Docker containers provide a convenient way to run applications in a isolated and portable environment. In this blog post, we will explore how to use SQL CLI (Command Line Interface) in a Docker container to interact with a database.

Table of Contents

• Prerequisites
• Setting up a Docker container
• Accessing a database in the Docker container
• Conclusion
• References

Prerequisites

Make sure Docker is installed on your machine. You can download and install Docker from the official website here.

Setting up a Docker container

1. First, pull the SQL CLI Docker image by running the following command in your terminal or command prompt:

docker pull microsoft/mssql-cli

1. Once the image is pulled, you can create a new Docker container with the following command:

docker run -it --rm --name sql-cli-test microsoft/mssql-cli

• The -it flag allocates an interactive pseudo-tty for the container.
• The --rm flag automatically removes the container when it exits.
• The --name flag specifies a name for the container. You can choose any name you prefer.

Accessing a database in the Docker container

Now that you have the SQL CLI Docker container up and running, you can connect to a database by running the following command inside the container:

mssql-cli -S <server_name> -U <username> -P <password> -d <database_name>

Replace <server_name>, <username>, <password>, and <database_name> with your database connection details.

Once connected, you can execute SQL queries and interact with the database through the SQL CLI.

Conclusion

Using SQL CLI in a Docker container provides a portable and isolated environment for managing and querying databases. It allows you to quickly set up a database environment without worrying about installation and configuration.

With SQL CLI and Docker, you have a powerful toolset for working with databases in a convenient and reproducible manner.

References

• Docker website
• Microsoft SQL CLI Docker image