Work in sandboxes

Path: Development > Development environment > Work in sandboxes · tier official · system administration · narrative reviewed (checked by Opus)

Overview

This section covers the sandbox options developers use to build and test Business Central extensions. It compares online sandboxes, managed by Microsoft, with container sandboxes hosted on an Azure VM or on-premises, and describes what each allows, such as production data upload, Designer, debugging, database access and tools like Visual Studio Code and C/SIDE.

For a local setup, one page walks through running a container-based development environment with Docker, Windows containers and the BCContainerHelper PowerShell module. It covers creating and managing sandbox containers and installing apps. It references 2026 release wave 1 and version 28.0.

A third page explains how to set up a development sandbox with different user plans and license types. This lets you check that an extension works across subscription tiers. Start with the comparison page to choose a sandbox type, then use the container or entitlement page as needed.

Key points

• Two sandbox types are compared: online (managed by Microsoft) and container (Azure VM or on-premises).
• The comparison covers deployment options, production data upload, Designer, debugging and database access.
• Container sandboxes are set up with Docker, Windows containers and the BCContainerHelper PowerShell module.
• The container guide covers creating and managing sandbox containers and installing apps, and references 2026 release wave 1 and version 28.0.
• Entitlement testing uses user groups, permission sets, subscription plans and license assignment.
• Test users can be set up with different plans to verify extension behavior across subscription tiers.

Learn pages

• Running a container-based development environment: Overview of how to run a container-based development.
• Sandbox environments for Dynamics 365 Business Central development: Overview of the differences between the offered sandbox environments for Dynamics 365 Business Central.
• Working with sandboxes and entitlements: Learn about development sandboxes and entitlements.

Videos and posts

Linked by a Haiku matcher with a grounding quote from the item’s summary (link/topics.ts); machine-generated.

• Dynamics 365 Business Central: update sandbox environments to preview versions. (community post): “Partners can now update existing sandbox environments to preview versions of Dynamics”
• Dynamics 365 Business Central: accessing Early Access Preview in online sandboxes. (community post): “Partners with sandbox licenses can create early access preview environments”
• Public Preview for Business Central 29.0 (2026 Release Wave 2) Is Here (community post): “Preview environments let you test extensions, integrations, and customizations against version 29.0”
• Quick Tip: You Can Now Create a Business Central 29.0 (Preview) Sandbox (community post): “Preview sandboxes are automatically deleted 30 days after general availability”

Source: Microsoft Learn (CC BY 4.0). Descriptions are Learn’s own.