ovs

library3.7.1pypypi✓ verified 85d ago

Official Python bindings for Open vSwitch (OVS), version 3.7.1. Provides APIs for interacting with OVS daemons via JSON-RPC, managing OpenFlow, and configuring virtual switches. Released quarterly, used primarily in SDN/NFV environments.

http-networking devops database

pip install ovs

package ↗homepage ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · OVS

ovs

http-networkingpythonv3.7.1

Install

2.8s avg

Import

37ms

Disk

19MB

Pass rate

10/ 10

Env Coverage10 / 10

glibc

3.9–3.13

musl

3.9–3.13

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v3.7.1 · pip install

no network on importno background threads

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

py 3.10–3.910 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 0.0s · import 0.039s · 21MB

glibc

py 3.10–3.910 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 2.8s · import 0.034s · 22MB

19MB installed

● package 19MB

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

vlog

✓ from ovs import vlog

vlog is a top-level module for logging

jsonrpc

✓ from ovs import jsonrpc

JSON-RPC utilities

✓ from ovs import db

Database access (OVSDB)

ovsdb

✓ from ovs import ovsdb

High-level OVSDB client

flow

✓ from ovs import flow

Flow table utilities

poll_loop

✓ from ovs import poll_loop

Event loop

posix

✓ from ovs import posix

POSIX socket helpers

poller

✓ from ovs import poller

Polling utilities

process

✓ from ovs import process

Process management

sFlow

✓ from ovs import sFlow

sFlow remote configuration

stream

✓ from ovs import stream

Stream abstraction (TCP/SSL/Unix)

timeval

✓ from ovs import timeval

Time utilities

unixctl

✓ from ovs import unixctl

Unix control socket

util

✓ from ovs import util

Miscellaneous utilities

version

✓ from ovs import version

Version info

Minimal example connecting to OVSDB via JSON-RPC and sending an echo request.

from ovs import vlog from ovs import jsonrpc from ovs import stream import ovs.unixctl import sys # Example: connect to a remote OVSDB server via JSON-RPC if __name__ == '__main__': # Initialize logging vlog.init() # Create a stream to OVSDB (passing connection string) # For SSL: ssl:127.0.0.1:6632 # For TCP: tcp:127.0.0.1:6640 # For Unix: unix:/var/run/openvswitch/db.sock remote = 'tcp:127.0.0.1:6640' new_stream, error = stream.Stream.open_block( stream.Stream.open(remote)) if error: sys.stderr.write('Failed to connect: %s\n' % error) sys.exit(1) rpc = jsonrpc.Connection(new_stream) # Send a JSON-RPC echo request request = jsonrpc.Message.create_request('echo', []) rpc.send(request) reply, error = rpc.recv_block() if error: sys.stderr.write('Error: %s\n' % error) else: print('Reply: %s' % reply) rpc.close()

ovs-vsctl --version

Debug

Known issues

gotchaThe ovs library is not a high-level Python SDK. It is a thin wrapper around OVS internal C libraries. Many functions require deep understanding of OVS internals. Do not expect a user-friendly API.

fix

For simpler OVS interactions, consider using ovsdb-client (command-line) or a third-party library like python-ovs.

affects: all

deprecatedThe ovs.appctl and ovs.daemon modules are deprecated and may be removed in future versions. Use ovs.unixctl instead.

fix

Replace 'from ovs import appctl' with 'from ovs import unixctl'.

affects: >=3.0

breakingPython 2 support removed in ovs 3.0. If you are on Python 2, you must use ovs 2.x.

fix

Upgrade to Python 3.6+ and use ovs>=3.0.

affects: >=3.0

gotchaThe ovs library uses a custom event loop (poll_loop). Mixing with other event loops (e.g., asyncio, gevent) requires careful integration. Do not assume thread safety.

fix

Use ovs event loop exclusively or offload OVS operations to a separate process.

affects: all

gotchaAll OVS library functions expecting a 'bridge' name or 'port' name assume the exact OVS internal naming. Renaming a bridge via the library after creation is not supported.

fix

Use the OVS command-line tools for management operations like bridge renaming.

affects: all

Errors

Common errors & fixes

AttributeError: module 'ovs' has no attribute 'appctl'

The appctl module was deprecated and removed in ovs 3.0.

fix

Use 'from ovs import unixctl' instead.

ImportError: cannot import name 'ovsdb' from 'ovs' (unknown location)

The ovsdb module is not always included in pip packages; it is part of the full OVS source distribution.

fix

Install OVS from source or use 'from ovs import db' for lower-level OVSDB access.

OSError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/var/run/openvswitch/db.sock'

The OVS daemon (ovsdb-server) is not running or the socket path is wrong.

fix

Start ovsdb-server: 'sudo service openvswitch-switch start'. Then check socket location with 'ovsdb-tool show-log'.

AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'recv_block'

Stream.open_block() returned an error, and rpc is None.

fix

Check the connection parameters. Use 'tcp:127.0.0.1:6640' or 'unix:/var/run/openvswitch/db.sock'.

Upgrade

Version history

3.7.1latest on PyPI · released Mar 31, 2026

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

7 hits · last 30 days

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Resources

packagehttps://pypi.org/project/ovs/ ↗

homepagehttp://www.openvswitch.org/ ↗