Port 6640Open vSwitch Database (OVSDB)

Open vSwitch uses OVSDB to manage switch configuration and state over JSON-RPC on TCP port 6640.

transport: tcp
in transit: cleartext
assignment: official
risk: 8/10
lookups: 0

also known as RFC 7047

Technical Details

what runs on :6640

OVSDB is the database management protocol specified in RFC 7047. It runs over TCP and exchanges UTF-8 JSON-RPC messages, framed as newline-terminated JSON objects; there is no separate protocol handshake before JSON-RPC requests. Clients can discover schemas and databases, monitor changes, and submit transactions to read or modify records. TCP port 6640 is the conventional plaintext endpoint; deployments may use TLS on port 6641 instead.

Security Information

exposure of :6640

risk score

8/ 10risk

treat as sensitive. widely scanned and regularly exploited when reachable — restrict it to known sources.

databases averages 3.8 across 152 ports — this one sits 4.2 above.

in transit

cleartext

credentials and payloads are readable by anyone on path

assignment

official

registered with iana for this service — scanners fingerprint it by number

reachable over

tcp

every listening transport is another surface to filter at the edge

security overview

This is a switch-management database interface: a client with sufficient access can inspect or change network configuration, including bridges, ports, and controller settings. Plain TCP on 6640 is not encrypted and OVSDB has no built-in password exchange, so do not expose it to untrusted networks; restrict reachability and use TLS with appropriate client authentication and access controls where remote management is needed.

Record

iana registry entry

port: :6640
service: Open vSwitch Database (OVSDB)
transport: TCP
encryption: cleartext
assignment: iana registered
risk: 8/10risk
category: Databases Network Services
usage: Open vSwitch's `ovsdb-server` listens here to let management tools and other OVS components read and update switch configuration. Engineers commonly encounter it on hosts or appliances running Open vSwitch; it is a management interface, not ordinary application traffic.
lookups: 0rank 993
added: 2026-10-11
updated: 2026-10-11
references: IANA service name registry — port 6640
RFC 7047

Something wrong?

This record is maintained by the engineers who use port 6640. Every field on it is editable — change what's wrong, say how you know, and a reviewer publishes it, usually within a minute. Last touched 2026-10-11.

01edit any field on a page of its own
02a model checks it for accuracy and spam
03clean and confident goes live immediately

edit this record →back to the registry

Related Ports

all 152 in databases →

the 8 most looked-up other ports in databases — 152 ports carry that label.

port	service	proto	category	risk	views
:8882	Atlasz Secure App Server	TCP	Web Services	caution	66.9k
:9001	ETL Service Manager	TCPUDP	Databases	caution	28.6k
:2484	Oracle SSL Listener	TCPUDPtls	Security	caution	25.0k
:5495	Applix TM1 Admin	TCP	Databases	caution	24.8k
:591	FileMaker Web Sharing	TCP	Web Services	caution	23.1k
:1521	Oracle TNS Listener	TCP	Security	caution	19.6k
:21001	AMLFilter Admin	TCP	Security	caution	19.2k
:18206	Audition FAM DB	TCPUDP	Databases	caution	19.1k

risk mix of the 8 listed

caution100%

1 of 8 encrypted

Port :6640Open vSwitch Database (OVSDB)

Technical Details

Security Information

Related Ports

Port 6640Open vSwitch Database (OVSDB)