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- **Open-source libraries**: Build your applications using LangChain's [modular building blocks](https://python.langchain.com/v0.2/docs/concepts/#langchain-expression-language-lcel) and [components](https://python.langchain.com/v0.2/docs/concepts/#components). Integrate with hundreds of [third-party providers](https://python.langchain.com/v0.2/docs/integrations/platforms/).
- **Productionization**: Inspect, monitor, and evaluate your apps with [LangSmith](https://docs.smith.langchain.com/) so that you can constantly optimize and deploy with confidence.
- **Deployment**: Turn any chain into a REST API with [LangServe](https://python.langchain.com/v0.2/docs/langserve/).
- **`langchain-core`**: Base abstractions and LangChain Expression Language.
- **`langchain-community`**: Third party integrations.
- Some integrations have been further split into **partner packages** that only rely on **`langchain-core`**. Examples include **`langchain_openai`** and **`langchain_anthropic`**.
- **`langchain`**: Chains, agents, and retrieval strategies that make up an application's cognitive architecture.
- **[`LangGraph`](https://langchain-ai.github.io/langgraph/)**: A library for building robust and stateful multi-actor applications with LLMs by modeling steps as edges and nodes in a graph.
- **[LangSmith](https://docs.smith.langchain.com/)**: A developer platform that lets you debug, test, evaluate, and monitor chains built on any LLM framework and seamlessly integrates with LangChain.
1.**Components**: composable building blocks, tools and integrations for working with language models. Components are modular and easy-to-use, whether you are using the rest of the LangChain framework or not
LCEL is the foundation of many of LangChain's components, and is a declarative way to compose chains. LCEL was designed from day 1 to support putting prototypes in production, with no code changes, from the simplest “prompt + LLM” chain to the most complex chains.
This includes [prompt management](https://python.langchain.com/v0.2/docs/concepts/#prompt-templates), [prompt optimization](https://python.langchain.com/v0.2/docs/concepts/#example-selectors), a generic interface for [chat models](https://python.langchain.com/v0.2/docs/concepts/#chat-models) and [LLMs](https://python.langchain.com/v0.2/docs/concepts/#llms), and common utilities for working with [model outputs](https://python.langchain.com/v0.2/docs/concepts/#output-parsers).
Retrieval Augmented Generation involves [loading data](https://python.langchain.com/v0.2/docs/concepts/#document-loaders) from a variety of sources, [preparing it](https://python.langchain.com/v0.2/docs/concepts/#text-splitters), then [searching over (a.k.a. retrieving from)](https://python.langchain.com/v0.2/docs/concepts/#retrievers) it for use in the generation step.
Agents allow an LLM autonomy over how a task is accomplished. Agents make decisions about which Actions to take, then take that Action, observe the result, and repeat until the task is complete done. LangChain provides a [standard interface for agents](https://python.langchain.com/v0.2/docs/concepts/#agents) along with the [LangGraph](https://github.com/langchain-ai/langgraph) extension for building custom agents.
- [Introduction](https://python.langchain.com/v0.2/docs/introduction/): Overview of the framework and the structure of the docs.
- [Tutorials](https://python.langchain.com/docs/use_cases/): If you're looking to build something specific or are more of a hands-on learner, check out our tutorials. This is the best place to get started.
- [How-to guides](https://python.langchain.com/v0.2/docs/how_to/): Answers to “How do I….?” type questions. These guides are goal-oriented and concrete; they're meant to help you complete a specific task.
- [Conceptual guide](https://python.langchain.com/v0.2/docs/concepts/): Conceptual explanations of the key parts of the framework.
- [API Reference](https://api.python.langchain.com): Thorough documentation of every class and method.
- [🦜🛠️ LangSmith](https://docs.smith.langchain.com/): Tracing and evaluating your language model applications and intelligent agents to help you move from prototype to production.
- [🦜🕸️ LangGraph](https://langchain-ai.github.io/langgraph/): Creating stateful, multi-actor applications with LLMs, built on top of (and intended to be used with) LangChain primitives.
As an open-source project in a rapidly developing field, we are extremely open to contributions, whether it be in the form of a new feature, improved infrastructure, or better documentation.
