Amazon Bedrock Agents and AgentCore
AWS documentation now distinguishes Amazon Bedrock Agents Classic from Amazon Bedrock AgentCore. This distinction matters when reading older tutorials or planning a new implementation.
Bedrock Agents Classic
The earlier Bedrock Agents capability orchestrates foundation-model interactions with action groups, knowledge bases, and prompts. AWS documentation states that Bedrock Agents is now Agents Classic and will no longer be open to new customers starting July 30, 2026; existing customers can continue using it.
AgentCore
Amazon Bedrock AgentCore provides infrastructure and interfaces for developing and deploying agents and tools. AgentCore Runtime is designed to handle concerns such as scaling, session management, security isolation, and infrastructure management.
Architecture decision
When reviewing an existing tutorial, first identify whether it targets Agents Classic or AgentCore. Do not blindly copy older APIs into a new project.
Production concerns
Regardless of the platform, an agent needs:
- Explicit tool permissions
- Input/output validation
- Authentication and authorization
- Safety controls
- Observability and traces
- Bounded loops and timeouts
- Human approval for high-impact actions where appropriate
- Evaluation against realistic tasks
Connected knowledge
AI agents → tool-calling failures → AI security → production agent architecture.