Binary, compressed, and encrypted (in newer RouterOS versions).
If your goal is to read the configuration manually or move settings to a different model, you should use an instead of a Backup. How to Read Router backup File (.backup) - MikroTik Forum open mikrotik backup file
After unpacking a backup with RouterOS-Backup-Tools , you will have a collection of .dat and .idx files with names like user.dat , interface.dat , or firewall.dat . While these are still in a binary format, the community has done significant work to document the structure of these files. The idx file acts as an index, organizing entries, while the dat file contains the corresponding data. Extremely determined and technical users can create their own scripts to parse this binary data based on known schemas. While these are still in a binary format,
Do you know the that was set when the file was created? Share public link Do you know the that was set when the file was created