Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance

Question

can anyone explain me the dff btween the "Azure SQL Database" and "Azure SQL Managed Instance"? Are they the same, or am I missing someything.

Answer 1

Hey dwaine

i would say they are similar but not the same, lemme say you why

Azure SQL Database is a fully managed relational database service. Great for cloud-native applications. Provides a scalable and flexible database platform. Perfect for scenarios where you want to fully control and scale your databases independently.

Azure SQL Managed Instance Iis also a fully managed relational database service, but with a twist. Designed to make the migration of on-premises SQL Server databases super smooth. Gives you more control over instance-level features, mimicking the on-premises SQL Server experience. Ideal for lift-and-shift scenarios where you want a near 100% compatibility with your existing SQL Server apps. If this helps kindly accept the answer thank smuch.

Answer 2

Hi @dwaine
Here are the differences between Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance:

Architecture: Azure SQL Database is a fully managed Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) database engine, while Azure SQL Managed Instance is a fully managed Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) database engine that provides a native virtual network (VNet) integration.

Compatibility: Azure SQL Database is compatible with most SQL Server features, but it does not support all SQL Server features. Azure SQL Managed Instance is more compatible with SQL Server features than Azure SQL Database.

Scalability: Azure SQL Database is highly scalable and can scale up or down based on demand. Azure SQL Managed Instance is also highly scalable and can scale up or down based on demand, but it has a higher maximum database size limit than Azure SQL Database.

Pricing: Azure SQL Database is generally less expensive than Azure SQL Managed Instance, but the pricing depends on the specific requirements of the user.

Networking: Azure SQL Database can be accessed over the public internet or through a virtual network (VNet) service endpoint. Azure SQL Managed Instance can only be accessed through a virtual network (VNet) service endpoint.

Security: Azure SQL Database provides built-in security features such as firewall rules, authentication, and encryption. Azure SQL Managed Instance provides additional security features such as private endpoints and virtual network (VNet) service endpoints.

Please find Features, Platform capabilities, Resource limits of SQL Database and SQL Managed Instance in below document

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/features-comparison?view=azuresql#features-of-sql-database-and-sql-managed-instance

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions.

Thank you!