The CDDLM Configuration Desrciption Language (CDL) is an XML-based language for declarative description of system configuration that consists of components (deployment objects) defined in the CDDLM Component Model. The Deployment API uses a deployment descriptor in CDL in order to manage deployment lifecycle of systems. The language provides ways to describe properties (names, values, and types) of components including value references so that data can be assigned dynamically with preserving specified data dependencies. A system is described as a hierachical structure of components. The language also provides prototype-based template functionality (i.e., prototype references) so that the user can describe a system by refering to component descriptions given by component providers.