Alexa skill kit vs Alexa Voice Service

Question

I'm working on an Alexa skill (for Echo), and i've looked into Alexa skill kit from the very start.

Now, i'm confused about Alexa Voice Service. i've read documentation on Amazon, but cannot understand it in a better way.

Please guide about What's AVS? And how is it related to Alexa skills?

Answer 1

Alexa Skill Kit (ASK) is for building skills that users will access via the Echo or other Alexa enabled devices (or apps).

The Alexa Voice Service (AVS) is for building those 'other Alexa enabled devices (or apps)'.

Answer 2

Alexa Skills Kit is for "making Alexa smarter" through developing custom skills.

Here's the SDK in Node.js that Amazon released on GitHub.

The prerequisite for these skills is that the user is already using an Alexa-enabled device, like the Echo or Echo Dot.

Alexa Voice Service SDK allows for device users to enable Alexa on any device with a microphone and speaker.

Here's the SDK in C++ that Amazon released on GitHub.

This means Alexa can end up in anything from a car to a smart fridge, if this SDK is used, which is super exciting!