Getting Started with AI Agents — Beginner's Complete Guide 2026

Welcome to the developer’s guide to AI agents and agentic workflows.

Who This Is For

This guide is written for developers and technical users who want to understand AI agents beyond the hype — how they actually work, how to build them, and how to make them reliable in production.

How to Use This Guide

Each topic is structured as three layers:

1. Concept — What is it and why does it matter?
2. Tutorial — Step-by-step walkthrough
3. Code — Working examples you can run and adapt

Recommended Reading Order

If you’re new to agents, follow the guide in order:

1. AI Agents — Concepts & Architecture
2. Agentic Workflows
3. MCP — Model Context Protocol
4. Agent Frameworks
5. Tools, Skills & Memory
6. Prompt Engineering for Agents

If you’re already familiar with the basics, jump directly to the section you need using the sidebar.

Prerequisites

• Basic Python knowledge (most examples use Python)
• Familiarity with REST APIs and JSON
• An API key for at least one LLM provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, or similar)