Filling system and filling machine

An apparatus for processing containers, said apparatus comprising a modular filling-system for filling containers with liquid filling-material, wherein said modular filling-system comprises a plurality of filling-point pairs and stand-alone control-modules, said filling-point pairs and said stand-alone control-modules having a modular architecture that permits said stand-alone control-modules and filling-point pairs thereof to be interchanged, wherein each filling-point pair comprises filling points, each of which includes a filling element that comprises a filling-element housing, a liquid channel that is formed within said filling-element housing and that ends in a dispensing opening, and a liquid valve that controls flow of liquid filling-material through said dispensing opening and into a container that is to be filled, wherein each filling-point pair comprises an internal gas-path that is internal to a filling element of said filling-point pair and a first section of an external gas-path, the first section being external to any filling element of said filling-point pair and being common to both filling elements in said filling-point pair, wherein a stand-alone control module from said plurality of stand-alone control modules connects to said filling-point pair to form said external gas-path, wherein said stand-alone control module comprises a control-module housing within which is formed a second section of said external gas-path, wherein when connected to said first section, said second section completes said external gas-path, wherein, when said stand-alone control module is connected to said filling-point pair to complete said gas-path, a gas-path control-valve is disposed along said second section of said external gas-path, and connects to said internal gas path, whereby, as a result of said modular architecture, said stand-alone control module is interchangeable.