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The console is used for accessing the MikroTik Router's configuration and management features using text terminals, either remotely using a serial port, telnet, SSH, console screen within WinBox, or directly using monitor and keyboard. The console is also used for writing scripts. This manual describes the general console operation principles. Please consult the Scripting Manual on some advanced console commands and on how to write scripts.

Login Options

Console login options enables enable or disables disable various console features like colourcolor, terminal detection, and many other.

Additional login parameters can be appended to the login name after the '+' sign.

    login_name ::= user_name [ '+' parameters ]
    parameters ::= parameter [ parameters ]
    parameter ::= [ number ] 'a'..'z'
    number ::= '0'..'9' [ number ]
  

If the parameter is not present, then the default value is used. If the number is not present then the implicit value of the parameter is used.

Example: admin+c80w - will disable console colours colors and set terminal width to 80.

Banner and Messages

Login The login process will display the MikroTik banner and short help after validating the user name and password.

  MMM      MMM       KKK                          TTTTTTTTTTT      KKK
  MMMM    MMMM       KKK                          TTTTTTTTTTT      KKK
  MMM MMMM MMM  III  KKK  KKK  RRRRRR     OOOOOO      TTT     III  KKK  KKK
  MMM  MM  MMM  III  KKKKK     RRR  RRR  OOO  OOO     TTT     III  KKKKK
  MMM      MMM  III  KKK KKK   RRRRRR    OOO  OOO     TTT     III  KKK KKK
  MMM      MMM  III  KKK  KKK  RRR  RRR   OOOOOO      TTT     III  KKK  KKK

  MikroTik RouterOS 6.22 (c) 1999-2014       https://www.mikrotik.com/

[?]             Gives the list of available commands
command [?]     Gives help on the command and list of arguments

[Tab]           Completes the command/word. If the input is ambiguous,
                a second [Tab] gives possible options

/               Move up to base level
..              Move up one level
/command        Use command at the base level

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After the banner can be printed other important information, like /system note set by another admin, the last few critical log messages, demo version upgrade reminder, and default configuration description.

For example, the demo license prompt and last critical messages are printed

UPGRADE NOW FOR FULL SUPPORT
----------------------------
FULL SUPPORT benefits:
- receive technical support
- one year feature support
- one year online upgrades
    (avoid re-installation and re-configuring your router)
To upgrade, register your license "software ID"
on our account server www.mikrotik.com

Current installation "software ID": ABCD-456

Please press "Enter" to continue!


dec/10/2007 10:40:06 system,error,critical login failure for user root from 10.0.0.1 via telnet
dec/10/2007 10:40:07 system,error,critical login failure for user root from 10.0.0.1 via telnet
dec/10/2007 10:40:09 system,error,critical login failure for user test from 10.0.0.1 via telnet

Command Prompt

At the end of the successful login sequence, the login process prints a banner , that shows the command prompt, and hands over control to the user.

Default command prompt , consists of user name, system identity, and current command path />

For example, change the current path from the root to the interface then go back to the root

  [admin@MikroTik] > interface [enter]
  [admin@MikroTik] /interface> / [enter]
  [admin@MikroTik] >

Use up arrow to recall previous commands from command history, TAB key to automatically (if this is a multiline command, then you can press F8 in order to expand it) from command history (commands that added sensitive data, like passwords, will not be available in the history), TAB key to automatically complete words in the command you are typing, ENTER key to execute the command, Control-C to interrupt currently running command and return to prompt and ? to display built-in help, in RouterOS v7, F1 has to be used instead.

Easiest The easiest way to log out of the console is to press Control-D at the command prompt while the command line is empty (You can cancel the current command and get an empty line with Control-C, so Control-C followed by Control-D will log you out in most cases).

It is possible to write commands that consist of multiple lines. When the entered line is not a complete command and more input is expected, the console shows a continuation prompt that lists all open parentheses, braces, brackets, and quotes, and also trailing backslash if the previous line ended with backslash-whitespacewhite-space.

    [admin@MikroTik] > {
    {... :put (\
    {(\... 1+2)}
    3

When you are editing such multiple line entryentries, the prompt shows the number of current line lines and total line count instead of the usual username and system name.

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Sometimes commands ask for additional input from the user. For example, the command '/password' asks for old and new passwords. In such cases, the prompt shows the name of the requested value, followed by colon and space.

    [admin@MikroTik] > /password
    old password: ******
    new password: **********
    retype new password: **********

Hierarchy

The console allows the configuration of the router's settings using text commands. Since there is a lot of available commands, they are split into groups organized in a way of hierarchical menu levels. The name of a menu level reflects the configuration information accessible in the relevant section.

For example, you can issue the /ip route print command:

[admin@MikroTik] > /ip route print 
Flags: D - dynamic; X - disabled, I - inactive, A - active; 
C - connect, S - static, r - rip, b - bgp, o - ospf, d - dhcp, v - vpn 
 #     DST-ADDRESS        GATEWAY            DISTANCE
 0  XS 4.4.4.4            10.155.101.1      
   D o 0.0.0.0/0          10.155.101.1            110
 1  AS 0.0.0.0/0          10.155.101.1              1
   D b 1.0.4.0/24         10.155.101.1             20
   D b 1.0.4.0/24         10.155.101.1             20
   DAb 1.0.4.0/24         10.155.101.1             20
[admin@MikroTik] >

Instead of typing `/ip route route` path before each command, the path can be typed only once to move into this particular branch of the menu hierarchy. Thus, the example above could also be executed like this:

Each word in the path can be separated by space (as in example above) or by "/"

[admin@MikroTik] > /ip/ route/
[admin@MikroTik] /ip/route> print 
Flags: D - dynamic; X - disabled, I - inactive, A - active; 
C - connect, S - static, r - rip, b - bgp, o - ospf, d - dhcp, v - vpn 
 #     DST-ADDRESS        GATEWAY            DISTANCE
 0  XS 4.4.4.4            10.155.101.1      
   D o 0.0.0.0/0          10.155.101.1            110
 1  AS 0.0.0.0/0          10.155.101.1              1
   D b 1.0.4.0/24         10.155.101.1             20
   D b 1.0.4.0/24         10.155.101.1             20
   DAb 1.0.4.0/24         10.155.101.1             20
[admin@MikroTik] >

Notice that the prompt changes in order to reflect where you are located in the menu hierarchy at the moment. To move to the top level again, type " Each word in the path can be separated by space (as in the example above) or by "/"

[admin@MikroTik] > /ip /route/
[admin@MikroTik] /ip/route> print /
[admin@MikroTik] >

To move up one command level, type " .. "

[admin@MikroTik] /ip/route> ..
[admin@MikroTik] /ip>

You can also use / and .. to execute commands from other menu levels without changing the current level:

[admin@MikroTik] /ip/route> /ping 10.0.0.1
10.0.0.1 ping timeout
2 packets transmitted, 0 packets received, 100% packet loss
[admin@MikroTik] /ip/firewall/nat> .. service-port print
Flags: X - disabled, I - invalid
#   NAME  
Flags: D - dynamic; X - disabled, I - inactive, A - active; 
C - connect, S - static, r - rip, b - bgp, o - ospf, d - dhcp, v - vpn 
 #     DST-ADDRESS        GATEWAY            DISTANCE
 0  XS 4.4.4.4            10.155.101.1      
   D o 0.0.0.0/0          10.155.101.1      PORTS
0   ftp   110
 1  AS 0.0.0.0/0          10.155.101.1              1
   D b 1.0.4.0/24         10.155.101.1             20
   D b   21
11.0.4.0/24   tftp      10.155.101.1             20
   DAb 1.0.4.0/24         10.155.101.1             20
[admin@MikroTik] >

Notice that the prompt changes in order to reflect where you are located in the menu hierarchy at the moment. To move to the top level again, type " / "

[admin@MikroTik] > ip route
[admin@MikroTik] /ip/route> /
[admin@MikroTik] >

To move up one command level, type " .. "

[admin@MikroTik] /ip/route> ..
[admin@MikroTik] /ip>

You can also use / and .. to execute commands from other menu levels without changing the current level:

[admin@MikroTik] /ip/route> /ping 10.0.0.1
10.0.0.1 ping timeout
2 packets transmitted, 0 packets received, 100% packet loss
[admin@MikroTik] /ip/firewall/nat> .. service-port print
Flags: X - disabled, I - invalid
#   NAME             69
2   irc                                                                 6667
3   h323
4   sip
5   pptp
PORTS
0   ftp                                                                 21
1   tftp                                                                69
2   irc                                                                 6667
3   h323
4   sip
5   pptp
[admin@MikroTik] /ip/firewall/nat>

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Many of the command levels operate with arrays of items: interfaces, routes, users, etc. Such arrays are displayed in similarly-looking lists. All items in the list have an item number followed by flags and parameter values.

To change the properties of an item, you have to use the set command and specify the name or number of the item.

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You do not have to use the print command before accessing items by their names, which, as opposed to numbers, are not assigned by the console internally, but are properties of the items. Thus, they would not change on their own. However, there are all kinds of obscure situations possible when several users are changing the router's configuration at the same time. Generally, item names are more "stable" than the numbers, and also more informative, so you should prefer them to numbers when writing console scripts.

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Item numbers are assigned by the print command and are not constant - it is possible that two successive print commands will order items differently. But the results of the last print commands are memorized and, thus, once assigned, item numbers can be used even after add, remove and move operations (since version 3, move operation does not renumber items). Item numbers are assigned on a per session basis, they will remain the same until you quit the console or until the next print command is executed. Also, numbers are assigned separately for every item list, so /ip address print will not change the numbering of the interface list.

You can specify multiple items as targets to some commands. Almost everywhere, where you can write the number of itemitems, you can also write a list of numbers.

[admin@MikroTik] > interface print
Flags: X - disabled, D - dynamic, R - running
  #    NAME                 TYPE             MTU
  0  R ether1               ether            1500
  1  R ether2               ether            1500
  2  R ether3               ether            1500
  3  R ether4               ether            1500
[admin@MikroTik] > interface set 0,1,2 mtu=1460
[admin@MikroTik] > interface print
Flags: X - disabled, D - dynamic, R - running
  #    NAME                 TYPE             MTU
  0  R ether1               ether            1460
  1  R ether2               ether            1460
  2  R ether3               ether            1460
  3  R ether4               ether            1500
[admin@MikroTik] >

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There are some commands that are common to nearly all menu levels, namely: print, set, remove, add, find, get, export, enable, disable, comment, move. These commands have similar behavior throughout different menu levels.!!!!!! TODO: move commands to reference or scripting manual !!!!!!!!

Input Modes

It is possible to switch between several input modes:

• Normal mode - indicated by normal command prompt.
• Safe mode - safe mode is indicated by a word SAFE after command prompt. In this mode configuration is saved to disk only after safe mode is turned off. Safe mode can bet turned on/off with Ctrl+c. Read more >>
• Hot-lock mode - indicated by additional yellow >. Hot-lock mode auto completes commands and can be turned on/off with Ctrl+v

Quick Typing

There are two features in the console that help entering commands much quicker and easier - the [Tab] key completions, and abbreviations of command names. Completions work similarly to the bash shell in UNIX. If you press the [Tab] key after a part of a word, console tries to find the command within the current context that begins with this word. If there is only one match, it is automatically appended, followed by a space:

/inte[Tab]_ becomes /interface _

If there is more than one match, but they all have a common beginning, which is longer than that what you have typed, then the word is completed to this common part, and no space is appended:

/interface set e[Tab]_ becomes /interface set ether_

If you've typed just the common part, pressing the tab key once has no effect. However, pressing it for the second time shows all possible completions in compact form:

[admin@MikroTik] > interface set e[Tab]_
[admin@MikroTik] > interface set ether[Tab]_
[admin@MikroTik] > interface set ether[Tab]_
ether1 ether5
[admin@MikroTik] > interface set ether_

The [Tab] key can be used almost in any context where the console might have a clue about possible values - command names, argument names, arguments that have only several possible values (like names of items in some lists or name of protocol in firewall and NAT rules). You cannot complete numbers, IP addresses and similar values.

is possible to switch between several input modes:

• Normal mode - indicated by normal command prompt.
• Safe mode - safe mode is indicated by the word SAFE after the command prompt. In this mode, the configuration is saved to disk only after the safe mode is turned off. Safe mode can be turned on/off with Ctrl+X or F4. Read more >>
• Hot-lock mode - indicated by additional yellow >. Hot-lock mode autocompletes commands and can be turned on/off with F7

Quick Typing

There are two features in the console that help entering commands much quicker and easier - the [Tab] key completions, and abbreviations of command names. Completions work similarly to the bash shell in UNIX. If you press the [Tab] key after a part of a word, the console tries to find the command within the current context that begins with this word. If there is only one match, it is automatically appended, followed by a space:

/inte[Tab]_ becomes /interface _

If there is more than one match, but they all have a common beginning, which is longer than that what you have typed, then the word is completed to this common part, and no space is appended:

/interface set e[Tab]_ becomes /interface set ether_

If you've typed just the common part, pressing the tab key once has no effect. However, pressing it for the second time shows all possible completions in compact form:

[admin@MikroTik] > interface set e[Tab]_
[admin@MikroTik] > interface set ether[Tab]_
[admin@MikroTik] > interface set ether[Tab]_
ether1 ether5
[admin@MikroTik] > interface set ether_

The [Tab] key can be used almost in any context where the console might have a clue about possible values - command names, argument names, arguments that have only several possible values (like names of items in some lists or name of the protocol in firewall and NAT rules). You cannot complete numbers, IP addresses, and similar values.

Another way to press fewer keys while typing is to abbreviate command and argument names. You can type only the beginning of the command name, and, if it is not ambiguous, the console will accept it as a full name. So typing:

[admin@MikroTik] > pi 10.1 c 3 si 100

equals to:

[admin@MikroTik] > ping 10.0.0.1 count 3 size 100

It is possible to complete not only the beginning, but also any distinctive sub-string of a name: if there is no exact match, the console starts looking for words that have string being completed as first letters of a multiple word name, or that simply contain letters of this string in the same order. If a single such word is found, it is completed at the cursor position. For exampleAnother way to press fewer keys while typing is to abbreviate command and argument names. You can type only beginning of command name, and, if it is not ambiguous, console will accept it as a full name. So typing:

[admin@MikroTik] > pi 10.1 c 3 si 100

equals to:

interface x[TAB]_
[admin@MikroTik] > interface export _

[admin@MikroTik] > ping 10.0.0.1 count 3 size 100

It is possible to complete not only beginning, but also any distinctive substring of a name: if there is no exact match, console starts looking for words that have string being completed as first letters of a multiple word name, or that simply contain letters of this string in the same order. If single such word is found, it is completed at cursor position. For example:

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interface mt[TAB]_
[admin@MikroTik] > interface monitor-traffic _

Console Search

Console search allows performing keyword search through the list of RouterOS menus and the history. The search prompt is accessible with the [Ctrl+r] shortcut. 

Internal Chat System

RouterOS console has a built-in internal chat system. This allows remotely located admins to talk to each other directly in RouterOS CLI. To start the conversation prefix the intended message with the # symbol, anyone who is logged in at the time of sending the message will see it.

[admin@MikroTik] > # ready to break internet?
[admin@MikroTik] > 
fake_admin: i was born ready
[admin@MikroTik] > 

[fake_admin@MikroTik] > 
admin: ready to break internet?
[fake_admin@MikroTik] > # i was born ready
[fake_admin@MikroTik] > 

List of Keys

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