MCP server
A process that exposes tools, resources, or prompts over the Model Context Protocol — any MCP-compliant agent can connect to it and use what it exposes.
MCP defines a client-server architecture. The MCP server is the side that owns tools (or files, or prompts) and exposes them. The MCP client is the agent or IDE that connects, discovers what is available, and calls the tools.
In 2026, MCP servers exist for almost every developer tool: GitHub, Linear, Slack, Postgres, Stripe, the file system, browser automation, search APIs. Most can be installed in seconds. The ecosystem is the network effect that made MCP win over earlier competing protocols.
Building an MCP server is straightforward — SDK in Python, TypeScript, Go, Rust. Most teams ship one for their internal tools and let Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and other MCP clients use them without custom integration code.
Frequently asked
Is an MCP server hard to build?+
No — a basic server is ~50 lines of code with the official SDK. The hard part is designing good tool surfaces, not the protocol itself.
How is MCP server different from an API?+
An API is a generic HTTP surface. An MCP server is an API plus a self-description (list_tools, list_resources) that lets agents discover what is there without docs.
