diff --git a/internal/pkg/afrouter/config.go b/internal/pkg/afrouter/config.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6008199
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/pkg/afrouter/config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,258 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2018-present Open Networking Foundation
+
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package afrouter
+
+// Command line parameters and parsing
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
+	"flag"
+	"fmt"
+	"github.com/golang/protobuf/protoc-gen-go/descriptor"
+	"github.com/opencord/voltha-go/common/log"
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"os"
+	"path"
+)
+
+func ParseCmd() (*Configuration, error) {
+	config := &Configuration{}
+	cmdParse := flag.NewFlagSet(path.Base(os.Args[0]), flag.ContinueOnError)
+	config.ConfigFile = cmdParse.String("config", "arouter.json", "The configuration file for the affinity router")
+	config.LogLevel = cmdParse.Int("logLevel", 0, "The log level for the affinity router")
+	config.GrpcLog = cmdParse.Bool("grpclog", false, "Enable GRPC logging")
+	config.DisplayVersionOnly = cmdParse.Bool("version", false, "Print version information and exit")
+
+	err := cmdParse.Parse(os.Args[1:])
+	if err != nil {
+		//return err
+		return nil, errors.New("Error parsing the command line")
+	}
+	//if(!cmdParse.Parsed()) {
+	//}
+	return config, nil
+}
+
+// Configuration file loading and parsing
+type Configuration struct {
+	ConfigFile         *string
+	LogLevel           *int
+	GrpcLog            *bool
+	DisplayVersionOnly *bool
+	Servers            []ServerConfig         `json:"servers"`
+	Ports              PortConfig             `json:"ports"`
+	ServerCertificates ServerCertConfig       `json:"serverCertificates"`
+	ClientCertificates ClientCertConfig       `json:"clientCertificates"`
+	BackendClusters    []BackendClusterConfig `json:"backend_clusters"`
+	Routers            []RouterConfig         `json:"routers"`
+	Api                ApiConfig
+}
+
+type RouterConfig struct {
+	Name            string        `json:"name"`
+	ProtoService    string        `json:"service"`
+	ProtoPackage    string        `json:"package"`
+	ProtoFile       string        `json:"proto_descriptor"`
+	Routes          []RouteConfig `json:"routes"`
+	protoDescriptor descriptor.FileDescriptorSet
+}
+
+type RouteConfig struct {
+	Name             string           `json:"name"`
+	Type             routeType        `json:"type"`
+	Association      associationType  `json:"association"`
+	RouteField       string           `json:"routing_field"`
+	Methods          []string         `json:"methods"` // The GRPC methods to route using the route field
+	NbBindingMethods []string         `json:"nb_binding_methods"`
+	BackendCluster   string           `json:"backend_cluster"`
+	Binding          BindingConfig    `json:"binding"`
+	Overrides        []OverrideConfig `json:"overrides"`
+	backendCluster   *BackendClusterConfig
+}
+
+type BindingConfig struct {
+	Type        string          `json:"type"`
+	Field       string          `json:"field"`
+	Method      string          `json:"method"`
+	Association associationType `json:"association"`
+}
+
+type OverrideConfig struct {
+	Methods    []string `json:"methods"`
+	Method     string   `json:"method"`
+	RouteField string   `json:"routing_field"`
+}
+
+// Backend configuration
+
+type BackendClusterConfig struct {
+	Name     string          `json:"name"`
+	Backends []BackendConfig `json:"backends"`
+}
+
+type BackendConfig struct {
+	Name        string             `json:"name"`
+	Type        backendType        `json:"type"`
+	Association AssociationConfig  `json:"association"`
+	Connections []ConnectionConfig `json:"connections"`
+}
+
+type AssociationConfig struct {
+	Strategy associationStrategy `json:"strategy"`
+	Location associationLocation `json:"location"`
+	Field    string              `json:"field"`
+	Key      string              `json:"key"`
+}
+
+type ConnectionConfig struct {
+	Name string `json:"name"`
+	Addr string `json:"addr"`
+	Port string `json:"port"`
+}
+
+// Server configuration
+
+type ServerConfig struct {
+	Name    string          `json:"name"`
+	Port    uint            `json:"port"`
+	Addr    string          `json:"address"`
+	Type    string          `json:"type"`
+	Routers []RouterPackage `json:"routers"`
+	routers map[string]*RouterConfig
+}
+
+type RouterPackage struct {
+	Router  string `json:"router"`
+	Package string `json:"package"`
+}
+
+// Port configuration
+type PortConfig struct {
+	GrpcPort             uint `json:"grpcPort"`
+	StreamingGrpcPort    uint `json:"streamingGrpcPort"`
+	TlsGrpcPort          uint `json:"tlsGrpcPort"`
+	TlsStreamingGrpcPort uint `json:"tlsStreamingGrpcPort"`
+	ControlPort          uint `json:"controlPort"`
+}
+
+// Server Certificate configuration
+type ServerCertConfig struct {
+	GrpcCert string `json:"grpcCertificate"` // File path to the certificate file
+	GrpcKey  string `json:"grpcKey"`         // File path to the key file
+	GrpcCsr  string `json:"grpcCsr"`         // File path to the CSR file
+}
+
+// Client Certificate configuration
+type ClientCertConfig struct {
+	GrpcCert string `json:"grpcCertificate"` // File path to the certificate file
+	GrpcKey  string `json:"grpcKey"`         // File path to the key file
+	GrpcCsr  string `json:"grpcCsr"`         // File path to the CSR file
+}
+
+// Api configuration
+type ApiConfig struct {
+	Addr string `json:"address"`
+	Port uint   `json:"port"`
+}
+
+func (conf *Configuration) LoadConfig() error {
+
+	configF, err := os.Open(*conf.ConfigFile)
+	log.Info("Loading configuration from: ", *conf.ConfigFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Error(err)
+		return err
+	}
+
+	defer configF.Close()
+
+	configBytes, err := ioutil.ReadAll(configF)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Error(err)
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(configBytes, conf); err != nil {
+		log.Errorf("Unmarshaling of the configuratino file failed: %v", err)
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// Now resolve references to different config objects in the
+	// config file. Currently there are 2 possible references
+	// to resolve: referecnes to routers in the servers, and
+	// references to backend_cluster in the routers.
+
+	// Resolve router references for the servers
+	log.Debug("Resolving references in the config file")
+	for k := range conf.Servers {
+		//s.routers =make(map[string]*RouterConfig)
+		conf.Servers[k].routers = make(map[string]*RouterConfig)
+		for _, rPkg := range conf.Servers[k].Routers {
+			var found = false
+			// Locate the router "r" in the top lever Routers array
+			log.Debugf("Resolving router reference to router '%s' from server '%s'", rPkg.Router, conf.Servers[k].Name)
+			for rk := range conf.Routers {
+				if conf.Routers[rk].Name == rPkg.Router && !found {
+					log.Debugf("Reference to router '%s' found for package '%s'", rPkg.Router, rPkg.Package)
+					conf.Servers[k].routers[rPkg.Package] = &conf.Routers[rk]
+					found = true
+				} else if conf.Routers[rk].Name == rPkg.Router && found {
+					if _, ok := conf.Servers[k].routers[rPkg.Package]; !ok {
+						log.Debugf("Reference to router '%s' found for package '%s'", rPkg.Router, rPkg.Package)
+						conf.Servers[k].routers[rPkg.Package] = &conf.Routers[rk]
+					} else {
+						err := errors.New(fmt.Sprintf("Duplicate router '%s' defined for package '%s'", rPkg.Router, rPkg.Package))
+						log.Error(err)
+						return err
+					}
+				}
+			}
+			if !found {
+				err := errors.New(fmt.Sprintf("Router %s for server %s not found in config", conf.Servers[k].Name, rPkg.Router))
+				log.Error(err)
+				return err
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Resolve backend references for the routers
+	for rk, rv := range conf.Routers {
+		for rtk, rtv := range rv.Routes {
+			var found = false
+			log.Debugf("Resolving backend reference to %s from router %s", rtv.BackendCluster, rv.Name)
+			for bek, bev := range conf.BackendClusters {
+				log.Debugf("Checking cluster %s", conf.BackendClusters[bek].Name)
+				if rtv.BackendCluster == bev.Name && !found {
+					conf.Routers[rk].Routes[rtk].backendCluster = &conf.BackendClusters[bek]
+					found = true
+				} else if rtv.BackendCluster == bev.Name && found {
+					err := errors.New(fmt.Sprintf("Duplicate backend defined, %s", conf.BackendClusters[bek].Name))
+					log.Error(err)
+					return err
+				}
+			}
+			if !found {
+				err := errors.New(fmt.Sprintf("Backend %s for router %s not found in config",
+					rtv.BackendCluster, rv.Name))
+				log.Error(err)
+				return err
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}