MikroTik is known for its affordability and versatility, but these strengths come with significant limitations when attempting to build complex solutions like Software-Defined Networking (SDN). For those who have tried to bring SDN to the MikroTik ecosystem, the journey often feels like an uphill battle riddled with technical, financial, and community challenges. Let’s explore why implementing SDN on MikroTik is so challenging and why these issues run deeper than just the platform's capabilities.

The Technical Struggles of RouterOS Scripting

A Developer’s Nightmare

RouterOS, MikroTik’s operating system, offers scripting capabilities, but they fall woefully short of modern software development standards. Writing scripts in RouterOS feels akin to "playing tennis on roller skates while handcuffed." The limitations in scripting mean developers often offload workloads to external platforms, such as AWS. While this approach improves processing capabilities, it introduces additional costs and complexity.

Compute Costs & Scalability

Every computation moved off the MikroTik hardware to cloud services comes at a price. These costs add up quickly, especially for startups or businesses trying to offer SDN services affordably. For many, the financial burden makes scaling impossible without sacrificing margins or service quality.

Building Quality Software | A Herculean Task

The Developer Dilemma

Finding developers who understand both networking and software development is like hunting for unicorns. Networking professionals may lack the skills to write scalable software, while software engineers often struggle with the intricacies of routing and networking protocols. Without this rare combination, building robust SDN software becomes a prolonged and costly endeavour.

Security Risks

Security is paramount, especially when managing large numbers of MikroTik routers. The platform’s reputation for vulnerabilities places a significant burden on developers to harden their management systems. Any compromise in security can spell disaster, both reputationally and financially. This is particularly concerning in a community where trust is hard to earn.

Economic & Community Challenges

The Pricing Conundrum

The MikroTik community’s expectation for affordability is a double-edged sword. Despite offering SDN features for as little as $50 per year per router, many users balk at paying even this modest fee. This resistance creates a paradox where developing a viable SDN solution is unsustainable, despite demand for advanced features.

Marketing & Outreach Costs

Building trust and gaining traction within the MikroTik community requires significant investment. Developers must attend conferences, conduct extensive marketing, and engage directly with potential customers. Even with these efforts, skepticism remains a constant barrier.

Compliance & Trust Issues

High Compliance Expectations

SDN customers expect providers to meet stringent compliance standards like ISO 27001 and SOC 2. Achieving these certifications is both time-consuming and costly, often out of reach for smaller providers attempting to serve the budget-conscious MikroTik community.

Community Mistrust

Even with investments in security and transparency—like undergoing a 750-point security audit—distrust in third-party solutions remains prevalent in the MikroTik community. Overcoming this skepticism is an uphill battle that requires consistent communication and flawless execution, often with limited resources.

MikroTik’s Aging Ecosystem

Outdated Interfaces & Expectations

MikroTik’s management tool, Winbox, remains largely unchanged in nearly two decades. While it’s familiar to long-time users, it reflects the platform's resistance to modernization. This resistance extends to the community, which is hesitant to embrace third-party solutions, even when they offer significant advantages.

Why Legacy WAN Strategies Fall Short

Attempting to build SDN on MikroTik exposes the inherent weaknesses of legacy WAN strategies. MikroTik was not designed to handle the complexities of SDN, and the platform lacks the modern tooling and security features needed for large-scale deployments.

The Fusion SD-WAN Alternative

For businesses that require robust SDN capabilities without the headaches of MikroTik-based solutions, Fusion SD-WAN provides a clear alternative:

Modern Infrastructure: Fusion leverages advanced SDN technologies, bypassing the scripting and tooling limitations of RouterOS.
Enhanced Security: With robust encryption and compliance, Fusion SD-WAN addresses the vulnerabilities MikroTik solutions often face.
Scalability: Fusion's automated deployment processes and cloud-native architecture reduce costs while improving reliability.
Transparent Pricing: Unlike the unpredictable costs of MikroTik SDN, Fusion offers clear pricing models aligned with enterprise expectations.

Wrap

Building SDN on MikroTik is a noble idea, but it is fraught with challenges. From outdated scripting capabilities and high development costs to community mistrust and security vulnerabilities, the obstacles often outweigh the benefits. For businesses looking to implement SDN, solutions like Fusion SD-WAN provide the reliability, security, and scalability that MikroTik struggles to deliver.

While MikroTik remains an excellent choice for low-cost routing, asking it to power a modern SDN is like expecting a bicycle to win a Formula 1 race—it’s simply not built for the task.

This article is based on the following forum post which describes in detail the problems associated with developing on the Mikrotik platform as users think that SD-WAN is a scam!

👉 Building SDWAN for MikroTik: Here's an Honest Account of What It's Like

😓Why Implementing Software-Defined Networking on MikroTik Is an Uphill Battle💥