Microsoft launched the SQL Server on Windows Containers Beta Program in 2017. This program allows developers to connect to SQL Server instances within the same container and outside of it. These benefits allowed developers to set up and maximize the density of instances for testing and development purposes. They also made it possible to manage and isolate applications in multi-tenant environments.
Microsoft announced today that it would suspend the program.
Microsoft has posted a short blog posting to inform that the SQL Server on Windows Containers Beta Program is being suspended due to ecosystem challenges and “usage habits.” This suggests that there weren’t enough users for the program to be supported. The company has carefully crafted its statement to state that it does not plan to restart the initiative shortly. However, it will make an announcement publicly if necessary.
Redmond’s tech giant suggested users switch to SQL Server on Linux Containers. This is a version of SQL Server that is supported in production environments and not its Windows counterpart. However, it is essential to remember that SQL Server on Windows Containers has never been able to get rid of its beta tag and was not intended to be used in production environments. Therefore, this announcement will still be a problem for developers who have spent time building applications that use this capability or those who used it in production environments.
Microsoft has announced that the SQL Server Express Docker repositories and Developer for Windows Containers Docker repositories will be deleted shortly. As a result, these repositories’ tags will also be deleted, and Docker images won’t be available for download.
