Why SQL Server in a Container is Your New Best Friend for Local Development

Quick blog post on why and how to run SQL Server in a Docker container for local development.

Why do you want to run SQL Server in a container?

Isolation

Remember the days of trying to run two different projects, each needing a distinct SQL server version or conflicting database names? If you have used containers before, you know that each container is an isolated environment, which means you can even have a clean database for a new feature you are working on.

Quick provisioning and tear down

Historically, whenever we needed a SQL Server, we had to find the right installer, select the right checkboxes, and make many system-wide changes. If we needed to revert, it involved many steps again. Also, resetting a database to a clean state involves backups, restores, or risky DROP DATABASE commands.

docker compose up or docker compose down can enable lightning-fast iteration, testing, and easy recovery from destructive actions during development.

Consistent Environment

We also regularly face the issue of different developers often ending up with slightly different local database setups, leading to subtle bugs that only appear on specific machines. This variability can make…