Software development kit (SDK)
SDK
A toolkit a company provides so developers can easily connect its service to their own programs.
Overview
To use a service from a program, you send requests through a doorway called an API. But writing code every time to shape each request and handle errors is tiring. An SDK bundles ready-made code for those jobs with documentation and examples.
AI companies offer SDKs for calling their models, and also SDKs for building agents. That way developers do not have to build tool connections or conversation history from scratch. SDKs come separately for each programming language, and a new version comes out when a new feature is added.
An everyday example
If an API is the order window of a furniture factory, an SDK is an assembly kit that also includes instructions and the right tools. You can still write an order slip at the window, but the kit is much faster.
Why it matters
News that a company "released an agent SDK" means more people now have a way to build products on that company's technology. The company whose tools developers use most tends to lead the field.
Also calledSDK