phhttpd uses an XML config file format to express how it should behave while running. More information on XML may be found near http://www.w3.org/XML/
phhttpd's configuration centers around the concept of virtual servers. For us, a virtual server may be thought of as the merging of a document tree and the actions phhttpd takes while serving that content.
phhttpd.conf may be thought of as having two main sections. The global section, which defines properties that are consistent across the entire running phhttpd server, and multiple virtual sections that describe properties of that only apply to a virtual server. There will only be one global section while multiple virtual sections are allowed.