PatchMon — Linux Patch Management and Automation Platform

Introduction

PatchMon is an open-source platform for managing patches across fleets of Linux servers. It provides automated vulnerability scanning, CIS benchmark compliance checks, and a web dashboard that gives operations teams visibility into the patch status of every machine.

What PatchMon Does

• Scans Linux hosts for available security and system updates via apt, yum, and dnf
• Runs CIS benchmark checks against server configurations
• Provides a centralized web dashboard showing patch compliance across all hosts
• Schedules automated patch deployment with approval workflows
• Generates compliance reports for security audits

Architecture Overview

PatchMon is written in Go and uses a client-server architecture. A lightweight agent runs on each managed Linux host, reporting available updates and system state back to the central server. The server aggregates this data, runs compliance analysis, and exposes a web UI and API. Data is stored in a PostgreSQL database.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Deploy the server with Docker Compose or a single Go binary
• Install the lightweight agent on each managed Linux host
• Configure scanning schedules via the web dashboard or API
• Set up approval rules for automatic versus manual patch deployment
• Integrate with notification systems (Slack, email) for patch alerts

Key Features

• Multi-distro support covering Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, RHEL, and derivatives
• CIS benchmark scanning for security hardening compliance
• Scheduled scans with configurable patch windows and maintenance policies
• Role-based access control for team-based patch approval workflows
• CVE scanning and tracking tied to available package updates

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Ansible — general-purpose automation; PatchMon is purpose-built for patch visibility and compliance
• Spacewalk/Foreman — full lifecycle management; PatchMon is lighter and patch-focused
• WSUS — Windows-only patch management; PatchMon covers Linux distributions
• Landscape — Canonical's Ubuntu management tool; PatchMon is multi-distro and open-source
• Puppet/Chef — configuration management tools; PatchMon specializes in patch tracking and CIS benchmarks

FAQ

Q: Which Linux distributions are supported? A: Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, RHEL, and their derivatives. Support for Alpine and SUSE is planned.

Q: Can PatchMon apply patches automatically? A: Yes. You can configure automatic patching with approval rules, maintenance windows, and rollback policies.

Q: Does it support air-gapped environments? A: The agent communicates with the PatchMon server, not directly with the internet. Mirror repositories can serve updates in air-gapped setups.

Q: How lightweight is the agent? A: The agent is a single Go binary consuming minimal CPU and memory, designed to run without impact on production workloads.

Sources

• https://github.com/PatchMon/PatchMon