In August 2018 [Amazon announced](https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/08/use-amazon-dynamodb-local-more-easily-with-the-new-docker-image/) new [Docker image](https://hub.docker.com/r/amazon/dynamodb-local/) with Amazon DynamoDB Local onboard. It does not require downloading and running any JARs as well as adding using third-party OS-specific binaries like `sqlite4java`.
It is as simple as starting a Docker container before the tests:
docker run -p 8000:8000 amazon/dynamodb-local
You can do that manually for local development, as described above, or use it in your CI pipeline. Many CI services provide an ability to start additional containers during the pipeline that can provide dependencies for your tests. Here is an example for Gitlab CI/CD:
test:
stage: test
image: openjdk:8-alpine
services:
- name: amazon/dynamodb-local
alias: dynamodb-local
script:
- ./gradlew clean test
So, during the `test` task DynamoDB will be available on `http://dynamodb-local:8000`.
Another, more powerful tool is [localstack](https://github.com/localstack/localstack). It supports two dozen of AWS services, DynamoDB is one of them. The isage is very similar, you have to start it before running the tests and it will expose AWS-compatible APIs on [given ports](https://github.com/localstack/localstack#overview):
test:
stage: test
image: openjdk:8-alpine
services:
- name: localstack/localstack
alias: localstack
script:
- ./gradlew clean test
The idea is to move all the configuration out of your build tool and tests and provide the dependency externally. Think of it as of dependency injection / IoC but for the whole service, not just a single bean. This way, you code is [more clean and maintainable](https://12factor.net/backing-services). You can see that even in the examples above: you can switch mock implementation from DynamoDB Local to localstack by simply changing the `image` part!
In August 2018 [Amazon announced](https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2018/08/use-amazon-dynamodb-local-more-easily-with-the-new-docker-image/) new [Docker image](https://hub.docker.com/r/amazon/dynamodb-local/) with Amazon DynamoDB Local onboard. It does not require downloading and running any JARs as well as adding using third-party OS-specific binaries (I'm talking about `sqlite4java`).
It is as simple as starting a Docker container before the tests:
docker run -p 8000:8000 amazon/dynamodb-local
You can do that manually for local development, as described above. IDEs usually provide a way to run arbitrary commands before executing a task, so you can [make IDE](https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/run-debug-configuration-junit.html#before-launch-options) to start the container for you.
Or you can use it in your CI pipeline. Many CI services provide an ability to start additional containers during the pipeline that can provide dependencies for your tests. Here is an example for Gitlab CI/CD:
test:
stage: test
image: openjdk:8-alpine
services:
- name: amazon/dynamodb-local
alias: dynamodb-local
script:
- DYNAMODB_LOCAL_URL=http://dynamodb-local:8000 ./gradlew clean test
Or Bitbucket Pipelines:
definitions:
services:
dynamodb-local:
image: amazon/dynamodb-local
…
step:
name: test
image:
name: openjdk:8-alpine
services:
- dynamodb-local
script:
- DYNAMODB_LOCAL_URL=http://localhost:8000 ./gradlew clean test
