# How to configure routeros with ansible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Get Help\ **Created:** [February 22, 2025, 9:09am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-configure-routeros-with-ansible/40516 "2025-02-22T09:09:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tchangalo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/tchangalo/32/7679_2.png) [@Tchangalo](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Tchangalo)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2025, 9:09am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-configure-routeros-with-ansible/40516/1 "2025-02-22T09:09:17Z")
Hi, has anyone ever configured a MikroTik with Ansible? If so, it would be great if you could show me what the ansible.cfg should look like and which variables I need to specify in the playbook. The Mikrotik is set up on PVE, where I have set up ansible in a .venv I’ve tried many variations, but it always fails because the SSH connection doesn’t work. The MikroTik already has the public key from the PVE, it is also reachable via ping from the PVE, and SSH from the PVE to the MikroTik works via the terminal as well. At the moment I have: ```auto --- - name: Configure MTK gather_facts: false connection: ansible.netcommon.network_cli vars: ansible_network_os: community.network.routeros ansible_user: admin ansible_ssh_private_key_file: ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 ansible_command_timeout: 120 ansible_ssh_timeout: 120 ansible_password: mypassword ansible_ssh_common_args: '-o ProxyCommand="ssh -W %h:%p -q bastion01"' ansible_become: true ansible_become_method: enable ansible_become_password: mypassword # ansible_ssh_private_key_file: ~/.ssh/id_rsa # ansible_connection: ansible.netcommon.httpapi # ansible_httpapi_use_ssl: false # ansible_httpapi_validate_certs: false # ansible_python_interpreter: /usr/bin/python3 # ansible_ssh_common_args: '-o ProxyCommand="ssh -W %h:%p -q -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null -o ControlMaster=auto -o ControlPersist=60s -o ControlPath=/tmp/ansible-ssh-%h-%p-%r"' hosts: router tasks: - name: set_interface_mikrotik community.network.routeros_command: commands: - /ip address add address={{ item.ipv4_address }} interface={{ item.interface }} loop: "{{ interfaces }}" loop_control: label: "{{ item.interface }}" tags: interfaces when: os == "mikrotik" ``` and ansible.cfg: ```auto [defaults] inventory = /home/user/ansible/inventories/ host_key_checking = False deprecation_warnings = False callback_plugins = ./callbacks stdout_callback = yaml [ssh_connection] pipelining = False ssh_args = -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o ConnectTimeout=10 -o ServerAliveInterval=10 control_path = %(directory)s/ansible-ssh-%%h-%%p-%%r retries = 3 [persistent_connection] ssh_type = libssh ``` and I get: ```auto msg: 'ssh connection failed: ssh connect failed: Socket error: Connection reset by peer' ``` the mtk-log is: ```auto [admin@MikroTik] > /log print 2025-02-22 11:15:19 system,info router rebooted 2025-02-22 11:15:19 interface,info lo link up 2025-02-22 11:15:19 interface,info ether2 link up 2025-02-22 11:15:19 interface,info ether3 link up 2025-02-22 11:15:19 interface,info ether4 link up 2025-02-22 11:15:24 dhcp,info dhcp-client on ether1 got IP address 10.20.3 0.110 2025-02-22 11:15:34 system,info,account user admin logged in from 10.20.30 .254 via ssh 2025-02-22 11:15:34 system,info system identity changed by ssh-cmd:admin@1 0.20.30.254 (/system identity set name=MikroTik) 2025-02-22 11:15:34 system,info user admin changed by ssh-cmd:admin@10.20. 30.254/action:0 (/user set admin) 2025-02-22 11:15:34 system,info ip service changed by ssh-cmd:admin@10.20. 30.254/action:1 (/ip service set ssh disabled=no) 2025-02-22 11:15:34 system,info,account user admin logged out from 10.20.3 0.254 via ssh 2025-02-22 11:15:41 system,info,account user admin logged in from 10.20.30 .254 via ssh 2025-02-22 11:15:41 system,info,account user admin logged out from 10.20.3 0.254 via ssh 2025-02-22 11:15:43 system,info,account user admin logged in from 10.20.30 .254 via ssh 2025-02-22 11:15:43 ssh,info 256bit public key imported, key-owner = user@ node1 2025-02-22 11:15:43 system,info,account user admin logged out from 10.20.3 0.254 via ssh 2025-02-22 11:15:43 ssh,info publickey accepted for user: admin 2025-02-22 11:15:43 system,info,account user admin logged in from 10.20.30 .254 via ssh 2025-02-22 11:15:43 system,info,account user admin logged out from 10.20.3 0.254 via ssh 2025-02-22 11:15:43 ssh,info publickey accepted for user: admin 2025-02-22 11:15:43 system,info,account user admin logged in from 10.20.30 .254 via ssh 2025-02-22 11:15:43 interface,info p1r8v link up 2025-02-22 11:15:43 system,info device added by ssh-cmd:admin@10.20.30.254 (*8 = /interface vlan add interface=ether3 name=p1r8v vlan-id=810) 2025-02-22 11:15:43 interface,info p1r9v link up 2025-02-22 11:15:43 system,info device added by ssh-cmd:admin@10.20.30.254 (*9 = /interface vlan add interface=ether2 name=p1r9v vlan-id=910) 2025-02-22 11:15:43 system,info,account user admin logged out from 10.20.3 0.254 via ssh 2025-02-22 11:15:53 system,info,account user admin logged in from fe80::51 6d:ee13:3f25:2555 via winbox 2025-02-22 11:15:57 system,info,account user admin logged in from fe80::51 6d:ee13:3f25:2555 via winbox ``` At the moment when my create-mtk.sh stops and the playbook starts, nothing more appears in this mtk-log anymore. ---
**Author:** ![felixfontein](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/felixfontein/32/7530_2.png) [@felixfontein](https://forum.ansible.com/u/felixfontein)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 5:52am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-configure-routeros-with-ansible/40516/2 "2025-02-24T05:52:58Z")
I’m using Ansible to configure RouterOS. I have no special settings in ansible.cfg, the following variables set up in the inventory: ```yaml ansible_connection: ansible.netcommon.network_cli ansible_network_os: community.routeros.routeros ansible_network_cli_ssh_type: libssh ansible_ssh_pass: "{{ router_password }}" ansible_user: "{{ router_username }}+cte512w" ansible_host: 192.168.1.1 ``` I mostly use the API modules, I only use the SSH-based modules to ‘bootstrap’ a new device (enable API, install PKI, switch to right IP range). ---
**Author:** ![herman45](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@herman45](https://forum.ansible.com/u/herman45)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2026, 3:16pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/how-to-configure-routeros-with-ansible/40516/5 "2026-08-25T15:16:52Z")
The SSH itself looks fine since the MikroTik log shows the Ansible host successfully authenticating with the public key. The problem is more likely the Ansible `network_cli`/RouterOS connection setup. Remove the [_`ProxyCommand`_](https://19216881ip.com/), `become`, and most of the SSH overrides first and test with the simplest configuration. Also, for newer RouterOS versions, use `ansible.netcommon.network_cli` with `community.routeros` rather than the old `community.network.routeros` collection. Something along these lines should be enough: ```auto - hosts: router ``` gather\_facts: false connection: ansible.netcommon.network\_cli vars: ```auto ansible_network_os: community.routeros.routeros ansible_user: admin ansible_private_key_file: \~/.ssh/id_ed25519 ``` tasks: ```auto - name: Test connection community.routeros.command: commands: - /system identity print ``` Then test it with `ansible-playbook -vvv`. If the normal [_`SSH command`_](https://speedport-ips.de/) works but this still gives `Connection reset by peer`, check the RouterOS SSH service settings and make sure Ansible isn’t opening multiple connections too quickly. The log is actually useful here: there are successful SSH logins immediately before the playbook starts, but nothing when Ansible fails. That suggests the failure may be happening in Ansible’s persistent connection layer rather than authentication itself.