mssql-python is a DB API 2.0 (PEP 249) compliant driver for SQL Server, Azure SQL, and Azure Synapse. This conda package is self-contained: the proprietary Microsoft ODBC Driver 18 payload ships inside it (the same model as the v1.11.0 wheel), so no separate driver package is required.

macOS note: encrypted connections (Encrypt=yes, the default) require system OpenSSL -- install it with brew install openssl (Homebrew) or via MacPorts. The bundled ODBC driver loads OpenSSL from standard system locations, not from the conda env, so without it an encrypted connect fails with "OpenSSL library could not be loaded". Windows (SChannel) and Linux are fully self-contained.