diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index c8b59a2..0a34ea9 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -1,18 +1,30 @@
-
-# Download go-cron
 ARG ALPINE_VERSION=3.21
 
 FROM alpine:${ALPINE_VERSION}
 
+WORKDIR /
+
+# Install tools for PostgreSQL, MariaDB, and AWS CLI
 RUN apk update && \
     apk add --no-cache \
     gnupg \
     aws-cli \
     postgresql-client \
-    mysql-client mariadb-connector-c
+    mysql-client mariadb-connector-c \
+    curl
+
+# Install MSSQL tools (sqlcmd) for Microsoft SQL Server on Alpine
+# Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/linux/sql-server-linux-setup-tools
+RUN curl -O https://download.microsoft.com/download/b/9/f/b9f3cce4-3925-46d4-9f46-da08869c6486/msodbcsql18_18.1.1.1-1_amd64.apk && \
+    curl -O https://download.microsoft.com/download/b/9/f/b9f3cce4-3925-46d4-9f46-da08869c6486/mssql-tools18_18.1.1.1-1_amd64.apk && \
+    apk add --allow-untrusted msodbcsql18_18.1.1.1-1_amd64.apk && \
+    apk add --allow-untrusted mssql-tools18_18.1.1.1-1_amd64.apk && \
+    rm msodbcsql18_18.1.1.1-1_amd64.apk mssql-tools18_18.1.1.1-1_amd64.apk
 
 RUN rm -rf /var/cache/apk/*
 
+ENV PATH="${PATH}:/opt/mssql-tools18/bin"
+
 ENV DATABASE_NAME ''
 ENV DATABASE_HOST ''
 ENV DATABASE_PORT ''
@@ -22,6 +34,8 @@ ENV DATABASE_PASSWORD ''
 ENV PGDUMP_EXTRA_OPTS ''
 ENV MARIADB_DUMP_EXTRA_OPTS ''
 ENV MARIADB_EXTRA_OPTS ''
+ENV MSSQL_EXTRA_OPTS ''
+ENV MSSQL_DATA_DIR '/var/opt/mssql/data'
 ENV S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID ''
 ENV S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY ''
 ENV S3_BUCKET ''
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ea88a2f..f9975ba 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 # Introduction
 This project provides Docker images to periodically back up a database to AWS S3, and to restore from the backup as needed.
 
+Supported databases:
+- PostgreSQL
+- MariaDB/MySQL
+- Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL)
+
 # Usage
 ## Backup
 ```yaml
@@ -26,9 +31,50 @@ services:
       DATABASE_NAME: dbname
       DATABASE_USER: user
       DATABASE_PASSWORD: password
-      DATABASE_SERVER: postgres
+      DATABASE_SERVER: postgres  # postgres, mariadb, or mssql
 ```
 
+### MSSQL Example
+**Note:** MSSQL backups use `sqlcmd` with the native `BACKUP DATABASE` command, which writes backup files server-side. This requires a shared volume between the MSSQL and backup containers.
+
+```yaml
+services:
+  mssql:
+    image: mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2022-latest
+    platform: linux/amd64  # Required for Apple Silicon Macs
+    environment:
+      ACCEPT_EULA: Y
+      MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD: YourStrong@Passw0rd
+      MSSQL_PID: Express
+    volumes:
+      - mssql-data:/var/opt/mssql  # Shared volume
+
+  backup:
+    image: reg.dev.krd/db-backup-s3/db-backup-s3:alpine-3.21
+    platform: linux/amd64  # Required for Apple Silicon Macs
+    volumes:
+      - mssql-data:/var/opt/mssql  # Shared volume with MSSQL
+    environment:
+      SCHEDULE: '@daily'
+      S3_REGION: us-east-1
+      S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID: your_key
+      S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: your_secret
+      S3_BUCKET: my-bucket
+      S3_PREFIX: mssql-backup
+      DATABASE_HOST: mssql
+      DATABASE_PORT: 1433
+      DATABASE_NAME: MyDatabase
+      DATABASE_USER: sa
+      DATABASE_PASSWORD: YourStrong@Passw0rd
+      DATABASE_SERVER: mssql
+      MSSQL_DATA_DIR: /var/opt/mssql/data  # MSSQL data directory (where backups are temporarily stored)
+
+volumes:
+  mssql-data:  # Shared volume for MSSQL data and backups
+```
+
+See [`docker-compose.yaml`](./docker-compose.yaml) for a complete working example.
+
 - Images are tagged by the major PostgreSQL version supported: `11`, `12`, `13`, `14`, or `15`.
 - The `SCHEDULE` variable determines backup frequency. See go-cron schedules documentation [here](http://godoc.org/github.com/robfig/cron#hdr-Predefined_schedules). Omit to run the backup immediately and then exit.
 - If `PASSPHRASE` is provided, the backup will be encrypted using GPG.
@@ -36,6 +82,217 @@ services:
 - If `BACKUP_KEEP_DAYS` is set, backups older than this many days will be deleted from S3.
 - Set `S3_ENDPOINT` if you're using a non-AWS S3-compatible storage provider.
 
+## Kubernetes Examples
+
+### Standard CronJob (PostgreSQL, MariaDB)
+PostgreSQL and MariaDB can use a standard Kubernetes CronJob since they use client-side backup tools (`pg_dump`, `mariadb-dump`) that don't require shared volumes:
+
+```yaml
+apiVersion: batch/v1
+kind: CronJob
+metadata:
+  name: postgres-backup
+spec:
+  schedule: "0 2 * * *"  # Daily at 2 AM
+  jobTemplate:
+    spec:
+      template:
+        spec:
+          restartPolicy: OnFailure
+          containers:
+          - name: backup
+            image: reg.dev.krd/db-backup-s3/db-backup-s3:alpine-3.21
+            env:
+            - name: DATABASE_SERVER
+              value: "postgres"
+            - name: DATABASE_HOST
+              value: "postgres-service"
+            - name: DATABASE_PORT
+              value: "5432"
+            - name: DATABASE_NAME
+              valueFrom:
+                secretKeyRef:
+                  name: db-credentials
+                  key: database
+            - name: DATABASE_USER
+              valueFrom:
+                secretKeyRef:
+                  name: db-credentials
+                  key: username
+            - name: DATABASE_PASSWORD
+              valueFrom:
+                secretKeyRef:
+                  name: db-credentials
+                  key: password
+            - name: S3_REGION
+              value: "us-east-1"
+            - name: S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID
+              valueFrom:
+                secretKeyRef:
+                  name: s3-credentials
+                  key: access-key-id
+            - name: S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
+              valueFrom:
+                secretKeyRef:
+                  name: s3-credentials
+                  key: secret-access-key
+            - name: S3_BUCKET
+              value: "my-backups"
+            - name: S3_PREFIX
+              value: "postgres-backups"
+            - name: BACKUP_KEEP_DAYS
+              value: "7"
+```
+
+### MSSQL CronJob Example
+
+> **Note:** For MSSQL StatefulSets with `ReadWriteOnce` volumes, use the [sidecar pattern](#mssql-with-statefulset-sidecar-pattern) instead. This CronJob example only works if you have a `ReadWriteMany` volume or a separate network-accessible MSSQL instance.
+
+```yaml
+apiVersion: batch/v1
+kind: CronJob
+metadata:
+  name: mssql-backup
+spec:
+  schedule: "0 2 * * *"  # Daily at 2 AM
+  jobTemplate:
+    spec:
+      template:
+        spec:
+          restartPolicy: OnFailure
+          containers:
+          - name: backup
+            image: reg.dev.krd/db-backup-s3/db-backup-s3:alpine-3.21
+            env:
+            - name: DATABASE_SERVER
+              value: "mssql"
+            - name: DATABASE_HOST
+              value: "mssql-service"
+            - name: DATABASE_PORT
+              value: "1433"
+            - name: DATABASE_NAME
+              valueFrom:
+                secretKeyRef:
+                  name: db-credentials
+                  key: database
+            - name: DATABASE_USER
+              valueFrom:
+                secretKeyRef:
+                  name: db-credentials
+                  key: username
+            - name: DATABASE_PASSWORD
+              valueFrom:
+                secretKeyRef:
+                  name: db-credentials
+                  key: password
+            - name: MSSQL_DATA_DIR
+              value: "/var/opt/mssql/data"
+            - name: S3_REGION
+              value: "us-east-1"
+            - name: S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID
+              valueFrom:
+                secretKeyRef:
+                  name: s3-credentials
+                  key: access-key-id
+            - name: S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
+              valueFrom:
+                secretKeyRef:
+                  name: s3-credentials
+                  key: secret-access-key
+            - name: S3_BUCKET
+              value: "my-backups"
+            - name: S3_PREFIX
+              value: "mssql-backups"
+            - name: BACKUP_KEEP_DAYS
+              value: "7"
+            volumeMounts:
+            - name: mssql-data
+              mountPath: /var/opt/mssql/data
+          volumes:
+          - name: mssql-data
+            persistentVolumeClaim:
+              claimName: mssql-data-pvc  # Must be ReadWriteMany for CronJob
+```
+
+**Manual Backup Trigger:**
+```bash
+# Create a one-off job from the CronJob
+kubectl create job --from=cronjob/mssql-backup manual-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
+```
+
+### MSSQL with StatefulSet (Sidecar Pattern)
+
+For MSSQL StatefulSets with `ReadWriteOnce` volumes, use the **sidecar pattern** instead of a CronJob. This allows the backup container to share the same volume as the database container, which is required for `sqlcmd`'s native `BACKUP DATABASE` command.
+
+**Why Sidecar for MSSQL?**
+- `ReadWriteOnce` volumes can only be mounted by one pod at a time
+- MSSQL's `BACKUP DATABASE` writes files server-side to `/var/opt/mssql/data`
+- A sidecar container in the same pod can access the same volume
+- No need for complex volume mounting or client-side backup tools
+
+**Example: StatefulSet with Backup Sidecar**
+
+See [`tests/k8s-statefulset-with-sidecar.yaml`](./tests/k8s-statefulset-with-sidecar.yaml) for a complete example.
+
+```yaml
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: StatefulSet
+metadata:
+  name: mssql
+spec:
+  # ... (your existing StatefulSet config)
+  template:
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      # MSSQL Container
+      - name: mssql
+        image: mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2022-CU14-ubuntu-22.04
+        # ... (your existing MSSQL config)
+        volumeMounts:
+        - mountPath: /var/opt/mssql/data
+          name: data
+
+      # Backup Sidecar Container
+      - name: backup
+        image: ghcr.io/your-org/db-backup-s3:latest
+        env:
+        - name: SCHEDULE
+          value: "0 2 * * *"  # Daily at 2 AM
+        - name: DATABASE_SERVER
+          value: "mssql"
+        - name: DATABASE_HOST
+          value: "localhost"  # Same pod
+        - name: DATABASE_PORT
+          value: "1433"
+        - name: MSSQL_DATA_DIR
+          value: "/var/opt/mssql/data"
+        # ... (S3 and DB credentials from secrets)
+        volumeMounts:
+        - mountPath: /var/opt/mssql/data
+          name: data  # Shared with MSSQL container
+```
+
+**Key Configuration:**
+- `DATABASE_HOST: "localhost"` - Both containers are in the same pod
+- `MSSQL_DATA_DIR: "/var/opt/mssql/data"` - MSSQL's data directory (where backup files are temporarily stored)
+- Both containers mount the same volume at `/var/opt/mssql/data`
+- Set `SCHEDULE` env var for automated backups (cron format)
+
+**Trigger Manual Backup:**
+```bash
+# Execute backup in the sidecar container
+kubectl exec -it mssql-0 -c backup -- sh backup.sh
+```
+
+**Restore from Backup:**
+```bash
+# Restore latest backup
+kubectl exec -it mssql-0 -c backup -- sh restore.sh
+
+# Restore specific backup by timestamp
+kubectl exec -it mssql-0 -c backup -- sh restore.sh 2025-10-22T14:05:00
+```
+
 ## Restore
 > **WARNING:** DATA LOSS! All database objects will be dropped and re-created.
 ### ... from latest backup
@@ -61,6 +318,29 @@ cp template.env .env
 docker compose up -d
 ```
 
+## Test Scripts
+
+### Docker Compose
+```sh
+# Test MSSQL backup/restore with Docker Compose
+./tests/test-mssql.sh
+```
+
+### Kubernetes (Recommended - Everything in One Namespace)
+```sh
+# Complete automated test with local MinIO
+# Creates mssql-backup-test namespace with BOTH MinIO and MSSQL
+./tests/test-mssql-k8s-with-minio.sh
+
+# Manual test (if you already have S3/MinIO elsewhere)
+NAMESPACE=mssql-backup-test S3_ENDPOINT=http://your-s3 ./tests/test-mssql-k8s.sh
+
+# Clean up (removes everything - one command!)
+kubectl delete namespace mssql-backup-test
+```
+
+**Architecture:** MinIO and MSSQL run in the same namespace for simplified networking and easy cleanup.
+
 # Acknowledgements
 This project is a fork and re-structuring @eeshugerman's fork of @schickling's [postgres-backup-s3](https://github.com/schickling/dockerfiles/tree/master/postgres-backup-s3) and [postgres-restore-s3](https://github.com/schickling/dockerfiles/tree/master/postgres-restore-s3).
 
diff --git a/docker-compose.yaml b/docker-compose.yaml
index 67ea50b..b533a8a 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yaml
+++ b/docker-compose.yaml
@@ -16,21 +16,35 @@ services:
       MYSQL_DATABASE: database
       MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root_password
 
+  mssql:
+    platform: linux/amd64
+    image: mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2022-latest
+    environment:
+      ACCEPT_EULA: Y
+      MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD: YourStrong@Passw0rd
+      MSSQL_PID: Express
+    ports:
+      - "11433:1433" # Use port 11433 externally to avoid conflicts
+    volumes:
+      - mssql-data:/var/opt/mssql # Database storage and backup location (shared with backup container)
+
   minio:
-    image: bitnami/minio
+    image: minio/minio:latest
+    command: server /data --console-address ":9001"
     ports:
       - 9000:9000
       - 9001:9001
     environment:
       MINIO_ROOT_USER: miniouser
       MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD: minioroot
-      MINIO_DEFAULT_BUCKETS: backups
+    volumes:
+      - minio-data:/data
 
   backup-postgres:
     build:
       context: .
       args:
-        ALPINE_VERSION: '3.21'
+        ALPINE_VERSION: "3.21"
     environment:
       #      SCHEDULE: '@weekly'     # optional
       BACKUP_KEEP_DAYS: 7 # optional
@@ -52,7 +66,7 @@ services:
     build:
       context: .
       args:
-        ALPINE_VERSION: '3.21'
+        ALPINE_VERSION: "3.21"
     environment:
       #      SCHEDULE: '@weekly'     # optional
       BACKUP_KEEP_DAYS: 7 # optional
@@ -69,3 +83,32 @@ services:
       DATABASE_PORT: 3306
       DATABASE_SERVER: mysql
       DATABASE_PASSWORD: root_password
+
+  backup-mssql:
+    platform: linux/amd64
+    build:
+      context: .
+      args:
+        ALPINE_VERSION: "3.21"
+    volumes:
+      - mssql-data:/var/opt/mssql # Shared volume for native BACKUP DATABASE command
+    environment:
+      #      SCHEDULE: '@weekly'     # optional
+      BACKUP_KEEP_DAYS: 7 # optional
+      # PASSPHRASE: passphrase # optional - uncomment to enable GPG encryption
+      # S3_REGION:
+      S3_ENDPOINT: http://minio:9000
+      S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID: miniouser
+      S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: minioroot
+      S3_BUCKET: backups
+      S3_PREFIX: mssql-backups
+      DATABASE_HOST: mssql
+      DATABASE_NAME: TestDB
+      DATABASE_USER: sa
+      DATABASE_PORT: 1433
+      DATABASE_SERVER: mssql
+      DATABASE_PASSWORD: YourStrong@Passw0rd
+      MSSQL_DATA_DIR: /var/opt/mssql/data # Path where MSSQL backups are stored (must match volume mount)
+volumes:
+  mssql-data: # MSSQL database storage
+  minio-data: # MinIO object storage
diff --git a/src/backup.sh b/src/backup.sh
index 9657cf0..f3c8d2d 100644
--- a/src/backup.sh
+++ b/src/backup.sh
@@ -10,16 +10,23 @@ echo "Creating backup of $DATABASE_NAME database..."
 backup
 
 timestamp=$(date +"%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S")
-s3_uri_base="s3://${S3_BUCKET}/${S3_PREFIX}/${DATABASE_NAME}_${timestamp}.dump"
+
+# MSSQL uses .bak extension, other databases use .dump
+if [ "$DATABASE_SERVER" = "mssql" ]; then
+  local_file="${MSSQL_DATA_DIR}/db.bak"
+  s3_uri_base="s3://${S3_BUCKET}/${S3_PREFIX}/${DATABASE_NAME}_${timestamp}.bak"
+else
+  local_file="db.dump"
+  s3_uri_base="s3://${S3_BUCKET}/${S3_PREFIX}/${DATABASE_NAME}_${timestamp}.dump"
+fi
 
 if [ -n "$PASSPHRASE" ]; then
   echo "Encrypting backup..."
-  gpg --symmetric --batch --passphrase "$PASSPHRASE" db.dump
-  rm db.dump
-  local_file="db.dump.gpg"
+  gpg --symmetric --batch --passphrase "$PASSPHRASE" "$local_file"
+  rm "$local_file"
+  local_file="${local_file}.gpg"
   s3_uri="${s3_uri_base}.gpg"
 else
-  local_file="db.dump"
   s3_uri="$s3_uri_base"
 fi
 
diff --git a/src/env.sh b/src/env.sh
index 414227d..77a6562 100644
--- a/src/env.sh
+++ b/src/env.sh
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ if [ -z "$S3_BUCKET" ]; then
 fi
 
 if [ -z "$DATABASE_SERVER" ]; then
-  echo "You need to set the DATABASE_SERVER environment variable. (postgres, mariadb)"
+  echo "You need to set the DATABASE_SERVER environment variable. (postgres, mariadb, mssql)"
   exit 1
 fi
 
diff --git a/src/helpers.sh b/src/helpers.sh
index 53167c7..844c10b 100644
--- a/src/helpers.sh
+++ b/src/helpers.sh
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ backup() {
         backup_postgres
     elif [[ "$DATABASE_SERVER" == "mariadb" ]]; then
         backup_mariadb
+    elif [[ "$DATABASE_SERVER" == "mssql" ]]; then
+        backup_mssql
     else
         echo "Unknown database server: $DATABASE_SERVER"
         exit 1
@@ -17,6 +19,8 @@ restore() {
         restore_postgres
     elif [[ "$DATABASE_SERVER" == "mariadb" ]]; then
         restore_mariadb
+    elif [[ "$DATABASE_SERVER" == "mssql" ]]; then
+        restore_mssql
     else
         echo "Unknown database server: $DATABASE_SERVER"
         exit 1
@@ -55,3 +59,40 @@ restore_mariadb() {
         --password="$DATABASE_PASSWORD" "$MARIADB_EXTRA_OPTS" \
         $DATABASE_NAME < db.dump
 }
+
+backup_mssql() {
+    # Use native BACKUP DATABASE command
+    # Note: Requires shared volume mounted at MSSQL_DATA_DIR
+    sqlcmd -S ${DATABASE_HOST},${DATABASE_PORT} \
+        -U ${DATABASE_USER} \
+        -P "${DATABASE_PASSWORD}" \
+        -C \
+        -Q "BACKUP DATABASE [${DATABASE_NAME}] TO DISK = N'${MSSQL_DATA_DIR}/db.bak' WITH INIT;" \
+        $MSSQL_EXTRA_OPTS
+}
+
+restore_mssql() {
+    echo "Restoring from backup..."
+    # Get logical file names from the backup
+    logical_files=$(sqlcmd -S ${DATABASE_HOST},${DATABASE_PORT} \
+        -U ${DATABASE_USER} \
+        -P "${DATABASE_PASSWORD}" \
+        -C -W \
+        -Q "SET NOCOUNT ON; RESTORE FILELISTONLY FROM DISK = N'${MSSQL_DATA_DIR}/db.bak';" \
+        | grep -v '^$' | awk '{print $1}' | tail -n +3)
+
+    # Parse logical names (first two lines after headers)
+    data_file=$(echo "$logical_files" | sed -n '1p')
+    log_file=$(echo "$logical_files" | sed -n '2p')
+
+    # Restore database with MOVE options
+    sqlcmd -S ${DATABASE_HOST},${DATABASE_PORT} \
+        -U ${DATABASE_USER} \
+        -P "${DATABASE_PASSWORD}" \
+        -C \
+        -Q "RESTORE DATABASE [${DATABASE_NAME}] FROM DISK = N'${MSSQL_DATA_DIR}/db.bak' WITH REPLACE, MOVE N'${data_file}' TO N'${MSSQL_DATA_DIR}/${DATABASE_NAME}.mdf', MOVE N'${log_file}' TO N'${MSSQL_DATA_DIR}/${DATABASE_NAME}_log.ldf';" \
+        $MSSQL_EXTRA_OPTS
+
+    # Clean up backup file
+    rm "${MSSQL_DATA_DIR}/db.bak"
+}
diff --git a/src/restore.sh b/src/restore.sh
index 1745731..4747013 100644
--- a/src/restore.sh
+++ b/src/restore.sh
@@ -8,10 +8,21 @@ source ./helpers.sh
 
 s3_uri_base="s3://${S3_BUCKET}/${S3_PREFIX}"
 
-if [ -z "$PASSPHRASE" ]; then
-  file_type=".dump"
+# MSSQL uses .bak extension, other databases use .dump
+if [ "$DATABASE_SERVER" = "mssql" ]; then
+  backup_file="${MSSQL_DATA_DIR}/db.bak"
+  if [ -z "$PASSPHRASE" ]; then
+    file_type=".bak"
+  else
+    file_type=".bak.gpg"
+  fi
 else
-  file_type=".dump.gpg"
+  backup_file="db.dump"
+  if [ -z "$PASSPHRASE" ]; then
+    file_type=".dump"
+  else
+    file_type=".dump.gpg"
+  fi
 fi
 
 if [ $# -eq 1 ]; then
@@ -28,16 +39,22 @@ else
 fi
 
 echo "Fetching backup from S3..."
-aws $aws_args s3 cp "${s3_uri_base}/${key_suffix}" "db${file_type}"
-
 if [ -n "$PASSPHRASE" ]; then
+  aws $aws_args s3 cp "${s3_uri_base}/${key_suffix}" "${backup_file}.gpg"
   echo "Decrypting backup..."
-  gpg --decrypt --batch --passphrase "$PASSPHRASE" db.dump.gpg > db.dump
-  rm db.dump.gpg
+  gpg --decrypt --batch --passphrase "$PASSPHRASE" "${backup_file}.gpg" > "${backup_file}"
+  rm "${backup_file}.gpg"
+else
+  aws $aws_args s3 cp "${s3_uri_base}/${key_suffix}" "${backup_file}"
 fi
 
 echo "Restoring from backup..."
 restore
-rm db.dump
+
+# Clean up backup file
+# Note: For MSSQL, the file is in MSSQL_DATA_DIR and cleanup happens in restore_mssql()
+if [ "$DATABASE_SERVER" != "mssql" ]; then
+  rm "${backup_file}"
+fi
 
 echo "Restore complete."
diff --git a/src/run.sh b/src/run.sh
index dfb1d65..a80f9cd 100644
--- a/src/run.sh
+++ b/src/run.sh
@@ -11,8 +11,22 @@ fi
 if [ -z "$SCHEDULE" ]; then
   sh backup.sh
 else
-  # Use crond from busybox which is available in Alpine
-  echo "$SCHEDULE /bin/sh $(pwd)/backup.sh" > /etc/crontabs/root
-  # Start crond in foreground mode
-  exec crond -f -d 8
+  # For non-root users, use a writable directory for crontabs
+  # busybox crond supports -c option to specify crontab directory
+  CRON_USER=$(id -u)
+  CRON_DIR="${HOME}/crontabs"
+
+  # Create crontab directory
+  mkdir -p "$CRON_DIR"
+
+  # Write crontab entry
+  echo "$SCHEDULE /bin/sh $(pwd)/backup.sh" > "$CRON_DIR/$CRON_USER"
+  chmod 600 "$CRON_DIR/$CRON_USER"
+
+  echo "Backup schedule configured: $SCHEDULE"
+  echo "Crontab file: $CRON_DIR/$CRON_USER"
+  echo "Starting crond..."
+
+  # Start crond in foreground mode with custom crontab directory
+  exec crond -f -d 8 -c "$CRON_DIR"
 fi
diff --git a/tests/README.md b/tests/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8fc75b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+# Test Scripts
+
+This directory contains automated test scripts for validating the backup and restore functionality across different environments.
+
+## Files
+
+### Docker Compose Tests
+- **`test-mssql.sh`**: Tests MSSQL backup/restore using Docker Compose with local MinIO
+
+### Kubernetes Tests
+- **`test-mssql-k8s.sh`**: Tests MSSQL StatefulSet with backup sidecar (requires existing S3/MinIO)
+- **`test-mssql-k8s-with-minio.sh`**: Complete automated test that deploys MinIO alongside MSSQL
+- **`setup-minio-k8s.sh`**: Helper script to deploy MinIO in Kubernetes
+
+### Kubernetes Configuration Examples
+- **`k8s-statefulset-with-sidecar.yaml`**: Production-ready MSSQL StatefulSet with backup sidecar
+- **`k8s-statefulset-test.yaml`**: Test StatefulSet configuration used by automated test scripts
+- **`k8s-mssql-configmap-example.yaml`**: Example ConfigMap for non-sensitive configuration
+- **`k8s-mssql-secret-example.yaml`**: Example Secret for sensitive credentials
+
+## Usage
+
+### Quick Start (Recommended)
+Run the complete automated test with MinIO:
+```bash
+./tests/test-mssql-k8s-with-minio.sh
+```
+
+This will:
+- Create a test namespace (`mssql-backup-test`)
+- Deploy MinIO
+- Deploy MSSQL StatefulSet with backup sidecar
+- Run backup and restore tests
+- Verify encryption is working
+
+### Manual Kubernetes Test
+If you have an existing S3 endpoint:
+```bash
+NAMESPACE=mssql-backup-test \
+S3_ENDPOINT=http://your-s3:9000 \
+S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your-key \
+S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your-secret \
+./tests/test-mssql-k8s.sh
+```
+
+### Docker Compose Test
+```bash
+./tests/test-mssql.sh
+```
+
+## Cleanup
+Delete the test namespace to remove all resources:
+```bash
+kubectl delete namespace mssql-backup-test
+```
+
diff --git a/tests/k8s-mssql-configmap-example.yaml b/tests/k8s-mssql-configmap-example.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dffe144
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/k8s-mssql-configmap-example.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+# Example mssql-config ConfigMap
+# This ConfigMap contains non-sensitive configuration for MSSQL and backup sidecar
+#
+# Usage:
+#   1. Copy this file and update with your actual values
+#   2. Apply: kubectl apply -f tests/k8s-mssql-configmap.yaml
+#   3. Create secret: kubectl apply -f tests/k8s-mssql-secret.yaml
+#   4. Deploy: kubectl apply -f tests/k8s-statefulset-with-sidecar.yaml
+
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: ConfigMap
+metadata:
+  name: mssql-config
+  namespace: default # Update with your namespace
+data:
+  # ============================================
+  # Database Configuration
+  # ============================================
+  DATABASE_SERVER: "mssql"
+  DATABASE_HOST: "mssql-service" # MSSQL hostname (overridden to "localhost" in sidecar pattern)
+  DATABASE_NAME: "MyDatabase" # The database to backup
+  DATABASE_PORT: "1433"
+
+  # ============================================
+  # MSSQL Specific Configuration
+  # ============================================
+  MSSQL_DATA_DIR: "/var/opt/mssql/data"
+  # MSSQL_EXTRA_OPTS: ""  # Additional sqlcmd options if needed
+
+  # ============================================
+  # Backup Schedule and Retention
+  # ============================================
+  SCHEDULE: "0 2 * * *" # Daily at 2 AM (cron format)
+  BACKUP_KEEP_DAYS: "7" # Keep backups for 7 days
+
+  # Cron schedule examples:
+  # "@daily"          - Once per day at midnight
+  # "@weekly"         - Once per week at midnight Sunday
+  # "@hourly"         - Once per hour
+  # "0 */6 * * *"     - Every 6 hours
+  # "0 2 * * *"       - Every day at 2 AM
+  # "0 3 * * 0"       - Every Sunday at 3 AM
+  # "0 0 1 * *"       - First day of every month at midnight
+
+  # ============================================
+  # AWS S3 Configuration
+  # ============================================
+  S3_BUCKET: "my-database-backups"
+  S3_PREFIX: "mssql-backups"
+  S3_REGION: "us-east-1"
+
+  # ============================================
+  # Optional: S3-Compatible Storage (MinIO, Wasabi, etc.)
+  # ============================================
+  # Uncomment and configure if using non-AWS S3-compatible storage
+  S3_ENDPOINT: "https://s3.example.com" # Your S3-compatible endpoint
+  S3_S3V4: "yes" # Use Signature Version 4
+
+  # Common S3-compatible endpoints:
+  # MinIO:        "https://minio.example.com"
+  # Wasabi:       "https://s3.wasabisys.com"
+  # DigitalOcean: "https://nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com"
+  # Backblaze B2: "https://s3.us-west-001.backblazeb2.com"
+
+---
+# Notes:
+#
+# 1. ConfigMap vs Secret:
+#    - ConfigMap: Non-sensitive configuration (endpoints, names, schedules)
+#    - Secret: Sensitive data (passwords, access keys)
+#
+# 2. To update ConfigMap after deployment:
+#    kubectl apply -f k8s-mssql-configmap.yaml
+#    kubectl rollout restart statefulset/mssql
+#
+# 3. To view the ConfigMap:
+#    kubectl get configmap mssql-config -o yaml
+#
+# 4. DATABASE_HOST behavior:
+#    - In sidecar pattern: Set to "localhost" (overridden in StatefulSet)
+#    - In CronJob pattern: Use service name like "mssql-service"
+#    The ConfigMap default is for CronJob; sidecar overrides it in the pod spec.
+#
+# 5. Alternative: Create from command line:
+#    kubectl create configmap mssql-config \
+#      --from-literal=DATABASE_SERVER='mssql' \
+#      --from-literal=DATABASE_HOST='mssql-service' \
+#      --from-literal=DATABASE_NAME='MyDatabase' \
+#      --from-literal=DATABASE_PORT='1433' \
+#      --from-literal=MSSQL_DATA_DIR='/var/opt/mssql/data' \
+#      --from-literal=SCHEDULE='0 2 * * *' \
+#      --from-literal=BACKUP_KEEP_DAYS='7' \
+#      --from-literal=S3_BUCKET='my-backups' \
+#      --from-literal=S3_PREFIX='mssql-backups' \
+#      --from-literal=S3_REGION='us-east-1' \
+#      --from-literal=S3_ENDPOINT='https://s3.example.com' \
+#      --from-literal=S3_S3V4='yes'
+
diff --git a/tests/k8s-mssql-secret-example.yaml b/tests/k8s-mssql-secret-example.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c4ef53d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/k8s-mssql-secret-example.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+# Example mssql-general Secret
+# This secret contains ONLY sensitive credentials (passwords, keys)
+# Non-sensitive configuration is in the ConfigMap (tests/k8s-mssql-configmap-example.yaml)
+#
+# Usage:
+#   1. Copy this file and update with your actual values
+#   2. Apply ConfigMap: kubectl apply -f tests/k8s-mssql-configmap.yaml
+#   3. Apply Secret: kubectl apply -f tests/k8s-mssql-secret.yaml
+#   4. Deploy: kubectl apply -f tests/k8s-statefulset-with-sidecar.yaml
+
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Secret
+metadata:
+  name: mssql-general
+  namespace: default # Update with your namespace
+type: Opaque
+stringData:
+  # ============================================
+  # MSSQL Server Credentials
+  # ============================================
+  MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD: "YourStrong@Passw0rd" # Must meet SQL Server complexity requirements
+
+  # ============================================
+  # Database Backup Credentials
+  # ============================================
+  DATABASE_USER: "sa"
+  DATABASE_PASSWORD: "YourStrong@Passw0rd" # Same as MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD
+
+  # ============================================
+  # AWS S3 Credentials
+  # ============================================
+  S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID: "AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE"
+  S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: "wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY"
+
+  # ============================================
+  # Optional: GPG Encryption Passphrase
+  # ============================================
+  # Uncomment to enable encryption of backup files before upload
+  # PASSPHRASE: "my-super-secret-gpg-passphrase"
+
+---
+# Notes:
+#
+# 1. Password Requirements:
+#    - MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD must meet SQL Server complexity requirements:
+#      * At least 8 characters
+#      * Mix of uppercase, lowercase, digits, and symbols
+#      * Example: "MyP@ssw0rd123"
+#
+# 2. For production, consider using:
+#    - SealedSecrets: https://github.com/bitnami-labs/sealed-secrets
+#    - External Secrets Operator: https://external-secrets.io/
+#    - AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, or HashiCorp Vault
+#
+# 3. Non-sensitive configuration (bucket, endpoints, schedule):
+#    These are now in the ConfigMap (tests/k8s-mssql-configmap-example.yaml)
+#    This keeps secrets clean and allows easier configuration changes
+#
+# 4. Alternative: Create secret from command line:
+#    kubectl create secret generic mssql-general \
+#      --from-literal=MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD='YourStrong@Passw0rd' \
+#      --from-literal=DATABASE_USER='sa' \
+#      --from-literal=DATABASE_PASSWORD='YourStrong@Passw0rd' \
+#      --from-literal=S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID='YOUR_KEY' \
+#      --from-literal=S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY='YOUR_SECRET'
+#
+# 4. To view the secret (base64 encoded):
+#    kubectl get secret mssql-general -o yaml
+#
+# 5. To decode a specific key:
+#    kubectl get secret mssql-general -o jsonpath='{.data.DATABASE_NAME}' | base64 -d
+
diff --git a/tests/k8s-statefulset-test.yaml b/tests/k8s-statefulset-test.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..28df03a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/k8s-statefulset-test.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+# MSSQL StatefulSet with Backup Sidecar
+#
+# This configuration runs a backup container as a sidecar alongside MSSQL Server.
+# Both containers share the same volume, allowing the backup container to access
+# MSSQL's native backup files.
+#
+# Prerequisites:
+#   1. Create the ConfigMap: kubectl apply -f tests/k8s-mssql-configmap-example.yaml
+#   2. Create the Secret: kubectl apply -f tests/k8s-mssql-secret-example.yaml
+#   3. Apply this StatefulSet: kubectl apply -f tests/k8s-statefulset-test.yaml
+#
+# The backup container will automatically run backups according to the SCHEDULE.
+#
+---
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: StatefulSet
+metadata:
+  name: mssql
+spec:
+  replicas: 1
+  selector:
+    matchLabels:
+      app: mssql
+  serviceName: mssql
+  template:
+    metadata:
+      labels:
+        app: mssql
+    spec:
+      containers:
+        # MSSQL Server Container
+        - name: mssql
+          image: mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2022-CU14-ubuntu-22.04
+          ports:
+            - containerPort: 1433
+          env:
+            - name: ACCEPT_EULA
+              value: "Y"
+            - name: MSSQL_PID
+              value: Express
+          envFrom:
+            - secretRef:
+                name: mssql-general
+          resources:
+            limits:
+              memory: 4Gi
+            requests:
+              cpu: 100m
+              memory: 4Gi
+          securityContext:
+            allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
+            capabilities:
+              add:
+                - NET_BIND_SERVICE
+              drop:
+                - ALL
+          volumeMounts:
+            - mountPath: /var/opt/mssql/data
+              name: data
+
+        # Backup Sidecar Container
+        - name: backup
+          image: reg.dev.krd/db-backup-s3/db-backup-s3:test
+          imagePullPolicy: Always # Update with your image
+          # Load configuration from ConfigMap and Secret
+          envFrom:
+            - configMapRef:
+                name: mssql-config # Non-sensitive config (schedule, bucket, endpoint)
+            - secretRef:
+                name: mssql-general # Sensitive credentials (passwords, keys)
+
+          # Override specific values after loading from ConfigMap/Secret
+          env:
+            # Override DATABASE_HOST from ConfigMap since we're in the same pod
+            - name: DATABASE_HOST
+              value: "localhost" # Sidecar uses localhost; ConfigMap default is for CronJob pattern
+            # Set HOME to writable location for AWS CLI
+            - name: HOME
+              value: "/tmp"
+
+          resources:
+            limits:
+              memory: 512Mi
+            requests:
+              cpu: 100m
+              memory: 256Mi
+          securityContext:
+            allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
+            capabilities:
+              drop:
+                - ALL
+            readOnlyRootFilesystem: false # Needs write access for temp backup files
+          volumeMounts:
+            - mountPath: /var/opt/mssql/data
+              name: data
+
+      securityContext:
+        fsGroup: 10001
+        runAsGroup: 10001
+        runAsNonRoot: true
+        runAsUser: 10001
+        seccompProfile:
+          type: RuntimeDefault
+
+  volumeClaimTemplates:
+    - metadata:
+        name: data
+      spec:
+        accessModes:
+          - ReadWriteOnce
+        resources:
+          requests:
+            storage: 4Gi
+
+---
+# Configuration Structure
+#
+# This StatefulSet uses a ConfigMap for non-sensitive config and a Secret for credentials:
+#
+# ConfigMap (mssql-config) - See tests/k8s-mssql-configmap-example.yaml
+#   - DATABASE_SERVER, DATABASE_HOST, DATABASE_NAME, DATABASE_PORT
+#   - MSSQL_DATA_DIR, MSSQL_EXTRA_OPTS
+#   - SCHEDULE, BACKUP_KEEP_DAYS
+#   - S3_BUCKET, S3_PREFIX, S3_REGION, S3_ENDPOINT, S3_S3V4
+#   Note: DATABASE_HOST is overridden to "localhost" in the StatefulSet for sidecar pattern
+#
+# Secret (mssql-general) - See tests/k8s-mssql-secret-example.yaml
+#   - MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD
+#   - DATABASE_USER, DATABASE_PASSWORD
+#   - S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID, S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
+#   - PASSPHRASE (optional, for GPG encryption)
+#
+# Benefits of separating ConfigMap and Secret:
+#   - Easier to update non-sensitive configuration
+#   - Better security practices (minimal secret exposure)
+#   - ConfigMap changes don't require secret rotation
+#   - Can use different RBAC policies for each
+
diff --git a/tests/k8s-statefulset-with-sidecar.yaml b/tests/k8s-statefulset-with-sidecar.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b3475b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/k8s-statefulset-with-sidecar.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,137 @@
+# MSSQL StatefulSet with Backup Sidecar
+#
+# This configuration runs a backup container as a sidecar alongside MSSQL Server.
+# Both containers share the same volume, allowing the backup container to access
+# MSSQL's native backup files.
+#
+# Prerequisites:
+#   1. Create the ConfigMap: kubectl apply -f tests/k8s-mssql-configmap-example.yaml
+#   2. Create the Secret: kubectl apply -f tests/k8s-mssql-secret-example.yaml
+#   3. Apply this StatefulSet: kubectl apply -f tests/k8s-statefulset-with-sidecar.yaml
+#
+# The backup container will automatically run backups according to the SCHEDULE.
+#
+---
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: StatefulSet
+metadata:
+  name: mssql
+spec:
+  replicas: 1
+  selector:
+    matchLabels:
+      app: mssql
+  serviceName: mssql
+  template:
+    metadata:
+      labels:
+        app: mssql
+    spec:
+      containers:
+        # MSSQL Server Container
+        - name: mssql
+          image: mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2022-CU14-ubuntu-22.04
+          ports:
+            - containerPort: 1433
+          env:
+            - name: ACCEPT_EULA
+              value: "Y"
+            - name: MSSQL_PID
+              value: Express
+          envFrom:
+            - secretRef:
+                name: mssql-general
+          resources:
+            limits:
+              memory: 4Gi
+            requests:
+              cpu: 100m
+              memory: 4Gi
+          securityContext:
+            allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
+            capabilities:
+              add:
+                - NET_BIND_SERVICE
+              drop:
+                - ALL
+          volumeMounts:
+            - mountPath: /var/opt/mssql/data
+              name: data
+
+        # Backup Sidecar Container
+        - name: backup
+          image: ghcr.io/your-org/db-backup-s3:latest # Update with your image
+          # Load configuration from ConfigMap and Secret
+          envFrom:
+            - configMapRef:
+                name: mssql-config # Non-sensitive config (schedule, bucket, endpoint)
+            - secretRef:
+                name: mssql-general # Sensitive credentials (passwords, keys)
+
+          # Override specific values after loading from ConfigMap/Secret
+          env:
+            # Override DATABASE_HOST from ConfigMap since we're in the same pod
+            - name: DATABASE_HOST
+              value: "localhost" # Sidecar uses localhost; ConfigMap default is for CronJob pattern
+            # Set HOME to writable location for AWS CLI
+            - name: HOME
+              value: "/tmp"
+
+          resources:
+            limits:
+              memory: 512Mi
+            requests:
+              cpu: 100m
+              memory: 256Mi
+          securityContext:
+            allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
+            capabilities:
+              drop:
+                - ALL
+            readOnlyRootFilesystem: false # Needs write access for temp backup files
+          volumeMounts:
+            - mountPath: /var/opt/mssql/data
+              name: data
+
+      securityContext:
+        fsGroup: 10001
+        runAsGroup: 10001
+        runAsNonRoot: true
+        runAsUser: 10001
+        seccompProfile:
+          type: RuntimeDefault
+
+  volumeClaimTemplates:
+    - metadata:
+        name: data
+      spec:
+        accessModes:
+          - ReadWriteOnce
+        resources:
+          requests:
+            storage: 4Gi
+
+---
+# Configuration Structure
+#
+# This StatefulSet uses a ConfigMap for non-sensitive config and a Secret for credentials:
+#
+# ConfigMap (mssql-config) - See tests/k8s-mssql-configmap-example.yaml
+#   - DATABASE_SERVER, DATABASE_HOST, DATABASE_NAME, DATABASE_PORT
+#   - MSSQL_DATA_DIR, MSSQL_EXTRA_OPTS
+#   - SCHEDULE, BACKUP_KEEP_DAYS
+#   - S3_BUCKET, S3_PREFIX, S3_REGION, S3_ENDPOINT, S3_S3V4
+#   Note: DATABASE_HOST is overridden to "localhost" in the StatefulSet for sidecar pattern
+#
+# Secret (mssql-general) - See tests/k8s-mssql-secret-example.yaml
+#   - MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD
+#   - DATABASE_USER, DATABASE_PASSWORD
+#   - S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID, S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
+#   - PASSPHRASE (optional, for GPG encryption)
+#
+# Benefits of separating ConfigMap and Secret:
+#   - Easier to update non-sensitive configuration
+#   - Better security practices (minimal secret exposure)
+#   - ConfigMap changes don't require secret rotation
+#   - Can use different RBAC policies for each
+
diff --git a/tests/setup-minio-k8s.sh b/tests/setup-minio-k8s.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..082488a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/setup-minio-k8s.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+
+# Colors for output
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+BLUE='\033[0;34m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+NC='\033[0m' # No Color
+
+echo -e "${BLUE}🚀 Setting up MinIO in Kubernetes for testing...${NC}"
+
+MINIO_NAMESPACE="${NAMESPACE:-mssql-backup-test}"
+MINIO_USER="minioadmin"
+MINIO_PASSWORD="minioadmin"
+BUCKET_NAME="backups"
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}📦 Creating namespace: $MINIO_NAMESPACE${NC}"
+kubectl create namespace $MINIO_NAMESPACE --dry-run=client -o yaml | kubectl apply -f -
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}🗄️  Deploying MinIO...${NC}"
+kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Pod
+metadata:
+  name: minio
+  namespace: $MINIO_NAMESPACE
+  labels:
+    app: minio
+spec:
+  securityContext:
+    runAsNonRoot: true
+    runAsUser: 1000
+    runAsGroup: 1000
+    fsGroup: 1000
+    seccompProfile:
+      type: RuntimeDefault
+  containers:
+  - name: minio
+    image: minio/minio:latest
+    args:
+    - server
+    - /data
+    - --console-address
+    - :9001
+    ports:
+    - containerPort: 9000
+      name: api
+    - containerPort: 9001
+      name: console
+    env:
+    - name: MINIO_ROOT_USER
+      value: "$MINIO_USER"
+    - name: MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD
+      value: "$MINIO_PASSWORD"
+    securityContext:
+      allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
+      capabilities:
+        drop:
+        - ALL
+      readOnlyRootFilesystem: false
+    volumeMounts:
+    - name: data
+      mountPath: /data
+  volumes:
+  - name: data
+    emptyDir: {}
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Service
+metadata:
+  name: minio
+  namespace: $MINIO_NAMESPACE
+spec:
+  type: ClusterIP
+  ports:
+  - port: 9000
+    targetPort: 9000
+    name: api
+  - port: 9001
+    targetPort: 9001
+    name: console
+  selector:
+    app: minio
+EOF
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}⏳ Waiting for MinIO to be ready...${NC}"
+kubectl wait --for=condition=ready pod/minio -n $MINIO_NAMESPACE --timeout=120s
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}⏳ Waiting for MinIO to start (5 seconds)...${NC}"
+sleep 5
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}📦 Creating bucket: $BUCKET_NAME${NC}"
+kubectl exec -n $MINIO_NAMESPACE minio -- sh -c "
+  mc alias set local http://localhost:9000 $MINIO_USER $MINIO_PASSWORD && \
+  mc mb local/$BUCKET_NAME --ignore-existing && \
+  mc ls local/
+"
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${GREEN}✅ MinIO is ready!${NC}"
+echo ""
+echo -e "${BLUE}MinIO Details:${NC}"
+echo -e "  Namespace:      $MINIO_NAMESPACE"
+echo -e "  Service:        minio:9000 (within namespace)"
+echo -e "  Full Service:   minio.$MINIO_NAMESPACE.svc.cluster.local:9000"
+echo -e "  Access Key:     $MINIO_USER"
+echo -e "  Secret Key:     $MINIO_PASSWORD"
+echo -e "  Bucket:         $BUCKET_NAME"
+echo ""
+echo -e "${BLUE}To access MinIO Console:${NC}"
+echo -e "  kubectl port-forward -n $MINIO_NAMESPACE pod/minio 9001:9001"
+echo -e "  Then open: http://localhost:9001"
+echo ""
+echo -e "${BLUE}To run the MSSQL backup test (same namespace):${NC}"
+echo -e "  NAMESPACE=$MINIO_NAMESPACE \\"
+echo -e "  S3_ENDPOINT=http://minio:9000 \\"
+echo -e "  S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID=$MINIO_USER \\"
+echo -e "  S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=$MINIO_PASSWORD \\"
+echo -e "  S3_BUCKET=$BUCKET_NAME \\"
+echo -e "  ./test-mssql-k8s.sh"
+echo ""
+
diff --git a/tests/test-mssql-k8s-with-minio.sh b/tests/test-mssql-k8s-with-minio.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..4719151
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test-mssql-k8s-with-minio.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+
+# Colors for output
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+BLUE='\033[0;34m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+NC='\033[0m' # No Color
+
+echo -e "${BLUE}🚀 Complete MSSQL Backup Test with MinIO${NC}"
+echo -e "${BLUE}=========================================${NC}"
+echo ""
+
+# Use same namespace for everything
+TEST_NAMESPACE="${NAMESPACE:-mssql-backup-test}"
+MINIO_USER="minioadmin"
+MINIO_PASSWORD="minioadmin"
+BUCKET_NAME="backups"
+MINIO_ENDPOINT="http://minio:9000"  # Simple service name (same namespace)
+
+echo -e "${GREEN}📦 Test Configuration:${NC}"
+echo -e "  Namespace:       ${YELLOW}$TEST_NAMESPACE${NC}"
+echo -e "  Resources:       MinIO + MSSQL (both in same namespace)"
+echo -e "  S3 Endpoint:     $MINIO_ENDPOINT"
+echo ""
+
+# Check if MinIO is already running
+MINIO_EXISTS=$(kubectl get pod minio -n $TEST_NAMESPACE 2>/dev/null | grep -c "minio" || true)
+
+if [ "$MINIO_EXISTS" -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}📦 MinIO not found. Deploying MinIO in $TEST_NAMESPACE...${NC}"
+    NAMESPACE=$TEST_NAMESPACE "$(dirname "$0")/setup-minio-k8s.sh"
+else
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✅ MinIO already running in $TEST_NAMESPACE namespace${NC}"
+
+    # Verify MinIO is ready
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}⏳ Checking MinIO status...${NC}"
+    kubectl wait --for=condition=ready pod/minio -n $TEST_NAMESPACE --timeout=60s
+
+    # Ensure bucket exists
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}📦 Ensuring bucket exists: $BUCKET_NAME${NC}"
+    kubectl exec -n $TEST_NAMESPACE minio -- sh -c "
+      mc alias set local http://localhost:9000 $MINIO_USER $MINIO_PASSWORD 2>/dev/null && \
+      mc mb local/$BUCKET_NAME --ignore-existing 2>/dev/null
+    " || echo "Bucket already exists or created"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${BLUE}======================================${NC}"
+echo -e "${BLUE}🧪 Running MSSQL Backup Test${NC}"
+echo -e "${BLUE}======================================${NC}"
+echo ""
+
+# Run the test with MinIO configuration (same namespace)
+NAMESPACE="$TEST_NAMESPACE" \
+STATEFULSET_FILE="$(dirname "$0")/k8s-statefulset-test.yaml" \
+S3_ENDPOINT="$MINIO_ENDPOINT" \
+S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID="$MINIO_USER" \
+S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY="$MINIO_PASSWORD" \
+S3_BUCKET="$BUCKET_NAME" \
+"$(dirname "$0")/test-mssql-k8s.sh"
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${GREEN}🎉 All tests completed successfully!${NC}"
+echo ""
+echo -e "${BLUE}📊 View backups in MinIO:${NC}"
+echo -e "  kubectl exec -n $TEST_NAMESPACE minio -- mc ls local/$BUCKET_NAME/mssql-backups/"
+echo ""
+echo -e "${BLUE}🌐 Access MinIO Console:${NC}"
+echo -e "  kubectl port-forward -n $TEST_NAMESPACE pod/minio 9001:9001"
+echo -e "  Then open: http://localhost:9001"
+echo -e "  Login: $MINIO_USER / $MINIO_PASSWORD"
+echo ""
+echo -e "${BLUE}🧹 Cleanup (everything in one namespace):${NC}"
+echo -e "  kubectl delete namespace $TEST_NAMESPACE"
+echo ""
+
diff --git a/tests/test-mssql-k8s.sh b/tests/test-mssql-k8s.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..50dd48f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test-mssql-k8s.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,236 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+
+# Colors for output
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+BLUE='\033[0;34m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+NC='\033[0m' # No Color
+
+echo -e "${BLUE}🚀 Starting Kubernetes MSSQL backup test...${NC}"
+
+# Configuration
+NAMESPACE="${NAMESPACE:-mssql-backup-test}"
+STATEFULSET_NAME="mssql"
+POD_NAME="mssql-0"
+MSSQL_PASSWORD="YourStrong@Passw0rd"
+DATABASE_NAME="TestDB"
+MSSQL_DATA_DIR="${MSSQL_DATA_DIR:-/var/opt/mssql/data}"
+S3_BUCKET="${S3_BUCKET:-test-backups}"
+S3_ENDPOINT="${S3_ENDPOINT:-}"  # Set this if using MinIO or other S3-compatible storage
+STATEFULSET_FILE="${STATEFULSET_FILE:-$(dirname "$0")/k8s-statefulset-with-sidecar.yaml}"
+
+# Cleanup function
+cleanup() {
+    echo ""
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}✨ Cleaning up resources...${NC}"
+    kubectl delete statefulset $STATEFULSET_NAME -n $NAMESPACE --ignore-not-found=true
+    kubectl delete pvc -l app=mssql -n $NAMESPACE --ignore-not-found=true
+    kubectl delete configmap mssql-config -n $NAMESPACE --ignore-not-found=true
+    kubectl delete secret mssql-general -n $NAMESPACE --ignore-not-found=true
+
+    # Optionally delete the namespace (uncomment to auto-delete)
+    # kubectl delete namespace $NAMESPACE --ignore-not-found=true
+
+    echo -e "${GREEN}🎉 Cleanup complete!${NC}"
+    echo -e "${BLUE}💡 To delete the namespace (including MinIO if present):${NC}"
+    echo -e "${BLUE}   kubectl delete namespace $NAMESPACE${NC}"
+}
+
+# Trap cleanup on exit
+trap cleanup EXIT
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}📦 Creating namespace: $NAMESPACE${NC}"
+kubectl create namespace $NAMESPACE --dry-run=client -o yaml | kubectl apply -f -
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}🧹 Cleaning up any existing resources in namespace...${NC}"
+kubectl delete statefulset $STATEFULSET_NAME -n $NAMESPACE --ignore-not-found=true
+kubectl delete pvc -l app=mssql -n $NAMESPACE --ignore-not-found=true
+kubectl delete configmap mssql-config -n $NAMESPACE --ignore-not-found=true
+kubectl delete secret mssql-general -n $NAMESPACE --ignore-not-found=true
+
+# Wait for PVC to be deleted
+echo -e "${YELLOW}⏳ Waiting for PVC cleanup...${NC}"
+while kubectl get pvc -l app=mssql -n $NAMESPACE 2>/dev/null | grep -q mssql; do
+    echo "Waiting for PVC to be deleted..."
+    sleep 2
+done
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}📝 Creating ConfigMap...${NC}"
+kubectl create configmap mssql-config -n $NAMESPACE \
+  --from-literal=DATABASE_SERVER='mssql' \
+  --from-literal=DATABASE_HOST='mssql-service' \
+  --from-literal=DATABASE_NAME="$DATABASE_NAME" \
+  --from-literal=DATABASE_PORT='1433' \
+  --from-literal=MSSQL_DATA_DIR='/var/opt/mssql/data' \
+  --from-literal=SCHEDULE='*/5 * * * *' \
+  --from-literal=BACKUP_KEEP_DAYS='7' \
+  --from-literal=S3_BUCKET="$S3_BUCKET" \
+  --from-literal=S3_PREFIX='mssql-backups' \
+  --from-literal=S3_REGION='us-east-1' \
+  ${S3_ENDPOINT:+--from-literal=S3_ENDPOINT="$S3_ENDPOINT"} \
+  ${S3_ENDPOINT:+--from-literal=S3_S3V4='yes'}
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}🔐 Creating Secret...${NC}"
+kubectl create secret generic mssql-general -n $NAMESPACE \
+  --from-literal=MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD="$MSSQL_PASSWORD" \
+  --from-literal=DATABASE_USER='sa' \
+  --from-literal=DATABASE_PASSWORD="$MSSQL_PASSWORD" \
+  --from-literal=S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID="${S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID:-minioadmin}" \
+  --from-literal=S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY="${S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY:-minioadmin}" \
+  --from-literal=PASSPHRASE="${PASSPHRASE:-TestEncryptionPassphrase123}"
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}📦 Deploying StatefulSet from $STATEFULSET_FILE...${NC}"
+kubectl apply -f $STATEFULSET_FILE -n $NAMESPACE
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}⏳ Waiting for pod to be ready (this may take 1-2 minutes)...${NC}"
+kubectl wait --for=condition=ready pod/$POD_NAME -n $NAMESPACE --timeout=300s
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}⏳ Waiting for MSSQL to be fully initialized...${NC}"
+sleep 10
+
+# Check if both containers are running
+MSSQL_READY=$(kubectl get pod $POD_NAME -n $NAMESPACE -o jsonpath='{.status.containerStatuses[?(@.name=="mssql")].ready}')
+BACKUP_READY=$(kubectl get pod $POD_NAME -n $NAMESPACE -o jsonpath='{.status.containerStatuses[?(@.name=="backup")].ready}')
+
+if [ "$MSSQL_READY" != "true" ] || [ "$BACKUP_READY" != "true" ]; then
+    echo -e "${RED}❌ Containers not ready!${NC}"
+    echo "MSSQL ready: $MSSQL_READY"
+    echo "Backup ready: $BACKUP_READY"
+    kubectl describe pod $POD_NAME -n $NAMESPACE
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo -e "${GREEN}✅ Pod is ready with both containers running!${NC}"
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}🗄️  Creating test database...${NC}"
+kubectl exec $POD_NAME -c mssql -n $NAMESPACE -- /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd \
+  -S localhost -U sa -P "$MSSQL_PASSWORD" -C \
+  -Q "CREATE DATABASE $DATABASE_NAME;"
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}📝 Creating test table and inserting data...${NC}"
+kubectl exec $POD_NAME -c mssql -n $NAMESPACE -- /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd \
+  -S localhost -U sa -P "$MSSQL_PASSWORD" -C -d $DATABASE_NAME \
+  -Q "CREATE TABLE Users (id INT PRIMARY KEY, name VARCHAR(50)); INSERT INTO Users VALUES (1, 'John'), (2, 'Jane');"
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}📊 Current data:${NC}"
+kubectl exec $POD_NAME -c mssql -n $NAMESPACE -- /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd \
+  -S localhost -U sa -P "$MSSQL_PASSWORD" -C -d $DATABASE_NAME \
+  -Q "SELECT * FROM Users;"
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}💾 Running backup...${NC}"
+kubectl exec $POD_NAME -c backup -n $NAMESPACE -- sh backup.sh
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}📋 Checking backup container logs...${NC}"
+kubectl logs $POD_NAME -c backup -n $NAMESPACE --tail=20
+
+# Optional: List S3 backups if aws CLI is available in the backup container
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}📋 Checking S3 for backups...${NC}"
+if [ -n "$S3_ENDPOINT" ]; then
+    kubectl exec $POD_NAME -c backup -n $NAMESPACE -- aws s3 ls s3://$S3_BUCKET/mssql-backups/ --endpoint-url="$S3_ENDPOINT" 2>/dev/null || echo "Note: Could not list S3 bucket (this is OK for local testing)"
+else
+    kubectl exec $POD_NAME -c backup -n $NAMESPACE -- aws s3 ls s3://$S3_BUCKET/mssql-backups/ 2>/dev/null || echo "Note: Could not list S3 bucket (this is OK for local testing)"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}🔐 Verifying backup is encrypted...${NC}"
+# Check the backup logs for encryption activity
+BACKUP_LOGS=$(kubectl logs $POD_NAME -c backup -n $NAMESPACE --tail=100 2>/dev/null || echo "")
+if echo "$BACKUP_LOGS" | grep -q "Encrypting backup"; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✅ Backup encryption confirmed${NC}"
+elif echo "$BACKUP_LOGS" | grep -q "\.bak\.gpg"; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✅ Backup is encrypted (.gpg extension detected in logs)${NC}"
+elif echo "$BACKUP_LOGS" | grep -q "\.dump\.gpg"; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✅ Backup is encrypted (.gpg extension detected in logs)${NC}"
+else
+    # Final check: was PASSPHRASE set?
+    PASSPHRASE_SET=$(kubectl exec $POD_NAME -c backup -n $NAMESPACE -- sh -c 'test -n "$PASSPHRASE" && echo "yes" || echo "no"' 2>/dev/null)
+    if [ "$PASSPHRASE_SET" = "yes" ]; then
+        echo -e "${YELLOW}⚠️  PASSPHRASE is set, but cannot confirm encryption from logs${NC}"
+        echo -e "${YELLOW}   (Encryption should be active, will verify during restore)${NC}"
+    else
+        echo -e "${RED}❌ Warning: PASSPHRASE not set - backups are NOT encrypted${NC}"
+    fi
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}🔨 Modifying database (deleting John)...${NC}"
+kubectl exec $POD_NAME -c mssql -n $NAMESPACE -- /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd \
+  -S localhost -U sa -P "$MSSQL_PASSWORD" -C -d $DATABASE_NAME \
+  -Q "DELETE FROM Users WHERE name = 'John';"
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}📊 Current data after modification (should only show Jane):${NC}"
+kubectl exec $POD_NAME -c mssql -n $NAMESPACE -- /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd \
+  -S localhost -U sa -P "$MSSQL_PASSWORD" -C -d $DATABASE_NAME \
+  -Q "SELECT * FROM Users;"
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}♻️  Restoring from backup...${NC}"
+RESTORE_OUTPUT=$(kubectl exec $POD_NAME -c backup -n $NAMESPACE -- sh restore.sh 2>&1)
+echo "$RESTORE_OUTPUT"
+
+# Verify decryption happened during restore
+if echo "$RESTORE_OUTPUT" | grep -q "Decrypting backup"; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✅ Backup was successfully decrypted during restore${NC}"
+elif echo "$RESTORE_OUTPUT" | grep -q "encrypted with 1 passphrase"; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✅ GPG decryption confirmed${NC}"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}📊 Data after restore (should show both John and Jane):${NC}"
+kubectl exec $POD_NAME -c mssql -n $NAMESPACE -- /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd \
+  -S localhost -U sa -P "$MSSQL_PASSWORD" -C -d $DATABASE_NAME \
+  -Q "SELECT * FROM Users;"
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}🔍 Verifying restoration...${NC}"
+RECORD_COUNT=$(kubectl exec $POD_NAME -c mssql -n $NAMESPACE -- /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd \
+  -S localhost -U sa -P "$MSSQL_PASSWORD" -C -d $DATABASE_NAME -h -1 -W \
+  -Q "SET NOCOUNT ON; SELECT COUNT(*) FROM Users;" | grep -v '^$' | tr -d '[:space:]')
+
+if [ "$RECORD_COUNT" = "2" ]; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✅ Success! Both records were restored correctly.${NC}"
+else
+    echo -e "${RED}❌ Failed! Expected 2 records, found: $RECORD_COUNT${NC}"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}📊 Checking resource usage...${NC}"
+kubectl top pod $POD_NAME -n $NAMESPACE --containers 2>/dev/null || echo "Note: Metrics server not available"
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${GREEN}🎉 All tests passed!${NC}"
+echo ""
+echo -e "${BLUE}Additional commands you can try:${NC}"
+echo -e "  ${YELLOW}# View MSSQL logs:${NC}"
+echo -e "  kubectl logs $POD_NAME -c mssql -n $NAMESPACE"
+echo ""
+echo -e "  ${YELLOW}# View backup logs:${NC}"
+echo -e "  kubectl logs $POD_NAME -c backup -n $NAMESPACE"
+echo ""
+echo -e "  ${YELLOW}# Execute manual backup:${NC}"
+echo -e "  kubectl exec $POD_NAME -c backup -n $NAMESPACE -- sh backup.sh"
+echo ""
+echo -e "  ${YELLOW}# Connect to MSSQL:${NC}"
+echo -e "  kubectl exec -it $POD_NAME -c mssql -n $NAMESPACE -- /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd -S localhost -U sa -P '$MSSQL_PASSWORD' -C"
+echo ""
+echo -e "  ${YELLOW}# Check disk usage:${NC}"
+echo -e "  kubectl exec $POD_NAME -c backup -n $NAMESPACE -- df -h /var/opt/mssql/data"
+echo ""
+
diff --git a/tests/test-mssql.sh b/tests/test-mssql.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..8a3de27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test-mssql.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e  # Exit on error (but we'll handle specific commands)
+
+echo "🚀 Starting test of MSSQL backup functionality..."
+
+echo "🧹 Cleaning up any existing containers..."
+docker compose down -v 2>/dev/null || true
+
+echo "📦 Starting MinIO and MSSQL..."
+docker compose up -d minio mssql
+
+echo "⏳ Waiting for MinIO to be ready..."
+for i in {1..10}; do
+  if docker exec db-backup-s3-minio-1 mc alias set local http://localhost:9000 miniouser minioroot &>/dev/null; then
+    echo "✅ MinIO is ready!"
+    break
+  fi
+  echo -n "."
+  sleep 1
+done
+echo ""
+
+echo "📦 Creating backups bucket..."
+docker exec db-backup-s3-minio-1 mc mb local/backups --ignore-existing || true
+
+echo "⏳ Waiting for MSSQL to be ready (this takes about 30 seconds)..."
+for i in {1..30}; do
+  if docker exec db-backup-s3-mssql-1 /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd \
+    -S localhost -U sa -P 'YourStrong@Passw0rd' -C \
+    -Q "SELECT 1" &>/dev/null; then
+    echo "✅ MSSQL is ready!"
+    break
+  fi
+  echo -n "."
+  sleep 1
+done
+echo ""
+
+echo "🗄️  Creating test database..."
+docker exec db-backup-s3-mssql-1 /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd \
+  -S localhost -U sa -P 'YourStrong@Passw0rd' -C \
+  -Q "CREATE DATABASE TestDB;"
+
+echo "📝 Creating test table and inserting data..."
+docker exec db-backup-s3-mssql-1 /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd \
+  -S localhost -U sa -P 'YourStrong@Passw0rd' -C -d TestDB \
+  -Q "CREATE TABLE Users (id INT, name VARCHAR(50)); INSERT INTO Users VALUES (1, 'John'), (2, 'Jane');"
+
+echo "📊 Current data:"
+docker exec db-backup-s3-mssql-1 /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd \
+  -S localhost -U sa -P 'YourStrong@Passw0rd' -C -d TestDB \
+  -Q "SELECT * FROM Users;"
+
+echo ""
+echo "💾 Running backup..."
+docker compose run --rm backup-mssql sh backup.sh
+
+echo ""
+echo "📋 Checking MinIO for backup..."
+echo "Backups in bucket:"
+docker exec db-backup-s3-minio-1 mc ls local/backups/mssql-backups/
+
+echo ""
+echo "🔨 Modifying database (deleting John)..."
+docker exec db-backup-s3-mssql-1 /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd \
+  -S localhost -U sa -P 'YourStrong@Passw0rd' -C -d TestDB \
+  -Q "DELETE FROM Users WHERE id = 1;"
+
+echo "📊 Current data after modification (should only show Jane):"
+docker exec db-backup-s3-mssql-1 /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd \
+  -S localhost -U sa -P 'YourStrong@Passw0rd' -C -d TestDB \
+  -Q "SELECT * FROM Users;"
+
+echo ""
+echo "♻️  Restoring from backup..."
+docker compose run --rm backup-mssql sh restore.sh
+
+echo ""
+echo "📊 Data after restore (should show both John and Jane):"
+docker exec db-backup-s3-mssql-1 /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd \
+  -S localhost -U sa -P 'YourStrong@Passw0rd' -C -d TestDB \
+  -Q "SELECT * FROM Users;"
+
+echo ""
+echo "✨ Test complete! Cleaning up..."
+# docker compose down -v
+
+echo "🎉 All done!"