---
id: ovsdbapp
version: "2.18.0"
license: Apache-2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# ovsdbapp — A library for creating OVSDB applications

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 132.2K/mo

## What it is and what it does

ovsdbapp is a Python library that simplifies building applications that interact with Open vSwitch's OVSDB database. It wraps the lower-level ovs library and adds a thread-based event loop and transaction support, making it easier to work with OVSDB's protocol (RFC 7047) without managing raw socket communication or event handling manually.

The library is designed for OpenStack environments and system administrators who need to programmatically configure or monitor Open vSwitch instances. It handles the complexity of OVSDB's asynchronous communication model, allowing developers to write synchronous-style code with transactions that either succeed or fail atomically.

Use it for:

- Building OpenStack neutron agents or plugins that need to configure Open vSwitch ports and bridges.
- Writing monitoring or management tools that query OVSDB for network configuration state.
- Automating Open vSwitch setup and configuration in infrastructure-as-code workflows.
- Creating custom network control applications that need reliable transactional updates to OVSDB.

## Worth the install?

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

A library for building applications that communicate with Open vSwitch via the OVSDB protocol, wrapping the ovs library with an event loop and transaction support.

Yes, if you are building applications that interact with Open vSwitch. The library is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries a permissive Apache license, and solves a real problem for OpenStack and network infrastructure tooling. Not relevant for projects that do not use Open vSwitch.

## Install

pip install ovsdbapp
uv add ovsdbapp
poetry add ovsdbapp

## Installing ovsdbapp

Before you install: Low install friction with four runtime dependencies. Actively maintained as of 80 days ago, supporting current Python versions (3.10–3.13).

License in practice: Apache-2.0 permissive license allows use in most commercial and open-source projects without significant restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install ovsdbapp

from ovsdbapp.backend.ovs_idl import OvsdbIdl

idl = OvsdbIdl('unix:/var/run/openvswitch/db.sock', 'Open_vSwitch')

Requires Open vSwitch to be installed and running; OVSDB socket path must be accessible.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the library is actively maintained beyond the 80-day release window or if that represents a stable release cycle.
- Specific performance characteristics or scalability limits for transaction throughput.
- Whether fixtures, netaddr, ovs, and pbr dependencies are all required at runtime or if some are optional.

## Package facts

- License: Apache-2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 132.2K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

ovsdb protocol client, open vswitch database library, ovs communication wrapper, ovsdb transaction support, open vswitch python api, open-vswitch, network-management, openstack

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