mac

How to Install Oracle AI Database 26ai on a Mac (Using Docker)

by

Oracle Database 26ai has officially landed. As of January 27, 2026, Oracle finally flipped the switch on the General Availability (GA) for the Linux x86-64 version, bringing the “Enterprise Edition” to data centers everywhere. This marks a major turning point in Oracle’s recent rebranding saga, where the anticipated “23ai” was bumped up to 26ai to signal its role as the long-term support (LTS) foundation for the AI era.

Oracle Database has been a powerhouse in enterprise environments for decades, and the new “AI” branding reflects their recent addition of AI-powered features like vector search.

Read more

How to Install SQL Server on a Mac in 2026

by

Running a full-featured Microsoft SQL Server on a Mac used to be a headache, but as of 2026, it is smoother than ever. Thanks to improvements in Docker Desktop and macOS’s Rosetta 2 translation, you can now run the enterprise-grade engine (including the new SQL Server 2025 Preview) directly on your M1, M2, M3, or M4 Mac.

This guide will walk you through setting up a modern SQL Server environment from scratch.

Read more

Connect to Azure SQL Database from Your Mac

by

If you’ve set up an Azure SQL Database, you’ll almost certainly want to connect to it at some point. You’ll probably want to connect to it, and then run a bunch of SQL queries, just like you would do if you had SQL Server installed locally or across the network.

Fortunately, connecting to Azure SQL Database is relatively straight forward. Let’s look at two options for connecting via a Mac: SQL command line tools and VS Code.

Read more

How to Run SQL Server on your Mac with Azure SQL (for Free)

by

If you’re a Mac developer, setting up SQL Server locally is probably starting to feel like more trouble than it’s worth. Between workarounds like Docker, virtual machines, and third-party tools, just getting a working SQL Server environment on macOS is not exactly your run-of-the-mill installation.

Add to that Microsoft’s announcement to retire SQL Edge in September 2025 (SQL Edge was our only hope of installing SQL Server on a Mac without using a virtual machine), not to mention the impending retirement of Azure Data Studio in Feb 2026 (which we could use to connect to SQL Server), and you may start to wonder whether you should drop the whole idea of using SQL Server altogether.

Read more

Install SQL Server Command Line Tools on a Mac

by

mssql-tools is a command-line utility developed by Microsoft that provides tools for interacting with Microsoft SQL Server environments. It includes sqlcmd for executing Transact-SQL (T-SQL) queries and scripts, and bcp (Bulk Copy Program) for importing and exporting large volumes of data. These tools can be useful when you want to manage SQL Server directly from the terminal without relying on graphical interfaces.

One cool thing about mssql-tools is that it’s cross-platform. It can be installed on macOS, Linux, and Windows machines. This makes it ideal for modern development environments, especially when working with cloud-based solutions like Azure SQL Database.

In this article, we’ll look at how to install mssql-tools on a Mac and use it to connect securely to an Azure SQL Database.

Read more

How to Install Oracle on a Mac

by

Here’s a quick and easy way to install Oracle Database on a Mac.

First up, Oracle isn’t available natively on the Mac. But don’t let that stop you!

If you’re a developer, and you just want to have Oracle Database running on your local machine, there are ways to do it. In fact, Oracle provides us with a virtual appliance precisely for that purpose.

Read more

Fix ‘The application “SQLDeveloper.app” can’t be opened.’

by

If you just installed SQL Developer on a Mac, but you’re getting an error when trying to launch it, try the steps below to fix it.

The error reads “The application “SQLDeveloper.app” can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software“. It also mentions that “This software needs to be updated. Contact the developer for more information“.

Below are the steps I used to overcome this issue, and launch SQL Developer.

Read more