Technical Tips & Guides

RouterOS 7.20: An engineer’s honest take on whether you should upgrade
RouterOS 7.20: An engineer’s honest take on whether you should upgrade

If you work with MikroTik gear, you know every major RouterOS update brings a mix of excitement and anxiety: new features, new bugs, new possibilities. Version 7.20 has landed, and after some proper hands-on time, it’s clear this release is more than a small patch.

Here’s what’s new, what’s interesting, and what you should test before pushing it into production.

Headline changes that actually matter

1. BGP finally gets multi-instance support

This is the big one. RouterOS now supports multiple BGP instances. Instead of one global configuration, you can cleanly segment peering contexts for management, transit, and customer VRFs independently.

Other BGP updates worth noting:

  • NLRI filtering for IPv4 and IPv6 prefixes
  • Initial support for EVPN (Type-2 and Type-3 routes)
  • Smarter automatic blackhole route handling
  • General performance and stability improvements

If you’re doing multi-tenant routing or testing EVPN and VXLAN fabrics, this is a meaningful step forward. It’s still early EVPN, so don’t expect full data centre fabric capabilities yet, but it’s a solid foundation that shows MikroTik is catching up with modern routing demands.

2. Safer partitioning and upgrade handling

The partitioning subsystem has seen some much needed attention. Minimum storage and partition size rules are now clearly defined, and there’s a safer fallback mechanism if an upgrade fails.

For anyone managing fleets of small-flash MikroTiks (like the hAP or mAP series), this means fewer failed upgrades, less chance of bricking a device remotely, and easier rollbacks when things go sideways.

3. Firewall and connection tracking improvements

RouterOS 7.20 refines multi-core handling in the firewall and adds visibility counters for total IPv4 and IPv6 connection-tracking entries. IPv6 connection tracking lookup performance is also improved, which helps reduce latency under heavy load.

This might sound minor, but it makes a real difference when tuning edge routers or CGNAT devices. Expect fewer packet-loss issues and smoother performance when your NAT tables are full.

4. Expanded hardware support

New driver support for Aquantia NICs on ARM64 and x86 platforms opens up better 10GbE and 25GbE options, especially for CHR deployments or custom-built routers. For integrators and network builders, this brings more flexibility in hardware selection and makes it easier to build high-throughput systems using modern NICs.

5. Platform enhancements: containers, LoRa and more

RouterOS continues to evolve beyond pure routing with several smaller but meaningful updates:

Containers: General stability and subsystem improvements

LoRa: Updated defaults for antenna gain and NetID handling

NAT: Early implementation of a “socksify” action, which could be useful for transparent proxy setups

These tweaks show MikroTik’s steady move toward making RouterOS a more adaptable edge platform rather than a fixed-function OS.

Real-World Considerations Before You Upgrade

Based on testing and early user feedback, here are a few practical reminders before you hit that upgrade button:

  • Back up first - Always perform both an /export and a full backup off the device. 
  • Check storage - Older devices with small NAND may fail partitioning without enough free space. 
  • Plan around BGP changes - The new instance model is not backward compatible with earlier versions. 
  • Treat EVPN as early stage - It is great for lab testing, not yet ready for production. 
  • Monitor after upgrade - Watch connection-tracking and CPU usage under load, especially for NAT-heavy roles. 

If you manage large MikroTik fleets, stage the rollout and test on one router first. Version 7.20 appears solid, but some users have reported minor issues with SFP modules and specific drivers. 

Should You Upgrade?

If you rely on BGP, need better hardware support, or have been bitten by partitioning issues before, RouterOS 7.20 is worth your time.

It’s not a flashy release, but it’s a foundational one. MikroTik is clearly maturing RouterOS into a more enterprise capable platform, and this update shows they’re still listening to the engineers who use their products every day.

To make the most of RouterOS 7.20, pair it with the right hardware. Explore our full range of MikroTik devices or speak to NOVA, our AI-powered MiRO specialist for tailored advice on your next upgrade.

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