MikroTik RouterOS API in Python — network automation step by step

TL;DR: RouterOS API + Python = automating MikroTik management without clicking in Winbox. The routeros-api library connects to a router and returns the interface list in 5 lines.

If you manage more than one MikroTik router, sooner or later you’ll start looking for a way to automate things. RouterOS has a built-in API on port 8728 (plain) or 8729 (SSL). Python with the routeros-api library is the simplest entry point.

Installation and connection

pip install routeros-api

import routeros_api

connection = routeros_api.RouterOsApiPool(
    '192.168.88.1',
    username='admin',
    password='haslo',
    plaintext_login=True
)
api = connection.get_api()

Fetching data

# List of interfaces
interfaces = api.get_resource('/interface')
for iface in interfaces.get():
    print(f"{iface['name']} — {iface.get('comment', '-')}")

# IP addresses
addresses = api.get_resource('/ip/address')
for addr in addresses.get():
    print(f"{addr['address']} on {addr['interface']}")

Adding NAT rules

nat = api.get_resource('/ip/firewall/nat')
nat.add(
    chain='dstnat',
    protocol='tcp',
    dst_port='2222',
    action='dst-nat',
    to_addresses='192.168.10.200',
    to_ports='22',
    comment='SSH do serwera'
)

Exporting configuration

# Equivalent of /export in Winbox
response = api('/export')
config_text = '\n'.join(line.decode() for line in response if line)
with open('router-backup.rsc', 'w') as f:
    f.write(config_text)

Practical use case: backing up 10 routers

import routeros_api
from datetime import date

routers = [
    {'host': '10.0.1.1', 'name': 'router-glowny'},
    {'host': '10.0.1.2', 'name': 'router-oddzial'},
    # ...
]

for r in routers:
    conn = routeros_api.RouterOsApiPool(r['host'], username='admin', password='haslo', plaintext_login=True)
    api = conn.get_api()
    response = api('/export')
    config = '\n'.join(line.decode() for line in response if line)
    filename = f"backup-{r['name']}-{date.today()}.rsc"
    with open(filename, 'w') as f:
        f.write(config)
    conn.disconnect()
    print(f"Backup {r['name']} — OK")

Run this via cron once a night and you have a history of configurations for all your routers in text files that you can commit to git.

Gotchas

Routers with firmware older than 6.45 may require plaintext_login=True. API v2 (RouterOS 7.x) has breaking changes — the library supports both versions but check the changelog.