JSONata and Variables Support in AWS Step Functions Local

Yes, there are plans to support JSONata and variables in AWS Step Functions Local. While I don't have a specific timeline to share, AWS has partnered with LocalStack to ensure that their local emulation experience is updated to support Variables and JSONata.

LocalStack is a popular tool for emulating AWS services locally, including Step Functions. This partnership suggests that support for these new features in local development environments is a priority for AWS.

The integration of JSONata and variables into LocalStack's emulation of Step Functions will allow developers to write and test their workflows locally with these new capabilities before deploying to the cloud. This will be particularly useful for writing automated tests for Step Functions that utilize JSONata transformations and variable assignments.

While waiting for full support in Step Functions Local, you can start familiarizing yourself with these new features in the AWS cloud environment. The Variables and JSONata capabilities are already available in several AWS regions, with more to follow. This will allow you to begin incorporating these features into your Step Functions workflows and prepare your automated tests for when local support becomes available.

Keep an eye on LocalStack's updates and AWS announcements for more specific information about the timeline and availability of JSONata and variables support in local development environments.
Sources
AWS Step Functions simplifies developer experience with Variables and JSONata transformations - AWS
Simplifying developer experience with variables and JSONata in AWS Step Functions | AWS Compute Blog

LocalStack announed support for JSONata in step functions. So I tried using localstack-4.0.3 (& 4.0.0) to automate step function tests. However, it fails when trying to start an execution with mock for embedded lambdas & other services saying "Invalid ARN" for the state machine. AWS documentation suggests using StateMachineArn() + "#" + testLabel format with MockConfigFile.json for mocking with stepfunction-local. However this mocking style is not supported by localstack. So need to rewrite the test infra in some other way that is compatible with localstack.

        StartExecutionResponse executionResponse = stepFunctionClient.startExecution(StartExecutionRequest.builder()
                .stateMachineArn(getStateMachineArn() + "#" + testLabel)
                .name(testLabel)
                .input(getInputJson())
                .build()
        );

Bottomline: It is not a seamless transition from stepfunction-local to localstack.