Create a Rails application with a MSSQL database on macOS

First, pull the Azure SQL docker image¹:

docker pull mcr.microsoft.com/azure-sql-edge:latest

Then, start the database. The following command assepts the EULA, sets the SQL Server Edition to Developer the sets the password to Password1².

docker run -d \
       -e "ACCEPT_EULA=Y" \
       -e "MSSQL_PID=Developer" \
       -e "MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD=Password1" \
       -p 1433:1433  \
       --name azure-sql-edge \
       mcr.microsoft.com/azure-sql-edge

Generate the Rails application, selecting MSSQL by passing sqlserver as the database:

rails new . --database sqlserver

Then, prepare the database and start the server, supplying the password by exporting SA_PASSWORD:

export SA_PASSWORD=Password1
rake db:prepare
./bin/rails s

Welcome aboard! You’re riding Ruby on Rails with MSSQL.

1. I switched to mcr.microsoft.com/azure-sql-edge after using mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server before, but it started having ARM-related issues when switching computers:

   2024-05-01 11:50:01 SQL Server 2022 will run as non-root by default.
   2024-05-01 11:50:01 This container is running as user mssql.
   2024-05-01 11:50:01 To learn more visit https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2099216.
   2024-05-01 11:50:01 /opt/mssql/bin/sqlservr: Invalid mapping of address 0x2aaaad74d000 in reserved address space below 0x400000000000. Possible causes:
   2024-05-01 11:50:01 1) the process (itself, or via a wrapper) starts-up its own running environment sets the stack size limit to unlimited via syscall setrlimit(2);
   2024-05-01 11:50:01 2) the process (itself, or via a wrapper) adjusts its own execution domain and flag the system its legacy personality via syscall personality(2);
   2024-05-01 11:50:01 3) sysadmin deliberately sets the system to run on legacy VA layout mode by adjusting a sysctl knob vm.legacy_va_layout.
   2024-05-01 11:50:01
   

   I opted to switch to the Azure image, which isn’t emulated and has been working fine for my purposes.

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2. There are password restrictions when starting the database. My first try was test, which wasn’t accepted because it was too short:

   2024-05-01 10:00:24.97 spid25s     ERROR: Unable to set system administrator password: Password validation failed. The password does not meet SQL Server password policy requirements because it is too short. The password must be at least 8 characters..
   

   Then, password didn’t work:

   2024-05-01 10:08:26.34 spid25s     ERROR: Unable to set system administrator password: Password validation failed. The password does not meet SQL Server password policy requirements because it is not complex enough. The password must be at least 8 characters long and contain characters from three of the following four sets: Uppercase letters, Lowercase letters, Base 10 digits, and Symbols..
   

   Finally, adding a capital letter and a number by making the password Password1 worked!

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