diff --git a/common/pkg/config/default.go b/common/pkg/config/default.go
index d7142333bd..9d3fff710b 100644
--- a/common/pkg/config/default.go
+++ b/common/pkg/config/default.go
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ func defaultConfigFromMemory() (*EngineConfig, error) {
 	if onCgroupsv2, _ := isCgroup2UnifiedMode(); onCgroupsv2 {
 		c.OCIRuntime = "crun"
 	}
-	c.CgroupManager = SystemdCgroupsManager
+	c.CgroupManager = defaultCgroupManager()
 	c.StopTimeout = uint(10)
 
 	c.OCIRuntimes = map[string][]string{
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ func defaultConfigFromMemory() (*EngineConfig, error) {
 	c.InfraImage = DefaultInfraImage
 	c.EnablePortReservation = true
 	c.NumLocks = 2048
-	c.EventsLogger = "journald"
+	c.EventsLogger = defaultEventsLogger()
 	c.DetachKeys = DefaultDetachKeys
 	c.SDNotify = false
 	// TODO - ideally we should expose a `type LockType string` along with
diff --git a/common/pkg/config/nosystemd.go b/common/pkg/config/nosystemd.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5b82b13895
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/pkg/config/nosystemd.go
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+// +build !systemd
+
+package config
+
+func defaultCgroupManager() string {
+	return "cgroupfs"
+}
+
+func defaultEventsLogger() string {
+	return "file"
+}
diff --git a/common/pkg/config/systemd.go b/common/pkg/config/systemd.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e02f521926
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/pkg/config/systemd.go
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+// +build systemd
+
+package config
+
+func defaultCgroupManager() string {
+	return SystemdCgroupsManager
+}
+func defaultEventsLogger() string {
+	return "journald"
+}