AI Agents for Beginners
A free course of 18 lessons teaching beginners how to build AI agents, with Python code samples.
- Stars
- 78.7k
- Forks
- 25.8k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Jupyter Notebook
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- Learning resource
What it is
This is a course, not a software product, that teaches the basics of building AI agents. Each lesson has a written guide, a short video, and Python code samples built on Microsoft Agent Framework and Microsoft Foundry Agent Service. You can start with any lesson, since each covers its own topic.
- Work through the lessons to learn core agent concepts and patterns
- Run the code samples in the code_samples folder as starting points for your own agents
- Fork the repository and adapt the examples to your own project
- Use the linked Discord channel to ask questions while studying
Great for
- Developers new to AI agents who want guided lessons with code
- Students learning how agentic AI systems are structured
- People who already know basic generative AI and want to move to agents
- Readers who prefer working through example code in Jupyter-style notebooks
Not ideal for
- People who want a ready-made agent product to use without coding, since this teaches building agents
- Those without an Azure account, because the README says the main path requires Microsoft Foundry (Azure Account Required)
- Readers looking for a framework-neutral comparison, since the examples centre on Microsoft tools
How to get it
- 1
Clone and build from source
You'll need: Azure account for Microsoft Foundry · Python (version not stated in the README excerpt)
Clone the repository with sparse checkout (skips translations, faster download)
git clone --filter=blob:none --sparse https://github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners.gitEnter the project folder and set sparse checkout (Bash / macOS / Linux)
cd ai-agents-for-beginners && git sparse-checkout set --no-cone '/*' '!translations' '!translated_images' - 2
Run it
- Clone the repository, using the sparse checkout command if you do not need translations
- Read the Course Setup guide in 00-course-setup/README.md
- Set up a Microsoft Foundry account and configure access as described in the setup guide
- Open the first lesson, 01-intro-to-ai-agents, and run its code samples
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Start with the Course Setup guide, which the README links for configuration details
- Read the lessons in the order of the lesson table, or jump to a topic you need
- Use the extra learning links in the lesson table for deeper study
- Ask questions in the Microsoft Foundry Discord channel linked in the README
- Some samples support OpenAI-compatible providers such as MiniMax, per the README
Downloads
Strengths
- Free, MIT-licensed, and organised as 18 lessons with text, video, and code
- Lessons can be read in any order, so you can jump to the topic you need
- Includes translations into many languages, according to the README
Trade-offs
- The examples depend on Microsoft Foundry and an Azure account, which may cost money
- The README does not describe a fixed schedule or prerequisites beyond the setup course, so the time commitment is unclear
- Some lessons may depend on specific Microsoft framework versions that change over time
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ai-agents-for-beginners (this) | 78.7k | Learning resource | beginner | 4 days ago | Developers new to AI agents who want guided lessons with code |
| generative-ai-for-beginners | 123k | Learning resource | beginner | 5 days ago | Developers who know some Python or TypeScript and want a guided introduction to generative AI |
| langchain | 149k | Framework | intermediate | 4 days ago | Python developers building LLM-powered applications |
| semantic-kernel | 28.7k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers already using Azure OpenAI or OpenAI who want a structured SDK for agents |
| awesome-ai-engineering | 22.5k | Curated list | beginner | 15 days ago | Developers who want an overview of the AI engineering topics covered in the description |
| Prompt-Engineering-Guide | 79.8k | Learning resource | beginner | 8 months ago | People who are new to prompting and want structured lessons with examples |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.