WHAT IS IT?
MeshCentral is a self-hosted fleet management server written in Node.js. You drop an agent on each machine, it shows up in the web console, and you take control: remote desktop, terminal, file browser, event log, hardware details. The agent dials out to the server, so a machine behind NAT or a firewall stays reachable without opening a port on its side.
WHY IS IT INTERESTING?
- Everything in the browser: remote desktop, shell, file transfer and server administration live in the same tab. Nothing to install on the operator side.
- Multi-OS agents: Windows, Linux, macOS and BSD for both server and agent, plus Raspberry Pi and an Android mobile agent.
- Intel AMT: equipped machines are driven out-of-band, including powered off or with an OS that no longer boots, from the same interface as the software agents.
- Real account and permission model: device groups, user groups, per-group permissions, multi-tenancy, 2FA, FIDO, LDAP, and SSO through OpenID Connect or ADFS.
- MeshCentral Router: maps a TCP port on your workstation to any machine in the fleet. RDP, SSH or VNC then ride the server tunnel, with no VPN to set up.
- Pick your database: a local database to get started, then MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MariaDB or MySQL as the fleet grows.
- Customizable: server branding, agents signed with your own certificate, a plugin system, and notifications over email, Telegram, Discord or XMPP.
USE CASES
- Run remote support on user machines scattered across home networks, with no VPN and no port forwarding.
- Administer a homelab from one tab: consoles, file transfers and machine wake-ups in the same place.
- Host several clients on a single server through multi-tenancy, with permissions walled off per group.
- Recover a machine whose OS no longer boots through Intel AMT, without driving to the site.
- Track a fleet of Raspberry Pi boards or embedded Linux machines with a light agent.
Installation goes through npm install meshcentral on Node.js 20 or later, a Docker container, or a deployment behind an NGINX reverse proxy with a Let's Encrypt certificate.