# BGP Labs: Goodbye, Cumulus Linux

DevFeed: [BGP Labs: Goodbye, Cumulus Linux](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/bgp-labs-goodbye-cumulus-linux-11341.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.ipspace.net/2026/03/bgp-labs-goodbye-cumulus/>)

Published: 2026-03-18T05:30:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [ipSpace.net blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/ipspace-net-blog.md>)

Topics: [BGP](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/bgp.md>), [Containers](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/containers.md>), [Linux](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/linux.md>), [virtual machines](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/virtual-machines.md>)

Tags: [bgp](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bgp.md>), [containers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/containers.md>), [end-of-life](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/end-of-life.md>), [linux](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/linux.md>), [netlab](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/netlab.md>), [virtual-machines](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/virtual-machines.md>)

## AI overview

The author explains why the Online BGP Labs project moved away from Cumulus Linux. Problems included abandoned containers, crashes, a less suitable user interface after the NVIDIA acquisition, and discontinued or restricted Vagrant boxes. The author has now cleaned up more than 50 lab exercises, using FRRouting and Arista cEOS as alternatives.

## Source excerpt

When I started the Online BGP Labs project in mid-2023, Cumulus Linux still seemed like a good platform to use. You could run devices as virtual machines (we were still supporting VirtualBox) or in containers (containerlab was improving with every release), and it looked more polished than bare-bones FRRouting. Things only went downhill from there (from the perspective of offering a free and easy-to-use solution with a CLI resembling commonly-used devices): Read more ...