You know, faking stuff in code is a really case-by-case deal. You've got libraries out there like Localstack, for instance, that do a solid job at pretending to be AWS, but finding one solution that fits all? That's tricky, because everyone's needs are a bit different.
I've actually messed around with a library that makes stubs by recording external calls to things like APIs or databases. Sure, it can get a little brittle at times, but it's kind of cool because it's using real calls to create these stubs, and you don't have to put in a ton of extra work. Like anything else, it's about weighing the pros and cons and seeing what fits best for your project.
