Compare open source agent identity management with Azure RBAC and managed identities. Different scopes, complementary purposes.
by OpenA2A
Purpose-built for AI agents. Cryptographic identity, capability-based access, and continuous trust scoring. Open source and self-hosted.
by Microsoft
Resource-level access control for Azure. Azure RBAC manages who can do what on which Azure resources. Managed identities for workloads.
Azure IAM (RBAC) controls access to Azure resources (who can perform which operations on Azure services). AIM manages AI agent identity (cryptographic proof, behavioral trust, capabilities). Azure asks "can this principal perform this action on this resource?" while AIM asks "is this agent trustworthy to perform this capability?" Managed identities provide machine identity for Azure access, but not AI-specific trust scoring or capability enforcement.
| Feature | AIM | Azure IAM |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | AI agent identity | Azure resource access control |
| Licensing | Apache-2.0 (Free) | Included with Azure (pay for resources) |
| Deployment | Self-hosted or Cloud | Azure managed only |
| Cryptographic Agent Identity | Ed25519 per agent | Managed identities / Service principals |
| Continuous Trust Scoring | 8-factor real-time | Not available |
| Capability-Based Access | Code-level enforcement | Role-based (built-in + custom roles) |
| MCP Server Attestation | Native support | Not supported |
| AI Framework Integration | LangChain, CrewAI, etc. | Not applicable |
| Managed Identities | Not applicable | System & User-assigned |
| Role-Based Access Control | Not applicable | 100+ built-in roles |
| Management Groups / Hierarchy | Not applicable | Subscriptions, resource groups |
| Vendor Lock-in | None (portable) | Azure ecosystem |
| Source Code Access | Full access | Closed source |
| Cost Model | Free forever | Free (pay for Azure resources) |
AIM asks: "Is this AI agent trustworthy?"
Azure IAM asks: "Can this principal access this resource?"
with AIM
with Azure IAM
AIM secures the agent itself. Azure IAM controls what Azure resources it can access.
from aim_sdk import secure
# Secure the AI agent itself
# Cryptographic identity + trust
agent = secure(
"data-processor",
capabilities=[
"database:read",
"api:call"
]
)
# Agent identity is verified
# before any action# Grant access via Azure RBAC
# Role assignment on scope
az role assignment create \
--assignee "$MANAGED_ID" \
--role "Reader" \
--scope "/subscriptions/..."
# Controls Azure resource access
# Not agent-level identityAIM and Azure IAM operate at different layers and complement each other:
Agent identity (AIM) + Resource access (Azure IAM) = Defense in depth for AI agents on Azure.
If you're building AI agents with Azure OpenAI Service, Azure IAM controls access to the OpenAI endpoints, but it doesn't manage the identity of the AI agents themselves. AIM provides the missing layer: cryptographic identity, capability enforcement, and trust scoring for your Azure-powered agents. Use Azure IAM for API access, AIM for agent identity.
Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) handles human identity and SSO, while Azure IAM/RBAC handles resource access. Both are different from AIM, which handles AI agent identity.
See AIM vs Microsoft Entra comparison →AIM provides what Azure IAM can't: purpose-built identity for AI agents. Open source, self-hosted, free forever.
Apache-2.0 license • Self-hosted • Works alongside Azure IAM