MCP Gateways and Proxies Compared
As soon as you run more than a couple of MCP servers, you run into the same problems: some speak stdio while your client wants HTTP, each server needs its own credentials, and nobody can see what the agents are calling. Gateways and proxies solve these in different ways.
A transport proxy converts between protocols, for example stdio to Streamable HTTP. An aggregator puts many servers behind one endpoint. A gateway adds authentication, access control and logging on top. The list below mixes all three so you can pick by the job you need done.
AgentIndex · Updated 2026-10-14
Quick picks
- mcp-proxy — a bridge between Streamable HTTP and stdio MCP transports; pick it to convert a stdio server to SSE or HTTP, or the reverse.
- mcpo — exposes any MCP server as an OpenAPI HTTP server with API-key auth; pick it for clients that only speak OpenAPI, such as Open WebUI.
- metamcp — Docker-based aggregator that groups servers into namespaces and serves them over SSE, Streamable HTTP or OpenAPI.
- mcphub — self-hosted hub that groups many MCP servers behind unified endpoints.
- MCPJungle — self-hosted gateway with tool groups and access control; note that its README lists OAuth to upstream servers as not yet supported.
- mcp-context-forge — IBM's gateway and registry that federates MCP, A2A, REST and gRPC services; aimed at larger organisations.
- toolhive — runs and governs MCP servers in locked-down containers, locally or on Kubernetes; pick it when isolation matters most.
Side-by-side comparison
| Tool | What it is | Stars | License | Last push | Install |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mcp-proxy | Proxy that bridges MCP transports: stdio to SSE/HTTP and back | 2.8k | n/a | 2026-10-10 | uv tool install mcp-proxy |
| mcpo | MIT proxy that exposes any MCP server as an OpenAPI HTTP server, with API-key auth, auto docs and OAuth 2.1 support | 4.4k | MIT | 2026-05-17 | pip install mcpo |
| metamcp | MIT Docker-based MCP aggregator that groups servers into namespaces and serves them through one SSE, Streamable HTTP or OpenAPI endpoint | 2.7k | MIT | 2026-06-22 | docker compose up -d |
| mcphub | Self-hosted hub that groups many MCP servers behind unified endpoints | 2.5k | Apache-2.0 | 2026-10-13 | docker run -p 3000:3000 -v ./mcp_settings.json:/app/mcp_settings.json -v ./da… |
| MCPJungle | Self-hosted MCP gateway: register servers once, then expose tools, groups and prompts to Claude or Cursor through one endpoint with access control | 1.3k | n/a | 2026-08-02 | curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mcpjungle/MCPJungle/refs/heads/main… |
| mcp-context-forge | IBM's gateway and registry that federates MCP, A2A, REST and gRPC services | 4.6k | Apache-2.0 | 2026-10-13 | pip install mcp-contextforge-gateway |
| agentgateway | Open-source proxy for LLM, MCP and A2A traffic with guardrails and observability | 5.3k | Apache-2.0 | 2026-10-13 | curl -sL https://agentgateway.dev/install.sh | bash -s -- --install-path /usr… |
| toolhive | Run and govern MCP servers in locked-down containers, locally or on Kubernetes | 2.3k | Apache-2.0 | 2026-10-13 | git clone https://github.com/stacklok/toolhive.git |
| archestra | Open-source enterprise AI platform with LLM and MCP gateways | 4.4k | AGPL-3.0 (enterprise parts under a commercial license) | 2026-10-13 | docker pull archestra/platform:latest; docker run -p 9000:9000 -p 3000:3000 -… |
| open-connector | Self-hostable connector gateway giving agents 1,000+ app integrations without sharing credentials | 6.0k | Apache-2.0 | 2026-10-13 | docker compose up |
| klavis | Apache-2.0 repo for Klavis: Strata for tool routing, 100+ MCP integrations with OAuth, and an MCP sandbox for RL training | 5.8k | Apache-2.0 | 2026-06-01 | pipx install strata-mcp |
| aci | Apache-2.0 tool-calling platform with 600+ integrations, multi-tenant auth and dynamic tool discovery, served as MCP or SDK | 4.9k | Apache-2.0 | 2026-05-28 | git clone https://github.com/aipotheosis-labs/aci.git |
Tools in this list with an in-depth AgentIndex review: 12/12
How to choose
- Name the job first: converting a transport, merging many servers into one endpoint, or governing access. They are different tools.
- Check transports: stdio, SSE and Streamable HTTP are not all supported by every project, and some call SSE support immature.
- Look at auth: OAuth 2.1, OIDC, API keys and per-user permissions matter once more than one person uses the gateway.
- Check what you have to run: several of these need Docker plus PostgreSQL; a simple bridge can be a single process.
- Mind the licence: one platform here is AGPL-3.0 with enterprise parts under a commercial licence.
FAQ
How do I convert a stdio MCP server to SSE or Streamable HTTP?
Use a transport bridge such as mcp-proxy, which sits between the two transports, or an aggregator such as MetaMCP or MCPJungle that starts stdio servers for you and exposes them over HTTP. The reverse direction, letting a stdio-only client reach a remote server, is commonly done with the mcp-remote package.
What is the difference between an MCP gateway and a proxy?
A proxy mainly forwards traffic or converts the transport. A gateway usually adds a management layer on top: registering many servers, authentication, access control, logging and sometimes metrics. Some projects, such as MetaMCP and MCPJungle, do both.
Do I need a gateway for a single MCP server?
Usually not. A gateway pays off when several people or agents share many servers, when you need central credentials and audit logs, or when your client cannot speak the server's transport.
How we compiled this list
Tools are chosen by hand from the projects in our index, favouring those we have reviewed in depth. Stars, licence, last-push date and install command come from each repository and are refreshed with the site data. We read each project's README and docs; we have not run every tool ourselves, so test before you depend on one.