1. A computer-implemented method for network management by an operator node comprising a specially configured hardware computing system, the method comprising: receiving, by the operator node, a selection of node objects for inclusion within a node configuration, each selected node object comprising a node software component; generating, by the operator node, a configuration policy based on the selected node objects, the configuration policy identifying the selected node objects and comprising a set of tests that, when run, test for the presence of one or more of the selected node objects; scanning a target node communicatively coupled to the operator node to determine a configuration of the target node; applying the configuration policy to the determined configuration of the target node, wherein applying the configuration policy comprises running the set of tests on the determined configuration of the target to determine the presence of the selected node objects identified by the configuration policy; identifying, based on the application of the configuration policy to the determined configuration of the target node, a set of the selected node objects identified by the configuration policy not present within the node configuration; and re-configuring, by the operator node, the target node to include the identified set of the selected node objects.