> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.beacon.sh/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Hosting Options

> Choose between local Beacon and Beacon Managed

Both options are free. Run Beacon locally with full control of your data, or use [Beacon Managed](/concepts/core-concepts#beacon-managed) for hosted storage, search, analytics, and unlimited retention.

| Capability                     | Local          | Beacon Managed |
| ------------------------------ | -------------- | -------------- |
| Cross-harness agent telemetry  | ✓              | ✓              |
| Local, CI & cloud collection   | ✓              | ✓              |
| Unified agent session history  | ✓              | ✓              |
| Store data locally             | ✓              | ✓              |
| Forward to your own data stack | ✓              | ✓              |
| Hosted ingest & storage        | —              | ✓              |
| Search & analytics             | —              | ✓              |
| Identity mapping               | —              | ✓              |
| **Agent Session Retention**    | **You manage** | **Unlimited**  |
| SSO & RBAC                     | —              | ✓              |

## Local

Use the open-source local path when you want endpoint telemetry without a hosted Beacon backend. Agent Beacon runs on the endpoint, writes normalized events to local JSONL, and can forward events into customer-managed security workflows.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="macOS">
    Install Beacon with Homebrew:

    ```bash theme={null}
    brew trust asymptote-labs/tap
    brew tap asymptote-labs/tap
    brew install beacon
    beacon version
    ```

    Then configure local endpoint telemetry:

    ```bash theme={null}
    beacon endpoint install
    beacon endpoint status
    ```

    See the [macOS install guide](/platforms/macos) for package and fleet deployment options.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Windows">
    Download `BeaconEndpointAgent-<version>-x64.msi` from the [latest release](https://github.com/asymptote-labs/agent-beacon/releases/latest), then run PowerShell as an administrator:

    ```powershell theme={null}
    msiexec /i BeaconEndpointAgent-<version>-x64.msi
    & "$env:ProgramFiles\Beacon\bin\beacon.exe" endpoint status --system
    ```

    The MSI installs and starts the endpoint service. See the [Windows install guide](/platforms/windows) for silent installation and checksum verification.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Linux">
    Download the `.deb` or `.rpm` for your architecture from the [latest release](https://github.com/asymptote-labs/agent-beacon/releases/latest):

    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash title="Debian, Ubuntu" theme={null}
      sudo apt install ./beacon_<version>_linux_amd64.deb
      beacon endpoint status --system
      ```

      ```bash title="Fedora, RHEL, Rocky, Alma" theme={null}
      sudo dnf install ./beacon_<version>_linux_amd64.rpm
      beacon endpoint status --system
      ```
    </CodeGroup>

    Replace `amd64` with `arm64` on ARM systems. See the [Linux install guide](/platforms/linux) for rootless and tarball installation.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Open the local dashboard to inspect runtime inventory, timelines, filters, and event details:

```bash title="Open the local dashboard" theme={null}
beacon endpoint dashboard --open
```

The local path preserves `runtime.jsonl` on the endpoint and supports optional forwarding to supported SIEM, observability, object-storage, local JSONL, and customer-managed destinations.

See [Local](/deployment/open-source) for setup details and [Security & IT Rollout Guide](/security) for managed endpoint deployment.

## Beacon Managed

Use Managed when you want hosted visibility, governance, and enterprise rollout support for agent activity.

1. [Create a Beacon account](https://beacon.sh/sign-up).
2. Connect each endpoint to your account:

```bash theme={null}
beacon endpoint connect --dashboard-url https://beacon.sh
```

Beacon Managed gives you the open-source Agent Beacon experience without having to run the backend yourself.

For cloud-hosted agent applications, install the [Observe SDK](/concepts/core-concepts#observe-sdk) and initialize hosted export with a Beacon API key:

```bash title="Set the hosted Observe API key" theme={null}
export ASYMPTOTE_API_KEY=...
```

```typescript title="Initialize hosted Observe" theme={null}
import { Observe } from "@asymptote/sdk";

Observe.initialize({
  apiKey: process.env.ASYMPTOTE_API_KEY,
});
```

See [Beacon Managed](/deployment/managed) for managed platform capabilities and [SDK Quickstart](/sdk/quickstart) for cloud instrumentation details.

## Related

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Beacon Managed" icon="key" href="/deployment/managed">
    Review managed ingest, governance, investigations, access control, and rollout support.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Local" icon="download" href="/deployment/open-source">
    Install Beacon, configure endpoint telemetry, and keep the CLI up to date.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Quickstart" icon="rocket" href="/get-started/quickstart">
    Choose the right path for a local or managed rollout.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Beacon Observe SDK" icon="code" href="/sdk/quickstart">
    Instrument cloud-hosted agent applications with hosted or customer-managed export.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Beacon Overview" icon="diagram-project" href="/get-started/overview">
    See how local Beacon fits with Beacon Managed.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Log Forwarding" icon="tower-broadcast" href="/log-forwarding">
    Forward local Beacon events into security and observability platforms.
  </Card>
</Columns>