azure-emulators-2025

What this skill does

# Azure Service Emulators for Local Development (2025)

## Overview

This skill provides comprehensive knowledge of Azure service emulators available as Docker containers for local development in 2025.

## Available Azure Emulators

### 1. Azurite (Azure Storage Emulator)

**Official replacement for Azure Storage Emulator (deprecated)**

**Image:** `mcr.microsoft.com/azure-storage/azurite:latest`

**Supported Services:**
- Blob Storage
- Queue Storage
- Table Storage

**Configuration:**
```yaml
services:
  azurite:
    image: mcr.microsoft.com/azure-storage/azurite:latest
    container_name: azurite
    command: azurite --blobHost 0.0.0.0 --queueHost 0.0.0.0 --tableHost 0.0.0.0 --loose
    ports:
      - "10000:10000"  # Blob service
      - "10001:10001"  # Queue service
      - "10002:10002"  # Table service
    volumes:
      - azurite-data:/data
    restart: unless-stopped
```

**Standard Development Connection String:**
```text
DefaultEndpointsProtocol=http;AccountName=devstoreaccount1;AccountKey=Eby8vdM02xNOcqFlqUwJPLlmEtlCDXJ1OUzFT50uSRZ6IFsuFq2UVErCz4I6tq/K1SZFPTOtr/KBHBeksoGMGw==;BlobEndpoint=http://azurite:10000/devstoreaccount1;QueueEndpoint=http://azurite:10001/devstoreaccount1;TableEndpoint=http://azurite:10002/devstoreaccount1;
```

**Features:**
- Cross-platform (Windows, Linux, macOS)
- Written in Node.js/JavaScript
- Supports latest Azure Storage APIs
- Persistence to disk
- Compatible with Azure Storage Explorer
- `--loose` flag for relaxed validation (useful for local development)


**2025 API Version Support:**
- Latest release (v3.35.0) targets 2025-11-05 API version
- Blob service: 2025-11-05
- Queue service: 2025-11-05
- Table service: 2025-11-05 (preview)
- RA-GRS support for geo-redundant replication testing

**CLI Usage:**
```bash
# Install via npm (alternative to Docker)
npm install -g azurite

# Run with custom location
azurite --location /path/to/data --debug /path/to/debug.log
```

**Application Integration:**
```javascript
// Node.js with @azure/storage-blob
const { BlobServiceClient } = require('@azure/storage-blob');

const connectionString = process.env.AZURITE_CONNECTION_STRING;
const blobServiceClient = BlobServiceClient.fromConnectionString(connectionString);
```

```csharp
// .NET with Azure.Storage.Blobs
using Azure.Storage.Blobs;

var connectionString = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("AZURITE_CONNECTION_STRING");
var blobServiceClient = new BlobServiceClient(connectionString);
```

### 2. Azure SQL Server 2025

**Latest SQL Server with AI features**

**Image:** `mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2025-latest`

**2025 Features:**
- Built-in Vector Search for AI similarity queries
- Semantic Queries alongside traditional full-text search
- Optimized Locking (TID Locking, LAQ)
- Native JSON and RegEx support
- Fabric Mirroring integration
- REST API support

**Configuration:**
```yaml
services:
  sqlserver:
    image: mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2025-latest
    container_name: sqlserver
    environment:
      - ACCEPT_EULA=Y
      - MSSQL_PID=Developer
      - MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD_FILE=/run/secrets/sa_password
    secrets:
      - sa_password
    ports:
      - "1433:1433"
    volumes:
      - sqlserver-data:/var/opt/mssql
      - ./init:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "/opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd -S localhost -U sa -P $$MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD -Q 'SELECT 1' -C || exit 1"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 3s
      retries: 3
      start_period: 10s
    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          cpus: '2'
          memory: 4G
        reservations:
          cpus: '1'
          memory: 2G
    networks:
      - backend
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    restart: unless-stopped

secrets:
  sa_password:
    file: ./secrets/sa_password.txt

volumes:
  sqlserver-data:
    driver: local
```

**Connection String:**
```text
Server=sqlserver;Database=MyApp;User Id=sa;Password=YourStrong!Passw0rd;TrustServerCertificate=True;
```

**Important Notes:**
- **Azure SQL Edge retired September 30, 2025** - Use SQL Server 2025 instead
- Use `mssql-tools18` for TLS 1.3 support (`-C` flag trusts certificate)
- Developer edition is free for non-production use
- Supports arm64 via Rosetta 2 on macOS

**Vector Search Example (2025 Feature):**
```sql
-- Create vector index for AI similarity search
CREATE TABLE Documents (
    Id INT PRIMARY KEY,
    Content NVARCHAR(MAX),
    ContentVector VECTOR(1536)
);

-- Perform similarity search
SELECT TOP 10 Id, Content
FROM Documents
ORDER BY VECTOR_DISTANCE(ContentVector, @queryVector);
```

**2025 vnext-preview Features:**
- Entirely Linux-based emulator (cross-platform: x64, ARM64, Apple Silicon)
- No virtual machines required on Apple Silicon or Microsoft ARM
- Changefeed support (April 2025+)
- Document TTL (Time-to-Live) support
- OpenTelemetry V2 support
- API for NoSQL in gateway mode
- Currently in preview (active development)

**Image:** `mcr.microsoft.com/cosmosdb/linux/azure-cosmos-emulator:vnext-preview`

### 3. Cosmos DB Emulator

**NoSQL database emulator**

**Image:** `mcr.microsoft.com/cosmosdb/linux/azure-cosmos-emulator:vnext-preview`

**Configuration:**
```yaml
services:
  cosmosdb:
    image: mcr.microsoft.com/cosmosdb/linux/azure-cosmos-emulator:vnext-preview
    container_name: cosmosdb
    environment:
      - AZURE_COSMOS_EMULATOR_PARTITION_COUNT=10
      - AZURE_COSMOS_EMULATOR_ENABLE_DATA_PERSISTENCE=true
      - AZURE_COSMOS_EMULATOR_IP_ADDRESS_OVERRIDE=127.0.0.1
    ports:
      - "8081:8081"       # Data Explorer
      - "10251:10251"
      - "10252:10252"
      - "10253:10253"
      - "10254:10254"
    volumes:
      - cosmos-data:/data/db
    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          cpus: '2'
          memory: 4G
    networks:
      - backend
    restart: unless-stopped
```

**Emulator Endpoint:**
```text
https://localhost:8081
```

**Emulator Key (Standard):**
```text
C2y6yDjf5/R+ob0N8A7Cgv30VRDJIWEHLM+4QDU5DE2nQ9nDuVTqobD4b8mGGyPMbIZnqyMsEcaGQy67XIw/Jw==
```

**Data Explorer:**
Access at `https://localhost:8081/_explorer/index.html`

**Application Integration:**
```javascript
// Node.js with @azure/cosmos
const { CosmosClient } = require('@azure/cosmos');

const endpoint = 'https://localhost:8081';
const key = process.env.COSMOS_EMULATOR_KEY;
const client = new CosmosClient({ endpoint, key });
```

```csharp
// .NET with Microsoft.Azure.Cosmos
using Microsoft.Azure.Cosmos;

var endpoint = "https://localhost:8081";
var key = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("COSMOS_EMULATOR_KEY");
var client = new CosmosClient(endpoint, key);
```

**Limitations:**
- Performance not representative of production
- Limited to single partition for local development
- Certificate trust required (self-signed)

**2025 Official Azure Service Bus Emulator:**
- Released as official Docker container
- Linux-based emulator with cross-platform support
- Requires SQL Server Linux as dependency
- Supports AMQP protocol (port 5672)
- Connection string format with UseDevelopmentEmulator=true
- Current limitations: No JMS protocol, no partitioned entities, no AMQP Web Sockets

**Official Emulator Image:** `mcr.microsoft.com/azure-messaging/servicebus-emulator:latest`

**Connection String:**
```bash
Endpoint=sb://host.docker.internal;SharedAccessKeyName=RootManageSharedAccessKey;SharedAccessKey=SAS_KEY_VALUE;UseDevelopmentEmulator=true;
```

### 4. Azure Service Bus Emulator

**Message queue emulator**

**Note:** Official emulator has limited Docker support. Use RabbitMQ as alternative.

**Official Emulator (Preview):**
```yaml
services:
  servicebus-sql:
    image: mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2025-latest
    environment:
      - ACCEPT_EULA=Y
      - MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD=ServiceBus123!
    volumes:
      - servicebus-sql-data:/var/opt/mssql

  servicebus:
    image: mcr.microsoft.com/azure-messaging/servicebus-emulator:latest
    depends_on:
      - servicebus-sql
    environment:
      - ACCEPT_EULA=Y
      - SQL_SERVER=se