Announcing the Public Preview of mssql-python

We’re excited to announce the public preview of the mssql-python driver with new platform support and powerful features for Microsoft SQL Server and the Azure SQL family, now available on GitHub: mssql-python.

Join us and contribute in shaping the future of Python connectivity with SQL Server!

MacOS Support

The mssql-python driver is now compatible with macOS ARM-based systems, expanding support for developers using Apple Silicon (M-Series) devices. This adds to our growing cross-platform story, and we’re not done yet — Linux support is coming soon!

Connection Pooling

We’ve built a robust, configurable connection pooling system to help boost performance and optimize resource usage.

Key highlights:

• Connection Reuse: Reuses existing alive connections instead of creating new ones, improving performance.
• Max Pool Size Limit: Enforces a configurable maximum number of connections per pool to limit resource consumption.
• Idle Connection Pruning: Automatically disconnects and removes connections idle beyond a configurable timeout to free resources.
• Multiple Pools by Connection String: Maintains separate pools keyed by connection string, supporting multiple distinct databases/endpoints.
• Thread Safety: Uses mutex locking for safe concurrent access in multi-threaded environments. 
• Connection Health Checking: Validates connections are alive before reuse and discards dead ones.
• Explicit Connection Reset: Resets connections before reuse to clear session state and ensure clean context.
• Configurable Global Pool Settings: Provides a singleton manager to configure default max pool size and idle timeout for all pools.
• Simple Global API: Exposes easy-to-use functions to configure pooling and acquire pooled connections.
• Logging: Outputs console logs for major events like creation, acquisition, release, pruning, and errors for easy debugging.

Note: This feature is currently available on Windows only. macOS and Linux support is in progress.

What's Next

Here’s a sneak peek at what we’re working on for upcoming releases:

• Linux Support
• Connection Pooling for macOS and Linux
• Support for Bulk Copy for accelerated data transfer
• Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) Authentication for macOS and Linux

Try It and Share Your Feedback!

Ready to test the latest features? We invite you to:

1. Try it out: Check-out the mssql-python driver and integrate it into your projects.
2. Share your thoughts: Open issues, suggest features, and contribute to the project.
3. Join the conversation: GitHub Discussions | SQL Server Tech Community.

We look forward to your feedback and collaboration!