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The docker-php-mssql images include various system tools and utilities to support development workflows and SQL Server connectivity.

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Database Tools

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Microsoft ODBC Driver 18

Available in: All images Version: 18.4.1.1 (Alpine), 18.x (Debian) The Microsoft ODBC Driver for SQL Server enables native connectivity from Linux to Microsoft SQL Server and Azure SQL Database. Alpine Installation:
  • Package: msodbcsql18_18.4.1.1-1_amd64.apk
  • Cryptographically verified during installation
Debian Installation:
  • Installed via Microsoft’s official package repository
  • Version depends on Debian version
The ODBC driver is a prerequisite for the sqlsrv and pdo_sqlsrv PHP extensions.

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mssql-tools18

Available in: All images Version: 18.4.1.1 (Alpine), 18.x (Debian) Includes command-line tools for SQL Server:
  • sqlcmd: Command-line query tool
  • bcp: Bulk copy program for data import/export
sqlcmd -S server.example.com -U username -P password -Q "SELECT @@VERSION"

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Development Tools (CLI Images Only)

The following tools are only available in CLI image variants (*-cli, *-cli-alpine, *-cli-alpine-swoole).

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Composer

Available in: CLI images only Version: Latest stable (composer-stable.phar) PHP dependency manager for managing project dependencies. 
composer install
composer require vendor/package
Installation location: /usr/local/bin/composer
Composer is automatically updated to the latest stable version during image builds.

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Node.js

Available in: CLI images only Version:
  • PHP 8.4 (Debian): Node.js 22.x
  • PHP 8.3 (Debian): Node.js 20.x
  • PHP 8.2 (Debian): Node.js 18.x
  • PHP 8.1 (Debian): Node.js LTS
  • Alpine: Latest available from apk repositories
JavaScript runtime for running Node.js applications and build tools. 
node --version
node app.js
Debian installation: Via NodeSource official repository Alpine installation: Via apk package manager

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npm

Available in: CLI images only Version: Bundled with Node.js Node Package Manager for managing JavaScript dependencies. 
npm install
npm run build

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yarn

Available in: CLI images only Version: Latest (installed globally via npm) Alternative package manager for JavaScript projects. 
yarn install
yarn build
Installation: Globally installed via npm install -g yarn

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Text Editors

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nano

Available in: CLI images only Version: System default Simple command-line text editor for quick file edits. 
nano /var/www/config.php

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System Utilities

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Common Utilities (All Images)

Debian-based images:
  • curl - Command-line HTTP client
  • gnupg2 - GNU Privacy Guard for signature verification
  • apt-transport-https - HTTPS support for apt
  • unzip - Archive extraction utility
Alpine-based images:
  • bash - Bourne Again Shell
  • curl - Command-line HTTP client
  • gnupg - GNU Privacy Guard
  • less - File pager
  • su-exec - Execute commands as another user
  • unzip - Archive extraction utility

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Development Libraries

These libraries are installed as prerequisites for PHP extensions: All images:
  • libpng-dev - PNG image library (for GD extension)
  • libzip-dev - ZIP compression library (for ZIP extension)
  • unixodbc-dev - ODBC library (for SQL Server connectivity)

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Tool Matrix by Image Type

ToolCLI (Debian)FPM (Debian)CLI (Alpine)FPM (Alpine)
ODBC Driver 18✓✓✓✓
mssql-tools18✓✓✓✓
Composer✓-✓-
Node.js✓-✓-
npm✓-✓-
yarn✓-✓-
nano✓-✓-
curl✓✓✓✓
bash✓✓✓✓
unzip✓✓✓✓

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Environment Variables

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ACCEPT_EULA

Value: Y Set in: All images Automatically accepts the Microsoft End-User License Agreement for ODBC Driver and mssql-tools installation.

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WORKDIR

Value: /var/www Set in: All images Default working directory for the container.

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Version Information

Exact tool versions may vary between builds as images are automatically rebuilt weekly with the latest stable versions.
To check installed versions in a running container: 
# PHP version
php --version

# Composer version
composer --version

# Node.js version
node --version

# ODBC driver version
odbcinst -j

# SQL Server tools version
sqlcmd -?

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