SQLlyLife after Azure Data Studio
Microsoft retired Azure Data Studio on February 28, 2026. If it was your cross-platform SQL Server client - especially on a Mac or Linux box - you need somewhere new to live. Here’s what Microsoft recommends, how SQLly lines up against the things ADS users actually relied on, and the parts where SQLly honestly isn’t a replacement.
Last reviewed: September 2026
What happened to Azure Data Studio
Per Microsoft’s retirement notice, Azure Data Studio is retired as of February 28, 2026 and no longer receives updates, security patches, or maintenance. Microsoft’s recommended path is Visual Studio Code with the MSSQL extension, with SQL Server Management Studio as the home for SQL Server Agent and full administration. For the non-SQL Server extensions, Microsoft points PostgreSQL users to the PostgreSQL extension for VS Code, and at the time of writing lists the MySQL replacement as pending.
That’s a good path, and for many people it’s the right one. SQLly is a different option: a dedicated, native database workbench rather than an editor with extensions.
A dedicated native workbench
Written in Rust and rendered on the GPU. Native on macOS, with supported-beta builds for Windows and Linux. SQL Server, Azure SQL, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, and SQLite in one app, with DBA tools and guardrails built in - no extensions to assemble.
Microsoft’s supported successor
Free and cross-platform. Microsoft says your ADS queries, scripts, and SQL database projects open without conversion, alongside Git, Schema Compare, Schema Designer, DACPAC/BACPAC tools, and Jupyter-based SQL notebooks. It primarily targets the SQL Server family.
What ADS users relied on, and how SQLly covers it
SQLly’s column uses the same honest status badges as the features page and the docs. The Azure Data Studio column describes the tool as it stood at retirement, including features that shipped through extensions.
| Capability | SQLly | Azure Data Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Still maintained | YesRegular releases. Changelog | NoRetired February 28, 2026; no updates or security fixes. |
| macOS, Windows & Linux | YesmacOS signed and notarized for Apple Silicon; Windows and Linux a supported beta. | Yes |
| Price | Free tier + licensesFree for hobbyists; Annual or Lifetime licenses. Pricing | Free |
| SQL Server & Azure SQL Database | YesNative TDS driver, GO batch splitting. SQL Server in SQLly |
Yes |
| PostgreSQL & MySQL | YesBuilt in: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, and more. | Via extensions |
| Entra ID sign-in & Azure discovery | In progressBrowser and device-code flows. Entra & Azure | Yes |
| Server groups | YesClients, projects, and environments, with settings inherited down the tree. Organization | Yes |
| Notebooks | PartialSQL and Markdown cells with per-cell results, cell references, and Markdown export. Not Jupyter: no Python or PowerShell kernels. | YesJupyter notebooks. |
| Charts from query results | YesResult charts | Yes |
| Export results to CSV, JSON & Excel | YesExport | Yes |
| Execution plans | In progressPlain-language findings, tree, diagram, and comparison. Query plans | Yes |
| Schema Compare | YesRisk-graded diffs with deploy and rollback scripts. Schema Compare | Yes |
| SQL Server Agent | YesJobs, history, schedules, operators, alerts. SQL Agent | PreviewExtension. |
| Backup & restore | YesScripted for review first. Backup / Restore | Preview |
| Profiler / Extended Events | PartialSession list, state, and detail; start and stop are scripted. Extended Events | PreviewSQL Server Profiler extension. |
| Flat-file import | YesCSV, JSON, and Excel wizard. Import / Export | Yes |
| Table designer | YesDesigners | Yes |
| Dark mode & themes | YesLight and dark palettes in several families. | Yes |
| Extensions marketplace | NoSQLly has no plugin system. | Yes |
| Integrated terminal | No | Yes |
| Git source control | PartialLocal DDL files overlay the live schema; Git times and DDL blame are planned. Multi-modal schema | Yes |
| SQL database projects & DACPAC | No | YesProjects were in preview. |
Moving from Azure Data Studio to SQLly
No magic importer here - SQLly can’t read Azure Data Studio’s own files. This is what actually carries over, and how.
Connections
Recreate them in SQLly’s connection editor. If you have a connection string, paste it - SQLly fills in the server, port, database, user, and encryption options from ADO.NET-style strings and URLs. Passwords go to your operating system’s keychain, not a file.
Organizing connections βConnections from other tools
Also used DataGrip, DBeaver, TablePlus, or Navicat? Import From Other Tools reads their connection files, previews every server, keeps folders and SSH/TLS settings where it can, and asks for passwords on first connect.
SQLly vs DBeaver βServer groups
Your ADS groups map naturally onto SQLly’s clients, projects, and environments - and SQLly adds per-environment colors and read-only or confirm-before-write settings that the whole group inherits.
Environment cues βSaved queries and scripts
Plain .sql files open as they are, from the open dialog or by dropping them on the window. Queries you reuse can live in SQLly’s SQL Library or as named entries in query history.
Notebooks
SQLly can’t open Jupyter notebooks. Copy SQL and Markdown cells into a SQLly notebook, which keeps each cell’s own results and can export to Markdown. For Python or PowerShell cells, stay with Jupyter in VS Code.
Notebook commands βExtensions you used
SQL Agent, backup/restore, flat-file import, and Schema Compare have built-in SQLly equivalents; Profiler maps to the partial Extended Events pane. SQL database projects and DACPAC deployment don’t - keep VS Code, SSDT, or SqlPackage for those.
All tools βWhich replacement should you pick?
There’s no single successor for everyone. Honestly:
- Pick VS Code with the MSSQL extension if you already live in VS Code, work with SQL database projects or DACPACs, want Git and CI/CD next to your SQL, rely on Jupyter notebooks with Python, or want Microsoft’s supported path at no cost.
- Pick SSMS if you’re on Windows and need the full SQL Server administration surface - Microsoft names it the home for SQL Server Agent and general administration. SQLly vs SSMS
- Pick SQLly if you want a dedicated native app on your Mac or Linux machine, work across SQL Server and PostgreSQL or MySQL in one place, want DBA tools like SQL Agent, Activity Monitor, and backup/restore without Windows, or want production guardrails built in.
- Not SQLly, yet, if you need Entra ID sign-in finished today (it’s in progress), an extension ecosystem, or you work at an organization with more than 100 employees and need a free tool - SQLly’s free tier isn’t available there.
Plenty of former ADS users will end up with two tools: VS Code for projects and pipelines, and a dedicated client for day-to-day querying and administration.
Where SQLly goes further
A few things ADS never did that SQLly was built around.
Guardrails for production
Read-only connections, auto-wrapped transactions you can roll back, confirmation before data-changing statements, and a hard stop on UPDATE or DELETE with no WHERE.
IntelliSense that knows your data
Completion from a column’s real values, join suggestions from actual foreign keys, and a live GROUP BY check before you run.
DBA tools off Windows
Activity Monitor, Query Store insights, a live Server Dashboard, security editors, and index analysis - all scripted for review before anything changes.
Activity Monitor βQuestions
Is Azure Data Studio discontinued?
Yes. Microsoft retired Azure Data Studio on February 28, 2026. It no longer receives updates, security patches or maintenance. Microsoft recommends Visual Studio Code with the MSSQL extension, and SQL Server Management Studio for SQL Server Agent and full administration.
What is a good Azure Data Studio replacement on a Mac?
Microsoft's own recommendation is Visual Studio Code with the MSSQL extension, which runs on macOS. If you would rather have a dedicated, native database app, SQLly runs natively on Apple Silicon Macs, speaks SQL Server's TDS protocol directly, and also covers PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB and SQLite.
Can SQLly import my Azure Data Studio connections?
No, not directly. SQLly has no Azure Data Studio importer. You can paste an ADO.NET-style connection string into the connection editor to fill it in, and SQLly can import connections from DataGrip, DBeaver, TablePlus and Navicat files if you also used one of those.
Does SQLly open Azure Data Studio notebooks?
No. Azure Data Studio notebooks are Jupyter notebooks. SQLly has its own SQL notebooks with SQL and Markdown cells, but it does not open Jupyter files or run Python or other kernels. Copy your SQL and Markdown cells across, or keep Jupyter notebooks in Visual Studio Code.
Other comparisons
Point SQLly at the server ADS used to open
Free to download for macOS, Windows, and Linux, no account required. Paste a connection string and see how it feels.