testcontainers / testcontainers/testcontainers-python
cosmosdb: CosmosDBNoSQLEndpointContainer doesn't work with vnext-preview emulator image
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Description
The CosmosDBNoSQLEndpointContainer was built for the standard Cosmos DB emulator image (latest tag). It does not work with the vnext-preview image (mcr.microsoft.com/cosmosdb/linux/azure-cosmos-emulator:vnext-preview), which is the newer Linux-native emulator
Both images serve the same NoSQL API, but vnext has different runtime behavior that breaks assumptions in the current module.
What breaks
-
vnext defaults to HTTP — the standard image defaults to HTTPS, which is what
urland_wait_until_readyhardcode. vnext needs--protocol httpspassed as a command to opt into HTTPS. There is no way to configure this through the module. -
No Data Explorer on vnext —
_wait_until_ready()pollshttps://localhost:8081/_explorer/index.htmlas a readiness signal. vnext returns 400 on that path, so the check loops for 120s and times out. -
No PEM certificate on vnext —
start()calls_download_cert()looking for a file at the legacy Windows-style path inside the container. vnext does not write a cert there, so this raisesdocker.errors.NotFound. -
503s during startup are not retried — After the container is up, vnext returns
CosmosHttpResponseError(503, "pgcosmos extension is still starting") for a few seconds before it can serve queries._wait_for_query_successonly catchesServiceRequestError(connection-level errors), so it does not retry on 503. -
Endpoint discovery returns internal port — The emulator advertises
https://127.0.0.1:8081in its discovery response regardless of how ports are mapped. Usingbind_ports=Falsecauses the SDK to connect to the wrong port after discovery. Related: https://github.com/Azure/azure-cosmos-db-emulator-docker/issues/160
Current workaround
I wrote a subclass that overrides start(), _wait_until_ready(), and _wait_for_query_success() — it passes --protocol https as a command, skips the cert download and explorer check, and catches 503s during readiness polling. It works but depends on the internal class hierarchy, which makes it fragile.
Suggestion
Some ideas:
- Add a
protocolparameter (http/https) to control the URL scheme and pass the right startup command for vnext. - Make
_wait_until_ready()skip the explorer URL check when it returns 400 or is not available. Relying on_wait_for_query_successalone is sufficient. - Make
_download_cert()optional or catchNotFoundgracefully — for vnext there is no cert to download. - Add
CosmosHttpResponseErrorto the retry decorator in_wait_for_query_success.
Alternatively, a dedicated vnext-aware container class would keep things clean.
Versions
- testcontainers 4.14.2
- Python 3.13
- Image:
mcr.microsoft.com/cosmosdb/linux/azure-cosmos-emulator:vnext-preview
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start at CosmosDBNoSQLEndpointContainer.start(), _wait_until_ready(), _download_cert(), and _wait_for_query_success(), then reproduce the listed failures with the vnext-preview image. Compare its protocol, readiness, certificate, retry, and endpoint-discovery behavior with the standard image. Done means the container supports the vnext-preview image without the subclass workaround while preserving standard-image behavior.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- azure, docker, python
- Domain
- backend, databases
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 52/100