AI Agents for Beginners
by Microsoft
A free, hands-on lesson series that takes you from agent fundamentals to production-ready AI agents.
Overview
AI Agents for Beginners is a free, open-source course from Microsoft that covers the fundamentals of building AI agents across 16 completed lessons (with additional lessons in progress). The curriculum spans agent fundamentals, agentic frameworks, and core design patterns including tool use, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), planning, multi-agent collaboration, and metacognition, then extends into trustworthiness and security, production considerations, agent protocols, and memory management. Each lesson pairs written material and video with runnable Python code samples built on the Microsoft Agent Framework (MAF) with Microsoft Foundry Agent Service V2, and some samples also support alternative OpenAI-compatible providers. The repository is actively maintained, MIT-style open source, and can be cloned or forked so learners can run, test, and modify every example.
At a Glance
- Topic
- Agentic
- Level
- Beginner
- Format
- Course
- Cost
- Free
- Duration
- 16 lessons, self-paced
- Provider
- Microsoft
- Hands-on
- Yes — code/exercises
- Certificate
- None
What You’ll Learn
- ✓What AI agents are and when to use an agentic approach
- ✓Core agentic design patterns: tool use, RAG, planning, multi-agent, and metacognition
- ✓How to build agents with the Microsoft Agent Framework and Foundry Agent Service
- ✓How to make agents trustworthy, secure, and production-ready
- ✓Agent protocols and memory management for longer-running agents
Highlights
- •Free and fully open-source, with runnable Jupyter/Python notebooks per lesson
- •Modular 16-lesson structure you can start anywhere in
- •Covers modern patterns (multi-agent, protocols, memory) plus production and security
- •Actively maintained by Microsoft with multi-language translations
Who It’s For
Best For
- ✓Developers new to building AI agents
- ✓Engineers wanting hands-on experience with the Microsoft agent stack
- ✓Teams standardizing on agentic design patterns before production
Prerequisites
- •Basic Python programming
- •Familiarity with calling LLM APIs
- •An account/keys for an LLM provider to run the code samples
FAQ
What is AI Agents for Beginners?
Microsoft's free, open-source course teaching the fundamentals of building AI agents through 16 self-paced lessons. Aimed at developers new to agents who want practical, notebook-driven experience with modern agentic frameworks and design patterns.
Is AI Agents for Beginners free?
AI Agents for Beginners is free to access.
What level is AI Agents for Beginners for?
AI Agents for Beginners is aimed at a beginner audience. Recommended background: Basic Python programming, Familiarity with calling LLM APIs, An account/keys for an LLM provider to run the code samples.
How long does AI Agents for Beginners take?
Expect roughly 16 lessons, self-paced. Most learners work through it at their own pace.
What will I learn from AI Agents for Beginners?
You'll learn: What AI agents are and when to use an agentic approach; Core agentic design patterns: tool use, RAG, planning, multi-agent, and metacognition; How to build agents with the Microsoft Agent Framework and Foundry Agent Service; How to make agents trustworthy, secure, and production-ready; Agent protocols and memory management for longer-running agents.