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Overview of SQL Server on Linux Azure Virtual Machines

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Applies to: SQL Server on Azure VM

SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines enables you to use full versions of SQL Server in the cloud without having to manage any on-premises hardware. SQL Server VMs also simplify licensing costs when you pay as you go.

Azure virtual machines run in many different geographic regions around the world. They also offer a variety of machine sizes. The virtual machine image gallery allows you to create a SQL Server VM with the right version, edition, and operating system. This makes virtual machines a good option for a many different SQL Server workloads.

If you're new to Azure SQL, check out the SQL Server on Azure VM Overview video from our in-depth Azure SQL video series:

Get started with SQL Server VMs

To get started, choose a SQL Server virtual machine image with your required version, edition, and operating system. The following sections provide direct links to the Azure portal for the SQL Server virtual machine gallery images.

Tip

For more information about how to understand pricing for SQL Server images, see the pricing page for Linux VMs running SQL Server.

Version Operating system Edition
SQL Server 2019 Ubuntu 18.04 Enterprise, Standard, Web, Developer
SQL Server 2019 Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 8 Enterprise, Standard, Web, Developer
SQL Server 2019 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) v12 SP5 Enterprise, Standard, Web, Developer
SQL Server 2017 Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7.4 Enterprise, Standard, Web, Express, Developer
SQL Server 2017 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) v12 SP2 Enterprise, Standard, Web, Express, Developer
SQL Server 2017 Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Enterprise, Standard, Web, Express, Developer

Note

To see the available SQL Server virtual machine images for Windows, see Overview of SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines (Windows).

Installed packages

When you configure SQL Server on Linux, you install the Database Engine package and then several optional packages depending on your requirements. The Linux virtual machine images for SQL Server automatically install most packages for you. The following table shows which packages are installed for each distribution.

Distribution Database Engine Tools SQL Server agent Full-text search SSIS HA add-on
RHEL RHEL and database engine. RHEL and tools. RHEL and SQL Server agent. RHEL and full-text search. RHEL and SSIS. RHEL and HA add-on.
SLES SLES and database engine. SLES and tools. SLES and SQL Server agent. SLES and full-text search. SLES and SSIS (not supported). SLES and HA add-on.
Ubuntu Ubuntu and database engine. Ubuntu and tools. Ubuntu and SQL Server agent. Ubuntu and full-text search. Ubuntu and SSIS. Ubuntu and HA add-on.

Note

SQL IaaS Agent extension for SQL Server on Azure Linux Virtual Machines is only available for Ubuntu Linux distribution.

Linux virtual machines

Storage

Networking

SQL

Next steps

Get started with SQL Server on Linux virtual machines:

Get answers to commonly asked questions about SQL Server VMs on Linux: