Free SQL Server in Azure

Yes, you just have to right click and include in your project.

I write an article for this in Chinese, and this is the English version I found.

Solution for free SQL Server in Azure:

1. Install two nuget: EntityFrame.SqlServerCompact & Microsoft SQL Server Compact Edition

2. Put SQL database file (.sdf/.mdf) in APP_Data folder

3. Put connection string like this to use it:

   <add name ="DefaultConnection" connectionString ="Data Source=|DataDirectory|CompactDB.sdf" providerName ="System.Data.SqlServerCe.4.0" />

4. Publish full project include above SQL database file to AzureWebsites.

5. It work well and is totally free.

I found the 20Mb free SQL Server option. I still had a website in my subscription that was stopped. When I deleted that, no website or database was there in my subscription anymore. I then created a new website via the custom website option in the azure portal. I then could select (in the wizard) a free 20 MB SQL Server database.

I uploaded my MVC application and the Code First created my database automatically. I don't know why the option wasn't showing up before but now it works.

There's no free version of the SQL Database service. What you may have read is that there's a 1 year free 20MB MySQL database available.

When you're saying that a database it created in the App_Data folder, this uses SQL Server Compact (see Maresh's links) and that is free.