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How to Use FastBCP with Docker

Pierre-Antoine Collet
Pierre-Antoine Collet, ARPE.IO Developer
2026-02-16 · 3 min

The FastBCP Docker image allows you to easily integrate this high-performance bulk copy tool into your data integration workflows, without having to install FastBCP directly on your machines.

Why Use FastBCP with Docker?​

The official arpeio/fastbcp Docker image offers several advantages:

  • Simplified deployment: No installation required, just Docker
  • Portability: Works anywhere Docker is installed
  • Automatic updates: Images automatically updated with each new version and weekly security patches
  • Native integration: Compatible with Kubernetes, Docker Compose, Airflow, and other orchestrators

Prerequisites​

  • Docker 24+ installed on your machine
  • A valid FastBCP license (≥ 0.28.0)
  • Access to a source database (SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Oracle, etc.)

Pull the Docker Image​

The image is available on DockerHub. You can use the latest version or a specific version:

# Latest version
docker pull arpeio/fastbcp:latest

# Specific version
docker pull arpeio/fastbcp:v0.28.3

Example: Export SQL Server Data to Parquet on S3​

Here's a complete example of using FastBCP with Docker to export data from SQL Server to a Parquet file stored on Amazon S3.

1. Prepare Your License​

Since version 0.28.0, the license is passed directly as a parameter:

export licenseContent=$(cat ./FastBCP.lic)

2. Run FastBCP in Docker​

docker run --rm \
  -e AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=${AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID} \
  -e AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=${AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY} \
  -e AWS_REGION=${AWS_REGION} \
  arpeio/fastbcp:latest \
  --connectiontype "mssql" \
  --server "host.docker.internal,1433" \
  --user "FastUser" \
  --password "FastPassword" \
  --database "tpch_test" \
  --query "SELECT * FROM dbo.orders WHERE year(o_orderdate)=1998" \
  --fileoutput "orders.parquet" \
  --directory "s3://arpeioftoutput/dockertest/" \
  --paralleldegree 12 \
  --parallelmethod "Ntile" \
  --distributekeycolumn "o_orderkey" \
  --merge false \
  --license "$licenseContent"

Command Details​

  • Environment variables: AWS credentials are passed via -e to access the S3 bucket
  • host.docker.internal: Allows access to a SQL Server running on your host machine
  • --fileoutput: Output file name (Parquet format)
  • --directory: S3 path where to store the data
  • --paralleldegree 12: Uses 12 parallel threads for optimal performance
  • --license: Your FastBCP license passed inline

To discover all the possibilities of the Docker image, check out the complete documentation.

Conclusion​

The FastBCP Docker image greatly simplifies the deployment and use of FastBCP in your data integration environments. Whether for one-off exports or automated data pipelines, Docker provides the flexibility and portability required by modern data architectures.

Try it now and share your feedback!