Use both . Schedule daily binary backups for disaster recovery and regular text exports for version control, documentation, and cross-platform migration. Advanced Techniques: Automation and Remote Export Exporting via SSH You can export a configuration directly to your local machine without storing a file on the router first. Using SSH, run:
/import file=my-config.rsc If your export file contains a command that changes the IP address or disables your management interface, you will lose connectivity. Always keep an out-of-band management route or use Safe Mode ( /system safe-mode ) before importing.
/system scheduler add name="daily-export" interval=1d start-time=02:00:00 on-event= /export compact file="daily-backup-[/system clock get date]" /tool e-mail send to="admin@example.com" subject="Daily Router Config" file="daily-backup-[/system clock get date].rsc"
( /system reset-configuration ).
| Feature | /export (Text Script) | /system backup save (Binary) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Human-readable text ( .rsc ) | Binary, machine-only | | Cross-version | Works across different RouterOS versions | Best for same version, may fail across major upgrades | | Cross-hardware | Works on any MikroTik hardware | May fail if hardware has different resources (e.g., different number of NICs) | | Editable | Yes (any text editor) | No | | Sensitive data | Hidden by default, visible with flag | Encrypted, but restorable only on original or similar hardware | | Speed of restore | Slower (interprets commands) | Faster (binary restore) |
