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What you’ll learn:
  • What server deployments are and how they work
  • The difference between servers and deployments
  • How to use deployments in your applications
References:

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Understanding the Concepts

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MCP Servers vs Deployments

MCP Server: A template or blueprint for an integration (e.g., “GitHub Integration”, “Slack Bot”, “Exa Search”). Server Deployment: A configured, ready-to-use instance of a server with your specific credentials and settings. Think of it like this:
  • Server = Your Class template
  • Deployment = Your instance with a particular configuration

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Why Deployments?

Deployments allow you to:
  • Configure once, use everywhere: Set up credentials once and reuse across your applications
  • Manage multiple instances: Create separate deployments for dev and production
  • Control access: Different API keys and OAuth sessions per deployment

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Types of Servers

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Out-of-the-box servers

Deploy pre-built servers from the Metorial catalog. Configuration types:
  • API Key-based: Provide your API credentials (Exa, Tavily)
  • OAuth-based: Users authorize access (Slack, GitHub, Google Calendar)

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Custom Server Deployments

Deploy your own MCP server code:
  • Managed: Metorial hosts and runs your code
  • External: Connect your self-hosted server
  • Forked: Clone and modify an existing server

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Deployment IDs

Every deployment has a unique ID. You’ll use this ID when:
  • Creating sessions with the SDK
  • Making API calls
Finding your deployment ID: Go to the deployment details page and copy the ID.

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Using Deployments in Code

await metorial.withProviderSession(
    provider,
    { serverDeployments: [{ serverDeploymentId: 'your-deployment-id' }] },
    async ({ tools, closeSession }) => {
        // Use tools
        await closeSession();
    }
);

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What’s Next?

Sessions Guide

Understand how sessions connect to deployments.

OAuth Integrations

Set up OAuth-based deployments.