VyOS Open-Source Network Router Crash Course

VyOS Crash Course

VyOS is an open-source network operating system based on Debian. It provides a unified CLI for routing, firewall, VPN, NAT, and more — similar to Juniper JunOS or Cisco IOS but running on standard x86 hardware or VMs.

If you’ve ever used EdgeOS (Ubiquiti EdgeRouter), you already know VyOS — EdgeOS is a fork. VyOS is the upstream, community-maintained original.

Why VyOS?

vs.	VyOS wins because
pfSense/OPNsense	CLI-first, declarative config, commit/rollback, API-ready
MikroTik RouterOS	Linux under the hood, standard tooling, no license tiers
Cisco/Juniper	Free, runs on any x86, same routing concepts
iptables/nftables	Unified config syntax, zone-based firewall, stateful commit

What you’ll learn

1. Installation — ISO, cloud images, VPS deployment
2. Basic Configuration — hostname, users, interfaces, SSH
3. NAT & Firewall — zone-based firewall, source NAT, port forwarding
4. DHCP & DNS — DHCP server, DNS forwarding, dynamic DNS
5. VPN — WireGuard, IPsec IKEv2, site-to-site and road warrior
6. Routing — static routes, BGP, OSPF
7. High Availability — VRRP, config sync, stateful failover
8. Configuration Backup with Git — auto-backup config on every commit
9. Image Automation — custom ISO builds, cron pipelines, CI/CD
10. Syslog to Graylog — centralized logging, Grok extractors, dashboards

Release tracks

Channel	Version	Status	Access
Rolling	1.5 Circinus	Active development	Free
Stream	1.5 (quarterly)	LTS preview, stable	Free
LTS	1.4 Sagitta	Current LTS	Contributor/paid
LTS (old)	1.3 Equuleus	Maintenance only	Contributor/paid

This guide targets VyOS 1.4/1.5 — the configuration syntax changed significantly in 1.4. If you’re on 1.3 (Equuleus), some commands will differ. It’s still maintained for security fixes but no new features — new deployments should start on 1.4 or 1.5. Check the official migration guide.

Quick reference

# Enter configuration mode
configure

# Set hostname
set system host-name vyos-router

# Commit and save
commit
save

# Exit configuration mode
exit

# Show current config
show configuration

# Show version
show version