| title | Overview of SQL Server on Linux | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| description | This article describes how SQL Server runs on Linux and provides information on how to learn more. | ||
| author | rwestMSFT | ||
| ms.author | randolphwest | ||
| ms.date | 11/18/2025 | ||
| ms.service | sql | ||
| ms.subservice | linux | ||
| ms.topic | concept-article | ||
| ms.custom |
|
[!INCLUDE SQL Server - Linux]
[!INCLUDE ssnoversion-md] runs on Linux, starting with [!INCLUDE sssql17-md]. It's the same [!INCLUDE ssdenoversion-md], with many similar features and services regardless of your operating system.
To get started, install [!INCLUDE ssnoversion-md] on Linux using one of the following quickstarts:
- Quickstart: Install SQL Server and create a database on Red Hat
- Quickstart: Install SQL Server and create a database on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
- Quickstart: Install SQL Server and create a database on Ubuntu
- Quickstart: Run SQL Server Linux container images with Docker
- Provision a SQL VM in Azure
The [!INCLUDE ssnoversion-md] container images are published and available on the Microsoft Container Registry (MCR), and also cataloged at the following locations, based on the operating system image that was used when creating the container image:
- For both RHEL and Ubuntu based [!INCLUDE ssnoversion-md] container images, see SQL Server on the Microsoft Artifact Registry.
- For RHEL-based [!INCLUDE ssnoversion-md] container images, see SQL Server Red Hat containers.
Note
Containers will only be published to MCR for the most recent Linux distributions. If you create your own custom [!INCLUDE ssnoversion-md] container image for an older supported distribution, it will still be supported. For more information, see Upcoming updates to SQL Server container images on Microsoft Artifact Registry aka (MCR).
After installation, connect to the [!INCLUDE ssnoversion-md] instance on your Linux machine. You can connect locally or remotely and with various tools and drivers. The quickstarts demonstrate how to use the sqlcmd command-line tool. Other tools include the following:
| Tool | Tutorial |
|---|---|
| Visual Studio Code (VS Code) | SQL Server extension for Visual Studio Code |
| SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) | Use SQL Server Management Studio on Windows to manage SQL Server on Linux |
| SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) | Use Visual Studio to create databases for SQL Server on Linux |
Starting with [!INCLUDE sssql17-md], [!INCLUDE ssnoversion-md] has the same underlying [!INCLUDE ssde-md] on all supported platforms, including Linux and containers. Therefore, many existing features and capabilities operate the same way. This area of the documentation exposes some of these features from a Linux perspective. It also calls out areas that have unique requirements on Linux.
If you're already familiar with [!INCLUDE ssnoversion-md] on Linux, review the release notes for general guidelines and known issues for this release:
- Release notes for SQL Server 2025 on Linux
- Release notes for SQL Server 2022 on Linux
- Release notes for SQL Server 2019 on Linux
- Release notes for SQL Server 2017 on Linux
To find out more about each release, see:
- What's new for SQL Server 2025 on Linux
- What's new for SQL Server 2022 on Linux
- What's new for SQL Server 2019 on Linux
- What's new for SQL Server 2017 on Linux
To see what's new in each version for Windows, see:
- What's new in SQL Server 2025
- What's new in SQL Server 2022
- What's new in SQL Server 2019
- What's new in SQL Server 2017
Tip
For answers to frequently asked questions, see the SQL Server on Linux FAQ.
[!INCLUDE Get Help Options]