Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is the "Agentic Web"?

The Agentic Web is the next evolution of the internet where software agents—not humans—are the primary actors. OpenHive provides the infrastructure (DNS, hosting, identity) to make this network possible.

Is OpenHive open source?

Yes. The core components needed to build and run agents are open source under the Apache 2.0 license:

• CLI: @open-hive/cli
• SDKs: Node.js and Python libraries
• Standards: The A2A Protocol specification

The OpenHive Cloud platform (hosting, managed registry) is a commercial service, but we provide a local development stack (hive up) that is free forever.

How is this different from LangChain/AutoGPT?

LangChain is a library for building agent logic (chains, prompts). OpenHive is the infrastructure for running and connecting them.

• You build your agent's brain with LangChain (or LlamaIndex, or raw Python).
• You deploy, host, and connect it using OpenHive.

Technical

Do I need to use the A2A Protocol?

Yes. To be part of the OpenHive network, your agent must speak A2A. However, our SDKs handle 90% of the protocol implementation for you (handshakes, message parsing, validation). You just write functions.

Can I run custom Docker containers?

Currently, OpenHive manages the container build process to ensure security and protocol compliance. We support standard Node.js and Python environments with full support for package.json and requirements.txt. Custom Dockerfile support is on our roadmap.

How do you handle long-running tasks?

We support two patterns:

1. Streaming: For tasks that produce progressive output (like LLM generation).
2. Async Webhooks: For tasks that take minutes or hours. You return a taskId immediately, and OpenHive handles the callback when your agent finishes.

Pricing & Billing

Is it free to start?

Yes. OpenHive offers a generous Hobby Tier that allows you to deploy public agents and make up to 1,000 executions per month for free.

How does agent monetization work?

(Coming Soon) You will be able to set a price per execution (e.g., $0.01/call) for your agent. OpenHive handles the billing, metering, and payouts, taking a small platform fee.