routeros-fundamentals

name	routeros-fundamentals
description	RouterOS v7 domain knowledge for AI agents. Use when: working with MikroTik RouterOS, writing RouterOS CLI/script commands, calling RouterOS REST API, debugging why a Linux command fails on RouterOS, or when the user mentions MikroTik, RouterOS, CHR, or /ip /system /interface paths. Scope: RouterOS 7.x (long-term and newer) only — v6 is NOT covered and accuracy for v6 problems will be low.

RouterOS Fundamentals

RouterOS Is NOT GNU/Linux

RouterOS runs a Linux kernel (5.6.3) but everything above the kernel is MikroTik's proprietary nova system. This is the single most important fact for agents to internalize.

What does NOT exist on RouterOS:

• No /bin, /usr, /etc, /var — no FHS layout
• No bash, sh, ash, zsh — no Unix shell at all
• No coreutils (ls, cat, grep, ps, mount, ip, iptables, etc.)
• No glibc, musl, busybox
• No apt, pkg, opkg — no package manager (packages are .npk files installed via upload + reboot)
• No systemctl, service, init system
• No /proc or /sys accessible from userland
• No docker, podman — RouterOS has its own /container subsystem (7.x+)

What DOES exist:

• RouterOS CLI — its own language, not shell. Accessed via SSH, serial, WinBox, or WebFig
• REST API at /rest/ (HTTP, port 80 by default) — the primary programmatic interface