--- title: "aiac vs agent-framework" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/gofireflyio-aiac-vs-microsoft-agent-framework" tools: ["gofireflyio-aiac", "microsoft-agent-framework"] --- # aiac vs agent-framework *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick aiac if aiac, an IaC generator for AI infrastructure, is built in Go and supports Terraform and Pulumi; 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. [aiac](https://github.com/gofireflyio/aiac) reports 3.8k GitHub stars, 296 forks, and 3 open issues, last pushed Mar 24, 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 [aiac's repository](https://github.com/gofireflyio/aiac) and [agent-framework's repository](https://github.com/microsoft/agent-framework). | | [aiac](/tools/gofireflyio-aiac.md) | [agent-framework](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure-as-Code Generator | Framework for building and deploying AI agents and multi-agent workflows | | Stars | 3,788 | 13,573 | | Forks | 296 | 2,335 | | Open issues | 3 | 605 | | Language | Go | Python | | Adopt for | aiac, an IaC generator for AI infrastructure, is built in Go and supports Terraform and Pulumi. | 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 | aiac uses the Apache-2.0 license, allowing for permissive free usage and modification with attribution required. | MIT | | Categories | Developer Tools, LLM Frameworks | AI Agents, Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [aiac](/tools/gofireflyio-aiac.md) | [agent-framework](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Slowing (36%) | Very active (96%) | | Days since push | 179d | 0d | | Open issues (now) | 3 | 605 | | Stars delta | +3 (30d) | +855 (30d) | | Open issues delta | +1 (30d) | -80 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/gofireflyio-aiac/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: aiac - **Hosting:** self hosted - Deployment methods include installation through Homebrew taps, Docker containers, Go install package management, and direct compilation from source. - **Pricing:** freemium - aiac is free for use under the Apache-2.0 license with no subscription fees; however, any third-party services like Amazon Bedrock or OpenAI might incur additional costs. - **Requirements:** Min 1 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Requires Go for local builds and installations through Homebrew taps.; Supports Docker, making it easy to deploy across multiple environments without needing full Go setup. - **Adopt for:** aiac, an IaC generator for AI infrastructure, is built in Go and supports Terraform and Pulumi. - **License detail:** aiac uses the Apache-2.0 license, allowing for permissive free usage and modification with attribution required. ## 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 aiac if… - aiac is primarily Go; agent-framework is Python. - License: aiac is Apache-2.0, agent-framework is MIT. - Deployment methods include installation through Homebrew taps, Docker containers, Go install package management, and direct compilation from source. - Pricing: aiac is free for use under the Apache-2.0 license with no subscription fees; however, any third-party services like Amazon Bedrock or OpenAI might incur additional costs.. - Requirements: Min 1 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Requires Go for local builds and installations through Homebrew taps.; Supports Docker, making it easy to deploy across multiple environments without needing full Go setup.. - Tags unique to aiac: ai, amazon-bedrock, chatgpt, iac. - Also covers LLM Frameworks. - aiac ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - - Use aiac when you are working on AI projects that require IaC tools like Terraform or Pulumi, and want to manage your infrastructure as code using the Go language. ### Choose agent-framework if… - agent-framework is primarily Python; aiac is Go. - License: agent-framework is MIT, aiac 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 aiac - - Avoid aiac if your project is not based on Go or does not require the integration of Terraform and Pulumi for managing infrastructure. - - Do not use aiac in scenarios where you are working strictly within an environment that prefers languages other than Go, such as Python, or requires proprietary licenses. ## 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 aiac and agent-framework? aiac: Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure-as-Code Generator. 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 aiac over agent-framework? Choose aiac over agent-framework when aiac is primarily Go; agent-framework is Python; License: aiac is Apache-2.0, agent-framework is MIT; Deployment methods include installation through Homebrew taps, Docker containers, Go install package management, and direct compilation from source; Pricing: aiac is free for use under the Apache-2.0 license with no subscription fees; however, any third-party services like Amazon Bedrock or OpenAI might incur additional costs.; Requirements: Min 1 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Requires Go for local builds and installations through Homebrew taps.; Supports Docker, making it easy to deploy across multiple environments without needing full Go setup.; Tags unique to aiac: ai, amazon-bedrock, chatgpt, iac; Also covers LLM Frameworks; aiac ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; - Use aiac when you are working on AI projects that require IaC tools like Terraform or Pulumi, and want to manage your infrastructure as code using the Go language. ### When should I choose agent-framework over aiac? Choose agent-framework over aiac when agent-framework is primarily Python; aiac is Go; License: agent-framework is MIT, aiac 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 aiac? - Avoid aiac if your project is not based on Go or does not require the integration of Terraform and Pulumi for managing infrastructure. - Do not use aiac in scenarios where you are working strictly within an environment that prefers languages other than Go, such as Python, or requires proprietary licenses. ### 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 aiac or agent-framework more popular on GitHub? agent-framework has more GitHub stars (13,573 vs 3,788). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are aiac and agent-framework open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (aiac: Apache-2.0, agent-framework: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to aiac or agent-framework? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [aiac alternatives](/tools/gofireflyio-aiac/alternatives) and [agent-framework alternatives](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/alternatives) ([aiac markdown twin](/tools/gofireflyio-aiac/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/gofireflyio-aiac-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, aiac or agent-framework? aiac: Slowing. 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 aiac and agent-framework? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [aiac trust report](/tools/gofireflyio-aiac/trust); [agent-framework trust report](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=gofireflyio-aiac`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=gofireflyio-aiac) - 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/_