> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bothive.cloud/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Bothive vs LangChain

> Platform vs framework - understand what Bothive adds on top of LangChain.

<Callout>
  LangChain is a framework for assembling LLM applications. Bothive is the hosted platform around agent building, deployment, memory, integrations, and observability.
</Callout>

## What LangChain is

LangChain is a developer framework for composing model calls, tools, and workflows. It gives teams building blocks, but you still assemble the rest of the stack yourself.

That usually means:

* Hosting and deployment
* Authentication and session handling
* Memory and state management
* Tool wiring and retry logic
* Observability and debugging

## What Bothive adds

Bothive provides the managed platform layer around the agent:

| Area          | LangChain                | Bothive                     |
| ------------- | ------------------------ | --------------------------- |
| Authoring     | Python / TypeScript code | HiveLang, Builder, HiveMind |
| Hosting       | You provide it           | Included                    |
| Memory        | You build it             | Built in                    |
| Integrations  | You wire them            | Managed integrations        |
| Channels      | You implement them       | Web, Slack, Telegram, API   |
| Observability | External tools required  | Built in                    |
| Deployment    | Your infra               | One platform workflow       |

## When LangChain makes sense

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="You want maximum code-level control">
    LangChain is a good fit if your team wants to own every step of orchestration and does not mind building the surrounding platform pieces.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="You already have a LangChain application">
    If your app is already in LangChain, Bothive is not a drop-in replacement for your codebase. It is a separate platform choice for building and operating agents.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="You are experimenting">
    For quick prototypes, LangChain can be useful when you want to test ideas before committing to a more structured platform.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## When Bothive makes more sense

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="You want a full agent platform">
    Bothive is designed to reduce the amount of glue code you need by giving you authoring, memory, integrations, deployment, and observability in one system.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="You care about shipping fast">
    If you want to get from idea to working agent quickly, Bothive removes a lot of the setup work that comes with a framework-first stack.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="You want non-developers involved">
    HiveMind and the Builder let more people participate in agent creation without writing the whole stack by hand.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Summary

Use LangChain when you want framework-level control and are comfortable assembling the platform around it. Use Bothive when you want the platform to be included and the agent workflow to stay organized, deployable, and observable.

## Related

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="HiveLang" icon="code" href="./hivelang" className="glass-effect" />

  <Card title="Observability" icon="chart-line" href="./observability" className="glass-effect" />

  <Card title="Why Bothive" icon="sparkles" href="../why-bothive" className="glass-effect" />
</CardGroup>