The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that enables AI models to connect with data sources and services in a standardized way. An MCP server acts as a bridge between the AI model and various tools, resources, or capabilities, providing a uniform interface for developers to access these resources. The server's architecture consists of several key components, including the communication layer, request handlers, context stores, session orchestrators, and caching layers. These components work together to manage sessions, handle requests, store data in context stores, and provide fast access to frequently used or expensive-to-fetch data through caching mechanisms. MCP servers help maintain a clean separation between the AI model's logic and the server's action and data retrieval capabilities, making it easier for developers to build maintainable and composable applications.