--- title: Inspecting Local Data with Azure Cosmos DB Shell | daily.dev description: Azure Cosmos DB Shell lets developers browse databases, run queries, and point-read items from the terminal against a local emulator. It installs as a .NET... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/inspecting-local-data-with-azure-cosmos-db-shell-kzocyhyif twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Inspecting Local Data with Azure Cosmos DB Shell | daily.dev og:description: Azure Cosmos DB Shell lets developers browse databases, run queries, and point-read items from the terminal against a local emulator. It installs as a .NET... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/inspecting-local-data-with-azure-cosmos-db-shell-kzocyhyif og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/kZoCYHYIF.png og:image:alt: Inspecting Local Data with Azure Cosmos DB Shell og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Inspecting Local Data with Azure Cosmos DB Shell **[DevBlogs](https://daily.dev/sources/devblogs)** · 11 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Azure Cosmos DB Shell lets developers browse databases, run queries, and point-read items from the terminal against a local emulator. It installs as a .NET global tool (requiring .NET SDK 10.0+) or as a self-contained binary, tested here with Shell 1.1.280-preview. Using the FleetCharge sample, the walkthrough connects to the Linux emulator at 127.0.0.1:8081, navigates into a dispatchUpdates container, and runs queries like 'SELECT * FROM c WHERE c.depotId = \'SEA-01\''. The print command performs a true point read using item ID and partition key, for example 'print current-dispatch SEA-01' returning the BAY-2 record. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How do I connect Azure Cosmos DB Shell to the local emulator? Run 'connect http://127.0.0.1:8081/' inside the shell. The shell recognizes this loopback emulator endpoint and automatically selects the well-known emulator key and Gateway mode, so no credentials need to be entered manually. Running 'connect' alone afterward displays the current connection info without creating a second connection. _daily.dev surfaces walkthroughs like this for developers wiring up local Cosmos DB testing._ ### What is the difference between query and print in Azure Cosmos DB Shell? The 'query' command runs a SQL query across a container, such as 'SELECT * FROM c WHERE c.depotId = \'SEA-01\'', while 'print ' performs a direct point read of one known document. A point read requires both the item ID and the full partition key value, since the same item ID can exist under different partition keys as separate documents. _Developers comparing Cosmos DB access patterns can track guides like this on daily.dev._ ### What version of .NET SDK does Azure Cosmos DB Shell require for installation as a global tool? .NET SDK 10.0 or later is required to install Azure Cosmos DB Shell via 'dotnet tool install --global CosmosDBShell --prerelease'. Alternatively, a self-contained binary (for example the 1.1.280-preview Windows x64 ZIP) can be downloaded from the official GitHub releases, which bundles its own runtime and avoids a separate .NET installation. _daily.dev helps developers setting up Cosmos DB tooling keep installation requirements straight._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Azure Cosmos DB Shell is now available in the Azure portal](https://daily.dev/posts/azure-cosmos-db-shell-is-now-available-in-the-azure-portal-ecvjhofcw) · DevBlogs · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Azure Cosmos DB Playground: Learn and experiment with queries in your browser](https://daily.dev/posts/azure-cosmos-db-playground-learn-and-experiment-with-queries-in-your-browser-mnjctd4uj) · ITNEXT · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [From Local Development to CI Workflows with the Azure Cosmos DB Emulator](https://daily.dev/posts/from-local-development-to-ci-workflows-with-the-azure-cosmos-db-emulator-bbrmdpjzz) · DevBlogs · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [A Chrome Extension That Talks to Your Database](https://daily.dev/posts/a-chrome-extension-that-talks-to-your-database-pz0snpcht) · ITNEXT · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#nosql](https://daily.dev/tags/nosql), [#azure-cosmos-db](https://daily.dev/tags/azure-cosmos-db) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/inspecting-local-data-with-azure-cosmos-db-shell-kzocyhyif) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Inspecting Local Data with Azure Cosmos DB Shell","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/inspecting-local-data-with-azure-cosmos-db-shell-kzocyhyif","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/inspecting-local-data-with-azure-cosmos-db-shell-kzocyhyif"},"datePublished":"2026-10-27T13:34:43.050Z","dateModified":"2026-10-27T13:40:10.084Z","description":"Azure Cosmos DB Shell lets developers browse databases, run queries, and point-read items from the terminal against a local emulator. 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