MCP Server for AWS AppRunner

A boilerplate Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation using TypeScript, Express.js, and the @modelcontextprotocol/sdk. This server is designed to be deployed to AWS AppRunner.

Overview

This server implements the Model Context Protocol, enabling AI assistants and applications to securely connect to external tools, data sources, and resources. The server provides:

Tool Integration: Define and expose tools that AI can use to perform actions
Resource Access: Control access to files and other resources
Prompt Templates: Provide standardized prompt templates for consistent interactions

Features

MCP Server implementation with TypeScript and Express.js
Streamable HTTP transport supporting both JSON-RPC and SSE
Sample tools, resources, and prompts
AWS AppRunner deployment configuration
Docker containerization with production and development configurations
Docker Compose for local development with hot reloading
GitHub Actions CI/CD workflow
Environment configuration management
Structured logging with Pino
MCP Inspector integration for testing and debugging

Requirements

Node.js 20+
npm or yarn
Docker (for containerization)
Docker Compose (for local development)
AWS account (for deployment)

Getting Started

Installation

Clone this repository:
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/mcp-server.git cd mcp-server
Install dependencies:
npm install
Create a .env file based on the example:
cp .env.example .env

Development

Local Development

Start the development server:
npm run dev
The server will be available at http://localhost:3000

Docker Compose Development (Recommended)

This method provides a consistent development environment with hot reloading:

Optional: Configure npm registry for development:
The project is configured to work with both public and private npm registries:
- Using public registry (default): No action needed.
- Using private/corporate registry: Create a .npmrc file in the project root with your registry configuration:
  registry=https://your-private-registry.com/ strict-ssl=true|false
Start the Docker development environment:
docker-compose up -d
View logs in real-time:
docker-compose logs -f
The server will be available at http://localhost:3000
Changes to source files will be automatically reflected in the running container thanks to volume mounts and hot reloading
Stop the development container:
docker-compose down

Using the Makefile

This project includes a Makefile to simplify common development tasks:

Start the MCP server with Docker Compose:
make mcp
Start the MCP Inspector for testing and debugging:
make inspector
Start both the MCP server and Inspector together:
make start
Start both services using Docker Compose:
make compose
Stop all running containers:
make stop
Clean up containers and images:
make clean

Using the MCP Inspector

The MCP Inspector is a tool for testing and debugging MCP implementations:

Start the Inspector using one of these methods:
# Stand-alone Inspector make inspector # Both MCP server and Inspector with Docker Compose make compose
Access the Inspector web UI at http://localhost:6274
Connect to your local MCP server at http://localhost:3000
Use the Inspector to:
- Test MCP initialization and session management
- Discover available tools, resources, and prompts
- Make tool calls and view responses
- Debug protocol communication issues

Testing Your MCP Server

You can test the MCP server using cURL:

# Health check curl http://localhost:3000/health # Initialize MCP connection (POST request) curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/mcp \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \ -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"initialize","params":{"capabilities":{},"protocolVersion":"1.0"},"id":1}' # After initialization, use the returned Mcp-Session-Id for subsequent requests # Example (replace SESSION_ID with the actual session ID from the response): curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/mcp \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Mcp-Session-Id: SESSION_ID" \ -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"tool/call","params":{"name":"tool-name","args":{}},"id":2}' # Connect to SSE stream (GET request) with session ID curl -N http://localhost:3000/mcp -H "Mcp-Session-Id: SESSION_ID" # Terminate session (DELETE request) curl -X DELETE http://localhost:3000/mcp -H "Mcp-Session-Id: SESSION_ID"

Project Structure

├── src/ │ ├── mcp/ # MCP implementation │ │ ├── tools.ts # Tool handlers │ │ ├── resources.ts # Resource handlers │ │ ├── prompts.ts # Prompt handlers │ │ └── server.ts # MCP server setup with Streamable HTTP transport │ ├── utils/ # Utilities │ │ ├── config.ts # Configuration │ │ └── logger.ts # Logging │ ├── app.ts # Express app setup │ └── index.ts # Application entry point ├── Dockerfile # Production Docker configuration ├── Dockerfile.dev # Development Docker configuration with hot reloading ├── docker-compose.yml # Docker Compose for local development ├── apprunner.yaml # AWS AppRunner configuration ├── Makefile # Makefile with development commands ├── .github/ # GitHub Actions workflows ├── CLAUDE.md # Implementation notes and guidance for Claude Code └── ... # Project configuration files

Docker Configuration

The project includes two Docker configurations:

Development Docker (Dockerfile.dev)

Based on Node.js 20 Alpine
Supports both public and private npm registries
Mounts source code for hot reloading
Uses tsx for TypeScript execution without compilation
Configured to work with or without an .npmrc file

Production Docker (Dockerfile)

Multi-stage build for optimized image size
First stage builds the TypeScript application
Second stage contains only the compiled JavaScript and production dependencies
Uses public npm registry for AWS AppRunner deployment
Optimized for security and performance

Deployment to AWS AppRunner

Prerequisites

AWS account with appropriate permissions
AWS CLI configured
ECR repository created for the container image
AppRunner service role with permissions to pull from ECR

Manual Deployment

Build and tag the Docker image:
docker build -t your-ecr-repo/mcp-server:latest .
Push the image to ECR:
aws ecr get-login-password --region your-region | docker login --username AWS --password-stdin your-account-id.dkr.ecr.your-region.amazonaws.com docker push your-ecr-repo/mcp-server:latest
Create or update the AppRunner service:
aws apprunner create-service --cli-input-json file://apprunner-config.json

GitHub Actions Deployment

This repository includes a GitHub Actions workflow in .github/workflows/deploy.yml that automates the deployment process when you push to the main branch.

To use it, set up the following GitHub secrets:

AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID: AWS access key with appropriate permissions
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: AWS secret access key
AWS_REGION: AWS region for deployment
ECR_REPOSITORY: Name of your ECR repository
APPRUNNER_SERVICE: Name of your AppRunner service
APPRUNNER_SERVICE_ROLE_ARN: ARN of the service role for AppRunner

Customization

Adding New Tools

Edit src/mcp/tools.ts to add new tool definitions and handlers:

// Add to tool list { name: 'your-tool-name', description: 'Description of your tool', inputSchema: yourToolSchema } // Add to tool call handler case 'your-tool-name': return { content: [ { type: 'text', text: `Result from your tool with args: ${JSON.stringify(args)}` } ] };

Adding New Resources

Edit src/mcp/resources.ts to add new resource definitions and content.

Adding New Prompts

Edit src/mcp/prompts.ts to add new prompt templates.

License

MIT

This server cannot be installed

-

security - not tested

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license - not tested

-

quality - not tested

How are these scores calculated?

remote-capable server

The server can be hosted and run remotely because it primarily relies on remote services or has no dependency on the local environment.

A boilerplate TypeScript MCP server with Express.js designed for AWS AppRunner deployment. Provides sample tools, resources, and prompts with Docker containerization and GitHub Actions CI/CD workflow.

AWS AppRunner MCP Server