AI agents
Amazon Bedrock AgentCore vs Foundry Agent Service / Foundry guardrails (content filters)
AgentCore Identity, Policy, and Registry map to Microsoft Entra agent identities, Foundry guardrails (tool-call controls), the Foundry control plane, and the Entra Agent Registry.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Service | Amazon Bedrock AgentCore | Foundry Agent Service Foundry guardrails (content filters) |
| Lifecycle | Generally available | Voice-based agents and some monitoring/eval/telephony capabilities are in preview. Agent guardrails, tool-call/tool-response intervention points, and PII risk are in preview. |
| What it is | Modular agent platform. Harness (managed agent loop), Runtime, Memory, Gateway (MCP), Identity, Code Interpreter, Browser, Observability, Evaluations, Optimization, Policy, Registry, Payments. Works with any framework and any model. | Managed agent platform. Prompt agents (declarative), voice-based prompt agents (Voice Live), and hosted agents (your container or zip, any framework), plus the Responses API for "ephemeral" agents. Shared toolbox via a managed MCP endpoint. Named collections of controls applied to models and agents at user input, tool call, tool response, and output, with severity-based blocking. |
| Pricing model | Consumption-based per component. | Included with Foundry/Entra usage. Some Entra agent features may require specific Entra licensing. |
| Docs | Amazon Bedrock AgentCore docs | Foundry Agent Service docs Foundry guardrails (content filters) docs |
| Pricing page | Amazon Bedrock AgentCore pricing | Foundry Agent Service pricing Foundry guardrails (content filters) pricing |
| Exams | Generative AI Developer – Professional | AI-500 AI-103 |
Key differences
- AgentCore Identity vends short-lived credentials from a token vault, and works with any IdP (Cognito, Okta, Entra ID, Auth0).
- AgentCore Policy enforces deterministic rules on every tool call at the Gateway, written in natural language or Dogwood (Cedar-compatible).
- On Azure, hosted agents get a dedicated Microsoft Entra identity. Guardrails can inspect tool calls and tool responses (preview), and hosted agents support network egress controls (preview).
- Registry. AgentCore Registry catalogs agents, MCP servers, tools, and skills with an approval workflow. Foundry publishes agents to the Entra Agent Registry.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- Consumption-based per component. Amazon Bedrock AgentCore pricing →
- Azure
- Included with Foundry/Entra usage. Some Entra agent features may require specific Entra licensing. Foundry Agent Service pricing → Foundry guardrails (content filters) pricing →
Certification exam mapping
| Exam | Provider | Level | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Certified Generative AI Developer – Professional | AWS | Professional | current Exam code not confirmed from the official page at build time; shown by name only. |
| Microsoft Certified – Multi-Agent AI Solutions Expert AI-500 | Azure | Expert | current |
| Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate AI-103 | Azure | Associate | current Generative AI and agentic solutions with Microsoft Foundry using Python. Successor in scope to the retired AI-102. |
Relevance is based on each exam's published scope, not a line-by-line objective match. Check the official study guide.
Verification notes
- Entra licensing requirements for agent identities weren't verified for this release.
FAQ
What is the Azure equivalent of Amazon Bedrock AgentCore?
AgentCore Identity, Policy, and Registry map to Microsoft Entra agent identities, Foundry guardrails (tool-call controls), the Foundry control plane, and the Entra Agent Registry.
How does pricing compare between Amazon Bedrock AgentCore and Foundry Agent Service and Foundry guardrails (content filters)?
AWS: Consumption-based per component. Azure: Included with Foundry/Entra usage. Some Entra agent features may require specific Entra licensing. Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
Which certification exams cover this topic?
AWS Certified Generative AI Developer – Professional; Microsoft Certified – Multi-Agent AI Solutions Expert (AI-500); Microsoft Certified – Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate (AI-103).