LocalStack, a company that provides local emulation of Amazon Web Services (AWS) for development and testing, announced on February 2026 that it will discontinue its open‑source Community Edition. The new distribution model will feature a single Docker image that requires user registration. Projects that currently pull the latest community image will need to modify their build and deployment pipelines to accommodate the change.
Background on LocalStack
LocalStack has been widely adopted by developers who need to simulate AWS services locally without incurring cloud costs or requiring internet connectivity. The Community Edition, released under an open‑source license, allowed users to download a Docker image that emulated a broad range of AWS services, including S3, Lambda, DynamoDB, and more. The image was freely available and could be integrated into continuous integration (CI) workflows, local development environments, and automated testing suites.
Over the past years, LocalStack has expanded its feature set, adding support for newer AWS services and improving performance. The company has also introduced a commercial offering that includes additional services, support, and enterprise features. However, the Community Edition remained a key entry point for many open‑source projects and small teams.
Details of the Distribution Change
According to the announcement, LocalStack will no longer publish the Community Edition as a separate Docker image. Instead, the company will provide a single image that incorporates all emulated services but requires users to register for an account before pulling the image from the container registry. The registration process will generate a unique token that must be supplied as an environment variable or Docker credential during image retrieval.
Projects that previously used the command “docker pull localstack/localstack:latest” will need to replace it with a registration‑enabled pull command. The new image will also include a version tag that reflects the underlying LocalStack release, allowing developers to pin specific versions in their Dockerfiles.
Implications for Developers and Teams
Workflow Adjustments
Teams that rely on the Community Edition for local testing will need to update their Dockerfiles, CI scripts, and local development setups. The registration requirement introduces an additional step in the image retrieval process, which may affect automated pipelines that previously pulled the image without authentication.
Potential Licensing Concerns
While the new image remains free to use, the registration requirement may raise concerns about data privacy and usage tracking. Developers will need to review LocalStack’s privacy policy to understand how registration data is handled and whether any telemetry is collected.
Impact on Open‑Source Projects
Many open‑source projects have integrated LocalStack into their test suites. The shift to a registration‑based image could create friction for contributors who prefer a fully open‑source workflow. Project maintainers may need to provide guidance on how to obtain registration tokens or consider alternative local testing solutions.
Reactions from the Community
Initial responses from the developer community have been mixed. Some users appreciate the streamlined distribution model, citing easier version management and a single source of truth for the emulated services. Others express concern over the removal of the fully open‑source Community Edition, noting that the registration requirement could hinder adoption in environments with strict compliance or privacy requirements.
LocalStack has stated that it will continue to support the Community Edition for a transition period, during which developers can migrate their workflows. The company has also announced that it will provide documentation and migration guides to assist teams in updating their configurations.
Next Steps and Expected Developments
LocalStack has not yet released a specific timeline for the full transition to the registration‑based image. The company has indicated that the change will be implemented in the next major release cycle, which is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2026. During this period, LocalStack will maintain support for the existing Community Edition image, allowing teams to continue using it while they prepare for migration.
Developers are advised to review the updated documentation, update their Dockerfiles to include the registration token, and test the new image in their local and CI environments before the transition deadline. LocalStack’s support team has opened a dedicated channel for migration assistance, and the company has pledged to provide timely updates on any further changes to the distribution model.
