Tink vs VyOS
VyOS is a Debian-based router and firewall. It sits on the edge. It is not a mechanic. Tink installs in one command, watches the Linux host, explains what is wrong, and helps you fix it.
VyOS routes packets. Tink answers “why is this VPS sick?”
Accidental sysadmins land on VyOS because a cheap VM becomes “the router.” Then disk is at 91% on web-1, nginx dies, and last night's set/commit session does not say what to run. A filling /var is a Tink warning; it is not a firewall name.
Tink is the other job: detect the issue on the machine, say why it happened in plain English, propose the command, and run it only after you approve. Keep using VyOS if you already want an edge router. Use Tink if you run Linux servers and want a mechanic. They can sit in the same shop.
| Feature | Tink | VyOS |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | 30 seconds (one curl | sh command) | Install VyOS on dedicated hardware or a VM, write set/commit config, stand up BGP/NAT/VPN — then you still SSH into every Linux host when it is sick |
| What you get | Working monitoring, diagnosis, and approved fixes | Debian-based network OS — routing, firewall, VPN, FRR. Not a fleet mechanic for the servers behind it |
| Pricing | Free (Scout) / $9 / $29 per machine per month | Open source images plus optional VyOS Networks support. You still pay the person who SSHs into nginx after the outage |
| Hidden costs | None — fully managed | A second box (or VM) for the edge, rolling-release image drift, and whether anyone watched /var on the app servers |
| Monitoring approach | Agent on the server — CPU, disk, services, logs, certs, ports | Interface counters and VyOS itself. It does not watch fill time or propose a restart on the VPS behind the WAN |
| Configuration | None after install — heuristics and AI | set/commit CLI, interfaces, NAT, IPsec/WireGuard, FRR, and whether last year's prefix-list still matches the diagram |
| Plain-English diagnosis | Yes — AI explains root cause, impact, and fix | No — you read VyOS logs and then SSH into the Linux host anyway |
| Fix execution | Proposes and executes approved commands with an audit trail | Changes routing/firewall/VPN only — VyOS cannot restart nginx, free disk, or rotate a cert on the app server |
| Alerting | Built-in across 8 channels | SNMP/syslog if you wire it. A silent WAN drop is not a Telegram diagnosis of the Linux box |
| Predictive alerts | Yes — disk fills in ~6 days, memory and CPU trends | Live interface graphs only — VyOS does not forecast fill time on the hosts behind it |
| Firewall / port exposure | Built-in — warns when the host firewall is inactive or dangerous DB ports listen | Yes for WAN/LAN — that is the job. It still will not say Redis is bound to 0.0.0.0 on web-1 |
| Machine offline detection | Agent presence monitoring with multi-channel alerts | If a Linux host is down behind the LAN, VyOS still shows the WAN as up |
| Public status page | Shareable URL with 90-day history | Not included — VyOS has no customer-facing status page for your app fleet |
| Weekly fleet digest | Automated Monday digest + daily brief when issues are open | Not included — a router log is not a plain-English fleet narrative |
| On-call tracking | Built-in /oncall command + incident acknowledgment | Not included — wire something else into PagerDuty |
| Conversation interface | Telegram, WhatsApp, web dashboard, CLI | Junos-style CLI + SSH. No mechanic you text when /var filled on the VPS |
| Learning curve | None — works after install | Low to allow 443 on WAN; higher to keep BGP, NAT, VPN, and image updates honest |
| Best for | Freelancers, small teams, accidental sysadmins (1-50 Linux servers) | Operators who already want an edge router/firewall and will still SSH into every Linux host when it is sick |
When VyOS is the right choice
Keep using VyOS when you already want that exact job:
- Edge router / firewall — BGP, NAT, VPN, and FRR on dedicated hardware, not a fleet digest.
- Network appliance — VyOS is the perimeter; it is not a mechanic for the Linux hosts behind it.
- On-prem routing — site-to-site VPN and multi-WAN failover that a $9 agent will not replace.
- No conversation layer wanted — some operators prefer the VyOS CLI and will never use a mechanic.
The real cost of “just put VyOS in front”
The edge box is cheap to stand up. A working ops loop for five Linux boxes is not:
- A complete NAT map still means you SSH into each host and change the box by hand when it gets sick
- Host fill, nginx, certs, and a quiet agent never appear unless you built extra checks on the Linux side
- A filling /var is a Tink disk warning on every scan — VyOS stays an interface counter until you are looking
- A single VPS with nobody logged in still needs a mechanic, not another tunnel interface
For a 5-server team, Tink Mechanic at $45/month is cheaper than the engineer who opens VyOS logs after the outage, and every scan includes a diagnosis a quiet router will not type.
No SSH homework. No silent host. One command install.
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