Why Pika?

What Is Pika?

Pika is an open-source AWS agentic framework that delivers production-ready AI chat applications. Deploy complete chat experiences - front and back end - for your internal teams or customers.

Create Chat Apps for Any Audience

Build chat applications backed by AI agents. Serve authenticated internal users, external customers, or both.

Complete Front and Back End

Get a full-featured chat experience out of the box. Professional UI, streaming responses, session management, and enterprise security included.

Extensible UI with Web Components

Customize the interface with web components that have direct AI access. Build rich, interactive experiences like the Spotlight section shown here.

Multiple Independent Chat Apps

Define multiple chat apps on one deployment. Each has its own audience - internal only, customers only, or both.

Transparent AI Reasoning

Answers stream with AI reasoning visible to developers and admins. See exactly what the agent did and why.

Self-Grading Responses

The AI evaluates its own answers. Show grades to internal teams, external users, both, or neither - you control visibility.

Built-In Administration

A complete admin site comes with Pika. Manage your deployment without building administrative tools.

Per-App Control

Configure each chat app independently. Control access, features, and behavior for different audiences.

Review All Interactions

Browse and search every user conversation. Debug issues, gather insights, and understand usage patterns.

Automatic Insights

The system generates insights for every conversation. Track metrics, sentiment, goal completion, and quality automatically.

AI and Human Feedback

A separate AI analyzes conversations and generates improvement feedback. Collect human feedback too - all in one system.

Dedicated URLs with Enterprise Auth

Each chat app gets its own URL. Your enterprise authentication controls access.

The bottom line: Pika delivers everything between your idea for an AI assistant and a production system your users rely on. Built exclusively on AWS for scale, security, and operational simplicity.

The AI Integration Challenge

Building a demo AI agent is quick. Building one your customers can actually use takes significantly longer.

The gap between prototype and production is filled with challenges most teams underestimate:

Beyond the Shiny Demo

Your developers will build an agent quickly using modern agentic frameworks. They'll connect it to a database, show you a chat interface, and it will look amazing. You'll be excited about the possibilities.

Then your users try it.

The Problems You'll Face

Getting from that shiny demo to a reliable product requires solving:

Security & Authentication: Integrating your enterprise SSO, managing user types, handling multi-tenancy, and protecting sensitive data
Session Management: Persisting conversations, managing context, organizing chat history, and enabling collaboration
UI & UX: Building a professional chat interface with all expected features - file upload, code formatting, streaming responses, mobile support
Scalability: Handling traffic spikes, managing costs, optimizing response times, and ensuring availability
Observability: Tracking usage, debugging failures, analyzing conversation quality, and measuring success
Iteration & Improvement: Identifying edge cases, gathering feedback, refining prompts, and deploying updates safely

These aren't nice-to-haves. They're the difference between a toy and a tool.

Why Not Just Build It Yourself?

You absolutely can build this yourself. Many teams do. But understand what you're signing up for.

Read the full breakdown →

The True Cost of Custom Development

What you'll build:

Chat session storage and retrieval
Message persistence with streaming
User authentication integration
Real-time WebSocket connections
API Gateway configuration
Lambda function orchestration
DynamoDB schema design
S3 integration for files
CloudWatch logging and monitoring

The Alternative

Pika provides all of this out of the box. You deploy it once, configure your authentication, define your agents as config, and start focusing on what makes your agents valuable to users.

The Pika Approach

Pika is built on three core principles that make production AI applications achievable.

Explore The Pika Approach in depth →

AWS Foundation: Scale Without the Complexity

We use AWS because it solves the hard infrastructure problems for you.

When you deploy Pika, you get:

Amazon Bedrock for AI capabilities with leading models (Claude, etc.)
AWS Lambda for serverless compute that scales automatically
DynamoDB for session storage with single-digit millisecond latency
API Gateway for robust REST APIs
OpenSearch for indexed sessions and analytics
EventBridge for background job orchestration

This isn't just about convenience. It's about production-grade infrastructure that:

Handles traffic spikes automatically
Scales to millions of users
Provides 99.9%+ uptime SLAs
Maintains SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA compliance
Offers clear cost models with pay-per-use pricing

Agent-as-Config: Your Business Intelligence, Protected

Most agent frameworks make you code within their codebase. Pika takes a different approach.

Your agents, tools, and chat apps are defined as configuration deployed from your existing microservices. This strategic approach means:

Define Where You Have Access

Your microservices already have database access, file access, and business logic libraries. Define agent tools right there - where you already have what you need.

Your AI IP Is Protected

Your investment isn't in using an agentic framework - it's in the business intelligence you expose through agents. All agent definitions, tools, and prompts become configuration in Pika's database: this IS your organizational AI IP.

Decentralized Definition, Centralized Access

Teams define agents and tools in their own stacks where the business logic lives. But everything is accessible through a centralized UI and database for governance and reuse.

This architectural decision has profound implications:

Natural Tool Development: Create tools where you already have access to data and APIs
Protected Investment: Your AI IP (agents, prompts, tools) lives as config, independent of any framework
Team Independence: Each team defines their agents, but organization-wide visibility and reuse
Safe Evolution: Change agent behavior via configuration updates, not infrastructure changes

Learn more about Agents-as-Config →

Production-Ready from Day One

Pika includes everything needed for production deployment:

Complete UI

A world-class chat interface that works standalone or embedded in your existing applications:

Professional message formatting with syntax highlighting
Streaming responses with visual feedback
File upload with preview
Session history and search
Pinning and sharing
Mobile-responsive design
Accessibility compliant

Enterprise Security

Production security without the work:

Pluggable authentication (integrate your SSO/SAML/OAuth)
User type management (internal vs external)
Entity-based access control (multi-tenancy)
Role-based permissions
Audit logging
Secure session management

Operational Tooling

The features you need to run AI in production:

Self-correcting responses: Independent LLM verification catches errors
LLM-generated feedback: Automatic analysis of conversation quality
AI-driven insights: Session metrics, sentiment, goal completion
Detailed traces: Debug exactly what agents did and why
Admin interface: Manage apps, users, and access controls

Learn more about Production-Ready features →

From Toy to Tool: The Missing Middle

This is where Pika truly differentiates itself. Getting an agent to work isn't hard. Getting it to work reliably for real users is.

Pika provides the capabilities that bridge this gap:

Self-Correcting Loop
An independent LLM evaluates agent responses and can trigger automatic reprompting if quality is insufficient. Catch mistakes before users see them.
Continuous Learning
LLM-generated feedback analyzes completed sessions to identify patterns, edge cases, and improvement opportunities. Understand what's working and what's not.
Rapid Iteration
Instruction assistance and augmentation features help you refine agent behavior quickly based on real usage patterns.
User Memory
Persistent user context across all sessions means agents get better at personalizing responses over time.

Who Is Pika For?

Pika is designed for teams building production AI applications. While it provides enterprise-grade capabilities, it's built to be approachable whether you're at a startup or a large organization.

For Product Teams

Your Challenge: You need AI features that delight users without becoming a science project.

How Pika Helps:

Ship AI features rapidly
Professional UI that matches modern expectations
Analytics to understand what users are actually doing
Rapid iteration based on real usage patterns
Confidence that it will scale when users show up

For Engineering Teams

Your Challenge: Build AI capabilities without derailing your roadmap or creating maintenance nightmares.

How Pika Helps:

Deploy via familiar AWS CDK/CloudFormation workflows
Agents as config - no special deployment process
Clean separation from your core codebase
Observable, debuggable, and maintainable
AWS-native so it fits your existing infrastructure

For Organizations of All Sizes

Your Challenge: Deploy AI for both internal tools and customer-facing applications with appropriate security and governance.

How Pika Helps:

Multi-tenancy built in: Support multiple organizations on one deployment
Flexible access controls: Internal vs external users, role-based permissions, entity isolation
Compliance ready: Audit trails, data protection, no AI training on your data
Scalable architecture: Start small, grow as needed
Cost effective: Serverless pricing means you only pay for what you use

The platform handles both internal employee tools and customer-facing applications with the same deployment, but with fine-grained control over who sees what.

When to Choose Pika

Pika is the right choice when:

You're Building on AWS

Pika is AWS-only by design. If you're already on AWS or planning to be, Pika leverages services you already understand and trust.

You Need Production Quality

If you're building something users will depend on (not just experimenting), Pika provides the observability, reliability, and security production systems require.

You Want Clean Architecture

If you value separation of concerns and don't want agent code tangled with your business logic, Pika's config-based approach keeps boundaries clear.

You Need Multiple Use Cases

If you're planning multiple chat applications or agents, Pika's platform approach means you build the infrastructure once and deploy many agents.

When Pika Might Not Fit

Pika is not the right choice if:

You need to run on platforms other than AWS
You're building a highly specialized agent framework with unique requirements
You prefer managing every aspect of the infrastructure yourself
You only need a simple chatbot without advanced features

Comparison Matrix

How does Pika compare to other approaches for building AI agent applications?

Pika vs. Building Custom on AWS

Dimension	Pika	Custom AWS Build
Time to Production	Days - deploy complete application with agents	Months - build infrastructure, UI, security, monitoring
Infrastructure	Complete: Lambda, DynamoDB, OpenSearch, Bedrock, auth, session management	You build everything from scratch
UI/UX	Production-ready chat interface with streaming, web components, admin site	Build your own frontend and admin tools
Security	Built-in authentication integration, access control, multi-tenancy	Implement security layer yourself
Operational Tools	Admin site, traces, monitoring, LLM feedback, insights included	Build your own operational tooling
Cost Structure	AWS infrastructure costs only (pay for what you use)	AWS costs + months of development time
Learning Curve	Learn Pika's config-based approach	Learn all AWS services + build integration
Flexibility	Configure within framework patterns	Complete control but complete responsibility

Best For

Pika: Teams who want production-ready AI apps quickly without building infrastructure.

Custom AWS: Organizations with unique requirements that don't fit any framework, or those with extensive AWS expertise and specific architectural needs.

Pika vs. LangChain/LlamaIndex + Custom UI

Dimension	Pika	LangChain/LlamaIndex + UI
Time to Production	Days - complete platform ready to deploy	Weeks - integrate agent framework with custom UI and infrastructure
Infrastructure	Complete AWS stack with deployment automation	Choose and configure your own infrastructure
UI/UX	Production chat interface with streaming, admin site, web components	Build entire frontend from scratch
Security	Authentication, authorization, multi-tenancy built-in	Implement security, auth, access control yourself
Operational Tools	Traces, monitoring, feedback, insights, admin interface included	Build your own operational and admin tools
Cost Structure	AWS infrastructure costs	Infrastructure costs + frontend development time
Learning Curve	Learn Pika's agent-as-config approach	Learn LangChain/LlamaIndex + implement UI + setup infrastructure
Flexibility	Opinionated AWS + Svelte stack	Choose any infrastructure and frontend stack

Best For

Pika: Teams who want a complete platform with UI and operational tools included.

LangChain/LlamaIndex: Teams who need flexibility in infrastructure choice or have existing UI frameworks, and have time to build the complete application layer.

Pika vs. Commercial Agent Platforms

Dimension	Pika	Commercial Platforms
Time to Production	Days - deploy to your AWS account	Varies - typically fast but vendor-dependent
Infrastructure	Deploy in your AWS account - you own and control everything	Vendor-managed infrastructure - less control
UI/UX	Included, customizable with web components	Varies - often limited customization
Security	Your AWS account, your security controls, your compliance	Trust vendor security, limited control over compliance
Operational Tools	Admin site, traces, insights - all included	Vendor-provided dashboards - limited customization
Cost Structure	Infrastructure costs only - no per-user or per-message fees	Monthly/annual fees + usage fees + seat licensing
Learning Curve	Learn Pika framework and config approach	Learn vendor platform and limitations
Flexibility	Full access to code, extend as needed, deploy anywhere	Limited by vendor capabilities and APIs

Best For

Pika: Organizations that need data sovereignty, want to avoid vendor lock-in, or require control over their infrastructure and costs.

Commercial Platforms: Teams who prefer managed services, don't have AWS expertise, or need enterprise support contracts.

Pika vs. Other Open-Source Agent Frameworks

Dimension	Pika	Other Frameworks
Time to Production	Days - includes UI, infrastructure, deployment	Varies - typically focused on agent logic only
Infrastructure	Complete AWS stack with CDK deployment automation	Usually just agent runtime - you add infrastructure
UI/UX	Production chat interface with admin site included	Most don't include UI - you build it
Security	Authentication, access control, multi-tenancy ready	Varies - often need to add security layer
Operational Tools	Admin site, traces, monitoring, insights built-in	Usually limited - you add operational tooling
Cost Structure	AWS infrastructure costs	Depends on infrastructure you choose
Learning Curve	Learn Pika's config-based, AWS-centric approach	Varies by framework - often more code-heavy
Flexibility	Opinionated AWS + agent-as-config pattern	Varies - some more flexible, some more opinionated

Best For

Pika: Teams who want a complete, production-ready platform with UI and operations included, and are comfortable with AWS.

Other Frameworks: Teams with specific agent orchestration needs, those avoiding vendor lock-in to cloud providers, or developers who prefer to assemble their own stack.

Key Decision Factors

Consider Pika when:

You're on AWS - Pika is built for AWS and leverages managed services for scale
You need UI included - Production chat interface and admin tools come ready
Time to market matters - Deploy complete applications in days, not months
You want operational visibility - Traces, monitoring, and insights are built-in
Cost predictability - Pay only for AWS infrastructure, no per-user fees
Data sovereignty required - Everything runs in your AWS account

Consider alternatives when:

Multi-cloud required - Pika is AWS-specific
Maximum flexibility needed - Building custom gives complete control
Existing infrastructure - You have non-AWS infrastructure you must use
Managed service preference - You prefer vendor-managed platforms
Different agent patterns - Your agent orchestration needs don't fit Pika's model

Next Steps

Ready to see Pika in action?

Quick Start

Deploy your first agent in 15 minutes with our quick start guide.

Get Started

Explore Capabilities

Learn what Pika can do with detailed capability documentation.

Coming soon

Read the Concepts

Understand how Pika works and the thinking behind key design decisions.

Learn the Architecture

The question isn't whether you can build production AI applications. It's whether you want to spend significant time building infrastructure or focus on building intelligence.

Pika handles the former so you can focus on the latter.