Deploying MCP servers: platform selection guide

Production deployment of MCP servers can follow four patterns: integrating endpoints into an existing Next.js application, deploying standalone serverless functions on Vercel or Cloudflare, using centralized enterprise MCP gateways, or combining these methods in hybrid architectures. Next.js integration is suited to teams extending existing Vercel applications, while standalone functions offer separation from core applications and platform-specific strengths; Vercel emphasizes ecosystem integration, preview deployments, and longer execution windows, whereas Cloudflare Workers provide global edge distribution, CPU-based billing for long-lived connections, and no response egress fees. Gateways such as MintMCP are intended for organizations managing multiple servers and teams by centralizing authentication, access controls, execution, auditing, and protocol translation. Cost and technical considerations depend chiefly on connection duration, CPU usage, and data transfer, with Cloudflare generally favoring streaming or data-heavy workloads and either platform suitable for compute-intensive tasks. The guidance recommends beginning with the simplest suitable deployment model, applying OAuth 2.1 with PKCE, secret management, HTTPS, rate limiting, and user-scoped access controls, then migrating or adopting hybrid and gateway-based arrangements as organizational and workload complexity grows.

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