Built-in Graphing in MikroTik: Traffic Visualization

Traffic Graphing with RouterOS Tools

RouterOS includes a built-in graphing tool that generates traffic graphs for interfaces and queues. These graphs help you visualize bandwidth usage over time directly from the router — no external software needed for basic monitoring.

Enabling the Graphing Tool

/tool graphing

This is where you configure what to graph and who can view the graphs.

Add Interface Graphing

/tool graphing interface add interface=ether1 store-on-disk=yes allow-address=0.0.0.0/0

Parameters:

• interface — which interface to graph (use all for all interfaces)
• store-on-disk — save historical data to disk
• allow-address — which IP addresses can view the graphs

Graph All Interfaces at Once

/tool graphing interface add interface=all store-on-disk=yes allow-address=0.0.0.0/0

Add Queue Graphing

/tool graphing queue add simple-queue=my-queue store-on-disk=yes allow-address=0.0.0.0/0

This graphs the traffic passing through a simple queue.

Viewing the Graphs

Graphs are accessible through the RouterOS web interface (WebFig):

1. Open a browser and go to http://[router-ip]/graphs/
2. You will see a list of graphed interfaces and queues
3. Click on any item to view its traffic graph
4. The graph shows traffic in and out over time (minutes, hours, days)

The URL pattern is:

http://192.168.88.1/graphs/iface/ether1/
http://192.168.88.1/graphs/queue/my-queue/

Resource Graphing

You can also graph router resources like CPU and memory:

/tool graphing resource add store-on-disk=yes allow-address=0.0.0.0/0

View at:

http://192.168.88.1/graphs/resource/

This shows CPU load, memory usage, and disk usage over time.

Configuring Access Control

By default, restrict graphs to your management network:

/tool graphing interface add interface=all store-on-disk=yes allow-address=192.168.88.0/24

Only devices on the 192.168.88.0/24 subnet can view the graphs.

Viewing All Graphing Configurations

/tool graphing interface print
/tool graphing queue print
/tool graphing resource print

Data Retention

RouterOS stores graphing data in three resolutions:

• 5-minute averages — kept for about 2 days
• Hourly averages — kept for about 14 days
• Daily averages — kept indefinitely (or until disk runs out)

On routers with limited flash storage, be mindful of enabling store-on-disk for many interfaces.

Limitations of Built-in Graphing

The RouterOS graphing tool is useful for quick checks but has limitations:

• No alerting when traffic exceeds thresholds
• Limited customization of graph appearance
• No aggregation across multiple routers
• Graphs are only accessible via web browser

External Tools: MRTG and Similar

For more advanced monitoring, external tools are commonly used with MikroTik:

SNMP-Based Monitoring

Enable SNMP on the router:

/snmp set enabled=yes contact="admin@example.com" location="Server Room"
/snmp community set 0 name=public addresses=192.168.88.0/24

Then use external tools that poll SNMP:

• MRTG (Multi Router Traffic Grapher) — classic, generates HTML traffic graphs
• Cacti — web-based, more flexible SNMP graphing
• Zabbix — full monitoring platform, includes graphing
• Grafana + InfluxDB — modern dashboard with beautiful graphs
• The Dude — MikroTik's own free network monitoring tool

Using The Dude

The Dude is MikroTik's free network monitoring application:

1. Download The Dude from mikrotik.com/thedude
2. Install on a Windows PC or run as a RouterOS package
3. It auto-discovers devices and creates a network map
4. Provides traffic graphs, alerts, and service monitoring

Enabling The Dude as a RouterOS Package

/dude set enabled=yes

Access via http://[router-ip]:8080/ or the Dude desktop client.

Quick Bandwidth Check via CLI

For a quick real-time bandwidth reading without graphs:

/interface monitor-traffic ether1

Output updates every second showing current Rx/Tx rates.

Or use the torch tool for per-protocol breakdown:

/tool torch interface=ether1

Summary

• Enable interface graphing with /tool graphing interface add
• View graphs in a browser at http://[router-ip]/graphs/
• Also graph CPU/memory with /tool graphing resource add
• Restrict access using allow-address
• For advanced monitoring, use SNMP with Cacti, Zabbix, or Grafana
• The Dude is MikroTik's own free monitoring tool
• For real-time CLI monitoring, use /interface monitor-traffic