--- title: "dstack vs agent-framework" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/dstack-tee-dstack-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" tools: ["dstack-tee-dstack", "microsoft-agent-framework"] --- # dstack vs agent-framework *GraphCanon updated Aug 11, 2026* ## Verdict Pick dstack if dstack offers infrastructure for running AI workloads in Trusted Execution Environments ensuring privacy and security; 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. [dstack](https://dstack.org) reports 519 GitHub stars, 91 forks, and 178 open issues, last pushed Jul 31, 2026. [agent-framework](https://aka.ms/agent-framework) has 13k stars, 2.1k forks, and 685 open issues, last pushed Aug 10, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [dstack's repository](https://github.com/Dstack-TEE/dstack) and [agent-framework's repository](https://github.com/microsoft/agent-framework). | | [dstack](/tools/dstack-tee-dstack.md) | [agent-framework](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Open framework for confidential AI | Framework for building and deploying AI agents and multi-agent workflows | | Stars | 519 | 12,718 | | Forks | 91 | 2,143 | | Open issues | 178 | 685 | | Language | Rust | Python | | Adopt for | Dstack offers infrastructure for running AI workloads in Trusted Execution Environments ensuring privacy and security. | 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 | Apache-2.0 | MIT | | Categories | Developer Tools | AI Agents, Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [dstack](/tools/dstack-tee-dstack.md) | [agent-framework](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 1d | 0d | | Open issues (now) | 178 | 685 | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/dstack-tee-dstack/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: dstack - **Adopt for:** Dstack offers infrastructure for running AI workloads in Trusted Execution Environments ensuring privacy and security. ## 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 dstack if… - dstack is primarily Rust; agent-framework is Python. - License: dstack is Apache-2.0, agent-framework is MIT. - Tags unique to dstack: confidential-ai, intel-tdx, private-ai, safe-ai. - When you need to run confidential AI computations that require Intel TDX or NVIDIA GPUs to ensure data and code are protected from potential threats at runtime ### Choose agent-framework if… - agent-framework is primarily Python; dstack is Rust. - License: agent-framework is MIT, dstack 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 AI Agents. - Choose agent-framework if your project requires support for both Python and .NET, allowing you to develop across different ecosystems. ## When NOT to use dstack - Avoid if your AI workloads do not benefit from confidential computing features as the overhead of using Intel TDX may not provide any advantage and can add complexity - Not suitable for hardware setups that do not support Intel TDX or AMD SEV-SNP, limiting flexibility compared to broader hardware support offered by competitors ## 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 dstack and agent-framework? dstack: Open framework for confidential AI. 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 dstack over agent-framework? Choose dstack over agent-framework when dstack is primarily Rust; agent-framework is Python; License: dstack is Apache-2.0, agent-framework is MIT; Tags unique to dstack: confidential-ai, intel-tdx, private-ai, safe-ai; When you need to run confidential AI computations that require Intel TDX or NVIDIA GPUs to ensure data and code are protected from potential threats at runtime. ### When should I choose agent-framework over dstack? Choose agent-framework over dstack when agent-framework is primarily Python; dstack is Rust; License: agent-framework is MIT, dstack 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 AI Agents; Choose agent-framework if your project requires support for both Python and .NET, allowing you to develop across different ecosystems. ### When should I avoid dstack? Avoid if your AI workloads do not benefit from confidential computing features as the overhead of using Intel TDX may not provide any advantage and can add complexity Not suitable for hardware setups that do not support Intel TDX or AMD SEV-SNP, limiting flexibility compared to broader hardware support offered by competitors ### 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 dstack or agent-framework more popular on GitHub? agent-framework has more GitHub stars (12,718 vs 519). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are dstack and agent-framework open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (dstack: Apache-2.0, agent-framework: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to dstack or agent-framework? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [dstack alternatives](/tools/dstack-tee-dstack/alternatives) and [agent-framework alternatives](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/alternatives) ([dstack markdown twin](/tools/dstack-tee-dstack/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/dstack-tee-dstack-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, dstack or agent-framework? dstack: 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 dstack and agent-framework? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [dstack trust report](/tools/dstack-tee-dstack/trust); [agent-framework trust report](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=dstack-tee-dstack`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=dstack-tee-dstack) - 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/_