Databases on Azure

Azure offers a comprehensive set of cloud database services, including fully managed SQL and NoSQL databases, open‑source options like PostgreSQL and MySQL, a MongoDB‑compatible database service, and in‑memory caching as well. These Azure databases support transactional, analytical, real‑time, and AI‑driven workloads, so you can choose the right cloud-based database for performance, scale, and reliability.

Azure Databases are part of Microsoft’s portfolio of databases that include SQL Server 2025 and Fabric Databases.

The best cloud database depends on your workload. Azure provides purpose‑built, AI-ready database services for different needs: relational databases for transactions and consistency, and non‑relational databases for low‑latency, globally scalable apps. Azure makes it easy to use multiple cloud database services together to support modern applications.

Azure database services are AI-ready by design, with built-in capabilities that make it easier to build intelligent and generative AI applications. Many Azure databases support native vector storage and vector search, enabling similarity search and retrieval augmented generation (RAG) directly within the database. Azure databases also integrate with Microsoft Foundry, providing connectors that let AI models and agents securely access live, operational data. Together, these capabilities allow developers to combine transactional data, vector embeddings, and AI services in a secure cloud database, without complex pipelines or external systems, so AI apps can reason over fresh, trusted data in real time.

Yes. Azure provides free offers for several Azure databases, allowing you to build, test, and learn with a cloud database at no cost. This makes it easy to get started with Azure’s database services before scaling to production.

Azure databases are fully managed, so developers don’t need to worry about patching, backups, or high availability. Azure integrates with familiar tools like Visual Studio Code, GitHub, and Microsoft Foundry, making it easier to build, manage, and scale cloud database services quickly and efficiently.

Azure databases are designed as a secure cloud database platform with built‑in security, compliance, and high availability. Azure provides encryption, network isolation, identity integration, and continuous monitoring by default, helping organizations run mission‑critical cloud database services with confidence.