Run Microsoft Sql Server On Mac Using Docker
- Nov 19, 2018 Running SQL Server natively on a Mac or on Linux was always a huge April fool. But with the introduction of Docker, and the SQL Server support for it, it’s now real. You can now run natively SQL Server on the Mac, and with the help of Azure Data Studio you can even access SQL Server with a native MacOS application.
- This tutorial demonstrates how to move and restore a SQL Server backup file into a SQL Server 2017 Linux container image running on Docker. This tutorial demonstrates how to move and restore a SQL Server backup file into a SQL Server 2019 Linux container image running on Docker. Pull and run the.
- 9 days ago SQL Server (from 2017) can be run on Docker in its own isolated container. Once Docker is installed, you simply download — or “pull” — the SQL Server on Linux Docker Image to your Mac, then run it as a Docker container. This container is an isolated environment that contains everything SQL Server needs to run. Launch Docker.
- Jul 16, 2019 You can now develop applications or services that can run on Windows, Mac, and even Linux. But what about database technologies? Many.NET-focused developers tend to lean towards using Microsoft SQL Server for their relational database needs. But SQL Server, for as long as many people can remember, can only run on a Windows platform.
Here I’ll show you how to get SQL Server up and running on your Mac in less than half an hour. And the best part is, you’ll have SQL Server running locally without needing any virtualization software.
Prior to SQL Server 2017, if you wanted to run SQL Server on your Mac, you first had to create a virtual machine (using VirtualBox, Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, or Bootcamp), then install Windows onto that VM, then finally SQL Server. This is still a valid option depending on your requirements (here’s how to install SQL Server on a Mac with VirtualBox if you’d like to try that method).
Starting with SQL Server 2017, you can now install SQL Server directly on to a Linux machine. And because macOS is Unix based (and Linux is Unix based), you can run SQL Server for Linux on your Mac. The way to do this is to run SQL Server on Docker.
Install and Run SQL Server Docker Container on Mac. Like most people, I use Mac, Windows as well Linux OS for development and testing purposes. Primarily I use Mac for Development purpose. I have few projects which uses SQL Server as Data Storage Layer.
So let’s go ahead and install Docker. Then we’ll download and install SQL Server.
Run Microsoft Sql Server On Mac Using Docker Windows 10
Install Docker
Download the (free) Docker Community Edition for Mac (unless you’ve already got it installed on your system). This will enable you to run SQL Server from within a Docker container.
To download, visit the Docker CE for Mac download page and click Get Docker.
To install, double-click on the .dmg file and then drag the Docker.app icon to your Application folder.
What is Docker?
Docker is a platform that enables software to run in its own isolated environment. SQL Server (from 2017) can be run on Docker in its own isolated container. Once Docker is installed, you simply download — or “pull” — the SQL Server on Linux Docker Image to your Mac, then run it as a Docker container. This container is an isolated environment that contains everything SQL Server needs to run.
Launch Docker
Launch Docker the same way you’d launch any other application (eg, via the Applications folder, the Launchpad, etc).
When you open Docker, you might be prompted for your password so that Docker can install its networking components and links to the Docker apps. Go ahead and provide your password, as Docker needs this to run.
Increase the Memory
By default, Docker will have 2GB of memory allocated to it. SQL Server needs at least 3.25GB. To be safe, increase it to 4GB if you can.
To do this:
- Select Preferences from the little Docker icon in the top menu
- Slide the memory slider up to at least 4GB
- Click Apply & Restart
Download SQL Server
Now that Docker is installed and its memory has been increased, we can download and install SQL Server for Linux.
Open a Terminal window and run the following command.
This downloads the latest SQL Server 2019 for Linux Docker image to your computer.
You can also check for the latest container version on the Docker website if you wish.
Update: When I first wrote this article, I used the following image:
Which downloaded SQL Server 2017. Therefore, the examples below reflect that version.
Launch the Docker Image
Run the following command to launch an instance of the Docker image you just downloaded:
But of course, use your own name and password. Also, if you downloaded a different Docker image, replace
microsoft/mssql-server-linux
with the one you downloaded.Here’s an explanation of the parameters:
-d
- This optional parameter launches the Docker container in daemon mode. This means that it runs in the background and doesn’t need its own Terminal window open. You can omit this parameter to have the container run in its own Terminal window.
--name sql_server_demo
- Another optional parameter. This parameter allows you to name the container. This can be handy when stopping and starting your container from the Terminal.
-e 'ACCEPT_EULA=Y'
- The
Y
shows that you agree with the EULA (End User Licence Agreement). This is required in order to have SQL Server for Linux run on your Mac. -e 'SA_PASSWORD=reallyStrongPwd123'
- Required parameter that sets the
sa
database password. -p 1433:1433
- This maps the local port 1433 to port 1433 on the container. This is the default TCP port that SQL Server uses to listen for connections.
microsoft/mssql-server-linux
- This tells Docker which image to use. If you downloaded a different one, use it instead.
Password Strength
If you get the following error at this step, try again, but with a stronger password.
I received this error when using
reallyStrongPwd
as the password (but of course, it’s not a really strong password!). I was able to overcome this by adding some numbers to the end. However, if it wasn’t just a demo I’d definitely make it stronger than a few dictionary words and numbers.Check the Docker container (optional)
You can type the following command to check that the Docker container is running.
If it’s up and running, it should return something like this:
Install sql-cli (unless already installed)
Run the following command to install the sql-cli command line tool. This tool allows you to run queries and other commands against your SQL Server instance.
This assumes you have NodeJs installed. If you don’t, download it from Nodejs.org first. Installing NodeJs will automatically install npm which is what we use in this command to install sql-cli.
Permissions Error?
If you get an error, and part of it reads something like
Please try running this command again as root/Administrator
, try again, but this time prependsudo
to your command:Connect to SQL Server
Now that sql-cli is installed, we can start working with SQL Server via the Terminal window on our Mac.
Connect to SQL Server using the
mssql
command, followed by the username and password parameters.You should see something like this:
This means you’ve successfully connected to your instance of SQL Server.
Run a Quick Test
Run a quick test to check that SQL Server is up and running and you can query it.
For example, you can run the following command to see which version of SQL Server your running:
If it’s running, you should see something like this (but of course, this will depend on which version you’re running):
If you see a message like this, congratulations — SQL Server is now up and running on your Mac!
A SQL Server GUI for your Mac – Azure Data Studio
Azure Data Studio (formerly SQL Operations Studio) is a free GUI management tool that you can use to manage SQL Server on your Mac. You can use it to create and manage databases, write queries, backup and restore databases, and more.
Azure Data Studio is available on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Here are some articles/tutorials I’ve written for Azure Data Studio:
Another Free SQL Server GUI – DBeaver
Another SQL Server GUI tool that you can use on your Mac (and Windows/Linux/Solaris) is DBeaver.
DBeaver is a free, open source database management tool that can be used on most database management systems (such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, SQLite, Oracle, DB2, SQL Server, Sybase, Microsoft Access, Teradata, Firebird, Derby, and more).
DBeaver using the “Dark” theme.
I wrote a little introduction to DBeaver, or you can go straight to the DBeaver download page and try it out with your new SQL Server installation.
Limitations of SQL Server for Linux/Mac
SQL Server 2017 for Linux does have some limitations (at least, in its initial release). The Linux release doesn’t include many of the extra services that are available in the Windows release, such as Analysis Services, Reporting Services, etc. Here’s a list of what’s available and what’s not on SQL Server 2017 for Linux.
Another limitation is that SQL Server Management Studio is not available on Mac or Linux. SSMS a full-blown GUI management for SQL Server, and it provides many more features than Azure Data Studio and DBeaver (at least at the time of writing). You can still use SSMS on a Windows machine to connect to SQL Server on a Linux or Mac machine, but you just can’t install it locally on the Linux or Mac machine.
If you need any of the features not supported in SQL Server for Linux, you’ll need SQL Server for Windows. However, you can still run SQL Server for Windows on your Mac by using virtualization software. Here’s how to install SQL Server for Windows on a Mac using VirtualBox.
I previously explained how to install SQL Server on a Mac via a Docker container. When I wrote that, SQL Server 2017 was the latest version of SQL Server, and it had just been made available for Linux and Docker (which means that you can also install it on MacOS systems).
In late 2018, Microsoft announced SQL Server 2019 Preview, and subsequently announced general release in late 2019. The installation process for SQL Server 2019 is exactly the same as for SQL Server 2017. The only difference is that you need to use the container image for SQL Server 2019 instead of the 2017 image. Here I show you how to do that.
Also, if you already have SQL Server 2017 installed, and you want to install SQL Server 2019 without removing the 2017 version, you’ll need to allocate a different port number on your host. I show you how to do that too.
Docker
The first step is to install Docker. If you already have Docker installed you can skip this step (and jump straight to SQL Server).
Install Sql Server On Docker
Docker is a platform that enables software to run in its own isolated environment. Therefore, SQL Server 2019 can be run on Docker in its own isolated container.
Install Docker
To download, visit the Docker CE for Mac download page and click Get Docker.
To install, double-click on the .dmg file and then drag the Docker.app icon to your Application folder.
Docker installation on a Mac.
Launch Docker
Launch Docker the same way you’d launch any other application (eg, via the Applications folder, the Launchpad, etc).
When you open Docker, you might be prompted for your password so that Docker can install its networking components and links to the Docker apps. Go ahead and provide your password, as Docker needs this to run.
Increase the Memory
By default, Docker will have 2GB of memory allocated to it. I’d suggest increasing it to 4GB if you can.
To do this:
- Select Preferences from the little Docker icon in the top menu
- Slide the memory slider up to at least 4GB
- Click Apply & Restart
Selecting the preferences.
SQL Server
Now that Docker has been installed and configured, we can download and install SQL Server 2019.
Download SQL Server 2019
Open a Terminal window and run the following command.
This downloads the latest SQL Server for Linux Docker image to your computer.
You can also check for the various container image options on the Docker website if you wish.
Note that, at the time I wrote this article, I used the following image:
Therefore, all examples below reflect that version.
Launch the Docker Image
Run the following command to launch an instance of the Docker image you just downloaded:
Just change
Bart
to a name of your choosing, andreallyStrongPwd#123
to a password of your choosing.If you get a “port already allocated” error, see below.
Here’s an explanation of the parameters:
-e 'ACCEPT_EULA=Y'
- The
Y
shows that you agree with the EULA (End User Licence Agreement). This is required. -e 'SA_PASSWORD=reallyStrongPwd#123'
- Required parameter that sets the
sa
database password. -p 1433:1433
- This maps the local port 1433 to port 1433 on the container. The first value is the TCP port on the host environment. The second value is the TCP port in the container.
--name Bart
- Another optional parameter. This parameter allows you to name the container. This can be handy when stopping and starting your container from the Terminal. You might prefer to give it a more descriptive name like
sql_server_2019
or similar. -d
- This optional parameter launches the Docker container in daemon mode. This means that it runs in the background and doesn’t need its own Terminal window open. You can omit this parameter to have the container run in its own Terminal window.
mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2019-CTP3.2-ubuntu
- This tells Docker which image to use.
Password Strength
You need to use a strong password. Microsoft says this about the password:
The password should follow the SQL Server default password policy, otherwise the container can not setup SQL server and will stop working. By default, the password must be at least 8 characters long and contain characters from three of the following four sets: Uppercase letters, Lowercase letters, Base 10 digits, and Symbols.
Do mac computers have microsoft paint. Aug 30, 2019 Preview — the default Mac app for opening images, PDFs, and other files — comes with a few editing tools. You can draw in a similar fashion to Microsoft’s Paint, and you can add text boxes and shapes. Most people don’t know these features exist though, because they’re hidden behind a button they never think to click.
Error – “Port already allocated”?
If you get an error that says something about “port is already allocated”, then perhaps you already have SQL Server installed on another container that uses that port. In this case, you’ll need to map to a different port on the host.
Therefore, you could change the above command to something like this:
In this case I simply changed
-p 1433:1433
to-p 1400:1433
. Everything else remains the same.You may now get an error saying that you need to remove the existing container first. To do that, run the following (but swap
Bart
with the name of your own container):Once removed, you can try running the previous command again.
Note that if you change the port like I’ve done here, you will probably need to include the port number when connecting to SQL Server from any database tools from your desktop. For example, when connecting via the Azure Data Studio (mentioned below), you can connect by using
Localhost,1400
instead of justLocalhost
. Same with mssql-cli, which is a command line SQL tool.
Check Everything
Now that we’ve done that, we should be good to go. Let’s go through and run a few checks.
Check the Docker container (optional)
You can type the following command to check that the Docker container is running.
In my case I get this:
This tells me that I have two docker containers up and running: one called Bart and the other called Homer.
Connect to SQL Server
Here we use the SQL Server command line tool called “sqlcmd” inside the container to connect to SQL Server.
Enter your password if prompted.
Now that you’re inside the container, connect locally with sqlcmd:
This should bring you to the sqlcmd prompt 1>.
Run a Quick Test
Run a quick test to check that SQL Server is up and running. For example, check the SQL Server version by entering this:
This will bring you to a command prompt 2> on the next line. To execute the query, enter:
Result:
If you see a message like this, congratulations — SQL Server is now up and running on your Mac!
If you prefer to use a GUI to manage SQL Server, read on.
Azure Data Studio
The Azure Data Studio dashboard.
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, late 2014 to 2015). Microsoft office purchase options.
Azure Data Studio is a free GUI management tool that you can use to manage SQL Server on your Mac. You can use it to create and manage databases, write queries, backup and restore databases, and more.
Azure Data Studio is available on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Here are some articles/tutorials I’ve written for Azure Data Studio:
Another Free SQL Server GUI – DBeaver
Another SQL Server GUI tool that you can use on your Mac (and Windows/Linux/Solaris) is DBeaver.
DBeaver is a free, open source database management tool that can be used on most database management systems (such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, SQLite, Oracle, DB2, SQL Server, Sybase, Microsoft Access, Teradata, Firebird, Derby, and more).
I wrote a little introduction to DBeaver, or you can go straight to the DBeaver download page and try it out with your new SQL Server installation.