| title | Docker Images |
|---|---|
| description | Overview of LocalStack Docker images and their purpose |
| template | doc |
LocalStack functions as a local “mini-cloud” operating system that runs inside a Docker container. LocalStack has multiple components, which include process management, file system abstraction, event processing, schedulers, and more. Running inside a Docker container, LocalStack exposes external network ports for integrations, SDKs, or CLI interfaces to connect to LocalStack APIs. The LocalStack & LocalStack for AWS Docker images have been downloaded over 130+ million times and provide a multi-arch build compatible with AMD/x86 and ARM-based CPU architectures. This section will cover the different Docker images available for LocalStack and how to use them.
LocalStack for AWS contains various advanced extensions to the LocalStack base platform. With LocalStack for AWS image, you can access all the emulated AWS cloud services running entirely on your local machine. To use the LocalStack for AWS image, you can pull the image from Docker Hub:
docker pull localstack/localstack:latestTo use the LocalStack for AWS image, you must configure an environment variable named LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN to contain your Auth Token.
The LocalStack for AWS image will display a warning if you do not set an Auth Token (or if the license is invalid/expired) and will not activate the Pro features.
LocalStack for AWS gives you access to the complete set of LocalStack features, including the LocalStack Web Application and dedicated customer support.
You can use the LocalStack for AWS image to start your LocalStack container using various installation methods.
While configuring to run LocalStack with Docker or Docker Compose, run the localstack/localstack-pro image with the appropriate tag you have pulled (if not latest).
Starting with the end-of-March 2026 release, LocalStack version tags follow calendar versioning in the YYYY.MM.patch format (for example, 2026.03.0). Releases up to and including v4.14.0 use semantic versioning.
The following tags are available for the LocalStack Docker image:
| Tag | Updated when | Recommended for |
|---|---|---|
latest / stable |
Tagged releases only (e.g. 2026.05.0) |
Most users — stable, release-quality builds |
dev |
Every merged commit on main |
Users who need the latest unreleased changes |
nightly |
Scheduled nightly builds | CI pipelines that need a fresh build on a regular cadence |
YYYY.MM (e.g. 2026.05) |
Each patch release within that month | Users who want bugfixes but want to avoid feature changes |
YYYY.MM.patch (e.g. 2026.05.0) |
Never (pinned) | Fully reproducible environments where no changes are acceptable |
:::note
As of May 2026, latest was changed to mirror stable and is only updated on official tagged releases. If you previously relied on latest for the most recent unreleased changes, switch to the dev tag.
:::
Visit the LocalStack for AWS tag page on Docker Hub.