diff --git a/src/conf.cpp b/src/conf.cpp
index 4d910883..49b71cad 100644
--- a/src/conf.cpp
+++ b/src/conf.cpp
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ namespace conf
     // Stores the initial startup mode of the node.
     ROLE startup_mode;
 
+    constexpr int FILE_PERMS = 0644;
+
     constexpr const char *ROLE_OBSERVER = "observer";
     constexpr const char *ROLE_VALIDATOR = "validator";
     constexpr const char *PUBLIC = "public";
@@ -208,19 +210,24 @@ namespace conf
     int read_config(contract_config &cfg)
     {
         // Read the config file into json document object.
+        std::string buf;
+        if (util::read_from_fd(ctx.config_fd, buf) == -1)
+        {
+            std::cerr << "Error reading from the config file. " << errno << '\n';
+            return -1;
+        }
 
-        std::ifstream ifs(ctx.config_file);
         jsoncons::ojson d;
         try
         {
-            d = jsoncons::ojson::parse(ifs, jsoncons::strict_json_parsing());
+            d = jsoncons::ojson::parse(buf, jsoncons::strict_json_parsing());
         }
         catch (const std::exception &e)
         {
             std::cerr << "Invalid config file format. " << e.what() << '\n';
             return -1;
         }
-        ifs.close();
+        buf.clear();
 
         try
         {
@@ -658,20 +665,34 @@ namespace conf
         if (!util::is_file_exists(path))
             return 0;
 
+        const int fd = open(path.data(), O_RDONLY);
+        if (fd == -1)
+        {
+            std::cerr << "Error opening the patch config file. " << errno << '\n';
+            return -1;
+        }
+
         // If patch file exist, read the patch file values to a json doc and then persist the values into hp.cfg.
-        std::ifstream ifs(path);
+        std::string buf;
+        if (util::read_from_fd(fd, buf) == -1)
+        {
+            std::cerr << "Error reading from the patch config file. " << errno << '\n';
+            close(fd);
+            return -1;
+        }
+        close(fd);
+
         jsoncons::ojson jdoc;
         try
         {
-            jdoc = jsoncons::ojson::parse(ifs, jsoncons::strict_json_parsing());
+            jdoc = jsoncons::ojson::parse(buf, jsoncons::strict_json_parsing());
         }
         catch (const std::exception &e)
         {
-            ifs.close();
             std::cerr << "Invalid patch config file format. " << e.what() << '\n';
             return -1;
         }
-        ifs.close();
+        buf.clear();
 
         // Persist new changes to HP config file.
         if (parse_contract_section_json(cfg.contract, jdoc, false) == -1 ||
@@ -869,20 +890,33 @@ namespace conf
      */
     int write_json_file(const std::string &file_path, const jsoncons::ojson &d)
     {
-        std::ofstream ofs(file_path);
+        std::string json;
+        // Convert json object to a string.
         try
         {
             jsoncons::json_options options;
             options.object_array_line_splits(jsoncons::line_split_kind::multi_line);
-            ofs << jsoncons::pretty_print(d, options);
+            std::ostringstream os;
+            os << jsoncons::pretty_print(d, options);
+            json = os.str();
+            os.clear();
         }
         catch (const std::exception &e)
         {
-            std::cerr << "Writing file failed. " << ctx.config_file << std::endl;
-            ofs.close();
+            std::cerr << "Converting json to string failed. " << file_path << std::endl;
             return -1;
         }
-        ofs.close();
+
+        // O_TRUNC flag is used to trucate existing content from the file.
+        const int fd = open(file_path.data(), O_CREAT | O_RDWR | O_TRUNC, FILE_PERMS);
+        if (fd == -1 || write(fd, json.data(), json.size()) == -1)
+        {
+            std::cerr << "Writing file failed. " << file_path << std::endl;
+            if (fd != -1)
+                close(fd);
+            return -1;
+        }
+        close(fd);
         return 0;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/pchheader.hpp b/src/pchheader.hpp
index 9d2ba4f5..ca58f163 100644
--- a/src/pchheader.hpp
+++ b/src/pchheader.hpp
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@
 #include <dirent.h>
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #include <flatbuffers/flatbuffers.h>
-#include <fstream>
 #include <ftw.h>
 #include <iomanip>
 #include <iostream>
diff --git a/src/util/util.cpp b/src/util/util.cpp
index 6cb7644f..811d38c9 100644
--- a/src/util/util.cpp
+++ b/src/util/util.cpp
@@ -364,6 +364,23 @@ namespace util
         return name;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Reads from a given file discriptor. 
+     * @param fd File descriptor to be read.
+     * @param buf String buffer to be populated.
+     * @return Returns number of bytes read in a successful read and -1 on error.
+    */
+    int read_from_fd(const int fd, std::string &buf)
+    {
+        struct stat st;
+        if (fstat(fd, &st) == -1)
+            return -1;
+
+        buf.resize(st.st_size);
+
+        return read(fd, buf.data(), buf.size());
+    }
+
     /**
      * Create a record lock for the file descriptor. Lock is associated with the process (Not for forked child processes).
      * @param fd File descriptor to be locked.
diff --git a/src/util/util.hpp b/src/util/util.hpp
index 40d82a6a..0bfaffbc 100644
--- a/src/util/util.hpp
+++ b/src/util/util.hpp
@@ -80,6 +80,8 @@ namespace util
 
     const std::string get_name(std::string_view path);
 
+    int read_from_fd(const int fd, std::string &buf);
+
     int set_lock(const int fd, struct flock &lock, const bool is_rwlock, const off_t start, const off_t len);
 
     int release_lock(const int fd, struct flock &lock);