Microsoft Bot Framework Emulator is a cross-platform tool that helps you -

• Test and debug conversational bots built using Microsoft Bot Framework SDK
• Connect to and keep track of services your bot depends on.
• Refine LUIS and QnA Maker applications your bot depends on.

• Getting Started
• Tunneling (ngrok)
• Login to Azure
• Managing services
• Inspectors
• Bot settings
• Data Collection

Bot Framework provides the most comprehensive experience for building conversation applications and includes the following SDKs and tools:

• Bot Framework Tools

  • Bot Framework Composer. Bot Framework Composer is an open-source visual authoring canvas for developers and multi-disciplinary teams to build bots.
  • Bot Framework Emulator. Bot Framework Emulator is a tool for developers to interact with and debug their conversational applications.
  • Bot Framework CLI. Bot Framework Command Line Interface (BF CLI) cross-platform tool is used to manage Bot Framework bots and related services. It is often used as part of a CI/CD pipeline to manage conversational assets.
  • Bot Framework webchat. Bot Framework Web Chat component is a highly-customizable web-based client for the Bot Framework V4 SDK.
  • Dispatch CLI. A CLI tool to build aggregate language models allowing you to dispatch between disparate components (such as QnA, LUIS and custom code).

• Bot Framework V4 SDKs

  • SDK for C# Developers
  • SDK for JavaScript/TypeScript Developers
  • SDK for Python Developers
  • SDK for Java Developers (preview release)

Please see here for an overview of the end-to-end bot development workflow. To get started, you can create a bot with Bot Framework Composer. Click here if you need a trial Azure subscription.