Azure Cosmos DB Emulator
The facts below are what the maker publishes about Azure Cosmos DB Emulator, checked and dated. Our editors have not written about it yet.
Plans and prices
From Azure Cosmos DB Emulator's own pricing page, checked 20 Sep 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Local development and testing without an Azure subscription · Available for Windows or Linux environments |
| Azure Cosmos DB Emulator | Free | Local development and offline testing · Not recommended for production workloads · No service costs |
The facts
Each one read from Azure Cosmos DB Emulator's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- API support
- The Linux vNext emulator supports only the API for NoSQL in gateway mode, with a subset of features.checked 14 Nov 2026
- Authentication and transport
- The classic emulator requires key authentication over TLS/SSL; Linux vNext currently does not enforce authentication.checked 14 Nov 2026
- CI integrations
- Microsoft documents CI workflow examples using GitHub Actions for .NET, Python, Java, and Go on x64 and ARM64 Linux runners.checked 14 Nov 2026
- Current feature gap
- Linux vNext does not support authentication enforcement, stored procedures, triggers, or UDFs.checked 14 Nov 2026
- Data Explorer
- The Linux vNext emulator includes an interactive Data Explorer component.checked 14 Nov 2026
- Local-to-cloud transition
- Applications can transition from the emulator to an Azure Cosmos DB account with minimal friction.checked 14 Nov 2026
- Observability
- The Linux vNext emulator supports OpenTelemetry metrics including request rates, query execution times, resource utilization, and error rates.checked 14 Nov 2026
- Processor limitation
- The Linux-based emulator does not support developer machines running on Apple silicon or Microsoft ARM chips.checked 14 Nov 2026
- Production use
- Microsoft does not recommend using the emulator for production workloads.checked 14 Nov 2026
- Purpose
- Provides a local environment that emulates Azure Cosmos DB for development and offline testing.checked 14 Nov 2026
- Scaling limitation
- The classic emulator supports only one running instance and cannot be scaled out or replicated across regions.checked 14 Nov 2026
- Throughput limitation
- The classic emulator supports provisioned throughput but not serverless throughput.checked 14 Nov 2026
Where it runs
- Linux container
- The next-generation emulator is Linux-based and available as a Docker container.checked 14 Nov 2026
- Linux vNext authentication limitation
- Linux vNext currently does not enforce authentication.checked 14 Nov 2026
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