Logo
Deploy Now

Categories

Self-Hosted DevOps Monitoring Node.js Remote Desktop Remote Management IT Administration MSP Tools

Stars

7,086

Forks

954

Watchers

110

Developer links

Last Updated: 08-21-2026 08:13 AM (UTC)

MeshCentral

With over 7,000 GitHub stars and continuous development since 2017 by former Intel engineer Ylian Saint-Hilaire, MeshCentral has become the go-to self-hosted alternative to ConnectWise Control and Splashtop for managing devices remotely without per-seat licensing fees. The Node.js server installs via a single npm command and manages Windows, macOS, Linux, and FreeBSD endpoints through lightweight agents that maintain persistent WebSocket connections for real-time remote desktop, terminal access, and file transfer directly in the browser. Intel AMT integration provides out-of-band hardware management including power control and BIOS access even when the operating system is unresponsive. Device groups organize endpoints by location, customer, or function with granular role-based access control for multi-technician environments. Session recording captures remote desktop interactions for compliance auditing, while Wake-on-LAN powers on machines remotely across subnets. The server supports MongoDB for production deployments handling thousands of agents or the embedded NeDB for smaller setups under 200 devices, with a single 8GB VPS comfortably managing 1,500 concurrent agents. Security features include mandatory TLS with automatic Let's Encrypt certificate provisioning, multi-factor authentication via TOTP and FIDO2, SAML-based single sign-on, IP filtering, and HashiCorp Vault integration for secrets management. The web console provides real-time device monitoring with hardware and software inventory, network topology visualization, and customizable branding. TacticalRMM uses MeshCentral as its remote access layer. Running on a dedicated VPS on RepoCloud with guaranteed CPU, RAM, and SSD, full root SSH access, and a browser serial console. Apache-2.0 licensed.

MeshCentral
MeshCentral
MeshCentral
MeshCentral
MeshCentral

Benefits

  • Zero Per-Seat Licensing Costs
  • Manage unlimited devices and technicians with no per-agent, per-seat, or per-endpoint fees — Apache 2.0 licensing means genuine free commercial use at any scale.
  • Browser-Based Remote Desktop
  • Full remote desktop, terminal, and file transfer sessions run entirely in the browser via WebSocket and WebRTC without requiring client-side software for technicians.
  • Intel AMT Out-of-Band Control
  • Hardware-level management through Intel AMT enables remote power control, BIOS access, and KVM even when the target operating system is unresponsive or crashed.
  • Scales to Thousands of Endpoints
  • Single server on 8GB RAM handles 1,500 agents while clustered MongoDB deployments push past 10,000 endpoints for enterprise and MSP-scale remote management.

Features

  • Multi-Platform Agent Support
  • Lightweight agents for Windows, macOS, Linux, and FreeBSD maintain persistent WebSocket connections with automatic reconnection and minimal resource consumption.
  • Session Recording and Audit
  • Record remote desktop sessions for compliance auditing with playback capability, providing verifiable evidence of all technician actions on managed devices.
  • Multi-Factor Authentication
  • TOTP authenticator apps, FIDO2 hardware keys, and SAML-based single sign-on protect access with IP filtering and HashiCorp Vault secrets management integration.
  • Device Groups and RBAC
  • Organize endpoints into groups by location, customer, or function with role-based access control assigning technician permissions per group or device.
  • Wake-on-LAN and Power Control
  • Remotely power on machines across network subnets via Wake-on-LAN packets and manage power states including shutdown, reboot, and sleep through the web console.