I really don't see how any clone is going to manage to do what localstack couldn't - maintain compatibility with tons of AWS services while not getting paid for it. If this were viable, why would it not have worked before?
The only things I can think of are that perhaps LocalStack was just a mess of a codebase that couldn't maintain velocity or attract contributors, or it just failed to steward new contributors or some such thing.
The problem as always is you need to give a free tier to hook the devs... but it was never clear to anyone where LocalStack should then draw the line for putting features behind a paywall in a way that wouldn't upset or detract people from even trying it in the first place.
If you start making significant amounts of the mock API surface split between free and premium, it just leaves a bad taste in the mouth for the poor developer trying it for the first time when the mock they need is on the wrong side of the fence, and there is no real logic to what services people tend to use - it entirely depends on the solution they are building.
They did try things like making resume/suspend of the container to maintain state between work sessions a paid upgrade IIRC, but I was able to avoid paying them anything for years. The whole situation reminds me of the sad mess trying to monetize Docker ended up in, which has followed a similar arc.
Hello! We won't have the broad coverage that Localstack has... we're not aiming to be the "next Localstack"... just want to keep the core services that were available for free in the LS community up to date. If you’re looking for larger services like MWAA, sorry, but we won't be supporting them.... Most core AWS services don't receive many updates anyway (their APIs don’t change drastically or frequently)
I suppose (among many other things) LLMs are changing this. We no longer need that many contributors when we can use AWS docs, intercept AWS API calls and give it to AI agent to mimic. Of course, contributors are still needed for maintaining tests and validations.
"LocalStack was just a mess of a codebase" - very true.
I do think there's potential to semi-automatically create a compatible suite of services, but it'll require some very talented use of LLMs and some novel testing approaches. Not something I want to sign up for.
I evaluated Floci, but that has the typical issues you'd expected with freshly minted vibe code.
Ugh, I hadn't heard the news about the LocalStack licensing changes. I had some great results building AWS services for local dev as well as CI/CD and testing in GH actions with LocalStack in previous jobs.
I secretly always hoped Amazon would buy out LocalStack and make it the official free local development environment for AWS work, but I guess it probably would reduce revenues spent on AWS based dev and test environments. The compatibility with the AWS CLI was mostly excellent in my experiences.
Thus far I've tried that (rejected), Floci (not great), and now looking at this.
This one is 7 days old.
I'm eager to have a localstack replacement, but these are a long way off from being mature enough. I suppose this is just the new state of software? Shiny website, big claims, AI coded, insufficiently tested.
The only things I can think of are that perhaps LocalStack was just a mess of a codebase that couldn't maintain velocity or attract contributors, or it just failed to steward new contributors or some such thing.
If you start making significant amounts of the mock API surface split between free and premium, it just leaves a bad taste in the mouth for the poor developer trying it for the first time when the mock they need is on the wrong side of the fence, and there is no real logic to what services people tend to use - it entirely depends on the solution they are building.
They did try things like making resume/suspend of the container to maintain state between work sessions a paid upgrade IIRC, but I was able to avoid paying them anything for years. The whole situation reminds me of the sad mess trying to monetize Docker ended up in, which has followed a similar arc.
I do think there's potential to semi-automatically create a compatible suite of services, but it'll require some very talented use of LLMs and some novel testing approaches. Not something I want to sign up for.
I evaluated Floci, but that has the typical issues you'd expected with freshly minted vibe code.
I secretly always hoped Amazon would buy out LocalStack and make it the official free local development environment for AWS work, but I guess it probably would reduce revenues spent on AWS based dev and test environments. The compatibility with the AWS CLI was mostly excellent in my experiences.
This one is 7 days old.
I'm eager to have a localstack replacement, but these are a long way off from being mature enough. I suppose this is just the new state of software? Shiny website, big claims, AI coded, insufficiently tested.
Already lying or totally unreviewed AI slop ?