SQL Server Containers and SQL Server on Linux Now Available on Windows via WSL!

We're kicking off 2025 with exciting news!  We are thrilled to announce that developers can now easily get started with SQL Server container images and SQL Server on Linux installations directly on their Windows machines using Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). This new capability is designed to streamline your development process, making it more efficient and versatile.

Why Use SQL Server on WSL?

With WSL, you can run a Linux environment directly on Windows without the overhead of a traditional virtual machine. This means you can now develop and test your SQL Server applications in a Linux environment, right from your Windows desktop. Here are some key benefits:

• Seamless Integration: Easily switch between Windows and Linux environments.
• Development Focused: Ideal for development and testing purposes. Giving Developers access to the power of both Windows and Linux at the same time on a Windows machine.

For detailed instructions on installation and getting started with WSL, please refer Install WSL | Microsoft Learn.

Important Note: This setup is intended for development and testing purposes only and is not supported for production environments.

There are two ways to get started with SQL Server on WSL:

• Install SQL Server as a systemd service: This allows you to manage it using systemctl commands.
• Deploy SQL Server containers in WSL: You can also deploy SQL Server containers, with the option for persistent storage if needed.

For more information, please refer to the tutorial on WSL 2: Install SQL Server on Windows Subsystem for Linux - SQL Server on Microsoft Learn.

Getting Started

1. Install WSL: If you haven't already, install WSL on your Windows machine. You can follow the official Microsoft documentation for a step-by-step guide.
2. Choose your Linux distribution: We recommend running SQL Server in WSL environments on one of the Supported platforms as documented, for the version of SQL Server you intend to run.
3. Set Up SQL Server Containers: Pull the latest SQL Server container images from the Docker Hub and set them up in your WSL environment. (and/or)
4. Install SQL Server on Linux: Alternatively, you can install SQL Server directly on your Linux distribution within WSL.

Thanks,

Andrew Carter (lead), Eric Julien from the Engineering team, Rafid Lafta from CSS and Randolph West for the Technical documentation.