--- sourceDocument: Yokohama IT Operations Management sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/yokohama/it-operations-management Release : - yokohama ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Yokohama IT Operations Management ft:clusterId : - itom bundleId : - itom workflow : - Technology --- # Serverless Discovery # Serverless Discovery {#ariaid-title1} * Release version: Yokohama * * Updated August 11, 2026 * * ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Serverless Discovery Serverless Discovery enables you to find application Configuration Items (CIs) on hosts without first discovering the host itself. It leverages infrastructure patterns to explore CIs directly, bypassing the scanning and classification phases typical of traditional Discovery. This approach is useful for discovering applications in environments where host details are unknown or unnecessary. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * **Two Types of Serverless Discovery:** * **Standard Serverless Discovery:** Discovers remote application CIs on unknown hosts using protocols like REST or HTTP without requiring the host's IP address. Input parameters must be defined in the infrastructure pattern to connect to the remote resources. Ideal for discovering web-based applications. * **Host-Based Serverless Discovery:** Discovers CIs residing on an already discovered host, which acts as a proxy. No IP address or additional credentials are required since it uses the host's credentials. The infrastructure pattern can include operations such as WMI Queries to execute commands on the host and discover related CIs. This is suited for discovering CIs without IP addresses or when the host is known. * **Infrastructure Patterns:** Both types require infrastructure patterns to define how CIs are discovered. These patterns specify protocols, queries, or API calls necessary for exploration. * **Serverless Discovery Schedules:** Serverless Discovery is triggered by schedules instead of classifiers. A serverless schedule allows you to: * Specify input parameters for standard serverless Discovery. * Specify the host CI for host-based serverless Discovery. This approach ensures Discovery runs according to defined timing and parameters without classification. ## Practical Implications Using serverless Discovery, you can efficiently discover application CIs in environments where host information is incomplete or unnecessary, such as web applications or CIs without IP addresses. It streamlines Discovery by skipping host scanning and classification phases, saving time and resources. By configuring appropriate infrastructure patterns and schedules, you can tailor the Discovery process to your environment's needs and obtain detailed CI information quickly and accurately. Discovery can find applications on host machines without the need to discover the host first. This type of Discovery is referred to as serverless Discovery. Serverless Discovery relies on infrastructure patterns to explore CIs on a host. This kind of Discovery skips the [scanning and classification phases of Discovery](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/kv8LoHnEyp_CUs0YMrjLqA "Horizontal discovery with patterns has four phases, just as horizontal discovery with probes does. However, for the last two phases, Discovery triggers operations from a pattern, rather than additional sets of probes."). There are two types of serverless Discovery: standard and host-based. Both types require an infrastructure pattern. ## Standard serverless Discovery {#serverless-discovery__section_ypx_tlm_5z} Standard serverless Discovery finds remote application CIs that reside on an unknown host. This type of serverless Discovery uses protocols, such as REST or HTTP, to find the CIs. The IP address of the host machine is not required. You define input parameters in an infrastructure pattern to connect to a remote resource. Use this type of Discovery when you want to discover web-based applications. ## Host-based serverless Discovery {#serverless-discovery__section_f3n_5lm_5z} Host-based serverless Discovery finds CIs that reside on a host machine that you already discovered. The host acts as a proxy through which you find other CIs. You do not actually run Discovery on the host. Use this type of Discovery when: * You do not know the IP address of the CIs you want to discover, or the CIs do not actually have IP addresses. * The CIs reside on an already discovered host CI. {#serverless-discovery__ul_ush_kq4_zz} For this type of Discovery, you also need an infrastructure pattern, but you do not need to define input parameters like you do for standard serverless Discovery. The pattern can specify operations, such as a WMI Query, which executes queries on a host. After Discovery connects to the host, it uses the credentials of the host to perform the Discovery of CIs you are exploring in the pattern. You do not need to specify additional credentials. When you run debug mode on the pattern, you can see the details under Temporary Variables on the pattern. You can then create pattern operations that make API calls from the host to the CIs you are trying to discover. ## Serverless Discovery schedules {#serverless-discovery__section_tkm_1yl_5z} The infrastructure patterns that serverless Discovery uses are triggered from a Discovery schedule, rather than from a classifier. Serverless Discovery ignores classifiers. Use a serverless schedule type for both types of serverless Discovery. The serverless schedule allows you to specify: * Values for input parameters in the pattern if you are using standard serverless Discovery. See [Create a schedule for standard serverless Discovery](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/0r7zj0ZSJNyK7TAe62zjuA#create-serverless-disco-schedule "After you create a pattern for standard serverless discovery, create a Discovery schedule and specify the pattern. Discovery triggers the pattern from the schedule rather than from a classifier.") for instructions. * A host CI if you are using proxy-host based Discovery. See [Create a schedule for host-based serverless Discovery](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/~m~_V1EJf2WbCgp9P6q_Kg#create-proxy-serverless-disco-schedule "Discovery triggers the pattern for host-based, serverless Discovery from the schedule rather than from a classifier.") for more information. {#serverless-discovery__ul_uyh_svm_5z}