Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

AWS Lambda VS LocalStack

Compare AWS Lambda VS LocalStack and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

AWS Lambda logo AWS Lambda

Automatic, event-driven compute service

LocalStack logo LocalStack

LocalStack collects & analyzes the social media activity on every business in America. 
  • AWS Lambda Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-29
  • LocalStack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2020-07-22

AWS Lambda features and specs

  • Scalability
    AWS Lambda automatically scales your application by running your code in response to each trigger. This means no manual intervention is required to handle varying levels of traffic.
  • Cost-effectiveness
    You only pay for the compute time you consume. Billing is metered in increments of 100 milliseconds and you are not charged when your code is not running.
  • Reduced Operations Overhead
    AWS Lambda abstracts the infrastructure management layer, so there is no need to manage or provision servers. This allows you to focus more on writing code for your applications.
  • Flexibility
    Supports multiple programming languages such as Python, Node.js, Ruby, Java, Go, and .NET, which allows you to use the language you are most comfortable with.
  • Integration with Other AWS Services
    Seamlessly integrates with many other AWS services such as S3, DynamoDB, RDS, SNS, and more, making it versatile and highly functional.
  • Automatic Scaling and Load Balancing
    Handles thousands of concurrent requests without managing the scaling yourself, making it suitable for applications requiring high availability and reliability.

Possible disadvantages of AWS Lambda

  • Cold Start Latency
    The first request to a Lambda function after it has been idle for a certain period can take longer to execute. This is referred to as a 'cold start' and can impact performance.
  • Resource Limits
    Lambda has defined limits, such as a maximum execution timeout of 15 minutes, memory allocation ranging from 128 MB to 10,240 MB, and temporary storage up to 512 MB.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Using AWS Lambda ties you into the AWS ecosystem, making it difficult to migrate to another cloud provider or an on-premises solution without significant modifications to your application.
  • Complexity of Debugging
    Debugging and monitoring distributed, serverless applications can be more complex compared to traditional applications due to the lack of direct access to the underlying infrastructure.
  • Cold Start Issues with VPC
    When Lambda functions are configured to access resources within a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), the cold start latency can be exacerbated due to additional VPC networking overhead.
  • Limited Execution Control
    AWS Lambda is designed for stateless, short-running tasks and may not be suitable for long-running processes or tasks requiring complex orchestration.

LocalStack features and specs

  • Cost Efficiency
    LocalStack allows developers to emulate AWS services on their local machine, reducing the need for constantly deploying to AWS during the development phase, hence saving on cloud service costs.
  • Development Speed
    By using LocalStack, developers can quickly test and iterate their cloud-based applications locally without the delay of deploying to a remote AWS environment, speeding up the development process.
  • Network Independence
    LocalStack can run entirely offline, meaning that developers are not dependent on internet connectivity while developing and testing AWS cloud services, which is advantageous in network-restricted environments.
  • Isolation
    Running services locally provides an isolated environment for testing, which minimizes the risk of affecting live resources or incurring costs due to accidental cloud service usage.
  • Integration
    LocalStack integrates well with various CI/CD systems, allowing for automated testing and development workflows with simulated AWS services.

Possible disadvantages of LocalStack

  • Service Limitations
    LocalStack does not support all AWS services; some of the less commonly used services may not be available or fully supported, limiting its applicability in certain scenarios.
  • Performance Discrepancies
    The performance characteristics of LocalStack services may differ from their AWS counterparts, which can lead to discrepancies in performance testing and benchmarking.
  • Setup Complexity
    Setting up and maintaining LocalStack can be complex due to dependencies, necessary configurations, and the need for continuous updates to stay in sync with AWS changes.
  • Feature Parity
    As AWS adds new features and updates existing services, it may take time for LocalStack to implement these changes, potentially lagging behind AWS in terms of features.
  • Scaling
    LocalStack is primarily for development and testing on a small scale. It may not replicate the scalability of AWS services, which could limit the feasibility of load testing.

Analysis of AWS Lambda

Overall verdict

  • AWS Lambda is a strong choice for developers looking for scalable, event-driven applications with minimal management overhead. It is particularly beneficial for applications that experience intermittent traffic or unpredictable workloads.

Why this product is good

  • AWS Lambda is a popular serverless computing service because it allows users to run code without provisioning or managing servers. It automatically scales applications by running code in response to triggers such as HTTP requests, changes in data, or system events. This can significantly reduce operational overhead and costs, as you only pay for the compute time you consume.

Recommended for

  • Developers building microservices or serverless applications.
  • Companies looking to reduce infrastructure management.
  • Startups wanting to quickly deploy applications with limited operational costs.
  • Organizations needing to integrate with other AWS services for a comprehensive solution.
  • Projects with unpredictable or variable workloads that require automatic scaling.

AWS Lambda videos

AWS Lambda Vs EC2 | Serverless Vs EC2 | EC2 Alternatives

More videos:

  • Tutorial - AWS Lambda Tutorial | AWS Tutorial for Beginners | Intro to AWS Lambda | AWS Training | Edureka
  • Tutorial - AWS Lambda | What is AWS Lambda | AWS Lambda Tutorial for Beginners | Intellipaat

LocalStack videos

AWS LocalStack SQS - Installing AWS LocalStack

More videos:

  • Review - Serverless Localstack Lambda
  • Review - Serverless LocalStack Lambda API Gateway

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to AWS Lambda and LocalStack)
Cloud Computing
100 100%
0% 0
Weather Apps
0 0%
100% 100
Cloud Hosting
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
87 87%
13% 13

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare AWS Lambda and LocalStack

AWS Lambda Reviews

Top 7 Firebase Alternatives for App Development in 2024
AWS Lambda is suitable for applications with varying workloads and those already using the AWS ecosystem.
Source: signoz.io

LocalStack Reviews

We have no reviews of LocalStack yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, AWS Lambda seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 277 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

AWS Lambda mentions (277)

View more

LocalStack mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of LocalStack yet. Tracking of LocalStack recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing AWS Lambda and LocalStack, you can also consider the following products

Amazon S3 - Amazon S3 is an object storage where users can store data from their business on a safe, cloud-based platform. Amazon S3 operates in 54 availability zones within 18 graphic regions and 1 local region.

aws-cli - Universal Command Line Interface for Amazon Web Services

Amazon API Gateway - Create, publish, maintain, monitor, and secure APIs at any scale

AWS Amplify - JavaScript library for app development using cloud services

Google App Engine - A powerful platform to build web and mobile apps that scale automatically.

AWS Shell - An integrated shell for working with the AWS CLI. Contribute to awslabs/aws-shell development by creating an account on GitHub.