# Local AWS Emulator Choice Matrix (July 2026)

| Need | Prefer |
| --- | --- |
| Fastest CI spin-up (~ms–seconds), tiny RAM | **floci** (verify current image/tag) |
| Real Postgres/MySQL/Redis/ECS containers in tests | **MiniStack** |
| Paying for LocalStack Pro already, stable pipeline | Stay until a migration weekend |
| Exact prod parity for every AWS API | Neither — use ephemeral AWS accounts / Local Zones sparingly |

## MiniStack smoke (illustrative)

```bash
docker run -p 4566:4566 ministackorg/ministack
# or: nahuelnucera/ministack — verify current org/image on ministack.org / GitHub
aws --endpoint-url=http://localhost:4566 s3 mb s3://dev-bucket
```

As of mid-2026 MiniStack advertises **60+** services, MIT, ~2s start, real DB containers. Re-check stars/releases before standardizing CI.

## Gaps to accept

Emulators ≠ AWS. Auth edge cases, IAM subtlety, and service lag will bite — pin versions and keep a thin integration suite against real AWS.