--- title: SQL Server Developer Edition: Free Download Links 2017-2025 description: SQL Server Developer Edition is free for development and testing, bundling the same features as its paid counterpart, but it is licensed strictly for... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/sql-server-developer-edition-free-download-links-2017-2025-bkjyzfj8l twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: SQL Server Developer Edition: Free Download Links 2017-2025 | daily.dev og:description: SQL Server Developer Edition is free for development and testing, bundling the same features as its paid counterpart, but it is licensed strictly for... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/sql-server-developer-edition-free-download-links-2017-2025-bkjyzfj8l og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/BKjYZFj8L.png og:image:alt: SQL Server Developer Edition: Free Download Links 2017-2025 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. # SQL Server Developer Edition: Free Download Links 2017-2025 **[SQL Authority](https://daily.dev/sources/sql-authority)** · 6 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary SQL Server Developer Edition is free for development and testing, bundling the same features as its paid counterpart, but it is licensed strictly for non-production use. Download links and extended-support end dates are given for SQL Server 2017 through 2025, noting that 2025 introduced two Developer tiers: Enterprise Developer and the new Standard Developer. A simple test for identifying production use is offered, along with a SQL query to check which edition and version a server runs, licensing resource links, and guidance on upgrading from Developer to a paid edition via Setup's Edition Upgrade option. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is the difference between SQL Server 2025 Enterprise Developer and Standard Developer editions? SQL Server 2025 introduced two separate Developer editions instead of one. Enterprise Developer includes everything in Enterprise edition, matching the old single Developer Edition. Standard Developer is new and includes only the features available in Standard edition, so teams whose production server runs Standard can test against a matching feature set rather than accidentally relying on Enterprise-only features. _Picking the right developer tier before a production migration is easier to track with daily.dev's database coverage._ ### Is SQL Server Developer Edition free to use for a production application? No, Developer Edition is licensed only for development and testing, not production, even though it costs nothing and includes all the features of its matching paid edition. If real users or a business depends on the server, it counts as production and needs a paid edition, or a switch to SQL Server Express, which is free for production use but has size and resource limits. _Developers weighing free database tooling against production requirements can follow SQL Server licensing updates on daily.dev._ ### How do I check which SQL Server edition and version a server is running before migrating a database? Run a query selecting SERVERPROPERTY('Edition'), SERVERPROPERTY('EngineEdition'), SERVERPROPERTY('ProductVersion'), and SERVERPROPERTY('ProductMajorVersion'). The Edition column shows text like 'Enterprise Developer Edition (64-bit)', revealing a Developer license, while EngineEdition groups editions by family (3 covers Enterprise, Enterprise Developer, and Evaluation) and ProductMajorVersion maps to the release, for example 17 for SQL Server 2025. _Checking edition and version before any migration is a habit daily.dev's database content keeps reinforcing._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Visual Studio Dev Essentials: Free, Practical Tools for Every Developer](https://daily.dev/posts/visual-studio-dev-essentials-free-practical-tools-for-every-developer-zlmbswjbw) · Visual Studio Blog · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [The Visual Studio Dev/Test Benefit: Freedom to Build, Test, and Experiment in Azure](https://daily.dev/posts/the-visual-studio-dev-test-benefit-freedom-to-build-test-and-experiment-in-azure-lwqrcbabz) · DevBlogs · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [New capabilities to optimize costs and improve scalability on Amazon RDS for SQL Server and Oracle](https://daily.dev/posts/new-capabilities-to-optimize-costs-and-improve-scalability-on-amazon-rds-for-sql-server-and-oracle-i7fkmvdh7) · AWS · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Your last SQL Server end-of-support deadline](https://daily.dev/posts/your-last-sql-server-end-of-support-deadline-fnvlstu7h) · TechCentral · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#microsoft](https://daily.dev/tags/microsoft), [#database](https://daily.dev/tags/database), [#microsoft-sql-server](https://daily.dev/tags/microsoft-sql-server), [#licensing](https://daily.dev/tags/licensing) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/sql-server-developer-edition-free-download-links-2017-2025-bkjyzfj8l) ```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":"SQL Server Developer Edition: Free Download Links 2017-2025","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/sql-server-developer-edition-free-download-links-2017-2025-bkjyzfj8l","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/sql-server-developer-edition-free-download-links-2017-2025-bkjyzfj8l"},"datePublished":"2026-10-02T09:16:14.664Z","dateModified":"2026-10-02T09:16:41.971Z","description":"SQL Server Developer Edition is free for development and testing, bundling the same features as its paid counterpart, but it is licensed strictly for...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/32921be8451fd25d23043a5041ff332d?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/32921be8451fd25d23043a5041ff332d?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"SQL Authority","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"SQL Authority","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--reCGnvgi--/f_auto,q_auto/v1780213436/logos/sql-authority?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/sql-authority"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/sql-server-developer-edition-free-download-links-2017-2025-bkjyzfj8l","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"microsoft,database,microsoft-sql-server,licensing","timeRequired":"PT6M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"SQL Authority","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/sql-authority"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"SQL Server Developer Edition: Free Download Links 2017-2025"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/sql-server-developer-edition-free-download-links-2017-2025-bkjyzfj8l#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the difference between SQL Server 2025 Enterprise Developer and Standard Developer editions?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"SQL Server 2025 introduced two separate Developer editions instead of one. 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