxReservations: 3
-  }
-}
+const { loadConfiguration } = require("../configuration/configuration.js")
 
 async function mine256blocks({ network, ethers }) {
   if (network.tags.local) {
@@ -32,7 +12,7 @@ async function deployMarketplace({ deployments, getNamedAccounts }) {
   const token = await deployments.get("TestToken")
   const verifier = await deployments.get("Groth16Verifier")
   const zkeyHash = loadZkeyHash(network.name)
-  let configuration = CONFIGURATION
+  let configuration = loadConfiguration(network.name)
   configuration.proofs.zkeyHash = zkeyHash
   const args = [configuration, token.address, verifier.address]
   const { deployer: from } = await getNamedAccounts()
@@ -52,7 +32,7 @@ async function deployTestMarketplace({
     const token = await deployments.get("TestToken")
     const verifier = await deployments.get("TestVerifier")
     const zkeyHash = loadZkeyHash(network.name)
-    let configuration = CONFIGURATION
+    let configuration = loadConfiguration(network.name)
     configuration.proofs.zkeyHash = zkeyHash
     const args = [configuration, token.address, verifier.address]
     const { deployer: from } = await getNamedAccounts()