Installation

Introduction

LocalStack provides multiple installation paths depending on your development environment and requirements. We recommend a CLI-based installation for the most consistent local startup experience.

Use lstk to install, authenticate, and start LocalStack for Snowflake with minimal setup.

LocalStack for Snowflake features require an Auth Token to activate your running instance. lstk handles authentication through a browser-based login flow, while Docker and CI workflows can use LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN.

lstk

lstk is a lightweight CLI for LocalStack that manages the authentication and container lifecycle in a single workflow.

Requirement: You must have a working Docker installation before proceeding.

Install lstk

Homebrew

brew install localstack/tap/lstk

npm

npm install -g @localstack/lstk

Binary

Download the binary for your platform from the GitHub Releases and add it to your PATH.

Start lstk

lstk start

The first execution initiates a browser-based login flow and, in an interactive terminal, prompts you to pick which emulator to run — choose s for Snowflake. Your choice is written to config.toml and used as the default on subsequent runs. Subsequent starts use credentials stored in your system keyring.

Already using lstk with a different default emulator?

If your global config.toml already defaults to a different emulator (for example, AWS), target Snowflake for a specific project instead by creating a project-local .lstk/config.toml:

.lstk/config.toml

[[containers]]
type = "snowflake"
port = "4566"

Update lstk

lstk update

For more details, see the lstk documentation.

Container and orchestration tools

Use these methods when you need explicit container configuration or want to run LocalStack alongside other orchestrated services. For everyday local development, lstk is usually simpler — and lstk is also a good fit for CI, see CI Integration for lstk-based CI examples.

Docker Compose

Use Docker Compose when you want a reusable configuration file that can be shared across a team or checked into a project repository. Create a docker-compose.yml with the following configuration:

services:
  localstack:
    container_name: '${LOCALSTACK_DOCKER_NAME:-localstack-snowflake}'
    image: localstack/snowflake
    ports:
      - '127.0.0.1:4566:4566' # LocalStack Gateway
      - '127.0.0.1:4510-4559:4510-4559' # external services port range
      - '127.0.0.1:443:443' # LocalStack HTTPS Gateway
    environment:
      # Activate LocalStack for Snowflake: https://docs.localstack.cloud/snowflake/getting-started/auth-token/
      - LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN=${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:?} # required
      - DEBUG=${DEBUG:-0}
      - PERSISTENCE=${PERSISTENCE:-0}
    volumes:
      - '${LOCALSTACK_VOLUME_DIR:-./volume}:/var/lib/localstack'

Execute docker compose up to start.

Docker CLI

Use the Docker CLI for one-off starts or when you want to test a container configuration before moving it into Compose:

docker run \
  --rm -it \
  -p 127.0.0.1:4566:4566 \
  -p 127.0.0.1:4510-4559:4510-4559 \
  -p 127.0.0.1:443:443 \
  -e LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN=${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:?} \
  localstack/snowflake

Note

The Docker Compose and Docker CLI examples above use the same runtime settings:

• The 4566 port exposes the LocalStack Gateway, including the Snowflake-compatible SQL API.
• The 4510-4559 range exposes external service ports used by services that bind additional endpoints.
• The 443 port exposes the LocalStack HTTPS Gateway.
• Docker reuses a local image if one already exists. Pull explicitly or pin an image tag, such as localstack/snowflake:<version>, when you need reproducible CI or team environments.
• Configuration variables can be prefixed with LOCALSTACK_ in Docker. For instance, setting LOCALSTACK_PERSISTENCE=1 is equivalent to PERSISTENCE=1.

For more details, see the general Docker images and networking documentation, which applies across LocalStack products, and the Snowflake configuration reference.

Graphical user interfaces (GUIs)

LocalStack Desktop

Manage local instances via a standalone desktop application. Download LocalStack Desktop here.

Troubleshooting

Installation issues typically fall into one of three areas: getting your chosen install method working, activating your license, or reaching the emulator over the network.

lstk

If you installed via lstk and LocalStack fails to start, authenticate, or pull its image, see lstk troubleshooting.

For first-run authentication (browser login, keyring tokens, or LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN in CI), refer to Authentication and the Auth Token guides.

Docker Compose and Docker CLI

If you started LocalStack with Docker Compose or the Docker CLI:

• License or credential errors: see Auth Token troubleshooting.
• Hostname resolution or network issues: see the Getting Started FAQ.

Ensure you have exported LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN in your shell before running docker compose up or docker run.

View logs

Stream container logs using the command that matches your install method:

lstk

lstk logs

For lstk CLI diagnostics (separate from container logs), see Logging.

Docker Compose

docker compose logs -f localstack

Docker CLI

docker logs -f localstack-snowflake

Use the container name from your docker run --name flag if you set one.

Network connectivity

If your Snowflake client cannot reach the emulator after installation, see the Getting Started FAQ.

Next steps

Now that you’ve completed installation, proceed to the Auth Token guide to activate LocalStack and prepare your environment for local development.