Microsoft Agent Framework

Microsoft

Open Source

Microsoft's new multi-language agent framework for building, orchestrating, and deploying agent workflows.

MITVersion 1.7.0Released 2026-05-2810,874

Strengths

Practitioner note

Worth watching for teams standardising on Microsoft agent patterns, but adoption should still be treated as early and architecture-led.

Microsoft Agent Framework: Microsoft positions Agent Framework as the migration target for Semantic Kernel and AutoGen users.

Reviewed 2026-05-26

YesData residency

Self-hosted framework; data residency is operator-determined.

YesDeployment model

Library via package manager (Python/NuGet); no managed hosting. (self-hosted)

PartialAudit logging

DevUI tracing for local dev; production logging operator-configured.

N/ASOC 2

Self-hosted library; SOC 2 applies to the operator's infrastructure, not the package.

N/AISO 27001

Self-hosted library; ISO 27001 applies to the operator's ISMS, not the package.

N/AISO 42001

Self-hosted library; ISO 42001 applies to the deploying organisation.

N/AEU AI Act

Developer component, not an AI system placed on the market; obligations rest with the deployer. (role: not-applicable)

YesLicense risk

MIT — permissive, OSI-approved. (low)

Compare this tool against the rest of its category and the cloud platform foundation layer.

Return to the category grid to compare governance posture across every tracked tool.

Review Microsoft Foundry, Amazon Bedrock, and Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform as the foundation layer.

Track releases, deprecations, license changes, and other market movements.