Deprecated LocalStack CLI

Introduction

The LocalStack Command Line Interface (CLI) is the original Python tool for starting, managing, and configuring the LocalStack container. It works with the Azure emulator, as long as you point it at the Azure image.

Caution

The LocalStack CLI is deprecated and will be removed in a future version. Please use lstk instead.

Installation

pip install localstack
localstack --version

Recent versions of the CLI print a deprecation warning before each command and then continue with it.

For the other installation options, such as pre-built binaries, see Installation in the AWS docs.

Start the Azure emulator

The CLI starts the AWS emulator image unless you tell it otherwise, so set IMAGE_NAME to the Azure image. Export it rather than setting it for a single command, so that every localstack command in your shell session uses the same image:

export LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN="<your-auth-token>"
export IMAGE_NAME=localstack/localstack-azure:latest
localstack start -d
localstack wait -t 120

The CLI runs the emulator in a container named localstack-main. Confirm that it is up and licensed:

curl -s http://localhost:4566/_localstack/health

Output

{"edition": "azure-alpha", "license": true}

"edition": "azure-alpha" confirms that you are talking to the Azure emulator.

Environment variables

The CLI forwards the LocalStack configuration variables it knows from your shell to the container. These are the ones that matter for Azure:

Variable	Value	Why
IMAGE_NAME	localstack/localstack-azure:latest	Selects the Azure image. Required, because the CLI defaults to the AWS image.
LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN	Your auth token	Required. The emulator doesn’t start without a valid license.
MSSQL_ACCEPT_EULA	Y	Accepts the Microsoft SQL Server EULA, which Azure SQL Database needs.
LS_AZURE_PORTAL	1	Enables the Azure Portal Emulator.
DEBUG / LS_LOG	1 / debug	Turns on verbose emulator logs.

You can also pass a variable to the container with -e:

localstack start -d -e LS_AZURE_PORTAL=1

Caution

With DEBUG=1, the CLI also writes its own debug log, which includes the docker command it runs, auth token included. Avoid it wherever the output is shared, for example in CI logs.

Lifecycle

localstack status   # show the container status
localstack logs     # print the emulator logs, add -f to follow them
localstack restart  # restart LocalStack inside the running container, keeping your resources
localstack stop     # stop and remove the container

Run localstack --help for the full list of commands and flags.

Related

• lstk: the recommended way to run the Azure emulator.
• Azure Portal Emulator: the portal that LS_AZURE_PORTAL enables.