MCP Hosting WG - Glossary
Here are some terms to define for the MCP Hosting WG glossary based on initial vision and roadmap:
Hosting Provider
An organization or service that offers infrastructure (cloud, on-premise, or local) where MCP servers can be deployed, managed, and scaled. Examples include Glama, Blaxel, ToolBase, AWS, Google, Microsoft…
Multi-Tenancy
MCP multi-tenancy is the ability to have multiple MCPs (like MCP A and MCP B) serving different tenants (like tenant A and tenant B) on the same server.
MCP Packaging
A defined format that bundles an MCP server’s binary/artifacts along with metadata, dependencies, and configuration so it can be deployed reliably across environments.
MCP Server Metadata
Descriptive information about a packaged MCP server—such as version, supported transports, and required runtime parameters—that helps deployment tools automate installation and configuration.
Runtime Pluggable Transport
An architectural approach whereby transport protocols can be added, removed, or swapped at server startup or even at runtime, via a plugin API or registry mechanism, without modifying core server code.
Server Discovery
Mechanisms by which clients or other servers locate available MCP instances on a network—often via DNS records, a centralized registry, or a well-known URI directory (e.g., .well-known/mcp).
Workstream
A focused sub-group within the WG dedicated to a specific topic (e.g., transport protocols, packaging, discovery), responsible for drafting proposals, reference implementations, or best-practice guides.
Reference Implementation
A canonical, working software example that demonstrates how to implement a proposed standard or best practice—used as a template and test-bed for community review and pilot deployments.