Azure Cosmos DB Emulator for Local Testing and Development

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The Azure Cosmos DB Emulator is a free tool that allows you to test and develop your Azure Cosmos DB applications locally. It's a great way to simulate the Azure Cosmos DB service on your local machine.

You can use the emulator to test your applications before deploying them to production, and it's particularly useful for development and testing purposes. The emulator is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

The emulator provides a local instance of Azure Cosmos DB that you can use to test your applications. This allows you to test and develop your applications without incurring costs or affecting production data.

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Understanding Azure Cosmos DB Emulator

The Azure Cosmos DB Emulator is a free tool that allows you to run a local instance of Azure Cosmos DB for development and testing purposes.

You can run the emulator on your local machine, which is useful for testing and development without incurring costs.

If this caught your attention, see: Azure Development

About the Service

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Azure Cosmos DB is a globally distributed, multi-model database that allows you to elastically and independently scale throughput and storage across any number of Azure's geographic regions.

It offers throughput, latency, availability, and consistency guarantees with comprehensive service level agreements (SLAs), something no other database service can offer.

Azure Cosmos DB is powered by Microsoft, a company known for its innovative and reliable cloud solutions.

It's designed to provide a seamless and efficient experience for developers and users alike, making it a great choice for a wide range of applications.

Differences in the Cloud

The Azure Cosmos DB emulator has some significant differences compared to the cloud service. The emulator doesn't support developer machines running on Apple silicon series or Microsoft ARM chips, requiring a temporary workaround to install a Windows virtual machine.

One notable limitation is that the emulator's Data Explorer pane is only supported in the API for NoSQL and API for MongoDB. This might require additional setup or configuration for certain development scenarios.

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The emulator only supports provisioned throughput, whereas the cloud service offers serverless throughput. This could impact how you design and implement your database solutions.

In terms of scalability, the emulator can't be replicated across geographical regions or multiple instances, with only a single running instance supported. This is in contrast to the cloud service, which can be scaled out as needed.

The emulator also has some constraints on container sizes and query performance. It ideally supports up to 10 fixed-size containers at 400 RU/s or 5 unlimited-size containers, and you can create more containers, but performance might degrade.

Here's a summary of the emulator's limitations:

  • Only supports provisioned throughput
  • Only supports single instance deployment
  • Has container size and query performance limitations
  • Can't be replicated across geographical regions
  • Has specific consistency level and identifier size limitations
  • Has query performance limitations, including maximum JOIN statements per query

Using the Emulator

To use the Azure Cosmos DB Emulator, you'll need to start with a .Net Sample Application found on GitHub.

You can access the application by following the link to the GitHub repository: https://github.com/sujitmeshramnashtech/azure-cosmos-db-emulator-template.

To get started, open the code editor and replace the PrimaryKey in appsettings.json with your local Cosmos DB Emulator primary key.

After making this change, you can run the project using the command provided in the repository.

You'll then be able to see the database with sample data in the Explorer section of the Cosmos DB Emulator.

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Connect to the

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To connect to the Cosmos DB Emulator, you'll need to access the GitHub repository containing the .Net sample application.

The link to this repository is https://github.com/sujitmeshramnashtech/azure-cosmos-db-emulator-template.

To get started, open the code editor and replace the PrimaryKey in appsettings.json with your local Cosmos DB Emulator primary key.

This will allow you to run the project using the following command.

The output of the project will display the database with sample data provided in the code.

Related reading: Github in Azure

Using Explorer in

Using Explorer in Azure Cosmos DB Emulator is a straightforward process. To create an item in your container, click on "items" then "new item" and paste the JSON object provided.

You can access the Query Stats, which shows RUs usage, and even export the stats for further analysis.

Linux-Based (Preview)

The Linux-based emulator is a game-changer for developers. It's available as a Docker container, making it easy to run on a wide variety of processors and operating systems.

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Support for Apple silicon and Microsoft ARM chips is a notable feature, eliminating the need for workarounds or virtual machines. This means you can run the emulator on your preferred hardware without any hassle.

For more information on how to get started with the Linux-based emulator, check out the documentation here.

Example Use Cases

The Azure Cosmos DB Emulator is a fantastic tool for developers, allowing you to run a local instance of Azure Cosmos DB for development and testing purposes.

You can use the Azure Cosmos DB Emulator to test and debug your Azure Cosmos DB applications without incurring costs. It's a great way to ensure your code works as expected before deploying it to the cloud.

The emulator is a free download and can be installed on Windows, macOS, or Linux. This makes it accessible to developers on a variety of platforms.

With the Azure Cosmos DB Emulator, you can create, read, update, and delete data just like you would with a production Azure Cosmos DB account. This allows you to test the full range of Azure Cosmos DB features in a local environment.

Developers can use the Azure Cosmos DB Emulator to test and debug their applications during the development phase, reducing the likelihood of errors and issues in production.

Walter Brekke

Lead Writer

Walter Brekke is a seasoned writer with a passion for creating informative and engaging content. With a strong background in technology, Walter has established himself as a go-to expert in the field of cloud storage and collaboration. His articles have been widely read and respected, providing valuable insights and solutions to readers.

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