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Roadmap

OpenDSC is a configuration management platform for Microsoft DSC. It provides a local configuration manager (LCM) for policy enforcement and remediation, a centralized pull server platform for configuration management and reporting, and an extensible framework for building custom resources. This roadmap outlines current capabilities and near-term initiatives organized by product area.

Current State

DSC Resources

OpenDSC ships with a comprehensive, resource library covering Windows system administration, SQL Server management, and cross-platform infrastructure tasks. Feature parity with PSDesiredStateConfiguration while extending to modern Linux and macOS environments.

  • Windows System Management — Core resource support for system configuration and hardening
  • SQL Server Administration — Database and SQL Server management without external dependencies
  • Cross-Platform Infrastructure — Consistent file, JSON, XML, and archive management across Windows, Linux, and macOS

Resource Authoring Framework (RDK)

The Resource Development Kit enables teams to build custom DSC resources with minimal boilerplate. Focus on resource logic while the framework handles all CLI integration and schema management automatically.

  • DSC Resource CLI Generation — Seamlessly integrate resources with DSC without coding command interfaces
  • Multi-Resource Executables — Bundle multiple resources into single deployable executables with automatic manifest management
  • Standalone Execution — Run resources without requiring .NET runtime installation for maximum portability

Local Configuration Manager (LCM)

The LCM is a cross-platform configuration agent that applies and maintains DSC configurations on individual nodes. It supports both local file-based configurations for disconnected scenarios and server-driven pull models for centralized management, with automatic drift detection and remediation.

  • Automatic Policy Enforcement — Continuously monitor configuration drift and automatically remediate divergence
  • Local File Configuration — Deploy and manage configurations locally without requiring a pull server
  • Server-Driven Configuration — Automatically pull configurations and parameters from the pull server
  • Compliance Reporting — Audit configuration compliance and access centralized reports on pull server
  • Windows Service Integration — Runs as a native Windows Service with secure mTLS certificate management and automatic rotation

Pull Server

The pull server provides enterprise configuration management, centralized node management, and compliance reporting through a REST API and Blazor web dashboard. It consolidates configuration deployment, node registration, and reporting into a unified platform with flexible parameter customization and role-based access control.

  • Configuration Management — Upload, version, and promote configurations safely through deployment workflows
  • Composite Configuration — Combine multiple configurations into single deployments with controlled ordering
  • Flexible Parameter Customization — Override parameters by scope (Default, Region, Environment, Node) for adaptable deployments
  • Node Organization & Tagging — Register and tag nodes for efficient organization and conditional configuration targeting
  • Web Administration Dashboard — Full-featured Blazor UI for node management, configuration assignment, compliance reports, and RBAC administration
  • Multi-Database Support — SQLite for development, SQL Server and PostgreSQL for production deployments
  • REST API — Complete API with interactive documentation for integration and automation

In Progress / Next Up

Work planned for the next 6–12 months to expand cross-platform support, improve deployment options, and enhance authentication:

  • LCM services for Linux and macOS — Native service integration for Linux (systemd) and macOS (launchd) to match Windows Service capabilities
  • Linux and macOS distribution packages — First-class installation via native package managers (apt, yum, brew) for Resources, LCM, and Server
  • Native AOT for all resources — Standalone execution support for all built-in resources without runtime dependencies
  • Server Docker deployment — Official Docker images and Compose templates for rapid Server deployment and container orchestration
  • OpenID/OAuth integration — Enterprise authentication for Server via OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect providers
  • Expanded resource library — Additional resources for Windows, macOS, and Linux to provide comprehensive baseline coverage

Future Directions

Longer-term capabilities under exploration:

  • Agentless configuration management — Centralized push-initiated deployments for scenarios that don't require resident agents on nodes
  • Configuration authoring UI — Visual editor for composing and managing DSC configurations without manual YAML or JSON authoring