Show HN: MicroMDM – Open Source MDM Server for Apple Devices

  • Hi, I'm the author(along with several other developers). MicroMDM is used in some enterprise environments and was recently mentioned in a number of security presentations regarding Apple's MDM and Device Enrollment Program services.

    https://duo.com/labs/research/mdm-me-maybe https://i.blackhat.com/us-18/Thu-August-9/us-18-Endahl-A-Dee...

  • This seems like the kind of thing Apple should be offering on their own already. But ultimately you're not going to see many enterprises adopt an Apple-only MDM unless they just love vendor lock-in to the most expensive vendor.

    Negativity aside, I applaud the effort. The MDM space is messy and crowded with bloated products. I hope these guys can at the very least pop the bubble a bit.

  • I'm curious do any HN readers manage their personal devices through MDM with their own profiles, and what benefits are you seeing from that?

  • what other open source MDM software is out there that aren't Apple-only? Specifically I'd like to manage Android phones and maybe Linux laptops (but I doubt I'll find that)

  • Reading through Apple's MDM protocol documentation and coding up one yourself is a great learning exercise. I had an idea for a niche MDM product and coded up a proof of concept. Eventually I realized the idea wasn't profitable, but still got a lot of value out of the development exercise. I even rewrote it from Java into a couple of different languages (Kotlin, Swift, Go...) to learn a bit more. It's a sufficiently difficult service to implement that you learn quite a bit along the way, but not so difficult that you don't see any progress as you go.