---
id: ovs
version: "3.7.1"
license: Apache 2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# ovs — Open vSwitch library

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 77.9K/mo

## What it is and what it does

The ovs package is the official Python language binding for Open vSwitch, developed in-tree as part of the Open vSwitch project. It provides low-level access to OVSDB (the Open vSwitch Database) through JSON-RPC communication, allowing you to query and manipulate virtual network switch configuration programmatically. The package includes modules for schema inspection, database transactions via the OVSDB IDL (Interface Definition Language), and network stream communication.

Typical use involves connecting to an OVSDB server (locally via Unix socket or remotely via TCP), retrieving schema information, and iterating over database tables such as bridges, ports, and interfaces. The package depends on sortedcontainers for efficient data structures and pywin32 for platform-specific functionality. Installation requires a source build, which can introduce friction on systems without a C compiler or necessary build tools.

Use it for:

- Query and monitor Open vSwitch database schema and network topology (bridges, ports, interfaces) from a Python application.
- Automate virtual network switch configuration and management tasks via JSON-RPC without invoking ovs-vsctl command-line tools.
- Build network orchestration or SDN (Software-Defined Networking) controllers that need programmatic access to OVS state.
- Inspect OVSDB schema locally from vswitch.ovsschema files or remotely via TCP/Unix socket connections.
- Implement custom network flow parsing and analysis tools using the optional flow parsing library extra.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides official Python bindings for Open vSwitch, enabling programmatic access to OVSDB (Open vSwitch Database) and network switch configuration via JSON-RPC.

Yes, if you are building tooling for Open vSwitch environments and can tolerate high install friction. The package is production-stable, actively maintained, and permissively licensed. However, installation requires a source build and platform-specific dependencies; verify your build environment has necessary tools before attempting install. Not suitable for lightweight or quick-start use cases.

## Install

pip install ovs
uv add ovs
poetry add ovs

## Installing ovs

Before you install: High install friction due to a source distribution requirement (ovs-3.7.1.tar.gz). Depends on sortedcontainers and pywin32, which may require compilation or platform-specific setup. Package is actively maintained and marked Production/Stable.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache 2.0 (permissive), allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions. You must include a copy of the license and state any modifications.

Quickstart:

pip install ovs

import ovs.db.idl
import ovs.dirs

schema_path = f'{ovs.dirs.PKGDATADIR}/vswitch.ovsschema'
schema_helper = ovs.db.idl.SchemaHelper(schema_path)
schema_helper.register_all()
idl = ovs.db.idl.Idl('tcp:127.0.0.1:6640', schema_helper)

Requires Open vSwitch to be installed and running on the target system; high install friction from source distribution and platform-specific dependencies (pywin32).

Verify before relying:

- Whether pywin32 dependency is required on all platforms or only Windows; documentation does not clarify conditional dependency handling.
- Exact Python version support range; requires_python is unspecified despite classifiers listing 3.7.
- Whether the optional flow parsing extra (ovs[flow]) adds significant additional dependencies beyond sortedcontainers and pywin32.

## Package facts

- License: Apache 2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 77.9K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

open vswitch python bindings, ovsdb client library, network switch control python, json-rpc ovsdb interface, ovs database access, virtual switch management, openvswitch python api, network-management, sdn, ovsdb

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