Use GitHub Actions to connect to Azure SQL Database

Applies to: Azure SQL Database

Get started with GitHub Actions by using a workflow to deploy database updates to Azure SQL Database.

Prerequisites

You need:

• An Azure account with an active subscription. Create an account for free.
• A GitHub repository with a dacpac package (Database.dacpac). If you don't have a GitHub account, sign up for free.
• An Azure SQL Database. Quickstart: Create an Azure SQL Database single database.
• A .dacpac file to import into your database.

Workflow file overview

A GitHub Actions workflow is defined by a YAML (.yml) file in the /.github/workflows/ path in your repository. This definition contains the various steps and parameters that make up the workflow.

The file has two sections:

Section	Tasks
Authentication	1.1. Generate deployment credentials.
Deploy	1. Deploy the database.

Generate deployment credentials

OpenID Connect

To use Azure Login action with OIDC, you need to configure a federated identity credential on a Microsoft Entra application or a user-assigned managed identity.

Option 1: Microsoft Entra application

• Create a Microsoft Entra application with a service principal by Azure portal, Azure CLI, or Azure PowerShell.
• Copy the values for Client ID, Subscription ID, and Directory (tenant) ID to use later in your GitHub Actions workflow.
• Assign an appropriate role to your service principal by Azure portal, Azure CLI, or Azure PowerShell.
• Configure a federated identity credential on a Microsoft Entra application to trust tokens issued by GitHub Actions to your GitHub repository.

Option 2: User-assigned managed identity

• Create a user-assigned managed identity.
• Copy the values for Client ID, Subscription ID, and Directory (tenant) ID to use later in your GitHub Actions workflow.
• Assign an appropriate role to your user-assigned managed identity.
• Configure a federated identity credential on a user-assigned managed identity to trust tokens issued by GitHub Actions to your GitHub repository.

Service principal

• Create a Microsoft Entra application with a service principal by Azure portal, Azure CLI, or Azure PowerShell.
• Create a client secret for your service principal by Azure portal, Azure CLI, or Azure PowerShell.
• Copy the values for Client ID, Client Secret, Subscription ID, and Directory (tenant) ID to use later in your GitHub Actions workflow.
• Assign an appropriate role to your service principal by Azure portal, Azure CLI, or Azure PowerShell.

Copy the SQL connection string

In the Azure portal, go to your Azure SQL Database and open Settings > Connection strings. Copy the ADO.NET connection string. Replace the placeholder values for your_database and your_password.

You'll set the connection string as a GitHub secret, AZURE_SQL_CONNECTION_STRING.

Configure the GitHub secrets

OpenID Connect

You need to provide your application's Client ID, Directory (tenant) ID, and Subscription ID to the login action. These values can either be provided directly in the workflow or can be stored in GitHub secrets and referenced in your workflow. Saving the values as GitHub secrets is the more secure option.

1. In GitHub, go to your repository.

2. Select Security > Secrets and variables > Actions.

   

3. Select New repository secret.

   Note

   To enhance workflow security in public repositories, use environment secrets instead of repository secrets. If the environment requires approval, a job cannot access environment secrets until one of the required reviewers approves it.

4. Create secrets for AZURE_CLIENT_ID, AZURE_TENANT_ID, and AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID. Copy these values from your Microsoft Entra application or user-assigned managed identity for your GitHub secrets:

   GitHub secret	Microsoft Entra application or user-assigned managed identity
   AZURE_CLIENT_ID	Client ID
   AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID	Subscription ID
   AZURE_TENANT_ID	Directory (tenant) ID

   Note

   For security reasons, we recommend using GitHub Secrets rather than passing values directly to the workflow.

Service principal

1. In GitHub, go to your repository.

2. Go to Settings in the navigation menu.

3. Select Security > Secrets and variables > Actions.

   

4. Select New repository secret.

5. Paste the entire JSON output from the Azure CLI command into the secret's value field. Give the secret the name AZURE_CREDENTIALS.

6. Select Add secret.

Add the SQL connection string secret

1. In GitHub, go to your repository.

2. Go to Settings in the navigation menu.

3. Select Security > Secrets and variables > Actions.

4. Select New repository secret.

5. Paste your SQL connection string. Give the secret the name AZURE_SQL_CONNECTION_STRING.

6. Select Add secret.

Add your workflow

1. Go to Actions for your GitHub repository.

2. Select Set up your workflow yourself.

3. Delete everything after the on: section of your workflow file. For example, your remaining workflow may look like this.

   name: SQL for GitHub Actions
   
   on:
       push:
           branches: [ main ]
       pull_request:
           branches: [ main ]
   

4. Rename your workflow SQL for GitHub Actions and add the checkout and login actions. These actions check out your site code and authenticate with Azure using the AZURE_CREDENTIALS GitHub secret you created earlier.

   OpenID Connect

       name: SQL for GitHub Actions
   
       on:
           push:
               branches: [ main ]
           pull_request:
               branches: [ main ]
   
       jobs:
           build:
               runs-on: windows-latest
               steps:
                - uses: actions/checkout@v1
                - uses: azure/login@v2
                  with:
                   client-id: ${{ secrets.AZURE_CLIENT_ID }}
                   tenant-id: ${{ secrets.AZURE_TENANT_ID }}
                   subscription-id: ${{ secrets.AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID }}
   

   Service principal

   name: SQL for GitHub Actions
   
   on:
       push:
           branches: [ main ]
       pull_request:
           branches: [ main ]
   
   jobs:
       build:
           runs-on: windows-latest
           steps:
            - uses: actions/checkout@v1
            - uses: azure/login@v2
              with:
               creds: ${{ secrets.AZURE_CREDENTIALS }}
   

---

5. Use the Azure SQL Deploy action to connect to your SQL instance. You should have a dacpac package (Database.dacpac) at the root level of your repository. Use the AZURE_SQL_CONNECTION_STRING GitHub secret you created earlier.

   - uses: azure/sql-action@v2
     with:
       connection-string: ${{ secrets.AZURE_SQL_CONNECTION_STRING }}
       path: './Database.dacpac'
       action: 'Publish'
   

6. Complete your workflow by adding an action to logout of Azure. Here's the completed workflow. The file appears in the .github/workflows folder of your repository.

   OpenID Connect

       name: SQL for GitHub Actions
   
       on:
           push:
               branches: [ main ]
           pull_request:
               branches: [ main ]
   
       jobs:
           build:
               runs-on: windows-latest
               steps:
                - uses: actions/checkout@v1
                - uses: azure/login@v2
                  with:
                   client-id: ${{ secrets.AZURE_CLIENT_ID }}
                   tenant-id: ${{ secrets.AZURE_TENANT_ID }}
                   subscription-id: ${{ secrets.AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID }}
               # Azure logout 
                - name: logout
                  run: |
                    az logout
   

   Service principal

   name: SQL for GitHub Actions
   
   on:
       push:
           branches: [ main ]
       pull_request:
           branches: [ main ]
   
   jobs:
       build:
           runs-on: windows-latest
           steps:
            - uses: actions/checkout@v1
            - uses: azure/login@v2
              with:
               creds: ${{ secrets.AZURE_CREDENTIALS }}
            - uses: azure/sql-action@v2
              with:
               connection-string: ${{ secrets.AZURE_SQL_CONNECTION_STRING }}
               path: './Database.dacpac'
               action: 'Publish'
   
               # Azure logout 
            - name: logout
              run: |
                 az logout
   

Review your deployment

1. Go to Actions for your GitHub repository.

2. Open the first result to see detailed logs of your workflow's run.

   

Clean up resources

When your Azure SQL database and repository are no longer needed, clean up the resources you deployed by deleting the resource group and your GitHub repository.

Next steps

Learn about Azure and GitHub integration