Bor – Open-source policy management for Linux desktops
Hi HN! I've been working on Bor, an open-source system for centralized Linux desktop management. Bor consists of a lightweight Go agent and a central server. Policies are streamed to clients over mTLS/gRPC in real time—no polling—and currently support Firefox, Chrome, KDE, dconf, polkit and package management, with more coming. Version 0.8 introduces several new policy types - Thunderbird, Microsoft Edge for Business and FirewallD zones, along with a number of improvements and fixes. I'd love feedback on the architecture, policy model, and whether this is something you'd consider for…
Bor – Open-source policy management for Linux desktops launched on August 2, 2026 with 197 votes, #156 of 23,274 launches that month and more than 99% of that year's launches.
In plain words
Bor is an open-source system for managing Linux desktops from a central location. It uses a lightweight Go agent on client machines that receives policies in real time from a central server via secure connections, eliminating the need for polling. The system currently supports policy management for Firefox, Chrome, KDE, dconf, polkit, and package management, with recent additions including Thunderbird, Microsoft Edge for Business, and FirewallD zones. It is designed for administrators managing multiple Linux workstations.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
Bor v0.8.0 is out. This release adds three new policy types — Thunderbird, Microsoft Edge for Business, and Firewalld zones — alongside a full web UI overhaul, finer-grained RBAC, and a dedicated security hardening pass. The complete changelog is on the GitHub release page. Thunderbird policy type Mozilla Thunderbird can now be managed on enrolled desktops with the same mechanism used for Firefox
In the maker’s words, at launch
Hi HN! I've been working on Bor, an open-source system for centralized Linux desktop management. Bor consists of a lightweight Go agent and a central server. Policies are streamed to clients over mTLS/gRPC in real time—no polling—and currently support Firefox, Chrome, KDE, dconf, polkit and package management…
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