--- title: "aisix vs agent-framework" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/api7-aisix-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" tools: ["api7-aisix", "microsoft-agent-framework"] --- # aisix vs agent-framework *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick aisix if aISIX is a Rust-native AI gateway designed for routing and managing traffic to various AI providers; pick agent-framework if the agent-framework provides tools for developers to build and deploy AI agents and multi-agent workflows in Python and .NET environments. [aisix](https://api7.ai/ai-gateway) reports 151 GitHub stars, 30 forks, and 106 open issues, last pushed Sep 13, 2026. [agent-framework](https://aka.ms/agent-framework) has 14k stars, 2.3k forks, and 605 open issues, last pushed Sep 18, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [aisix's repository](https://github.com/api7/aisix) and [agent-framework's repository](https://github.com/microsoft/agent-framework). | | [aisix](/tools/api7-aisix.md) | [agent-framework](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Open-source AI gateway for LLMs & AI agents | Framework for building and deploying AI agents and multi-agent workflows | | Stars | 151 | 13,573 | | Forks | 30 | 2,335 | | Open issues | 106 | 605 | | Language | Rust | Python | | Adopt for | AISIX is a Rust-native AI gateway designed for routing and managing traffic to various AI providers | The agent-framework provides tools for developers to build and deploy AI agents and multi-agent workflows in Python and .NET environments. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | AISIX is available under the Apache License, Version 2.0 which allows you to freely use, modify, and distribute it with proper attribution | MIT | | Categories | AI Agents, Inference & Serving | AI Agents, Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [aisix](/tools/api7-aisix.md) | [agent-framework](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Open issues (now) | 106 | 605 | | Stars delta | +59 (30d) | +855 (30d) | | Open issues delta | +8 (30d) | -80 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/api7-aisix/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: aisix - **Pricing:** freemium - The open-source core (AISIX Gateway) can be used for free. For advanced features like team governance, budgets, and audit dashboard access, the AISIX Cloud is available on a managed SaaS model. - **Requirements:** Requires etcd running to store configurations; Self-hosted setup requires Docker Compose for local testing with example configuration files - **Adopt for:** AISIX is a Rust-native AI gateway designed for routing and managing traffic to various AI providers - **License detail:** AISIX is available under the Apache License, Version 2.0 which allows you to freely use, modify, and distribute it with proper attribution ## Decision facts: agent-framework - **Requirements:** Python version 3.6 or newer is required for Python installations.; The .NET Core SDK must be installed for utilizing the .NET packages. - **Adopt for:** The agent-framework provides tools for developers to build and deploy AI agents and multi-agent workflows in Python and .NET environments. ## Choose when ### Choose aisix if… - aisix is primarily Rust; agent-framework is Python. - License: aisix is Apache-2.0, agent-framework is MIT. - Pricing: The open-source core (AISIX Gateway) can be used for free. For advanced features like team governance, budgets, and audit dashboard access, the AISIX Cloud is available on a managed SaaS model.. - Requirements: Requires etcd running to store configurations; Self-hosted setup requires Docker Compose for local testing with example configuration files. - Tags unique to aisix: ai-agents, llm-gateway, observability, openai-compatible. - Also covers Inference & Serving. - aisix ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - When you need an OpenAI-compatible API that can route requests to multiple LLM providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and Bedrock ### Choose agent-framework if… - agent-framework is primarily Python; aisix is Rust. - License: agent-framework is MIT, aisix is Apache-2.0. - Requirements: Python version 3.6 or newer is required for Python installations.; The .NET Core SDK must be installed for utilizing the .NET packages.. - Tags unique to agent-framework: agent-framework, agentic-ai, agents, multi-agent. - Also covers Developer Tools. - Choose agent-framework if your project requires support for both Python and .NET, allowing you to develop across different ecosystems. ## When NOT to use aisix - If you require a fully managed service with minimal setup and configuration since AISIX requires self-hosting or connecting to AISIX Cloud for management features - For projects preferring dynamic languages over statically compiled binaries, given that AISIX is built in Rust and ships as one static binary ## When NOT to use agent-framework - Avoid using the agent-framework if your team does not have proficiency in either Python or.NET, as this may cause difficulties in leveraging its features effectively. - Do not opt for agent-framework if you only need lightweight support for AI agents without a comprehensive orchestration and deployment framework. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between aisix and agent-framework? aisix: Open-source AI gateway for LLMs & AI agents. agent-framework: Framework for building and deploying AI agents and multi-agent workflows. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose aisix over agent-framework? Choose aisix over agent-framework when aisix is primarily Rust; agent-framework is Python; License: aisix is Apache-2.0, agent-framework is MIT; Pricing: The open-source core (AISIX Gateway) can be used for free. For advanced features like team governance, budgets, and audit dashboard access, the AISIX Cloud is available on a managed SaaS model.; Requirements: Requires etcd running to store configurations; Self-hosted setup requires Docker Compose for local testing with example configuration files; Tags unique to aisix: ai-agents, llm-gateway, observability, openai-compatible; Also covers Inference & Serving; aisix ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; When you need an OpenAI-compatible API that can route requests to multiple LLM providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and Bedrock. ### When should I choose agent-framework over aisix? Choose agent-framework over aisix when agent-framework is primarily Python; aisix is Rust; License: agent-framework is MIT, aisix is Apache-2.0; Requirements: Python version 3.6 or newer is required for Python installations.; The .NET Core SDK must be installed for utilizing the .NET packages.; Tags unique to agent-framework: agent-framework, agentic-ai, agents, multi-agent; Also covers Developer Tools; Choose agent-framework if your project requires support for both Python and .NET, allowing you to develop across different ecosystems. ### When should I avoid aisix? If you require a fully managed service with minimal setup and configuration since AISIX requires self-hosting or connecting to AISIX Cloud for management features For projects preferring dynamic languages over statically compiled binaries, given that AISIX is built in Rust and ships as one static binary ### When should I avoid agent-framework? Avoid using the agent-framework if your team does not have proficiency in either Python or.NET, as this may cause difficulties in leveraging its features effectively. Do not opt for agent-framework if you only need lightweight support for AI agents without a comprehensive orchestration and deployment framework. ### Is aisix or agent-framework more popular on GitHub? agent-framework has more GitHub stars (13,573 vs 151). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are aisix and agent-framework open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (aisix: Apache-2.0, agent-framework: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to aisix or agent-framework? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [aisix alternatives](/tools/api7-aisix/alternatives) and [agent-framework alternatives](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/alternatives) ([aisix markdown twin](/tools/api7-aisix/alternatives.md), [agent-framework markdown twin](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/api7-aisix-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, aisix or agent-framework? aisix: Very active. agent-framework: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for aisix and agent-framework? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [aisix trust report](/tools/api7-aisix/trust); [agent-framework trust report](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=api7-aisix`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=api7-aisix) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_