Hostmanaged

Hostmanaged (often written host-managed) refers to a class of management activities where tooling and policies run on the host system itself, rather than from a centralized management server or from external agents. In a host-managed approach, configuration, monitoring, patching, auditing, and enforcement are carried out by software components installed on the host operating system, using local APIs and privileged access.

This model contrasts with agent-based management, in which lightweight agents on endpoints periodically communicate with a central console. It also differs from out-of-band management, which relies on separate management hardware. Host-managed systems emphasize locality, reduced network traffic, and fast response times, but they require the host to be trusted to perform management tasks and to remain secure against compromise.

Common use cases include server provisioning and configuration management, host-based security controls, and orchestration in virtualized or containerized environments where the host provides the necessary tooling to enforce compliance, install updates, and allocate resources without additional agents. It is also encountered in embedded or edge deployments where connectivity to a central manager is intermittent.

Advantages of host-managed management include simpler topology, lower latency for local decisions, and easier initial deployment in small environments. Drawbacks include a higher risk of a single point of failure, potential privilege escalation if the host is compromised, and scalability challenges when visibility across many hosts is required.

The term's exact meaning varies by industry and product, but the underlying idea is management at the host level rather than through remote or agent-based control. See also agent-based management and in-band versus out-of-band management.