routeros-app-yaml

# RouterOS /app YAML Format (7.21+) RouterOS 7.21 introduced the `/app` path (built-in app listing and management). The full YAML app creation feature (`/app/add`) appeared in **7.22** (first seen in 7.22beta5). Think of it as MikroTik's opinionated alternative to `docker-compose` — but it is NOT docker-compose, with significant differences. ## What /app Is The `/app` subsystem lets users define one or more containers as a single "application" in YAML. RouterOS parses the YAML, creates containers, volumes, networks, and config files, then manages the lifecycle. **Key concepts:** - Each `/app` is defined by a YAML document with services, configs, volumes, and networks - The YAML is loaded into RouterOS via CLI (`/app/add yaml-url=...`) or REST API - Built-in apps ship with RouterOS (visible at `GET /rest/app`) - Custom apps can be added from URLs or inline YAML - App stores (`app-store-urls=`) provide curated collections ## Critical Differences from docker-compose | Feature | docker-compose | RouterOS /app | |---|---|---| | Port format | `host:container[/protocol]` | Two styles (see below) | | Environment | `KEY=value` or list | Same, but placeholders expand | | Volumes | Named or bind mounts | Subset — no bind mount options | | Networks | Full docker network model | Simplified — name + external | | Build | Full Dockerfile support | Minimal (context + dockerfile) | | Configs | Docker configs API | Inline `content` only | | Deploy/resources | Yes | No — not supported | |...