Microsoft Agent Framework Fundamentals: A Complete Guide
A comprehensive guide to the Microsoft Agent Framework (MAF) — from foundations and setup to building, orchestrating, and governing AI agents. Each chapter includes explanations, code examples, diagrams, and hands-on lab exercises.
Table of Contents
- 1. Foundations & First Steps Introduction to Microsoft Agent Framework, Architecture, Core Concepts
- 2. Environment Setup Prerequisites, Installation, Project Structure, Course Setup, Lab Enrollment
- 3. Build Your First Agent Hello World Agent, Basic Configuration, Prompt Design, Agent Lifecycle
- 4. Agent Capabilities Memory & Context Management, Function Tools, State Persistence
- 5. Tools & Extensions Custom Tools, API Integration, Data Connectors, Lab Exercises
- 6. Advanced Orchestration Multi-Agent Workflows, Handoffs, Sub-Agents, Orchestration Patterns
- 7. Production & Governance Observability, Guardrails, Security, Best Practices, Deployment
- 8. Practice & Labs Hands-On Lab Exercises, Study Plan, Real-World Scenarios
- 9. References Resources, Quick Guide, Glossary, Continue Your Learning Journey
- 10. Copilot Extensions Build agents that extend Microsoft 365 Copilot
- 11. Custom Model Fine-tuning Tailor LLMs to your domain
- 12. Agent-to-Agent Communication Decentralized agent networks
- 13. Human-in-the-Loop Escalation workflows for critical decisions