I had a fun weekend playing Ticket to Ride with friends. Hope you had a fun one too.
Now, this Saturday, we had our amazing John Robert take us through how we can deploy MCP servers in production.
If you've missed the session or if you'd like to go through it again, here's the session video - https://youtu.be/SFpjXS92rFU?si=M5UAKRuVAm7k57it
Here's the notes from the meeting: Meeting Purpose To demonstrate how to build and deploy MCP (Managed Copy Protocol) servers, moving from local development to production environments.
Key Takeaways
- MCP standardizes how AI models connect to external tools and data sources
- Three main deployment options were covered: local MCP Inspector, Cloud Desktop, and remote deployment on Render
- Authentication and error handling remain challenges when working with MCP servers
Topics Introduction to MCP
- MCP is not a new model, agent, or RAG system - it's a standardized way to connect AI models to external tools and data
- Described as the "USB-C of AI" - providing a common interface for connecting various tools
- MCP uses a client-server architecture with protocols/transports for communication
Building an MCP Server
- Demonstrated creating a basic MCP server using Python and the Fast MCP library
- Created simple tool functions for addition and subtraction
- Showed how to define the server name and run it locally
Deploying to MCP Clients Covered three main deployment options:
- MCP Inspector (local development tool)
Cloud Desktop
- Remote deployment on Render.com
MCP Inspector:
- Used for local testing and development
- Runs server using standard I/O transport
Cloud Desktop:
- Requires creating a JSON configuration file
- Server needs to be added to Cloud Desktop settings
Render.com deployment:
- Allows hosting MCP server as a web service
- Provides an endpoint for remote access
MCP Standards and Benefits
- MCP provides a common interface for tool integration across different platforms
- Standardizes data formats and communication protocols
- Makes it easier to share and reuse tools across projects and teams
Authentication and Security
- Discussed methods for passing credentials between clients and servers
- Noted challenges with securely handling authentication in different deployment scenarios
Current Limitations and Challenges
- Command injection risks
- Privilege and access control issues
- Latency with SSE (Server-Sent Events) transport
- Passing context between client and server
Attendees encouraged to experiment with building their own MCP servers
Further exploration of authentication methods and best practices recommended
Here's the entire recording of the session.