Azure vs azure-sql-developer
Azure is an MCP server published by microsoft. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). azure-sql-developer is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by microsoft. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-official). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-13. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |   Azure | azure-sql-developer |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:c16f53663714 Forks (GitHub): 643 Stars (GitHub): 3 765 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-official | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.1.0 Forks (GitHub): 6 Stars (GitHub): 19 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | Azure | azure-sql-developer |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 3 765 (better) | 19 (worse) |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 643 (better) | 6 (worse) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcr.microsoft.com/azure-sdk/azure-mcp) | Installs as a plugin bundle |
| Transport (differs) | stdio | Not stated |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 55 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | Not published | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | Not a bundle | 17 |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/microsoft/mcp | github.com/microsoft/azure-sql-database-container |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 0 | 0 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
Azure
Catalog of official Microsoft MCP (Model Context Protocol) server implementations for AI-powered data access and tool integration.
azure-sql-developer
Agent skills for Azure SQL Developer, the Azure SQL Database engine running locally in a container. Teaches your agent to run the engine, connect, migrate, scaffold, build RAG, wire CI, and go local-to-cloud, using the real Private Preview image instead of the SQL Server image.
How to run each
Azure As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --transport stdio azure -- docker run -i --rm mcr.microsoft.com/azure-sdk/azure-mcpazure-sql-developer As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin install azure-sql-developer@claude-plugins-officialCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of azure-sql-developer publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
Neither one's marketplaces publish the settings it asks for.
What it can do: Azure · What it can do: azure-sql-developer · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-official/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.