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title mssql-django Support and Lifecycle
description Learn about the support lifecycle, version compatibility, and how to report issues for the mssql-django package.
author dlevy-msft-sql
ms.author dlevy
ms.reviewer randolphwest
ms.date 06/22/2026
ms.service sql
ms.subservice connectivity
ms.topic overview
ai-usage ai-assisted

mssql-django support and lifecycle

The mssql-django package is the official Microsoft-supported Django database backend for SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, and SQL database in Microsoft Fabric. It's actively maintained on GitHub and released through PyPI. This page covers versioning, platform compatibility, and support policy.

Version support

Always use the latest release to gain new features, performance improvements, and security fixes. New capabilities are only added to the current release.

Current version

Version 1.7.3 is the current general availability (GA) release.

Support status definitions

Use these status values in the version table:

Status Meaning
Current Receives new features, bug fixes, and security fixes.
Previous Historical release. Remains available but doesn't receive updates.

Version history

Version Release date Status Django versions Key features
1.7.3 June 2026 Current 3.2 - 6.0 FA001 fix for Authentication= modes other than ActiveDirectoryMsi, subclassed DatabaseWrapper KeyError fix (regression from 1.7.1)
1.7.2 May 2026 Previous 3.2 - 6.0 datetimeoffset time zone fix, Now() time zone fix, .explain() compatibility fix
1.7.1 April 2026 Previous 3.2 - 6.0 SQL database in Fabric fix, descending index AlterField fix
1.7 March 2026 Previous 3.2 - 6.0 Django 6.0 support, ODBC Driver 18 default, SQL Server 2025 support
1.6 August 2025 Previous 3.2 - 5.2 Django 5.1 and 5.2 support, enhanced JSON functionality
1.5 April 2024 Previous 3.2 - 5.0 supports_comments flag, AutoField fixes
1.4 January 2024 Previous 3.2 - 5.0 Django 5.0 support, db_comment support
1.3 May 2023 Previous 3.2 - 4.2 Django 4.2 support, case-sensitive Replace
1.2 December 2022 Previous 3.2 - 4.1 Django 4.1 support, time zone support, JSONField on Azure SQL Managed Instance
1.1 July 2022 Previous 3.2 - 4.0 Initial release with Django 3.2 and 4.0 support

Versions prior to 1.1 were pre-release and aren't listed.

Important

Fixes and new features are only shipped in new releases. Older versions remain available on PyPI but aren't patched in place. To get bug fixes or security fixes, upgrade to the latest release.

For detailed release notes, see What's new in mssql-django.

Django and Python version compatibility

Each Django release supports specific Python versions. When choosing your versions, ensure compatibility between Django, Python, and mssql-django:

Django version Python versions
6.0 3.12, 3.13, 3.14
5.2 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13
5.1 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13
5.0 3.10, 3.11, 3.12
4.2 3.8, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12
4.1 3.8, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11
4.0 3.8, 3.9, 3.10
3.2 3.8, 3.9, 3.10

Important

Always use a supported Python version. Older Python versions don't receive security updates.

SQL Server version compatibility

The mssql-django backend works with all supported versions of SQL Server.

Azure SQL services

Service Support status
Azure SQL Database Fully supported
Azure SQL Managed Instance Fully supported

Microsoft Fabric

Endpoint Support status
SQL database in Fabric Fully supported

ODBC driver compatibility

The mssql-django backend requires an external ODBC driver, unlike the mssql-python driver which uses Direct Database Connectivity (DDBC).

As of mssql-django 1.7, the backend defaults to ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server and automatically falls back to ODBC Driver 17 if version 18 isn't installed. You can override this by specifying the driver option in your database configuration.

ODBC driver Support status
Microsoft ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server Fully supported (default)
Microsoft ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server Fully supported (fallback)
FreeTDS ODBC driver Supported

For installation instructions, see Download ODBC Driver for SQL Server.

Operating system compatibility

The mssql-django backend runs anywhere Python and the ODBC driver are supported. The ODBC driver installation steps vary by operating system. See Install mssql-django for platform-specific setup.

Operating system Architecture Support status
Windows 11 x64, ARM64 Supported
Windows Server 2019, 2022, 2025 x64 Supported
Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 x64, ARM64 Supported
Debian 11, 12 x64, ARM64 Supported
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, 9 x64, ARM64 Supported
macOS 14, 15 Intel, Apple Silicon (ARM64) Supported
Alpine Linux x64 Supported (requires glibc compatibility layer or FreeTDS)

Feature compatibility

The following tables list Django and SQL Server features and their support status in the mssql-django backend. For more detail on unsupported features, see Limitations and unsupported features in mssql-django.

Django ORM features

Feature mssql-django support
Migrations Yes
QuerySet API Yes
JSONField Yes (SQL Server 2016+)
bulk_create / bulk_update Yes
Database transactions Yes
inspectdb with --schema Yes
DISTINCT ON No
__regex / __iregex lookups Partial (requires CLR assembly setup; unavailable on Azure SQL Database)
SmallAutoField Yes
select_for_update() Yes (NOWAIT and SKIP_LOCKED; of not supported)
Window functions Yes
GeneratedField (computed columns) Yes (Django 5.0 and later)
CompositePrimaryKey Partial (Django 5.2 and later; see limitations)
db_comment Yes (Django 4.2 and later)
Covering indexes (include) Yes (Django 4.2 and later)
NthValue No

SQL Server features

Feature mssql-django support
Encrypted connections (TLS) Yes
Always Encrypted Yes
Microsoft Entra authentication Yes
Multiple Active Result Sets (MARS) Yes (via pyodbc)
Stored procedures Yes (via cursor.execute)
SNAPSHOT isolation Yes (requires database-level config)
Read-only routing Yes

Dependency requirements

The mssql-django package automatically installs the following dependencies:

Dependency Purpose Required version
Django Web framework >= 3.2
pyodbc ODBC database driver for Python >= 3.0
pytz Time zone support (legacy; modern Django uses built-in zoneinfo with USE_TZ=True) Any

The mssql-django backend also requires the Microsoft ODBC Driver for SQL Server to be installed on the host system. For more information, see Install mssql-django.

Policy for versioning and breaking changes

  • Minor versions (1.6, 1.7): Include new Django version support, new features, and bug fixes. Maintain backward compatibility.
  • Patch versions (1.7.1, 1.7.2, 1.7.3): Include bug fixes only.

The team documents breaking changes in release notes. See What's new in mssql-django for version-specific notes.

How to stay current

The mssql-django backend releases new versions to track Django releases. Check for updates when upgrading Django.

Check installed version

Verify which version is currently installed:

pip show mssql-django

Upgrade to latest version

Update to the latest release:

pip install --upgrade mssql-django

Subscribe to updates

Get support

Microsoft supports mssql-django through GitHub and community channels.

GitHub Issues

Report bugs and request features on GitHub:

When reporting an issue, include your Django version, Python version, SQL Server version, ODBC driver version, and a minimal reproduction of the problem.

Contribute

Community contributions are welcome. For more information about the Contributor License Agreement (CLA) and submission process, see the contributing guide.

Community

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