MCP authentication and authorization servers

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard developed by Anthropic that facilitates the integration of AI agents with external services, such as APIs and databases, through a structured interface. It employs OAuth for secure authentication, enabling users to authorize agents while maintaining security standards. The key players in MCP architecture are MCP clients, servers, third-party services, and notably, the authorization server, which is crucial for issuing access tokens within the OAuth flow. There are two main architectural approaches for implementing the authorization server: embedding it within the MCP server, which makes it both an Identity Provider and a Relying Party, or using an external authorization server, which allows the MCP server to act solely as a Relying Party. The ongoing evolution of MCP specifications suggests the need to stay updated with the latest developments. Stytch offers tools to build secure OAuth-compliant systems, supporting both embedded and external authorization server models, helping to streamline the integration of MCP servers with existing identity infrastructures.

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