# Azure SQL Database

5 Hacker News commenters recommended Azure SQL Database and 6 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended for its managed backup and restore, including recovery of deleted databases within a window. Critics say performance is weak for the price and that data is hard to move out.

## Why people recommend it

- Strong backup and restore (3 comments): "Azure keeps deleted SQL databases recoverable for a window so I got it back in under an hour." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46104985)) "it has a very good, tried and tested backup/restore scenarios" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45856105)) "Azure keeps deleted SQL databases recoverable" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46105049))
- Deleted databases recoverable for a window (2 comments): "Azure keeps deleted SQL databases recoverable for a window so I got it back in under an hour." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46104985)) "Azure keeps deleted SQL databases recoverable" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46105049))

## What people warn about

- Slow performance despite high cost (3 comments): "I sometimes balk at the performance we get out of AzureSQL given what we pay for it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45925688)) "The fully managed SQL has terrible performance unless you drop many thousands a month." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46339071)) "SQL feels like overkill that will be too slow and cost you too much" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45841142))
- Hard to move data out (2 comments): "Getting out of something like a MSSQL hyper scale instance is simply not possible without switching to a different SQL provider" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46839723)) "was carefully designed to be a tarpit into which you can import your data, but can't get your data back out" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47920965))
- Expensive at Hyperscale tiers (2 comments): "a week of 80 vCores of SQL Hyperscale, which is about $6,000 at PayG rates!" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45853429)) "SQL feels like overkill that will be too slow and cost you too much" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45841142))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Amazon RDS](https://hackerapproved.com/p/amazon-rds.md): 50 recommend
- [Neon Postgres](https://hackerapproved.com/p/neon.md): 48 recommend
- [DynamoDB](https://hackerapproved.com/p/amazon-dynamodb.md): 46 recommend
- [Cloudflare D1](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cloudflare-d1.md): 36 recommend
- [PlanetScale](https://hackerapproved.com/p/planetscale.md): 33 recommend

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/azure-sql/database)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Azure SQL Database", https://hackerapproved.com/p/azure-sql-database/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).