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LocalStack vs Serverless: What are the differences?
Introduction
LocalStack and Serverless are both popular tools used in cloud computing and software development. While they have some similarities, there are key differences that make them unique in their own ways.
Deployment Model: LocalStack is used for local development and testing, allowing developers to simulate cloud services locally without the need for actual cloud resources. On the other hand, Serverless is a framework that allows developers to deploy and run serverless applications on various cloud platforms, such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
Scope of Services: LocalStack provides a wide range of services that can be used locally, including popular ones like S3, DynamoDB, Lambda, and SQS. It aims to replicate the core functionality of various AWS services. Serverless, on the other hand, focuses more on the deployment and management of serverless applications rather than providing a full suite of services. It provides a framework to easily define, deploy, and manage serverless functions or applications.
Integration with Cloud Providers: LocalStack does not require any integration with cloud providers as it is a standalone tool used for local development and testing. Serverless, however, requires integration with different cloud providers, such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, as it is used for deploying serverless applications on those platforms. It provides a unified interface and deployment process for different cloud providers.
Community Support: LocalStack has an active open-source community supporting its development and maintenance. It is constantly updated with new features and bug fixes based on community contributions. Serverless also has a strong community support and a large user base. Its community continuously contributes to the development of the framework and provides extensive documentation and resources.
Cost and Pricing Model: LocalStack is a free and open-source tool, making it cost-effective for local development and testing purposes. Serverless, on the other hand, is also free to use, but the cost will vary depending on the cloud provider resources used for deploying serverless applications. Cloud provider costs need to be considered when using Serverless in production environments.
Flexibility and Customization: LocalStack allows developers to create custom scenarios and test cases by simulating different AWS services locally. It provides flexibility in testing and replicating specific service behaviors. Serverless, on the other hand, offers flexibility in defining and configuring serverless functions or applications, allowing developers to customize their application's behavior and resources.
In summary, LocalStack is primarily used for local development and testing, providing a wide range of AWS service simulations, while Serverless is a deployment framework for running serverless applications on various cloud platforms, with a focus on ease of deployment, management, and customization.
When adding a new feature to Checkly rearchitecting some older piece, I tend to pick Heroku for rolling it out. But not always, because sometimes I pick AWS Lambda . The short story:
- Developer Experience trumps everything.
- AWS Lambda is cheap. Up to a limit though. This impact not only your wallet.
- If you need geographic spread, AWS is lonely at the top.
Recently, I was doing a brainstorm at a startup here in Berlin on the future of their infrastructure. They were ready to move on from their initial, almost 100% Ec2 + Chef based setup. Everything was on the table. But we crossed out a lot quite quickly:
- Pure, uncut, self hosted Kubernetes — way too much complexity
- Managed Kubernetes in various flavors — still too much complexity
- Zeit — Maybe, but no Docker support
- Elastic Beanstalk — Maybe, bit old but does the job
- Heroku
- Lambda
It became clear a mix of PaaS and FaaS was the way to go. What a surprise! That is exactly what I use for Checkly! But when do you pick which model?
I chopped that question up into the following categories:
- Developer Experience / DX 🤓
- Ops Experience / OX 🐂 (?)
- Cost 💵
- Lock in 🔐
Read the full post linked below for all details
Pros of LocalStack
- Integration with Python/nosetests4
- Local/offline testing4
- No dependency on cloud4
- Available as Docker image3
- Continuous integration3
- The correct URL is https://github.com/localstack/locals3
- Integration with Java/JUnit3
- Increases dev speed3
- Easy to use3
- Cost effective testing3
Pros of Serverless
- API integration14
- Supports cloud functions for Google, Azure, and IBM7
- Lower cost3
- Auto scale1
- Openwhisk1
Sign up to add or upvote prosMake informed product decisions
Cons of LocalStack
- Doesn't work well on Windows2
- No proper admin panel/web UI1
