VyOS Reviews & Product Details

I mean being a network engineer I have worked in Cisco ios , fortuner , csa firewall. I mean any network engineer can use bgp, ospf and clan to train himself . Even though I use eve-ng it also works perfectly there with high performance and no lag . I also love how I can manage security policies between vlans Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Without graphical user interface, the new network engineer can't learn easily . When I use complex routing policies it can't help there ..even the stable LTS is also not too stable and accessible Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

VyOS is one of the most reliable and capable open-source software routers available today. If you favor CLI efficiency, network automation, high throughput, and multi-cloud consistency over a graphical web interface, VyOS is an industry-standard choice. Tailscale / Headscale: Can be installed on top of the base OS or run inside VyOS’s native container runtime to act as a subnet router for mesh networks.

Cloudflare Tunnels (cloudflared): Containerized directly inside VyOS via Podman to expose internal web services securely without opening inbound firewall ports. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

No Native Web GUI: VyOS is CLI-first. Network administrators looking for a point-and-click dashboard (similar to pfSense or OPNSense) may find the learning curve steep. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I like most about VyOS is its incredible stability and the CLI-driven approach which feels very familiar to anyone used to enterprise-grade routers. Being open-source, it provides immense flexibility for customization without the heavy licensing costs of proprietary hardware. It's my go-to for building robust virtual routers Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The learning curve can be a bit steep for those who are used to graphical user interfaces (GUIs), as VyOS relies almost entirely on the CLI. Additionally, while the documentation is improving, it can sometimes be a bit fragmented when searching for very specific or advanced configurations Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I love VyOS for its enterprise-grade feature parity with proprietary tools and its unmatched flexibility. The config-as-code native design and small but impactful quality-of-life features really streamline network management for me. The platform isn't just a 'free open-source router/firewall'; it stands out with these strong capabilities. Also, the initial setup is surprisingly straightforward for basic use cases, making it easy to get started. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The documentation for VyOS is incomplete and disorganized. While the official docs cover the basic features well, they have gaps when it comes to advanced use cases like multi-WAN BGP load balancing or WireGuard site-to-site with VLANs. To set up advanced configurations, I often have to piece together information from various sources like forum posts or community blogs, since there's no single, curated 'enterprise playbook' like what you find with Cisco or Palo Alto. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It's open source. The fact that it can be installed on cheap, readily available hardware. In our case, coming from EdgeOS, the config structure was very familiar. It is very stable. We have been using it increasingly for ~2 years now on an eBGP network and have zero issues. 23 of our 50+ sites have transitioned to VyOS. Every VyOS router we have installed I have walked away from and never came back for a problem. They simply just do what they are supposed to and don't break. We now have 5, and soon a 6th site with multi-gig capacity using the MS-01 hardware. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I cannot honestly think of any downside or reason to not consider VyOS. But I would say that we do not ask a lot of our routers. Basic eBGP, DHCP, and now soon, IPV6. So we are not using a lot of the other features that may have issues that we are not aware of. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Open-Source Flexibility:

VyOS offers enterprise-grade routing, firewall, and VPN capabilities in a fully open-source platform. You can customize and automate almost everything using scripts or APIs, which makes it great for labs, ISPs, and advanced network setups.

Unified CLI & Consistent Configuration:

The command-line interface is very clean and consistent (inspired by JunOS/EdgeOS). It’s easy to learn and manage even complex network topologies once you get used to the syntax.

Wide Feature Set:

Supports dynamic routing (BGP, OSPF, RIP), VPNs (IPSec, OpenVPN, WireGuard), NAT, QoS, VLANs, and high-availability — all in one system without needing extra licensing.

Runs Anywhere:

VyOS works on bare metal, VMs, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), making it very flexible for hybrid environments. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Steeper Learning Curve for Beginners:

While powerful, VyOS is less beginner-friendly compared to GUI-based routers or firewalls. Everything must be configured via CLI or scripts.

Limited Official Support in Free Version:

Enterprise-grade support and LTS builds are behind a subscription. The free rolling release can occasionally have bugs or unstable updates.

Documentation Gaps:

Some advanced features lack detailed or up-to-date documentation, so troubleshooting can take time or require digging through community forums.

No Native Web GUI:

There’s no built-in graphical interface, which might be a downside for teams that prefer visual management tools. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I appreciate that VyOS is open source, which is a crucial factor for us because it prevents vendor lock-in and allows us flexibility. Its open-source nature also ensures that we are not tied to expensive recurring software subscriptions that come with hardware solutions from major network hardware providers. This gives us the advantage of using commodity hardware that is cost-effective, allowing us to create high-performance routers without the high costs. Additionally, VyOS has a comprehensive set of features that suit our needs, making it a practical choice for our operations. I find VyOS easy to use, which facilitates a smooth transition and operations without the steep learning curve that might be expected with complex network solutions. This ease of use was evident when my colleague, previously accustomed to Cisco and Huawei routers, could get up to speed with VyOS in just two days. VyOS's design alleviates our concerns with hardware maintenance and scaling issues, allowing us to upgrade and extend our network capabilities efficiently without facing downtime or hefty costs of replacing physical routers. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I find the lack of a dedicated interface in VyOS a bit challenging. The documentation could be improved to be more comprehensive, even though support helps to resolve issues. Additionally, there's limited marketing and publicity around VyOS, which affects awareness. This lack of visibility means colleagues are often unfamiliar with it, making it difficult to hire people who already have the necessary knowledge. Recruitment becomes challenging because the talent pool familiar with VyOS is not plentiful. Also, VYOS being a niche product, makes it hard to explain to bank customers why we are using such a uncommon product. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

VyOS gives you a proper network OS without vendor drama. Solid routing (FRR under the hood), a clean declarative config system, easy automation, runs anywhere like bare metal, VM, cloud, containers. For labs, PoCs, branch routers, tunnels, it feels powerful and lightweight at the same time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It’s still a community-driven distro, so support isn’t like calling TAC at 3 a.m. Some features lag behind big vendors, and upgrades sometimes feel a bit “Linux-y” rather than appliance-smooth. GUI basically doesn’t exist; you live in CLI and API. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I like most about VyOS is how clean and easy the interface feels. It gives me all the advanced network features I need, but without feeling heavy or complicated. It’s reliable, flexible, and just makes networking tasks feel smoother. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

If I had to pick something, it would be the documentation. It’s good, but not always beginner-friendly. Sometimes I have to dig through forums or GitHub issues to understand how something works. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It’s stable, flexible, and provides the features I need without unnecessary complexity. I also like that it’s easy to manage and configure. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Some features can feel a bit limited or require extra setup, and there’s a learning curve for certain configurations. Occasional documentation gaps can also make troubleshooting slower. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.