SQLDockerDeployKit

Smoke-tested database containers for repeatable local, demo, training, and Azure Container Instances environments. SQL Server 2022 is the default provider for continuity with the original project; PostgreSQL is available through the provider layout for teams that need a second engine.

The kit standardises the container lifecycle: build an image, start a database, run bootstrap scripts, wait for readiness, and prove the Movies demo data is queryable. It does not pretend SQL dialects are portable. Provider-specific SQL, credentials, ports, readiness checks, and smoke queries are documented in docs/providers.md.

Choose Your Path

If you need...	Start here	Result
A local SQL Server demo database	Quick Start with Docker	MoviesDB on localhost,1433
A local PostgreSQL demo database	PostgreSQL provider	moviesdb on localhost:5432
A one-click Azure demo	ARM Quick Deploy	Azure Container Instances with the selected provider
Repeatable Azure infrastructure	Terraform deployment	Provider-aware ACI deployment outputs
Provider internals	Database Provider Model	Build, smoke-test, and extension details

Quicklinks

Image	Provider	Published tag
database-container	SQL Server	ghcr.io/anthonypwatts/sqldockerdeploykit/database-container:main
database-container-postgres	PostgreSQL	ghcr.io/anthonypwatts/sqldockerdeploykit/database-container-postgres:main

Browse the GitHub Container Registry package list for published image metadata.

How It Fits Together

flowchart LR
    sqlserver["SQL Server provider<br/>src/Dockerfile<br/>MoviesDB on 1433"]
    postgres["PostgreSQL provider<br/>providers/postgres<br/>moviesdb on 5432"]
    smoke["CI smoke contract<br/>5:5:5 Movies demo rows"]
    ghcr["Published GHCR images"]
    docker["Local Docker"]
    arm["Azure ARM"]
    terraform["Terraform"]

    sqlserver --> smoke
    postgres --> smoke
    smoke --> ghcr
    ghcr --> docker
    ghcr --> arm
    ghcr --> terraform

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What Is Included

• Ready-to-run SQL Server and PostgreSQL demo images.
• Provider-specific bootstrap scripts, smoke queries, ports, and credentials.
• ARM and Terraform templates for Azure Container Instances demos.
• CI that builds and smoke-tests provider images before publishing from main.
• A provider model that keeps SQL dialect differences explicit and maintainable.

Deployment Options

Option 1 - Quick Start with Docker

SQL Server, default provider

If you want to work with the unchanged example MoviesDB locally, pull the default SQL Server image from the GitHub Container Registry:

docker pull ghcr.io/anthonypwatts/sqldockerdeploykit/database-container:main

Start the Docker container in detached mode (-d) and map port 1433 from the container to port 1433 on the host machine, allowing SQL Server connections:

docker run --name sqldockerdeploykit-sqlserver -d -p 1433:1433 -e "MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD=YourStrong!Passw0rd" ghcr.io/anthonypwatts/sqldockerdeploykit/database-container:main

Run the SQL Server smoke query:

docker exec sqldockerdeploykit-sqlserver bash -lc 'sqlcmd -C -S localhost -U SA -P "YourStrong!Passw0rd" -i /tmp/app/provider/smoke-query.sql'

PostgreSQL provider

If you want the published PostgreSQL MoviesDB image, pull and run the PostgreSQL provider from the GitHub Container Registry:

docker pull ghcr.io/anthonypwatts/sqldockerdeploykit/database-container-postgres:main
docker run --name sqldockerdeploykit-postgres -d -p 5432:5432 -e "POSTGRES_PASSWORD=YourStrong!Passw0rd" ghcr.io/anthonypwatts/sqldockerdeploykit/database-container-postgres:main

Alternatively, for provider development, build and run the PostgreSQL image locally from the repository root:

docker build -t sqldockerdeploykit-postgres -f providers/postgres/Dockerfile .
docker run --name sqldockerdeploykit-postgres -d -p 5432:5432 -e "POSTGRES_PASSWORD=YourStrong!Passw0rd" sqldockerdeploykit-postgres

Run the PostgreSQL smoke query:

docker exec sqldockerdeploykit-postgres psql -U postgres -d moviesdb -f /usr/local/share/sqldockerdeploykit/smoke-query.sql

Option 2 - Quick Deploy to Azure with ARM Template

The ARM template deploys the selected provider image to Azure Container Instances. SQL Server remains the default provider so existing one-click deployments continue to use the original SQL Server image, port, and MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD setting.

Click the "Deploy to Azure" button below. You'll be redirected to the Azure portal.

Fill in the necessary parameters and deploy.

• For SQL Server, leave databaseProvider as sqlserver, then provide the saPassword value. The template exposes port 1433 and sets MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD.
• For PostgreSQL, set databaseProvider to postgres, then provide the saPassword value. The template exposes port 5432 and maps the password to POSTGRES_PASSWORD for the postgres account.

Azure Container Instances caveat: this template is intended for demos, development, and smoke testing. It exposes the database port publicly and does not configure persistent storage, private networking, TLS, firewall rules, or backup policy. Recreating the container group recreates the database container.

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Option 3 - 'Quick' Deploy with Terraform

If you want to deploy a provider using Terraform for infrastructure as code, first ensure you are authenticated with Azure.

1. Log in to your Azure account:

   az login

2. Set the desired subscription (if you have multiple subscriptions):

   az account set --subscription "<YourSubscriptionID>"

3. Verify that you are authenticated and the correct subscription is selected:

   az account show

   If the browser login flow is awkward in a terminal-only session, use az login --use-device-code instead.

Once authenticated, proceed with the Terraform steps outlined below.

1. Ensure you have Terraform installed on your system.
2. Navigate to the src folder where the main.tf file is located.
3. Check the subscription_id value in src/main.tf. Change it to the subscription you want to use, or remove the line to rely on the active Azure CLI subscription.
4. Initialise Terraform to download the required providers:

   terraform init

5. Review the execution plan to ensure the resources will be created as expected. SQL Server is the default provider:

   terraform plan -var "sa_password=YourStrong!Passw0rd"

   To deploy PostgreSQL instead, set database_provider:

   terraform plan -var "database_provider=postgres" -var "sa_password=YourStrong!Passw0rd"

   The sa_password variable name is retained for SQL Server compatibility. For PostgreSQL deployments it supplies POSTGRES_PASSWORD for the postgres account.
6. Apply the Terraform configuration to deploy the resources. For SQL Server:

   terraform apply -var "sa_password=YourStrong!Passw0rd"

   For PostgreSQL:

   terraform apply -var "database_provider=postgres" -var "sa_password=YourStrong!Passw0rd"

   Confirm the prompt with yes to proceed with the deployment.

Once the deployment is complete, Terraform outputs the selected provider, public DNS name, endpoint, database name, and administrator username.

Example SQL Server connection details:

• Server: <DNS_NAME>:1433
• Authentication: SQL Server Authentication
• Username: sa
• Database: MoviesDB
• Password: the sa_password value supplied to Terraform.

Example PostgreSQL connection details:

• Server: <DNS_NAME>
• Port: 5432
• Database: moviesdb
• Username: postgres
• Password: the sa_password value supplied to Terraform.

The Terraform template has the same Azure Container Instances caveat as the ARM template: it is a public, non-durable demo/test deployment rather than a production database architecture.

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Extending and Customising SQLDockerDeployKit

For customisation or development:

1. Fork or clone this repository as appropriate.
2. Choose the provider you want to customise. SQL Server remains under src for backwards compatibility and is also represented under providers/sqlserver; PostgreSQL lives under providers/postgres.
3. Amend the provider's SQL scripts as required. Follow the 001, 002, 003 filename pattern. SQL Server scripts are executed by src/entrypoint.sh on each container start, so keep them idempotent or use fresh containers. PostgreSQL scripts are executed by the official PostgreSQL entrypoint when the data directory is first initialised.
4. Build the Docker image from the repository root. For SQL Server:

docker build -t sqldockerdeploykit -f src/Dockerfile .

5. Run the Docker container:

docker run --name myDatabaseContainer -d -p 1433:1433 -e "MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD=YourStrong!Passw0rd" sqldockerdeploykit

6. For SQL Server, MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD is the preferred password environment variable. SA_PASSWORD remains accepted as a backwards-compatible alias.
7. For PostgreSQL, build with providers/postgres/Dockerfile and use POSTGRES_PASSWORD plus port 5432.
8. Use or amend the provided IaC (infrastructure as code, e.g. ARM, Terraform) templates for SQL Server or PostgreSQL cloud deployments.
9. Run the CI-style smoke test before publishing or sharing a changed image:

bash scripts/smoke-test-provider.sh sqlserver sqldockerdeploykit
bash scripts/smoke-test-provider.sh postgres sqldockerdeploykit-postgres

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Connecting to the Database

SQL Server

Connect to the default SQL Server instance using tools like SQL Server Management Studio, Azure Data Studio where available, or suitable VS Code SQL tooling:

• Server: e.g., localhost,1433
• Authentication: SQL Server Authentication
• Username: sa
• Password: the MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD value supplied when the container was started.

PostgreSQL

Connect to the local PostgreSQL provider using a PostgreSQL client such as psql:

• Server: e.g., localhost
• Port: 5432
• Database: moviesdb
• Username: postgres
• Password: the POSTGRES_PASSWORD value supplied when the container was started.

SQL Server: Changing the SA Password

General instructions for changing the SA password on SQL Server:

1. Connect to your SQL Server instance using SQL Server Management Studio or another SQL client.
2. Once connected, open a new query window.
3. Run the following SQL command: ALTER LOGIN sa WITH PASSWORD = 'YourNewStrongPassword!'; (Replace YourNewStrongPassword! with your desired new password. Ensure your new password adheres to SQL Server's password policy for security)
4. Execute the query to update the password.

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Contributing

Contributions to the SQLDockerDeployKit project are welcome. Please fork the repository and submit a pull request with your changes.

Licence

This project is released into the public domain. Anyone is free to copy, modify, publish, use, compile, sell, or distribute this software, for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, and by any means. There are no restrictions. Use it as you see fit.