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Container and local development with mssql-django

This guide covers environment setup for Django developers working with the mssql-django backend across Windows, Linux, macOS, Docker containers, devcontainers, and CI pipelines.

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.10 through 3.14. Django 6.0 and 6.1 require Python 3.12 and later versions.
  • Docker Desktop (for container-based development)
  • Microsoft ODBC Driver 17 or 18 for SQL Server when you use the default pyodbc path. See Download ODBC Driver for SQL Server.
  • A base image compatible with the required mssql-python package: Windows x64, Windows ARM64 with Python 3.11 and later versions, macOS 15 and later versions, or Linux x64/ARM64 with glibc 2.28 and later versions or musl 1.2 and later versions. SUSE Linux on ARM64 isn't supported.

The mssql-python path doesn't require a separate Microsoft ODBC Driver for SQL Server install. It still needs the unixODBC runtime, because the backend imports pyodbc when Django loads it. For more information, see Select the database driver for mssql-django.

The sqlcmd (Go) utility can create a SQL Server container in a single command. It handles the Docker image pull, password generation, port assignment, and connection context automatically:

sqlcmd create mssql --accept-eula

To create a container with a sample database already attached:

sqlcmd create mssql --accept-eula --using https://aka.ms/AdventureWorksLT.bak

After creation, sqlcmd stores the connection context so you can query immediately:

sqlcmd query "SELECT @@VERSION"

Configure Django to connect using the connection details that sqlcmd printed at creation. Use sqlcmd config view to retrieve them later:

DATABASES = {
    "default": {
        "ENGINE": "mssql",
        "NAME": "master",
        "USER": "sa",
        "PASSWORD": "<password from sqlcmd output>",
        "HOST": "localhost",
        "PORT": "1433",
        "OPTIONS": {
            "driver": "ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server",
            "extra_params": "TrustServerCertificate=yes",
        },
    },
}

When you're done, stop or delete the container:

sqlcmd stop
sqlcmd delete

Tip

Run sqlcmd create mssql --user-database mydb to create a container with an empty user database ready for development.

Local SQL Server in Visual Studio Code

The MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code can create local SQL Server containers directly from the editor:

  1. Open the SQL Server view in the Activity Bar.
  2. Select Add Connection > Create Local SQL Server (or use the Command Palette: MS SQL: Create Local SQL Server).
  3. Choose the SQL Server version and accept the EULA.
  4. The extension pulls the container image, generates a password, and adds a connection profile automatically.

Once the container is running, you can browse databases, run queries, and manage objects in Visual Studio Code before switching to your Django code.

Local SQL Server with Docker

If you prefer to manage containers directly, the official SQL Server container image works with two environment variables:

docker run -e "ACCEPT_EULA=Y" -e "MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD=<strong_password>" \
  -p 1433:1433 --name sql1 \
  -d mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2022-latest

Important

Use MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD for SQL Server containers. The older SA_PASSWORD variable is deprecated. The password must meet SQL Server complexity requirements: at least 8 characters, with uppercase, lowercase, digits, and special characters.

Wait a few seconds for the container to start, then run migrations:

python manage.py migrate
python manage.py createsuperuser

Dockerfile for Django applications

Create a minimal Dockerfile for a Django application that connects to SQL Server through the default pyodbc path. The ODBC driver is the key dependency that doesn't come with the Python base image:

FROM python:3.12-slim

# Install ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server
RUN apt-get update && \
    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends curl gnupg2 && \
    curl -fsSL https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | \
        gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/microsoft-prod.gpg && \
    echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/microsoft-prod.gpg] https://packages.microsoft.com/debian/12/prod bookworm main" > \
        /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mssql-release.list && \
    apt-get update && \
    ACCEPT_EULA=Y apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends msodbcsql18 unixodbc-dev && \
    apt-get purge -y curl gnupg2 && \
    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

WORKDIR /app
COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt

COPY . .

# Collect static files
RUN python manage.py collectstatic --noinput

EXPOSE 8000
CMD ["gunicorn", "myproject.wsgi:application", "--bind", "0.0.0.0:8000"]

Important

Don't add apt-get autoremove -y after the purge. It removes libgssapi-krb5-2, which the ODBC driver loads at run time but doesn't declare as a dependency. The build still succeeds, and every connection then fails. The pyodbc error is misleading: version 18 fails to load, mssql-django falls back to version 17, and the error names the missing version 17 rather than the version 18 that failed.

Your requirements.txt:

django>=5.2,<6.2
mssql-django>=2.0
gunicorn>=22.0

If your database alias uses the mssql-python driver path with "python_driver": "mssql_python", you still need unixODBC, because the backend imports pyodbc when Django loads it. You don't need the Microsoft package repository or msodbcsql18, so the ODBC installation block shrinks to:

RUN apt-get update && \
    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends unixodbc libkrb5-3 libgssapi-krb5-2 && \
    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

Build and run:

docker build -t mydjango .
docker run -e "DB_HOST=host.docker.internal" -e "DB_NAME=<database>" \
  -e "DB_USER=<user_id>" -e "DB_PASSWORD=<password>" \
  -p 8000:8000 mydjango

Note

Use host.docker.internal on Docker Desktop (Windows and macOS) to reach a SQL Server on the host machine. On Linux, use --network host instead.

Devcontainer setup

Create a .devcontainer/devcontainer.json for Visual Studio Code that includes SQL Server as a sidecar service:

{
    "name": "Django + SQL Server",
    "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/python:3",
    "features": {
        "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/docker-in-docker:2": {}
    },
    "workspaceFolder": "/workspaces/${localWorkspaceFolderBasename}",
    "postCreateCommand": "bash .devcontainer/post-create.sh",
    "forwardPorts": [1433, 8000],
    "customizations": {
        "vscode": {
            "extensions": [
                "ms-python.python",
                "ms-mssql.mssql"
            ]
        }
    }
}

This devcontainer installs the ODBC driver for the default pyodbc path and Python dependencies but doesn't include a SQL Server instance. Start one inside the devcontainer using sqlcmd create mssql --accept-eula (since Docker-in-Docker is available) or use the Docker Compose approach for a built-in SQL Server service. If you use the mssql-python path, replace the msodbcsql18 install in the post-create script with sudo apt-get install -y unixodbc libkrb5-3 libgssapi-krb5-2.

Create .devcontainer/post-create.sh to install the ODBC driver for pyodbc and Python dependencies:

#!/bin/bash
set -e

# Install ODBC Driver 18
curl -fsSL https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | \
    sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/microsoft-prod.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/microsoft-prod.gpg] https://packages.microsoft.com/debian/12/prod bookworm main" | \
    sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mssql-release.list
sudo apt-get update
sudo ACCEPT_EULA=Y apt-get install -y msodbcsql18 unixodbc-dev

pip install -r requirements.txt

Include SQL Server with Docker Compose

To include SQL Server as a service in the devcontainer, use Docker Compose:

.devcontainer/docker-compose.yml:

services:
  app:
    image: mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/python:3
    volumes:
      - ..:/workspace:cached
    command: sleep infinity
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2022-latest
    environment:
      ACCEPT_EULA: "Y"
      MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD: "<strong_password>"
    ports:
      - "1433:1433"

.devcontainer/devcontainer.json (Compose version):

{
    "name": "Django + SQL Server",
    "dockerComposeFile": "docker-compose.yml",
    "service": "app",
    "workspaceFolder": "/workspace",
    "postCreateCommand": "bash .devcontainer/post-create.sh",
    "customizations": {
        "vscode": {
            "extensions": [
                "ms-python.python",
                "ms-mssql.mssql"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Connect Django to the SQL Server service by name:

DATABASES = {
    "default": {
        "ENGINE": "mssql",
        "NAME": "mydb",
        "USER": "sa",
        "PASSWORD": "<password>",
        "HOST": "db",
        "PORT": "1433",
        "OPTIONS": {
            "driver": "ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server",
            "extra_params": "TrustServerCertificate=yes",
        },
    },
}

Authentication for development

Choose an authentication approach based on where your application runs and where the database is hosted.

Local development against Azure SQL

For local development against Azure SQL, use either Authentication=ActiveDirectoryDefault in OPTIONS["extra_params"] on the pyodbc path, or the TOKEN setting with DefaultAzureCredential. DefaultAzureCredential automatically picks up your az login session:

from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential

credential = DefaultAzureCredential()
token = credential.get_token("https://database.windows.net/.default").token

DATABASES = {
    "default": {
        "ENGINE": "mssql",
        "NAME": "mydb",
        "HOST": "<server>.database.windows.net",
        "PORT": "1433",
        "TOKEN": token,
        "OPTIONS": {
            "driver": "ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server",
        },
    },
}

For the full authentication matrix and cautions, see Microsoft Entra authentication with mssql-django.

Container development against Azure SQL

For containers running in Azure, use the TOKEN setting with ManagedIdentityCredential to acquire a Microsoft Entra access token explicitly:

from azure.identity import ManagedIdentityCredential

credential = ManagedIdentityCredential()
token = credential.get_token("https://database.windows.net/.default").token

DATABASES = {
  "default": {
    "ENGINE": "mssql",
    "NAME": "mydb",
    "HOST": "<server>.database.windows.net",
    "PORT": "1433",
    "TOKEN": token,
    "OPTIONS": {
      "driver": "ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server",
    },
  },
}

For a complete list of authentication methods, see Microsoft Entra authentication with mssql-django.

CI pipeline setup

Run your Django test suite against a SQL Server service container in your CI pipeline.

GitHub Actions

name: Django Tests
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    services:
      sqlserver:
        image: mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2022-latest
        env:
          ACCEPT_EULA: Y
          MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD: "<strong_password>"
        ports:
          - 1433:1433
        options: >-
          --health-cmd "/opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd -S localhost -U sa -P \"$$MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD\" -C -Q 'SELECT 1'"
          --health-interval 10s
          --health-timeout 5s
          --health-retries 5

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
        with:
          python-version: "3.12"

      - name: Install ODBC Driver for pyodbc
        run: |
          curl -fsSL https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | \
              sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/microsoft-prod.gpg
          echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/microsoft-prod.gpg] https://packages.microsoft.com/ubuntu/$(lsb_release -rs)/prod $(lsb_release -cs) main" | \
              sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mssql-release.list
          sudo apt-get update
          sudo ACCEPT_EULA=Y apt-get install -y msodbcsql18 unixodbc-dev

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: pip install -r requirements.txt

      - name: Run tests
        env:
          DB_HOST: localhost
          DB_NAME: "master"
          DB_USER: "<user_id>"
          DB_PASSWORD: "<password>"
        run: python manage.py test

Tip

For shared pipelines, replace the inline placeholder password with an encrypted secret (${{ secrets.SQL_PWD }}) and pin the SQL Server service image to a digest.

Azure Pipelines

trigger:
  - main

resources:
  containers:
    - container: sqlserver
      image: mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2022-latest
      env:
        ACCEPT_EULA: Y
        MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD: "<strong_password>"
      ports:
        - 1433:1433

pool:
  vmImage: ubuntu-latest

services:
  sqlserver: sqlserver

steps:
  - task: UsePythonVersion@0
    inputs:
      versionSpec: "3.12"

  - script: |
      curl -fsSL https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | \
          sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/microsoft-prod.gpg
      echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/microsoft-prod.gpg] https://packages.microsoft.com/ubuntu/$(lsb_release -rs)/prod $(lsb_release -cs) main" | \
          sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mssql-release.list
      sudo apt-get update
      sudo ACCEPT_EULA=Y apt-get install -y msodbcsql18 unixodbc-dev
      pip install -r requirements.txt
    displayName: Install dependencies

  - script: python manage.py test
    displayName: Run tests
    env:
      DB_HOST: "localhost"
      DB_NAME: "master"
      DB_USER: "<user_id>"
      DB_PASSWORD: "<password>"

Environment-based settings.py

Configure settings.py to read database credentials from environment variables. This single configuration works across local development, Docker, and CI:

import os

DATABASES = {
    "default": {
        "ENGINE": "mssql",
        "NAME": os.environ.get("DB_NAME", "mydb"),
        "USER": os.environ.get("DB_USER", ""),
        "PASSWORD": os.environ.get("DB_PASSWORD", ""),
        "HOST": os.environ.get("DB_HOST", "localhost"),
        "PORT": os.environ.get("DB_PORT", "1433"),
        "OPTIONS": {
            "driver": "ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server",
            "extra_params": os.environ.get("DB_EXTRA_PARAMS", "TrustServerCertificate=yes"),
        },
    },
}

Store credentials in a .env file for local development (add .env to .gitignore):

DB_HOST=localhost
DB_NAME=mydb
DB_USER=<user_id>
DB_PASSWORD=<password>

Load environment variables with django-environ or python-dotenv:

pip install django-environ

import environ

env = environ.Env()
environ.Env.read_env()  # Reads .env from the directory holding this settings file

DATABASES = {
    "default": {
        "ENGINE": "mssql",
        "NAME": env("DB_NAME"),
        "USER": env("DB_USER", default=""),
        "PASSWORD": env("DB_PASSWORD", default=""),
        "HOST": env("DB_HOST", default="localhost"),
        "PORT": env("DB_PORT", default="1433"),
        "OPTIONS": {
            "driver": "ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server",
            "extra_params": env("DB_EXTRA_PARAMS", default="TrustServerCertificate=yes"),
        },
    },
}

Caution

Never commit .env files to source control. Add .env to your .gitignore file.

Troubleshoot common container issues

Symptom Cause Fix
Can't open lib 'ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server' ODBC driver not installed in the container for the pyodbc path, or apt-get autoremove stripped libgssapi-krb5-2 after the install. Install msodbcsql18 in your Dockerfile or post-create script, and don't run apt-get autoremove afterward.
Can't open lib 'ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server' when you installed version 18 Version 18 is registered but fails to load, so mssql-django falls back to version 17, which isn't installed. The usual cause is a missing libgssapi-krb5-2. Install libgssapi-krb5-2, and don't run apt-get autoremove after purging curl.
Error loading pyodbc module: libodbc.so.2 The container has no unixODBC runtime. The backend imports pyodbc when Django loads it, even on the mssql-python path. Install unixodbc (or unixodbc-dev).
DDBC Error: Failed to load the driver The mssql-python driver can't load its own dependencies. Install libkrb5-3 and libgssapi-krb5-2.
Connection refused on port 1433 SQL Server container not ready. Add a health check or wait for the service to start.
Login failed for user '<user_id>' Credentials are incorrect or password doesn't meet complexity requirements. On the mssql-python path, a database that doesn't exist raises this same message. Use the correct SQL login for your container, and ensure the password meets complexity requirements. If the login is correct, confirm the database in NAME exists.
Cannot open database Database doesn't exist yet. The pyodbc path reports this case; the mssql-python path reports Login failed instead. Create the database before running migrate, or use master for initial setup.
Slow first connection in container DNS resolution or credential chain startup. For local SQL Server, use localhost instead of a hostname.
SSL Provider: [error:0A000086] TLS certificate validation failure with self-signed cert. Add TrustServerCertificate=yes to extra_params for development only.

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