Semantic Kernel
Microsoft SDK for AI orchestration — skills, planners, memory
📋 Overview
Semantic Kernel is Microsoft open-source SDK for AI orchestration — providing skills, planners, and memory for building AI applications. Unlike AutoGen (which focuses on multi-agent conversations), Semantic Kernel focuses on the developer experience — providing a .NET/Python SDK for integrating LLMs into applications.
✨ Key Features
- •25K+ GitHub stars — Microsoft AI SDK
- •Skills, planners, and memory
- •NET and Python support
- •Prompt management
- •Function calling
- •MIT licensed
🎯 The Problem It Solves
Developers need a structured way to integrate LLMs into applications — with skills, planning, and memory. Semantic Kernel provides this with a familiar SDK pattern.
🔧 How It Works
Semantic Kernel provides a SDK where you define skills (functions that call LLMs), planners (which sequence skills), and memory (which stores context). The SDK handles prompt management, function calling, and context management.
🚀 Installation & Quick Start
Installation
pip install semantic-kernelQuick Start
- pip install semantic-kernel
- import semantic_kernel as sk
- kernel = sk.Kernel()
- kernel.add_text_completion_service('openai', OpenAIChatCompletion(...))
- skill = kernel.import_skill(MySkill())
✅ Pros
- •Best .NET AI SDK
- •Skill/planner/memory pattern
- •MIT licensed
- •Active community
- •Comprehensive documentation
- •Production-ready
❌ Cons
- •Smaller community than LangChain
- •NET-first (Python secondary)
- •Documentation sparse
💬 Practitioner Verdict
“Semantic Kernel is the best SDK for integrating LLMs into .NET/Python applications — the skill/planner/memory pattern is genuinely differentiated. The trade-off: smaller community than LangChain, .NET-first (Python is secondary), and the documentation is sparse. For .NET developers who want to integrate LLMs, Semantic Kernel is the default.”
Self-Hosted (Free)
Open source, MIT/Apache licensed. Run it yourself.
⭐ Star & Clone on GitHubFree forever. Your infrastructure, your data.
📊 Specifications
- Language
- C#/Python
- License
- MIT
- Platform
- Linux, macOS, Windows
- Supported Models
- REST API, CLI
💰 Pricing Reality
100% free MIT license. No paid tier.