MikroTik Firewall Rule Generator
Pick a RouterOS version and the rule categories you need. This generates copy-paste-ready /ip firewall commands in the correct order — not a full security audit of your network.
This is a starting point, not a finished, audited firewall policy. Always review every generated line against your actual interface names, address lists, and existing rules before applying — especially on a device you manage remotely. A wrong chain=input drop rule can lock you out instantly with no local console access to undo it.
Before applying firewall changes remotely: use Winbox's Safe Mode (press the Safe Mode button, or Ctrl+X, before editing) — if your connection drops before you confirm the changes, RouterOS automatically rolls them back after a short timeout. Without Safe Mode, a bad rule can require physical/serial console access to fix.
Source: official MikroTik RouterOS Firewall documentation for RouterOS 6.x and 7.x. See the full methodology page. Reviewed: July 2026.
If a bad firewall rule locks you out remotely, here's the recovery path, from least to most destructive:
1. Wait for Safe Mode rollback
If you enabled Safe Mode in Winbox before applying, losing the connection triggers an automatic rollback after ~9 minutes (default timeout) — just reconnect and wait.
2. Connect via a different path
Try the serial/console port, a directly-connected LAN cable bypassing the affected interface, or MikroTik's Neighbor discovery (MAC-Winbox) from a machine on the same L2 segment — MAC-level access can work even when IP filtering has locked out normal access.
3. Physical reset (last resort — wipes configuration)
Hold the Reset button while powering on the device until the LEDs flash, then release — this triggers /system reset-configuration, wiping the config back to factory defaults (or a stored backup if the device supports it, via a longer hold — exact timing varies by hardware model, see MikroTik's official Reset Button documentation). You will lose all configuration, not just the firewall, so restore from a recent /export backup afterward.
Prevention beats recovery: always keep a recent /export file=backup-before-firewall-change before making changes, and prefer Safe Mode over hoping nothing goes wrong.
RouterOS 6 vs 7 — what actually differs for firewall rules
The /ip firewall filter syntax is almost identical between RouterOS 6 and 7 for standard input-hardening, NAT, and port-forwarding rules. The meaningful differences: RouterOS 7 pushes more DDoS/bogon-drop workloads into the /ip firewall raw table (processed before connection tracking, which is faster under load), and fresh RouterOS 7 installs ship with pre-built WAN/LAN interface lists by default, while RouterOS 6 installs typically don't. This generator adjusts the bogon-blocking rule to use raw on RouterOS 7 and filter on RouterOS 6.
Why rule order matters more than rule content
RouterOS evaluates firewall rules top-to-bottom and stops at the first match per chain. A correctly-written "drop everything" rule placed too early silently blocks traffic that later "allow" rules were meant to permit. The generator orders rules so that specific allows (established/related, ICMP, VPN, port forwards) come before the general default-drop rule — always keep that ordering if you insert additional rules manually.
Does FastTrack skip my other firewall rules?
Yes, by design — once a connection is fast-tracked, RouterOS stops running it through the rest of chain=forward (and any queues/mangle rules) for performance. Don't enable FastTrack if you need per-packet inspection, traffic shaping, or logging on already-established connections.
Do I still need a separate NAT masquerade rule?
Yes — this generator produces filter/raw/dstnat rules for the categories selected, but doesn't assume you already have outbound NAT (/ip firewall nat add chain=srcnat action=masquerade out-interface=<WAN>) configured. Most existing routers already have this from initial setup; add it manually if not.