Integrate cutting-edge LLM technology quickly and easily into your apps
⚡ Executive Summary & Quick Facts
Authoritative Sourcesemantic-kernel is semantic-kernel is an open-source project written in C#: Integrate cutting-edge LLM technology quickly and easily into your apps.. It provides a free, self-hosted open-source alternative to OpenAI API & ChatGPT.
“According to real-time open source telemetry recorded on GitHubRepo.cloud (as of November 2026), microsoft/semantic-kernel has accumulated 28,724 GitHub stars and 4,847 forks. It is written in C#, licensed under MIT, and ranks #599 globally. It is actively maintained with the latest commit recorded on Oct 31, 2026.”
| Repository | microsoft/semantic-kernel ↗ |
|---|---|
| Primary Category | ai |
| Language & Stack | C# |
| Software License | MIT |
| Community Traction | ★ 28.7K stars · ⑂ 4.8K forks · #599 globally |
| Maintenance | ● Active (Last commit: Oct 31, 2026) · 337 open issues |
| Replaces SaaS | Open Source OpenAI API & ChatGPT Alternative (Pay-per-token pricing with zero private data guarantees) → |
| Target Audience | Developers and engineering teams building with C#, seeking reliable, tested, and actively maintained tooling for production workloads. |
🛡️ Repository Maintenance & Health Audit (2026)
Health Score: 95/100 · Grade A+Yes, semantic-kernel is actively maintained. Continuous telemetry recorded the last code commit on Oct 31, 2026 (14 days ago). Supported by 28,724 stars and 4,847 community forks, this repository holds a calculated health index of 95/100, reflecting very active (commits within last 14 days) and active community feedback (337 open).
Star History
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+66
STARS · LAST 30 DAYS
2
PER DAY
#11
MOST-STARRED C#
| Window | 7 days | 30 days | 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stars gained | +0 | +66 | +180 |
| Per day | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Forks gained | +0 | +21 | +242 |
semantic-kernel gained 66 stars in the last 30 days, about 2 a day, and now has 28.7K. It is about 4 years old and has averaged roughly 7.2K stars a year. It ranks #11 among C# repositories and #599 across all languages on GitHubRepo.
Trending Record
42
DAYS ON TRENDING
#1035
BEST RANK
Sep 28, 2026
FIRST APPEARANCE
Active
STATUS TODAY
semantic-kernel has maintained a continuous presence across global trending indexes, peaking at #1035. Below is the 30-day activity profile:
💡 Overview
semantic-kernel is an open-source project written in C#: Integrate cutting-edge LLM technology quickly and easily into your apps.
Engineered for speed, consistency, and developer ease, it solves common hurdles in ai, artificial-intelligence, llm. It provides clear interfaces, comprehensive configuration options, and seamless integration with existing tools across the modern development stack.
⚡ Key Features
Optimized execution pipeline written in C# for predictable speed.
Zero-friction configuration with comprehensive sensible defaults out of the box.
Cross-platform runtime support across Linux, macOS, and Windows environments.
Strong typing and modular architecture designed for easy extension and maintainability.
Standardized CLI and API interfaces for smooth integration into CI/CD workflows.
Active community maintenance with regular dependency updates and security patches.
📥 Installation
$ git clone https://github.com/microsoft/semantic-kernel.git
cd semantic-kernel⚙ System Requirements
Platforms
- • macOS
- • Linux
- • Windows
Runtime & Dependencies
C# environment and standard tooling
Architecture
x86_64, ARM64 (Apple Silicon & Graviton)
🧠 How It Works
semantic-kernel coordinates its core functionality through a modular C# pipeline. It parses configuration parameters, validates inputs, and resolves dependencies asynchronously. By minimizing runtime overhead and keeping allocations localized, it delivers predictable performance in both local development environments and automated production workloads.
🎯 Production Use Cases
Autonomous AI Agents
Orchestrate intelligent workflows and tool-calling routines with semantic-kernel.
Model Inference & Prompting
Integrate fast, local or cloud-hosted generative AI models directly into production code.
Context Memory & RAG
Augment language models with dynamic vector retrieval and structured project memory.
Developer Productivity
Automate repetitive engineering tasks, code generation, and test creation using AI agents.
🚀 Getting Started
Install semantic-kernel using your package manager: `git clone https://github.com/microsoft/semantic-kernel.git`
Initialize your project workspace or configuration file for semantic-kernel.
Import semantic-kernel into your codebase or invoke it directly from your terminal.
Execute your test suite or run `semantic-kernel --help` to verify successful setup.
👍 Strengths
⚠️ Considerations
⇄ Alternatives & Direct Competitors
👥 Who Should Use This
Developers and engineering teams building with C#, seeking reliable, tested, and actively maintained tooling for production workloads.
🏆 Nearby in the Rankings
microsoft/semantic-kernel is currently ranked #599 by stars across every repository tracked on GitHubRepo. These are adjacent projects:
| Rank | Repository | Language | Stars | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #594 | dmlc/xgboost | C++ | ★ 28.9K | Compare ↗ |
| #595 | huggingface/lerobot | Python | ★ 28.8K | Compare ↗ |
| #596 | koodo-reader/koodo-reader | JavaScript | ★ 28.8K | Compare ↗ |
| #597 | mlflow/mlflow | Python | ★ 28.8K | Compare ↗ |
| #598 | fyne-io/fyne | Go | ★ 28.8K | Compare ↗ |
| #599 | microsoft/semantic-kernel This Project | C# | ★ 28.7K | |
| #600 | HumanSignal/label-studio | TypeScript | ★ 28.7K | Compare ↗ |
| #601 | BloopAI/vibe-kanban | Rust | ★ 28.7K | Compare ↗ |
| #602 | niri-wm/niri | Rust | ★ 28.5K | Compare ↗ |
| #603 | bagisto/bagisto | PHP | ★ 28.4K | Compare ↗ |
| #604 | PrefectHQ/fastmcp | Python | ★ 28.4K | Compare ↗ |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does semantic-kernel do? +
Integrate cutting-edge LLM technology quickly and easily into your apps
Is semantic-kernel actively maintained in 2026? +
Yes, semantic-kernel is actively maintained. The latest code push was recorded on Oct 31, 2026 (14 days ago). It holds a calculated Maintenance Health Score of 95/100 (A+ rating) with 28,724 stars and 337 open issues.
What language is semantic-kernel written in? +
The primary language is C#. Topics include: ai, artificial-intelligence, llm, openai, sdk.
How many stars does semantic-kernel have? +
semantic-kernel has 28,724 stars and 4,847 forks on GitHub.
How does semantic-kernel rank among GitHub repositories? +
With 28,724 stars, microsoft/semantic-kernel is ranked #599 globally across all repositories tracked on GitHubRepo and #11 among C# projects.
What license is semantic-kernel distributed under? +
The repository reports a MIT license. Always verify the repository LICENSE file for legal terms.
