I'm wondering if I can effectively learn AWS data engineering using only LocalStack. While trying to build an end-to-end data pipeline, I ended up accruing over $100 in costs, so being able to practice locally would be super helpful. Can I really gain all the necessary job-ready skills in AWS data engineering just by using LocalStack?
2 Answers
What services were leading to those costs? Keep in mind that AWS Glue, which you probably used, is only part of the LocalStack Pro tier, and that's $35 per user each month. It's likely similar with other data services.
LocalStack is great if you’re starting out or prototyping, but it doesn’t fully mimic all AWS data services—so just keep that in mind!
I've got a LocalStack Pro license, so that’s not an issue. I used S3, Glue, Athena, EC2, and QuickSight, but my ETL setup in Glue was costly. Thankfully, customer support was able to waive my fees.