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mssql-django support and lifecycle

The mssql-django package is the official Microsoft-supported Django database backend for SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and SQL database in Microsoft Fabric. It's actively maintained on GitHub and released through PyPI. This page covers versioning, platform compatibility, and support policy.

Version support

Always use the latest release to gain new features, performance improvements, and security fixes. New capabilities are only added to the current release.

Current version

Version 2.0 is the current general availability (GA) release.

Important

Version 2.0 requires mssql-python 1.15.0 or later, even when a database alias uses pyodbc. The package installs only on platforms that have a compatible mssql-python distribution. Projects on other platforms stay on version 1.8.0.

Support status definitions

Use these status values in the version table:

Status Meaning
Current Receives new features, bug fixes, and security fixes.
Previous Historical release. Remains available but doesn't receive updates.

Version history

Version Release date Status Django versions Key features
2.0 September 2026 Current 5.2 - 6.1 Opt-in mssql-python driver, Python 3.10 - 3.14, zoneinfo replaces pytz, MARS and inspectdb fixes
1.8.0 August 2026 Previous 3.2 - 6.1 Django 6.1 support, quote_name query compiler change, foreign key introspection returns the ON DELETE rule
1.7.4 July 2026 Previous 3.2 - 6.0 GROUP BY fixes for escaped %% literals with real params and for IntegerChoices params in raw queries
1.7.3 June 2026 Previous 3.2 - 6.0 FA001 fix for Authentication= modes other than ActiveDirectoryMsi, subclassed DatabaseWrapper KeyError fix (regression from 1.7.1)
1.7.2 May 2026 Previous 3.2 - 6.0 datetimeoffset time zone fix, Now() time zone fix, .explain() compatibility fix
1.7.1 April 2026 Previous 3.2 - 6.0 SQL database in Fabric fix, descending index AlterField fix
1.7 March 2026 Previous 3.2 - 6.0 Django 6.0 support, ODBC Driver 18 default, SQL Server 2025 support
1.6 August 2025 Previous 3.2 - 5.2 Django 5.1 and 5.2 support, enhanced JSON functionality
1.5 April 2024 Previous 3.2 - 5.0 supports_comments flag, AutoField fixes
1.4 January 2024 Previous 3.2 - 5.0 Django 5.0 support, db_comment support
1.3 May 2023 Previous 3.2 - 4.2 Django 4.2 support, case-sensitive Replace
1.2 December 2022 Previous 3.2 - 4.1 Django 4.1 support, time zone support, JSONField on Azure SQL Managed Instance
1.1 July 2022 Previous 3.2 - 4.0 Initial release with Django 3.2 and 4.0 support

Versions prior to 1.1 were pre-release and aren't listed.

Important

Fixes and new features are only shipped in new releases. Older versions remain available on PyPI but aren't patched in place. To get bug fixes or security fixes, upgrade to the latest release.

For detailed release notes, see What's new in mssql-django.

Django and Python version compatibility

Each Django release supports specific Python versions. mssql-django 2.0 tests the following combinations:

Django version Python versions
6.1 3.12, 3.13, 3.14
6.0 3.12, 3.13, 3.14
5.2 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13

Django 3.2 through 5.1 and Python 3.8 and 3.9 reached end of support and aren't tested. Projects on those versions stay on mssql-django 1.8.0.

Important

Always use a supported Python version. Older Python versions don't receive security updates.

SQL Server and Azure SQL compatibility

mssql-django 2.0 supports every supported version of Microsoft SQL. A newer SQL Server major version that the backend doesn't recognize connects by using the latest capability set the backend knows about, rather than failing version validation.

Product or service Support status
SQL Server Fully supported
SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines Fully supported
Azure SQL Database Fully supported
Azure SQL Managed Instance Fully supported
SQL database in Fabric Fully supported
Microsoft Fabric Warehouse Connections only. On the pyodbc path, set MARS_Connection=no in extra_params. Django migrations and other SQL Server features aren't supported.
Azure Synapse Analytics Connections only. Django migrations and other SQL Server features aren't supported.

Database driver compatibility

mssql-django 2.0 connects through either of two Python database drivers, selected for each database alias. For more information, see Select the database driver for mssql-django.

Python driver Support status Connectivity
pyodbc Fully supported (default) Microsoft ODBC Driver 17 or 18 for SQL Server, installed separately
mssql-python Fully supported (opt in with the python_driver option) Built in, with no separate install

ODBC driver compatibility

On the pyodbc path, the backend defaults to ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server and automatically falls back to ODBC Driver 17 if version 18 isn't installed. Override the default with the driver option in your database configuration. An explicit value doesn't fall back.

ODBC driver Support status
Microsoft ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server Fully supported (default)
Microsoft ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server Fully supported (fallback)
FreeTDS ODBC driver Supported on the pyodbc path

The mssql-python path ignores the driver option.

For installation instructions, see Download ODBC Driver for SQL Server.

Operating system compatibility

mssql-django 2.0 requires mssql-python, so the package installs only where a compatible mssql-python distribution exists. That requirement applies even when every database alias uses pyodbc.

Operating system Architecture Support status
Windows 11, Windows Server 2019, 2022, and 2025 x64 Supported
Windows 11, Windows Server 2022 and 2025 ARM64 Supported with Python 3.11 and later versions
macOS 15 and later versions Intel, Apple silicon Supported
Linux with glibc 2.28 or later, such as Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04, Debian 11 and 12, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9 x64, ARM64 Supported
Linux with musl 1.2 or later, such as Alpine Linux x64, ARM64 Supported
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server ARM64 Not supported

Projects on an unsupported platform stay on mssql-django 1.8.0, which doesn't require mssql-python.

On the pyodbc path, install the Microsoft ODBC Driver for SQL Server separately. The installation steps vary by operating system. See Install mssql-django for platform-specific setup.

Feature compatibility

The following tables list Django and SQL Server features and their support status in the mssql-django backend. For more detail on unsupported features, see Limitations and unsupported features in mssql-django.

Django ORM features

Feature mssql-django support
Migrations Yes
QuerySet API Yes
JSONField Yes
bulk_create / bulk_update Yes
Database transactions Yes
inspectdb with --schema Yes
DISTINCT ON No
__regex / __iregex lookups Partial (requires CLR assembly setup; unavailable on Azure SQL Database)
SmallAutoField Yes
select_for_update() Yes (NOWAIT and SKIP_LOCKED; of not supported)
Window functions Yes
GeneratedField (computed columns) Yes (Django 5.0 and later)
CompositePrimaryKey Partial (Django 5.2 and later; see limitations)
db_comment Yes (Django 4.2 and later)
Covering indexes (include) Yes (Django 4.2 and later)
NthValue No

SQL Server features

Feature mssql-django support
Encrypted connections (TLS) Yes
Always Encrypted Yes
Microsoft Entra authentication Yes
Multiple Active Result Sets (MARS) Yes on the pyodbc path. The backend enables MARS when the alias uses a Microsoft ODBC driver on Windows. The mssql-python path never enables MARS and rejects the MARS_Connection keyword.
Stored procedures Yes (via cursor.execute)
SNAPSHOT isolation Yes (requires database-level config)
Read-only routing Yes

Dependency requirements

The mssql-django package automatically installs the following dependencies:

Dependency Purpose Required version
Django Web framework >=5.2,<6.2
pyodbc Default ODBC database driver for Python >=3.0
mssql-python Python database driver. Installed unconditionally, and used only when an alias opts in. >=1.15.0
tzdata IANA time zone database for the standard library zoneinfo module, used where the operating system doesn't supply one Any

The pyodbc path also requires the Microsoft ODBC Driver for SQL Server on the host system. The mssql-python path has no separate ODBC driver install. For more information, see Install mssql-django.

Policy for versioning and breaking changes

  • Major versions (2.0): Can change the supported Python, Django, SQL Server, and platform matrix, and can add or remove dependencies. Breaking changes appear only in a major version.
  • Minor versions (1.6, 1.7): Include new Django version support, new features, and bug fixes. Maintain backward compatibility.
  • Patch versions (1.7.1, 1.7.2, 1.7.3, 1.7.4): Include bug fixes only.

The team documents breaking changes in release notes. See What's new in mssql-django for version-specific notes.

How to stay current

The mssql-django backend releases new versions to track Django releases. Check for updates when upgrading Django.

Check installed version

Verify which version is currently installed:

pip show mssql-django

Upgrade to latest version

Update to the latest release:

pip install --upgrade mssql-django

Subscribe to updates

Get support

Microsoft supports mssql-django through GitHub and community channels.

GitHub Issues

Report bugs and request features on GitHub:

When you report an issue, include your Django version, Python version, SQL Server version, the Python database driver and its version, and a minimal reproduction of the problem.

Contribute

Community contributions are welcome. For more information about the Contributor License Agreement (CLA) and submission process, see the contributing guide.

Community

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