Getting Started

MistLock is a catalog of Cloud development environments that combines Docker, Dev Containers, emulators, and Open Source services so you can develop locally as if you were in the cloud, but 100% free, no accounts, and no credit card required.

Use these environments to learn Cloud computing, start your project, or incorporate them into an existing one.

The goal is for you to understand how to develop locally using a Cloud service — once you do, most of the time you’ll only need the cloud for deployment.

Author’s note

Hi! I’m Raúl Castilla, the creator of MistLock, a project I build in my free time to help you develop without fear of cloud bills.

A ⭐ on GitHub or supporting my content on social media helps me a lot to keep expanding it. All support is welcome 😊.

Thank you so much and remember: developing is free!

Prerequisites

• Docker installed and running.
• VS Code with the Dev Containers extension installed (optional but recommended).

Labs: MVEs vs Projects

We call each catalog example a Lab, and there are two types of Labs: MVEs (Minimal Viable Examples) and Projects:

• MVE: focuses on a single Cloud service — how to emulate it and what tools to use.
• Projects: combine multiple Cloud services in the same local environment to show how they integrate in a real flow.

How to get started

1. Select a Lab from the catalog or by browsing the sidebar.

2. Download the code using the download button on each Lab page or by cloning the GitHub repository.

3. Open the Lab in your IDE.

4. Run the Lab. Each Lab has its own instructions, but generally it works like this:

   Dev Container

   Open VS Code in the Lab folder and open the Command Palette with Ctrl+Shift+P:

   Dev Containers: Reopen in Container

   Run the Lab:

   python main.py

   Without Dev Container

   Start the infrastructure:

   docker compose up -d

   Set up the environment:

   ./scripts/setup.sh

   Run the Lab:

   python main.py

Need help?

Message me on LinkedIn or open an issue on GitHub if you find a bug or if something isn’t clear. I’ll be happy to help 😄.