Frequently Asked Questions
This page answers the frequently asked questions about LocalStack Pro, Enterprise, and Community Editions.
LocalStack Core FAQs
How to update my LocalStack CLI?
If the LocalStack CLI version is heavily outdated, it might lead to issues with container startup and debug commands. If you are using an older version of LocalStack, you can update it by running the following command:
pip install --upgrade localstack localstack-extIf you are running a newer version of LocalStack, you can check the version by running the following command:
localstack update localstack-cliIs using localhost.localstack.cloud:4566 to set as the endpoint for AWS services recommended?
localhost.localstack.cloud is the recommended endpoint - especially for S3, in order to enable host-based bucket endpoints.
- When using this domain within LocalStack compute environments like Lambda, ECS or EC2, this domain name resolves to the LocalStack container via our DNS server available in version 2.3.
- By configuring your environment, your applications can also use
localhost.localstack.cloudto resolve to the LocalStack container via our DNS server. - In addition, we also publish an SSL certificate that is automatically used inside LocalStack, in order to enable HTTPS endpoints with valid certificates.
Across our docs, we use localhost:4566 instead of localhost.localstack.cloud, to provide a fallback option to users.
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Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions
This page answers the frequently asked questions about LocalStack Pro, Enterprise, and Community Editions.
LocalStack Core FAQs
How to update my LocalStack CLI?
If the LocalStack CLI version is heavily outdated, it might lead to issues with container startup and debug commands. If you are using an older version of LocalStack, you can update it by running the following command:
pip install --upgrade localstack localstack-extIf you are running a newer version of LocalStack, you can check the version by running the following command:
localstack update localstack-cliIs using localhost.localstack.cloud:4566 to set as the endpoint for AWS services recommended?
localhost.localstack.cloud is the recommended endpoint - especially for S3, in order to enable host-based bucket endpoints.
- When using this domain within LocalStack compute environments like Lambda, ECS or EC2, this domain name resolves to the LocalStack container via our DNS server available in version 2.3.
- By configuring your environment, your applications can also use
localhost.localstack.cloudto resolve to the LocalStack container via our DNS server. - In addition, we also publish an SSL certificate that is automatically used inside LocalStack, in order to enable HTTPS endpoints with valid certificates.
Across our docs, we use localhost:4566 instead of localhost.localstack.cloud, to provide a fallback option to users.
The primary reason being that some users are behind a corporate firewall or an internet service provider that does not allow resolving localhost.localstack.cloud properly.
How should I use the latest LocalStack Docker images?
To use the latest LocalStack Docker images, you either run docker pull localstack/localstack:latest or use the docker-compose pull if the image is set to localstack/localstack:latest. You can also specify a particular digest to make sure you are using the correct image, like this: localstack/localstack:latest@sha256:f803cc657843c6c7acf2631d15600783c3593e496fba418415afc87680d9d5bc.
You can also use the our diagnose endpoint (http://localhost:4566/_localstack/diagnose) to get the specific image hashes and compare them with the current (latest) images on Docker Hub.
-The diagnose endpoint is only available if you run LocalStack with DEBUG=1.
How can I access LocalStack from an alternative computer?
You can access LocalStack from an alternative computer, by exposing port 4566 to the public network interface (0.0.0.0 instead of 127.0.0.1) in your docker-compose.yml configuration. However, we do not recommend using this setup - for security reasons, as it exposes your local computer to potential attacks from the outside world.
How to fix LocalStack CLI (Python) UTF-8 encoding issue under Windows?
If you are using LocalStack CLI under Windows, you might run into encoding issues. To fix this, set the following environment variables:
Set the system locale (language for non-Unicode programs) to UTF-8 to avoid Unicode errors.
Follow these steps:
- Open the Control Panel.
- Go to “Clock and Region” or “Region and Language.”
- Click on the “Administrative” tab.
- Click on the “Change system locale” button.
- Select “Beta: Use Unicode UTF-8 for worldwide language support” and click “OK.”
- Restart your computer to apply the changes.
If you would like to keep the system locale as it is, you can mitigate the issue by using the command localstack --no-banner.
How do I resolve connection issues with proxy blocking access to LocalStack’s BigData image?
A company proxy can lead to connection issues. To allow access to the localstack/bigdata image, use the following Docker configuration in your docker-compose.yml file:
...
+The diagnose endpoint is only available if you run LocalStack with DEBUG=1.How can I access LocalStack from an alternative computer?
You can access LocalStack from an alternative computer, by exposing port 4566 to the public network interface (0.0.0.0 instead of 127.0.0.1) in your docker-compose.yml configuration. However, we do not recommend using this setup - for security reasons, as it exposes your local computer to potential attacks from the outside world.
How to resolve Git Bash issues with LocalStack?
If you’re using Git Bash with LocalStack, you might encounter some issues.
+This is due to the automatic conversion of POSIX paths to Windows paths when command-line options start with a slash.
+For instance, "/usr/bin/bash.exe" would be converted to "C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin\bash.exe".
This conversion can cause problems when it’s not needed, such as with "--name /test/parameter/new".
To prevent this, you can temporarily set the MSYS_NO_PATHCONV environment variable.
+Another workaround is to double the first slash in your command to prevent the POSIX-to-Windows path conversion.
This will lead to issues with Git Bash
$ aws ssm get-parameter --name "/test/parameter/new"
Option 1: Set the environment variable
$ MSYS_NO_PATHCONV=1 aws ssm put-parameter --name "/test/parameter/new" --type String --value "test"
Option 2: Double the first slash
$ aws ssm put-parameter --name "//test/parameter/new" --type String --value "test"
For additional known issues related to Git Bash, you can refer to the following link: Git Bash Known Issues
How to fix LocalStack CLI (Python) UTF-8 encoding issue under Windows?
If you are using LocalStack CLI under Windows, you might run into encoding issues. To fix this, set the following environment variables:
Set the system locale (language for non-Unicode programs) to UTF-8 to avoid Unicode errors.
Follow these steps:
- Open the Control Panel.
- Go to “Clock and Region” or “Region and Language.”
- Click on the “Administrative” tab.
- Click on the “Change system locale” button.
- Select “Beta: Use Unicode UTF-8 for worldwide language support” and click “OK.”
- Restart your computer to apply the changes.
If you would like to keep the system locale as it is, you can mitigate the issue by using the command localstack --no-banner.
How do I resolve connection issues with proxy blocking access to LocalStack’s BigData image?
A company proxy can lead to connection issues. To allow access to the localstack/bigdata image, use the following Docker configuration in your docker-compose.yml file:
...
environment:
- HTTP_PROXY =
- NO_PROXY = .s3.localhost.localstack.cloud,127.0.0.1,*.localhost
@@ -315,10 +318,10 @@
...
How to increase IO performance for LocalStack’s Docker image under Windows?
Note
Some options that are not part of the standard configuration may have unintended consequences for AWS services that operate within LocalStack.
For example, these options may interfere with the functionality of AppSync function executor, RDS MySQL persistence and SageMaker.
-We advise you to exercise caution.You can change the LocalStack volume folder to use the WSL Linux file system instead of the Windows host folder.
To do so, you need to change the docker-compose.yml file and add the following lines:
volumes:
+We advise you to exercise caution.
You can change the LocalStack volume folder to use the WSL Linux file system instead of the Windows host folder.
To do so, you need to change the docker-compose.yml file and add the following lines:
volumes:
- "/var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock"
- "\\\\wsl$\\<Ubuntu>\\home\\<USERNAME>\\volume:/var/lib/localstack" # mount volume in WSL2 Linux file system
-
As an alternative, you can set the volume as - "~/volume:/var/lib/localstack" then start Docker using command wsl docker compose -f docker-compose.yml up.
volumes:
+
As an alternative, you can set the volume as - "~/volume:/var/lib/localstack" then start Docker using command wsl docker compose -f docker-compose.yml up.
volumes:
- "/var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock"
- "localstack_data:/var/lib/localstack" # mount Docker volume
volumes:
@@ -330,7 +333,7 @@
LocalStack cannot contact our API to perform the license activation. Confirm with your network administrator that no policies block the connection to our backend.
What should I do if I cannot resolve api.localstack.cloud?
Log output like the following indicates that your machine cannot resolve the domain of the LocalStack API.
WARNING:localstack_ext.bootstrap.licensing: Error activating API key "abc..."(10):
...
socket.gaierror: [Errno -3] Temporary failure in name resolution
-
Confirm this by using a tool like dig:
$ dig api.localstack.cloud
If the result has some other status than status: NOERROR, your machine cannot resolve this domain.
Some corporate DNS servers might filter requests to certain domains. Contact your network administrator to safelist localstack.cloud domains.
How does LocalStack Pro handle security patches and bug fixes?
We take security seriously and respond to any emergency vulnerabilities as soon as possible. Our cloud provider (AWS) handles most of the infrastructure maintenance for us. We also use Infrastructure-as-Code scripts to ensure that our infrastructure configuration is consistent and recoverable in case of a disaster.
How does LocalStack ensure the security of its containers and images?
Our software assets are regularly checked for vulnerabilities, such as code issues and outdated dependencies. We use Dependabot to scan our GitHub repositories, and Trivy as well as Snyk (among other security tools) to scan our Docker images.
Do you have any penetration test reports or SOC2 reports that demonstrate your security compliance?
We conduct regular penetration tests and audits to ensure our services are secure and compliant. If you want to access our security documentation and test reports, please contact us at info@localstack.cloud, and we will be happy to share them with you.
Does LocalStack provide offline capabilities?
LocalStack Community and Pro/Team provide limited offline capabilities. To use a fully-fledged offline mode, you may use LocalStack Enterprise, which can be used in air-gapped environments. The regular LocalStack Docker images may need to download additional dependencies for specific services (e.g., Elasticsearch, Big Data services) at runtime, while the offline image bakes all dependencies into the image, along with any other configuration that you might need. For more details, please take a look at our Enterprise offering.
Last modified November 9, 2023: Migrate removed networking variables (#900) (a7c815e28)
+Confirm this by using a tool like dig:
$ dig api.localstack.cloudIf the result has some other status than status: NOERROR, your machine cannot resolve this domain.
Some corporate DNS servers might filter requests to certain domains. Contact your network administrator to safelist localstack.cloud domains.
How does LocalStack Pro handle security patches and bug fixes?
We take security seriously and respond to any emergency vulnerabilities as soon as possible. Our cloud provider (AWS) handles most of the infrastructure maintenance for us. We also use Infrastructure-as-Code scripts to ensure that our infrastructure configuration is consistent and recoverable in case of a disaster.
How does LocalStack ensure the security of its containers and images?
Our software assets are regularly checked for vulnerabilities, such as code issues and outdated dependencies. We use Dependabot to scan our GitHub repositories, and Trivy as well as Snyk (among other security tools) to scan our Docker images.
Do you have any penetration test reports or SOC2 reports that demonstrate your security compliance?
We conduct regular penetration tests and audits to ensure our services are secure and compliant. If you want to access our security documentation and test reports, please contact us at info@localstack.cloud, and we will be happy to share them with you.
Does LocalStack provide offline capabilities?
LocalStack Community and Pro/Team provide limited offline capabilities. To use a fully-fledged offline mode, you may use LocalStack Enterprise, which can be used in air-gapped environments. The regular LocalStack Docker images may need to download additional dependencies for specific services (e.g., Elasticsearch, Big Data services) at runtime, while the offline image bakes all dependencies into the image, along with any other configuration that you might need. For more details, please take a look at our Enterprise offering.
Last modified November 11, 2023: Add Git Bash information (#907) (9feab84c3)