A local copy of your SQL Server database, real data included

dbplex is a Mac app that copies a SQL Server database, 2016 or newer, to SQL Server Developer edition running in Docker on your Mac, with every table and row. You get a local connection string for your app, your tests and your AI agent. Production is only read.

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For Apple Silicon Macs. 7 days free with every feature. No card and no account.

Runs on: SQL Server Developer edition, in Docker
Download: A 2.4 GB image from Microsoft
Needs: Docker Desktop and an Apple Silicon Mac
Production: Only read, never written to

What comes with a SQL Server copy

Copied to your Mac

Tables and rowsEvery table and row of one database, masked where you choose.
The schemaWith its keys, drawn as a graph.

Left behind, and why

XML, spatial and in-memory indexesListed after the pull.
.NET assemblies and database triggersListed after the pull.
Encrypted objectsTheir source cannot be read.

After each pull the Connect tab lists what was left out.

What you paste

One connection string that names the database.

Connection StringRequired

sqlserver://user:password@host:1433/dbSQL Server 2016 or newer.

Read only. Nothing is ever written to production.

Starting it accepts Microsoft's licence for the Developer edition, which is for development and testing, never for production.

Then point your app at the copy

sqlserver://sa:••••@127.0.0.1:15000/db?encrypt=true&trustServerCertificate=true

The Connect tab gives an ADO.NET string too. The port is the first free one from 15000, so yours may differ. The Connect tab shows the exact values.

Why not a SQL Server container of your own?

dbplex runs the same container. It also fills it and keeps track of it.

	Your own container	dbplex
Data	Back up, copy the file, restore, fix the logins.	One Pull.
Personal data	Every email and name lands on your laptop.	Masked on the way in, where you choose.
Going back	Restore the backup again.	Save a state and restore it, in under a minute.
Fresh data	Back up and restore again.	One Refresh button.

What you can do with a SQL Server copy

Browse tables and run SQLOn real rows, in the app or with any SQL Server client.
See the schema graphEvery table and the keys between them, drawn from the copy.
Mask personal columnsEmails, names and other personal columns are masked as the copy is pulled. You confirm each one.
Save and restore statesSave before a risky change and go back to it.
Branch the copyWork on a second copy, from now or from the last pull, and keep the first as it is.
Back up productionDaily or weekly, read-only, to a folder you choose. Each backup opens as a new copy.
Refresh from productionOne button replaces the copy with today's data.
Read the logsThe server log of the copy, in the Logs tab.

Comparing a copy with production is not available for SQL Server yet, so there is no migration script; refresh to bring the copy up to date. A branch runs a second container that wants 2 GB of Docker's memory.

A SQL Server sandbox for your AI agent

Give Claude Code, Cursor, Codex or Windsurf a copy of production to test on, and let it break things. dbplex's built-in MCP server hands the agent your local SQL Server copy, never production: it never sees your production credentials, and every tool it gets acts on local copies only.

Add it from the app's Settings. Anything in the copy that reaches another server can still run. dbplex lists each one it finds after a pull.

Run SQL on real rowsReads, writes and schema changes, on the copy only.
Save a state before it tries somethingAnd restore it when the attempt goes wrong.
A branch for each agentEach agent clones the copy and works alone. A clone holds no credentials and can never reach production.
Personal columns maskedMasked as the copy is pulled, where you choose, before the agent reads a row.
Start over with today's dataIt can refresh the copy from production, and never sees the credentials.
Read the logsThe newest lines of the server log.

When agents had production instead

Questions about SQL Server in dbplex

Can dbplex change my SQL Server production database?

No. It only reads production to make your copy, and it has no push, sync or way to write anything back. The credentials stay in your Mac's Keychain.

Which SQL Server versions can dbplex copy?

SQL Server 2016 or newer.

Do I need Docker for SQL Server?

Yes. The copy runs in Docker Desktop, which downloads a 2.4 GB image from Microsoft the first time.

Which licence does the SQL Server copy run under?

Microsoft's licence for the Developer edition, which is for development and testing, never for production. Starting the copy accepts it, and you are responsible for following it.

Can I start from a backup?

From a dbplex backup, yes. It opens as a new copy.

Can my AI agent use the SQL Server copy?

Yes. Add dbplex's MCP server to Claude Code, Cursor, Codex or Windsurf from the app's Settings. It can run SQL, save and restore states and branch the copy, which runs a second container. Every tool acts on local copies only, and the agent never sees your production credentials.