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description: A step-by-step walkthrough shows how to remotely access Microsoft SQL Server using Teleport with Active Directory (Windows) authentication. It covers...
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# How to Connect to Microsoft SQL Server Remotely Using Teleport

**[Teleport](https://daily.dev/sources/teleport)** · 11 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

A step-by-step walkthrough shows how to remotely access Microsoft SQL Server using Teleport with Active Directory (Windows) authentication. It covers recommended SQL Server security practices (Windows auth, limiting public exposure, auditing, RBAC), setting up AWS Managed AD, Amazon RDS SQL Server, a Windows EC2 AD management instance, and a Linux EC2 instance running the Teleport DB Service, followed by creating SQL Server logins and Teleport users, connecting via mssql-cli or GUI tools, and using Teleport's built-in RBAC and auditing features.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://goteleport.com/blog/connect-microsoft-sql-remotely>

## Questions this post answers

### How do I connect to Microsoft SQL Server remotely using Teleport?

Set up AWS Managed Active Directory, join an Amazon RDS SQL Server instance and a Linux EC2 instance running the Teleport DB Service to that directory, create a Kerberos keytab file, then start the Teleport DB Service with parameters like uri, ad-keytab-file, ad-domain, and ad-spn. Users connect through mssql-cli or GUI tools like Azure Data Studio via a local database proxy tunnel.

_daily.dev surfaces practical database-access walkthroughs for engineers wiring up Teleport and SQL Server._

### Why is Windows authentication recommended over SQL Server authentication for SQL Server security?

Windows authentication is more secure because SQL Server performs no password validation itself and instead trusts credentials verified by Windows, avoiding stored passwords entirely. The default sa account is disabled under Windows authentication, whereas mixed mode enables both methods and requires extra hardening steps like renaming or disabling the sa account.

_Developers weighing database authentication trade-offs can track security guidance like this on daily.dev._

### What is required on a Linux server to let Teleport authenticate to SQL Server via Active Directory Kerberos?

The Linux node running the Teleport Database Service must be joined to the Kerberos realm and have a keytab file created so it can obtain Kerberos service tickets from Active Directory. This keytab is referenced via the ad-keytab-file parameter when starting the Teleport DB Service alongside ad-domain and ad-spn settings.

_Engineers configuring Kerberos-based database access can find setup details like this on daily.dev._

---

Tags: [#aws](https://daily.dev/tags/aws), [#microsoft-sql-server](https://daily.dev/tags/microsoft-sql-server), [#active-directory](https://daily.dev/tags/active-directory)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-connect-to-microsoft-sql-server-remotely-using-teleport-pqjyjmquk)

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