Until numpy version 1.20.0, numpy.unicode was an alias for str in python3. In 1.20.0, it's fully deprecated and is an int. This is bad and breaks things. This commit drops the np.unicode alias and just uses str, as is advised here:
https://numpy.org/devdocs/release/1.20.0-notes.html#deprecations
* split out config
* add tests for base and app config, refactor client config out of app config
* refactor default config retrieval
* create config test class and helper functions
* move default_config into server to fix import issue
