localstack · quetzalliwrites · Jul 20, 2026 · Jul 23, 2026
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ sidebar:
   order: 1
 ---
 
-import { Code, Tabs, TabItem } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';
+import { Tabs, TabItem } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';
 
 ## Introduction
 
@@ -84,34 +84,13 @@ The following sections describe the various methods of providing your Auth Token
 - In case your Auth Token is accidentally published, immediately rotate it on the [Auth Token page](https://app.localstack.cloud/workspace/auth-tokens).
   :::
 
-### LocalStack CLI
+### lstk
 
-You should set the `LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN` environment variable either before or during the startup of LocalStack using the `localstack` command-line interface (CLI).
-When starting the Azure emulator, point the CLI at the Azure image via `IMAGE_NAME`:
+`lstk` handles authentication for you — just run `lstk` or `lstk start` and it takes care of the rest. See the [lstk documentation](/aws/developer-tools/running-localstack/lstk/) for details on how it resolves your Auth Token.
 
-<Tabs>
-  <TabItem label="macOS/Linux">
-    <Code
-      code={`localstack auth set-token <YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN>\nIMAGE_NAME=localstack/localstack-azure localstack start`}
-      lang="shell"
-    />
-  </TabItem>
-  <TabItem label="Windows">
-    <Code
-      code={`localstack auth set-token <YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN>\n$env:IMAGE_NAME="localstack/localstack-azure"; localstack start`}
-      lang="powershell"
-    />
-  </TabItem>
-</Tabs>
+On first run, `lstk` prompts you to pick an emulator and remembers your choice. If your `config.toml` already defaults to a different emulator, see [Already using lstk with a different default emulator?](/azure/getting-started/installation/#already-using-lstk-with-a-different-default-emulator) to target Azure instead.
 
-:::note
-
-1. You can alternatively `export LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN=<YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN>` in your shell session.
-   The CLI transmits the token to the Azure container, enabling license activation.
-2. The `localstack auth set-token` command is only available for the `localstack` CLI and cannot be used with a Docker or Docker Compose setup.
-   :::
-
-You have the option to run the Azure container in the background by appending the `-d` flag to the `localstack start` command.
+For CI environments, see [CI Environments](#ci-environments) below.
 
 ### Docker
 
@@ -211,11 +190,7 @@ The most common causes are listed below.
 You need to provide an Auth Token to start the Azure emulator.
 You can find your Auth Token on the [Auth Tokens page](https://app.localstack.cloud/workspace/auth-tokens) in the LocalStack Web Application.
 
-If you are using the `localstack` CLI, you can set the `LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN` environment variable to your Auth Token or use the following command to set it up:
-
-```bash
-localstack auth set-token <YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN>
-```
+If you are using `lstk`, run `lstk login` to authenticate through a browser-based flow. In CI, set the `LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN` environment variable instead; see [CI Environments](#ci-environments).
 
 ### Invalid license
 

@@ -6,35 +6,74 @@ sidebar:
     order: 0
 ---
 
+import { Tabs, TabItem } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';
 
 ## Introduction
 
-You can set up the Azure emulator by utilizing LocalStack for Azure Docker image.
-Before starting, ensure you have a valid `LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN` to access the Azure emulator.
-Refer to the [Auth Token guide](/azure/getting-started/auth-token/) to obtain your Auth Token and specify it in the `LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN` environment variable.
+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.
 
-The Azure Docker image is available on the [LocalStack Docker Hub](https://hub.docker.com/r/localstack/localstack-azure).
-To pull the Azure Docker image, execute the following command:
+Use [`lstk`](#lstk) to install, authenticate, and start the Azure emulator with minimal setup.
 
-```
-$ docker pull localstack/localstack-azure
-```
+LocalStack for Azure features require an [Auth Token](/azure/getting-started/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`.
+
+Alternatively, you can set up the Azure emulator directly using the LocalStack for Azure Docker image, [`localstack/localstack-azure`](https://hub.docker.com/r/localstack/localstack-azure), with the [`docker` CLI](#docker-cli) or [Docker Compose](#docker-compose).
+
+## lstk
 
-You can start the Azure emulator using the following methods:
+`lstk` is a lightweight CLI for LocalStack that manages the authentication and container lifecycle for the AWS, Azure, and Snowflake emulators.
 
-1. [`localstack` CLI](/aws/getting-started/installation/#localstack-cli)
-2. [`docker` CLI](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/)
-3. [Docker Compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/)
+**Requirement:** You must have a working [Docker installation](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/) before proceeding.
 
-### `localstack` CLI
+### Install lstk
 
-To start the Azure emulator using the `localstack` CLI, execute the following command:
+<Tabs>
+  <TabItem label="Homebrew">
+    ```bash
+    brew install localstack/tap/lstk
+    ```
+  </TabItem>
+  <TabItem label="npm">
+    ```bash
+    npm install -g @localstack/lstk
+    ```
+  </TabItem>
+  <TabItem label="Binary">
+    Download the binary for your platform from the [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/localstack/lstk/releases) and add it to your `PATH`.
+  </TabItem>
+</Tabs>
 
+### Start lstk
+
+```bash
+lstk start
 ```
-$ export LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN=<your_auth_token>
-$ IMAGE_NAME=localstack/localstack-azure localstack start
+
+The first execution initiates a browser-based login flow and, in an interactive terminal, prompts you to pick which emulator to run — choose `z` for Azure. Your choice is written to `config.toml` and used as the default on subsequent runs. Subsequent starts use credentials stored in your system keyring.
+
+### Update lstk
+
+```bash
+lstk update
 ```
 
+For more details, see the [lstk documentation](/aws/developer-tools/running-localstack/lstk/).
+
+### Already using lstk with a different default emulator?
+
+If your global `config.toml` already defaults to a different emulator (for example, AWS), target Azure for a specific project instead by creating a project-local `.lstk/config.toml`:
+
+```toml
+# .lstk/config.toml
+[[containers]]
+type = "azure"
+port = "4566"
+```
+
+## Container and orchestration tools
+
+Use these methods when you need explicit container configuration or want to run LocalStack alongside other services.
+For everyday local development, `lstk` is usually simpler.
+
 ### `docker` CLI
 
 To start the Azure emulator using the `docker` CLI, execute the following command:
@@ -74,7 +113,7 @@ Start the Azure emulator with the following command:
 $ docker-compose up
 ```
 
-### Updating
+### Updating the Docker image
 
 To update the Azure Docker container, pull the latest image and restart the container.
 

@@ -13,28 +13,31 @@ In this guide, you will run some basic Azure CLI commands to manage resource gro
 
 ## Prerequisites
 
-- [`localstack`  CLI](/aws/getting-started/installation/#localstack-cli)
-- [`azlocal` CLI](https://pypi.org/project/azlocal/)
-- [LocalStack for Azure](/azure/getting-started/)
-- A [LocalStack Auth Token](/azure/getting-started/auth-token/)
+- [`lstk`](/azure/getting-started/installation/#lstk)
+- [Azure CLI (`az`)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/install-azure-cli)
+- A LocalStack account with a license that covers Azure usage — `lstk` handles authentication for you (see [Authentication](/azure/getting-started/auth-token/))
 
 ## Instructions
 
-Before you begin, make sure that the Emulator is running, see the [installation instructions](/azure/getting-started/).
+Start the Azure emulator:
 
-### Setup the `azlocal` tool
+```
+$ lstk start
+```
+
+For more installation details, see the [installation instructions](/azure/getting-started/).
+
+### Set up the `az` CLI integration
 
-To instruct the regular `az` CLI tool to communicate with the Azure emulator, run the following command:
+To make sure the `az` tool sends requests to the Azure Emulator REST API, run the following command:
 
 ```
-$ azlocal start-interception
+$ lstk az start-interception
 ```
 
-You may see some warnings about experimental commands, you can safely ignore these.
-
 ### Create a resource group
 
-To create a resource group, you can now the same `az` command as you would normally:
+To create a resource group, you can now run the same `az` command as you would normally:
 
 ```
 $ az group create --name myResourceGroup --location westeurope
@@ -67,7 +70,7 @@ $ az group show --name myResourceGroup
 To list all the resource groups, run the following command:
 
 ```
-$ azlocal group list
+$ az group list
 ```
 
 ### Delete the resource group
@@ -80,10 +83,26 @@ $ az group delete --name myResourceGroup --yes
 
 ### Teardown
 
-When you're done using the Azure Emulator, you can run the following command:
+When you're done, disable interception and stop the emulator:
 
 ```
-$ azlocal stop-interception
+$ lstk az stop-interception
+$ lstk stop
 ```
 
-All invocations of the `az` CLI tool will now talk to the real Azure Cloud again.
+### Alternative: prefixed commands
+
+Instead of interception, you can prefix each `az` command with `lstk az` individually, without changing your global `~/.azure` configuration. Run this once to prepare the integration:
+
+```
+$ lstk setup azure
+```
+
+Then prefix every command:
+
+```
+$ lstk az group create --name myResourceGroup --location westeurope
+$ lstk az group show --name myResourceGroup
+$ lstk az group list
+$ lstk az group delete --name myResourceGroup --yes
+```