RouterOS

A PHP 8.4 client for the MikroTik RouterOS API.

This library provides a clean, modern interface for communicating with MikroTik RouterOS devices via their API protocol. Built with a layered architecture, it handles the low-level binary protocol details so you can focus on managing your network infrastructure. Features include a fluent query builder, SSL support, environment variable configuration, and a comprehensive test suite.

Requirements

PHP 8.4 or higher
MikroTik RouterOS device with API service enabled

Installation

composer require ocolin/routeros

Quick Start

use Ocolin\RouterOS\Client;

$client = new Client([
    'host'     => '192.168.88.1',
    'username' => 'admin',
    'password' => 'secret'
]);

$interfaces = $client->query( '/interface/print' );

foreach( $interfaces as $interface ) {
    echo $interface['name'] . "\n";
}

Configuration

The client can be configured by passing an associative array, a Config object, or any object whose properties match the configuration parameters. The array approach is the most common and concise.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	ENV Variable	Description
host	string	required	`ROUTEROS_HOST`	IP address or hostname of device
username	string	`admin`	`ROUTEROS_USERNAME`	Username to authenticate with
password	string	`''`	`ROUTEROS_PASSWORD`	Password to authenticate with
ssl	bool	`false`	`ROUTEROS_SSL`	Enable SSL connection
port	int	`8728`	`ROUTEROS_PORT`	Port for non-SSL connections
sslPort	int	`8729`	`ROUTEROS_SSL_PORT`	Port for SSL connections
timeout	int	`10`	`ROUTEROS_TIMEOUT`	Connection timeout in seconds
socketTimeout	int	`30`	`ROUTEROS_SOCKET_TIMEOUT`	Response timeout in seconds
sslVerify	bool	`false`	`ROUTEROS_SSL_VERIFY`	Verify SSL certificate

Using an Array

$client = new Client([
    'host'     => '192.168.88.1',
    'username' => 'admin',
    'password' => 'secret'
]);

Using a Config Object

$config = new Config([
    'host' => '192.168.88.1',
]);

$client = new Client( $config );

Environment Variables

Environment variables can be used instead of passing configuration directly. The ENV variable names are listed in the parameters table above.

// .env file
ROUTEROS_HOST=192.168.88.1
ROUTEROS_USERNAME=admin
ROUTEROS_PASSWORD=secret

Prefix Support

To support multiple devices, an optional prefix can be used:

// .env file
ROUTEROS_CORE_HOST=10.0.0.1
ROUTEROS_EDGE_HOST=10.0.0.2

$core = new Client( envPrefix: 'CORE' );
$edge = new Client( envPrefix: 'EDGE' );

Basic Usage

There are three methods that can be used for inputting data to a device. A simple string command, an array of command words, or a Command object which provides methods for more complex queries.

String input

This is good for simple single command queries that don't require any special conditions.

Example

$interfaces = $client->query( command: '/interface/print' );

foreach( $interfaces as $interface )
{
    echo $interface['name'] . PHP_EOL;
}

Array input

Useful for advanced users who prefer working directly with the API syntax, or for sending commands not yet supported by the Command builder.

Example

$interfaces = $client->query( command: [
    '/interface/print',
    '=disabled=no',
    '?type=ether'
]);
foreach( $interfaces as $interface )
{
    echo $interface['name'] . PHP_EOL;
}

Command Object Input

A Command object is included for making complex queries easier to type doesn't require that you know the API syntax.

Example

use Ocolin\RouterOS\Command;

$interfaces = $client->query(
    command: new Command('/interface/print')
        ->attribute( key: 'disabled', value: false )
        ->query( 'type' )->equals( 'ether' )
);
foreach( $interfaces as $interface )
{
    echo $interface['name'] . PHP_EOL;
}

Query Builder

The Command class allows you to create complex queries with a simple syntax. The Query takes one argument for the constructor, which is the RouterOS command word.

$command = new Command( '/interface/print' );

In this example we are sending a simple command with no other parameters. The command word is always required by RouterOS.

Attribute

The attribute method allows you to specify attributes to your query. This is useful when creating and modifying an object on the Mikrotik device. Each attribute has a name and a value. RouterOS uses "yes" and "no" for boolean attributes, but this client will automatically convert boolean for you.

$command = new Command( '/interface/print' )
    ->attribute( key: 'disabled', value: true );

Query

The query method allows you to filter the results of your query.

Query Arguments

One way to add a query is by just using the constructor arguments. This is a means to manually enter the data without any helped functions.

// Get interfaces of type equal to ether
$command = new Command( '/interface/print' )
    ->query( key: 'type', value: 'ether', operator: '=' );

// Get interfaces with any link-downs
$command = new Command( '/interface/print' )
    ->query( key: 'link-downs', value: 0, operator: '>' );

Equals

This function takes a single value and which the key value must be equal to.

// Get interfaces of type equal to ether
$command = new Command( '/interface/print' )
    ->query( key: 'type' )->equals( 'ether' );

lessThan

This function takes a single value which the key value must be less than.

// Get interfaces with any no link-downs
$command = new Command( '/interface/print' )
    ->query( key: 'link-downs' )->lessThan( 1 );

greaterThan

This function takes a single value which the key value must be greater than.

// Get interfaces with link-downs
$command = new Command( '/interface/print' )
    ->query( key: 'link-downs' )->greaterThan( 0 );

exists

Include if a property exists for the return results.

// Get interfaces with link-downs property
$command = new Command( '/interface/print' )
    ->query( key: 'link-downs' )->exists();

notExists

Include if a property does not exist.

// Get interfaces without link-downs property
$command = new Command( '/interface/print' )
    ->query( key: 'link-downs' )->notExists();

Logical Operators

When using multiple queries, you can specify a logical operator to indicate if all the queries should be met, or if any should be met, or it they should not be met.

The logical operator must always come after your query parameters for RouterOS to understand it.

And Operator

The and operator requires that all query parameters must be met. This is also the default operator so does not need to be specified.

// Get interfaces of type equal to ether AND has link-downs
$command = new Command( '/interface/print' )
    ->query( key: 'type' )->equals( 'ether' )
    ->query( key: 'link-downs' )->greaterThan( 0 )
    ->and();

Or Operator

The or operator requires any of the query parameters to be met.

// Get interfaces of type equal to ether OR has link-downs
$command = new Command( '/interface/print' )
    ->query( key: 'type' )->equals( 'ether' )
    ->query( key: 'link-downs' )->greaterThan( 0 )
    ->or();

Not Operator

This operator says to filter results to not contain the previous query parameter. Unlike AND and OR, this operator can be used prior to the end and can be specified for each query paramater.

// Get interfaces of type not a vlan
$command = new Command( '/interface/print' )
    ->query( key: 'type' )->equals( 'vlan' )
    ->not();

Proplist

The proplist allows you to limit the columns that are returned in your results.

$command = new Command( '/interface/print' )->proplist(['name', 'type']);

Aliases

There are a few alias functions which exist for those using method names found in other libraries.

Where

The where method is an alias for the query method.

// Get interfaces without link-downs property
$command = new Command( '/interface/print' )
    ->where( key: 'link-downs' )->notExists();

Equal

The equal method is an alias for the attribute method.

$command = new Command( '/interface/print' )
    ->equal( key: 'disabled', value: true );

Operations

The operations method is an alias for the logical operator methods, using the same syntax as routeros-api-php.

$command = new Command( '/interface/print' )
    ->query( 'type' )->equals( 'ether' )
    ->query( 'type' )->equals( 'vlan' )
    ->operations( '|' );

Streaming

Some RouterOS commands return a continuous stream of data rather than a single response. The most common example is the /interface/listen command which sends updates whenever an interface changes state. The stream() method handles these commands by returning a Generator that yields results one at a time as they arrive.

Unlike query() which collects all results and returns them as an array, stream() never stops on its own — it will keep yielding results until you break out of the loop or the connection is closed.

foreach( $client->stream( '/interface/listen' ) as $update ) {
    echo $update['name'] . ' changed state' . PHP_EOL;
    
    // Stop listening after first update
    if( $someCondition ) {
        break;
    }
}

The stream() method accepts the same input types as query() — a string command, an array of words, or a Command object.

Note: To gracefully stop a streaming command, break out of the loop. Explicit command cancellation using /cancel will be available in a future release when concurrent command support is added.

SSL

The client supports SSL connections using RouterOS's secure API service. SSL is disabled by default and must be enabled in your configuration.

RouterOS Setup

Before enabling SSL in the client, the api-ssl service must be configured on your RouterOS device. A certificate is required.

Generate a self-signed certificate directly on the router:

/certificate add name=api-ssl common-name=api-ssl
/certificate sign api-ssl
/ip service set api-ssl certificate=api-ssl
/ip service enable api-ssl

Then allow connections by setting the allowed address under IP → Services → api-ssl.

Client Configuration

$client = new Client([
    'host'      => '192.168.88.1',
    'username'  => 'admin',
    'password'  => 'secret',
    'ssl'       => true,
    'sslVerify' => false  // set to true if using a trusted certificate
]);

Note: Most RouterOS devices use self-signed certificates. Set sslVerify to false unless you have installed a trusted certificate on your device.

Laravel Integration

This package includes a Service Provider for easy integration with Laravel applications.

Laravel Installation

Require the Laravel support package:

composer require illuminate/support

The Service Provider will be automatically discovered by Laravel.

Laravel Configuration

Publish the configuration file:

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Ocolin\RouterOS\Laravel\ServiceProvider"

This creates config/routeros.php in your Laravel application. Update your .env file with your device credentials: ROUTEROS_HOST=192.168.88.1 ROUTEROS_USERNAME=admin ROUTEROS_PASSWORD=secret

Laravel Usage

The Client is automatically registered in Laravel's service container and can be injected into your controllers, services, or jobs:

use Ocolin\RouterOS\Client;

class NetworkController extends Controller
{
    public function __construct( private Client $client ) {}

    public function interfaces() : array
    {
        return $this->client->query( '/interface/print' );
    }
}

Migrating from routeros-api-php

This library was designed as a maintained alternative to the widely used but unmaintained routeros-api-php library. Several alias methods are included to ease migration.

Method Aliases

routeros-api-php	ocolin/routeros	Notes
`->where()`	`->query()`	Alias included
`->equal()`	`->attribute()`	Alias included
`->operations('\|')`	`->or()`	Alias included
`->operations('&')`	`->and()`	Alias included
`->operations('!')`	`->not()`	Alias included
`->tag()`	Coming in v2	Not yet implemented

Configuration Differences

The client is configured using an array or Config object rather than separate setter methods. The parameter names are similar but not identical:

routeros-api-php	ocolin/routeros
`host`	`host`
`user`	`username`
`pass`	`password`
`port`	`port`
`ssl`	`ssl`
`timeout`	`timeout`
`socket_timeout`	`socketTimeout`

Roadmap

The following features are planned for future releases:

Concurrent commands — multi-tag usage
Streaming cancellation — explicit /cancel command support
CLI-style input — parse RouterOS CLI syntax directly as command input
Laravel integration — Facade for Laravel applications

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

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config		config
src		src
tests		tests
.gitignore		.gitignore
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
composer.json		composer.json
composer.lock		composer.lock
phpstan.neon		phpstan.neon
phpunit.xml		phpunit.xml

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RouterOS

Table of Contents

Requirements

Installation

Quick Start

Configuration

Parameters

Using an Array

Using a Config Object

Environment Variables

Prefix Support

Basic Usage

String input

Example

Array input

Example

Command Object Input

Example

Query Builder

Attribute

Query

Query Arguments

Equals

lessThan

greaterThan

exists

notExists

Logical Operators

And Operator

Or Operator

Not Operator

Proplist

Tags

Aliases

Where

Equal

Operations

Streaming

SSL

RouterOS Setup

Client Configuration

Laravel Integration

Laravel Installation

Laravel Configuration

Laravel Usage

Migrating from routeros-api-php

Method Aliases

Configuration Differences

Roadmap

License

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