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Cloud Hosted Router (CHR) is MikroTik’s RouterOS as a virtual machine: routing, VPN server, firewall, and tunnels, like on MikroTik hardware routers. Use it when you need a managed network node in a specific location, not just Linux.
The install overwrites the system disk: the current OS and all data are gone, so use a new or empty server. There is no SSH to Linux afterwards, you get into the router through Console on the server card. Not every server has a console: check it before installing, or you risk losing access.

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Installation

Connect over SSH as root: Connection. CHR is not a package: a raw image is written over the disk with dd. Versions and image links change, check help.mikrotik.com, the Cloud Hosted Router section.
  1. Disk – find the system disk name:
    The system disk is usually the largest: /dev/vda, less often /dev/sda. You need the disk itself, not a partition like /dev/vda1: dd writes exactly where you point it.
  2. Image – on mikrotik.com/download, in the Cloud Hosted Router (CHR) section, copy the Raw disk image link for the version you need:
    The link contains the version and looks like this: https://download.mikrotik.com/routeros/7.15.3/chr-7.15.3.img.zip. The example will not work as is: an outdated URL returns 404, and without the right image the server will not boot.
  3. Unpack – the archive holds the .img image:
    A .gz link instead of a .zip – use chr.img.gz as the wget -O name and unpack: gunzip chr.img.gz.
  4. Write – check the disk name from step 1 once more, this command wipes the disk irreversibly:
    A disk other than /dev/vda – put its name in of=.
  5. Reboot – Restart on the server card. No button – in the same SSH session:
    After the reboot the server starts as a MikroTik router.
  6. Password – in the server Console, log in as admin with an empty password and set your own right away:
    Console: @lumivps_bot → My servers → server. The link is single-use and valid for a couple of minutes.

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If the network is down

Sometimes CHR does not pick up the network by itself. Set it in the router console:
  • YOUR_IP – Server IP from the card.
  • /24, GATEWAY – the mask and the gateway. The card does not show them, ask @lumisup_robot.
  • Check – /ping 1.1.1.1.
  • Back to Linux – Reinstall on the server card, it wipes the disk again.

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License

  • Free – runs with no time limit, but outbound speed is capped at 1 Mbps per interface. Enough for VPN and tests, not for heavy traffic.
  • Paid – lifts the cap. Terms and tiers are on the MikroTik site.
Next: Server management, Locations and OS.