How do I use Azure APIM + MCP Server Demo?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@Azure APIM + MCP Server Demo search for 'smart' products and list all current orders" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

Azure APIM + MCP Server Demo

This project demonstrates how to expose backend APIs through Azure API Management (APIM) as a Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, enabling AI assistants and tools to interact with your APIs using the standardized MCP protocol.

🏗️ Architecture

┌──────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────────────┐
│   MCP Client     │────▶│   Azure API Management  │────▶│   Azure App Service     │
│  (AI Assistant)  │     │      (Gateway)          │     │   (Express.js API)      │
└──────────────────┘     └─────────────────────────┘     └─────────────────────────┘
        │                         │                              │
        │  MCP Protocol           │  Subscription Key            │  REST API
        │  (JSON-RPC 2.0)         │  Rate Limiting               │  Products/Orders
        │                         │  Monitoring                  │
        └─────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────┘

📦 Components

Backend API (`backend-api/`)

Express.js application with TypeScript
REST API endpoints for products and orders
MCP JSON-RPC endpoint handler
5 MCP tools:
- get_products - List all products in the catalog
- get_product_by_id - Get product details by ID
- search_products - Search products by query string
- get_orders - List all orders
- create_order - Create a new order

Infrastructure (`infrastructure/`)

Bicep templates for Azure deployment
Azure App Service (Linux, Node.js 20 LTS, B1 Basic)
Azure API Management (Developer SKU)
Application Insights for monitoring
Log Analytics workspace

🌐 Endpoints

Endpoint	Description
`https://apimmcp-api-dev.azurewebsites.net/`	Backend root
`https://apimmcp-api-dev.azurewebsites.net/api/health`	Health check
`https://apimmcp-api-dev.azurewebsites.net/api/products`	Products REST API
`https://apimmcp-api-dev.azurewebsites.net/api/orders`	Orders REST API
`https://apimmcp-api-dev.azurewebsites.net/api/mcp`	MCP endpoint (direct)
`https://apimmcp-apim-dev.azure-api.net/mcp`	MCP endpoint (via APIM) ⭐

📡 MCP Protocol

The server implements the Model Context Protocol (version 2024-11-05):

Initialize

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "initialize",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "protocolVersion": "2024-11-05",
    "capabilities": {},
    "clientInfo": { "name": "client", "version": "1.0.0" }
  }
}

List Tools

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/list",
  "id": 2
}

Call Tool

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 3,
  "params": {
    "name": "get_products"
  }
}

Example: Search Products

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 4,
  "params": {
    "name": "search_products",
    "arguments": { "query": "smart" }
  }
}

Example: Create Order

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 5,
  "params": {
    "name": "create_order",
    "arguments": { "productId": "prod-001", "quantity": 2 }
  }
}

🚀 Deployment

Prerequisites

Azure CLI installed and logged in
Azure subscription
Node.js 18+ installed locally

1. Create Resource Group

az group create --name apim-mcp-demo-rg --location eastus

2. Deploy Infrastructure

az deployment group create `
  --resource-group apim-mcp-demo-rg `
  --template-file ./infrastructure/main-appservice.bicep `
  --parameters location=eastus namePrefix=apimmcp environment=dev apimPublisherEmail="your-email@example.com"

⚠️ Note: APIM provisioning takes 15-30 minutes on first deployment.

3. Build Backend API

cd backend-api
npm install
npm run build

4. Deploy Backend API

Compress-Archive -Path "dist\*", "package.json", "web.config", "node_modules" -DestinationPath "deploy.zip" -Force
az webapp deploy --resource-group apim-mcp-demo-rg --name apimmcp-api-dev --src-path deploy.zip --type zip

5. Get APIM Subscription Key

az rest --method post `
  --uri "https://management.azure.com/subscriptions/{subscription-id}/resourceGroups/apim-mcp-demo-rg/providers/Microsoft.ApiManagement/service/apimmcp-apim-dev/subscriptions/mcp-subscription/listSecrets?api-version=2022-08-01" `
  --query "primaryKey" -o tsv

🧪 Testing

Run Test Script

.\test-mcp.ps1

Expected Output

========================================
  MCP Server Test Suite
========================================

Endpoint: https://apimmcp-apim-dev.azure-api.net/mcp

1. Testing initialize...
   Server: azure-product-catalog-server v1.0.0
   Protocol: 2024-11-05

2. Testing tools/list...
   Found 5 tools:
     - get_products: Retrieve a list of all products in the catalog
     - get_product_by_id: Get details of a specific product by its ID
     ...

3. Testing tools/call (get_products)...
   Found 8 products:
     - Widget Pro: $29.99
     - Gadget Plus: $49.99
     ...

Manual Testing

$headers = @{
  "Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key" = "YOUR_SUBSCRIPTION_KEY"
  "Content-Type" = "application/json"
}

$body = '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"initialize","id":1,"params":{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"test","version":"1.0"}}}'

Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://apimmcp-apim-dev.azure-api.net/mcp" -Method POST -Headers $headers -Body $body

🛠️ Development

Local Development

cd backend-api
npm install
npm run dev

The server will start on http://localhost:3000.

Project Structure

APIM-MCP/
├── backend-api/
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── index.ts      # Express server entry
│   │   ├── routes.ts     # REST API routes
│   │   ├── mcp.ts        # MCP endpoint handler
│   │   └── data.ts       # Mock data store
│   ├── dist/             # Compiled JavaScript
│   ├── package.json
│   ├── tsconfig.json
│   └── web.config        # IIS configuration for Azure
├── infrastructure/
│   └── main-appservice.bicep   # Azure resources
├── test-mcp.ps1          # Test script
└── README.md

Azure APIM + MCP Server Demo

Azure APIM + MCP Server Demo

🏗️ Architecture

📦 Components

Backend API (`backend-api/`)

Infrastructure (`infrastructure/`)

🌐 Endpoints

📡 MCP Protocol

Initialize

List Tools

Call Tool

Example: Search Products

Example: Create Order

🚀 Deployment

Prerequisites

1. Create Resource Group

2. Deploy Infrastructure

3. Build Backend API

4. Deploy Backend API

5. Get APIM Subscription Key

🧪 Testing

Run Test Script

Expected Output

Manual Testing

🛠️ Development

Local Development

Project Structure

🔧 Configuration

APIM Settings

App Service Settings

📊 Monitoring

🔗 Resources

📄 License

Resources

Looking for Admin?

Latest Blog Posts

MCP directory API

Azure APIM + MCP Server Demo

🏗️ Architecture

📦 Components

Backend API (backend-api/)

Infrastructure (infrastructure/)

🌐 Endpoints

📡 MCP Protocol

Initialize

List Tools

Call Tool

Example: Search Products

Example: Create Order

🚀 Deployment

Prerequisites

1. Create Resource Group

2. Deploy Infrastructure

3. Build Backend API

4. Deploy Backend API

5. Get APIM Subscription Key

🧪 Testing

Run Test Script

Expected Output

Manual Testing

🛠️ Development

Local Development

Project Structure

🔧 Configuration

APIM Settings

App Service Settings

📊 Monitoring

🔗 Resources

📄 License

Resources

Looking for Admin?

Latest Blog Posts

MCP directory API

Backend API (`backend-api/`)

Infrastructure (`infrastructure/`)