Use stdio when a desktop client launches your MCP server as a local subprocess. Use Streamable HTTP when clients must reach the server remotely or when you are adding an MCP endpoint to a hosted web application. Choose based on where the process runs, who needs access, and how you will operate and secure it—not simply on whether your product has a desktop or web interface.
Choose the transport that matches where the server runs
| Deployment | Typical transport | What connects |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop client and local server | stdio | The host starts a local server process and exchanges JSON-RPC messages through its standard input and output streams. MCP TypeScript SDK: Serve over stdio |
| Hosted application or remotely reachable server | Streamable HTTP | A client sends requests to an HTTP endpoint. An existing ASGI application can mount an MCP server at /mcp. MCP Python SDK: Deploy & scale and MCP Python SDK: Add to an existing app |
The MCP PHP SDK puts the selection plainly: “The choice depends on the client you want to integrate with:” MCP PHP SDK: Running your server. A local subprocess suits a client that runs on the same machine; HTTP suits remote clients and web-app integration. MCP TypeScript SDK: Connect to a server
How the desktop stdio deployment works
In stdio mode, the desktop host owns the server process: it launches the subprocess, communicates over stdin and stdout, and closes the input stream when the connection is ending. This keeps the server local to the client and avoids exposing an HTTP endpoint just to connect that desktop host. MCP TypeScript SDK: Serve over stdio
Keep stdout exclusively for protocol messages
Because stdout carries MCP protocol traffic, a startup banner, debug line, or ordinary log message written there can interfere with communication. Send diagnostics to stderr or through the host’s logging facilities instead. This is an important operational constraint for local servers, not just a logging preference. MCP TypeScript SDK: Serve over stdio
How a hosted HTTP deployment works
With Streamable HTTP, the client reaches an endpoint rather than starting a local child process. If MCP is part of an existing ASGI application, the application can mount it at /mcp; the application server continues to own the listening port, routing, and web-process lifecycle. MCP Python SDK: Add to an existing app
#1 Best Overall
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Hosting changes who is responsible for availability and operations. The web application and its serving infrastructure must keep the endpoint running and handle routing, process management, monitoring, authentication, and application dependencies. A stateless protocol can make request routing more flexible, but it does not supply those web-service responsibilities. MCP Python SDK deployment documentation
Configure HTTP host and origin protections for production
HTTP security behavior depends on the SDK and deployment. The Python SDK’s Host and Origin protections default to localhost-oriented checks; a real production hostname must be added to the appropriate allowlists or requests can be rejected. These checks help defend against DNS rebinding when a server is bound locally. Do not respond to a rejected hosted request by casually disabling the protections: configure the expected host and origin for the deployment. The Ruby SDK documentation also describes default Host and Origin validation for this purpose. Python SDK deployment guidance and Ruby SDK documentation
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Transport choice alone does not establish a complete authorization design. Determine how the application authenticates clients and controls access separately; the protections described here concern host and origin validation, not a universal authentication recipe.
What changes—and what does not—with the 2026-07-28 protocol
As of October 4, 2026, the MCP maintainers’ 2026-07-28 specification is marked final. Its core is stateless: it retires the initialize/initialized exchange and session identifier, with each request carrying the information a server instance needs to process it. That removes protocol session affinity as a requirement for this revision, so a request can be routed to any server instance. It does not remove the need to operate the web server, load balancer, application, or its dependencies. MCP maintainers: The 2026-07-28 Specification, MCP specification status tracker, and MCP TypeScript SDK migration guidance
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Do not assume an SDK upgrade automatically switches an existing server or client to this wire protocol. The TypeScript SDK migration guide says that hand-constructed client/server setups continue using the 2025-era protocol unless the 2026-07-28 entry point is selected. Check the entry point and migration guidance for the specific language SDK you use; this is version-specific behavior.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can one product support both desktop and hosted use?
Yes. These are deployment patterns, not mutually exclusive product architectures. A project can offer a stdio entry point for a desktop host and a separate HTTP entry point for remote or web-app use. The SDK examples document distinct stdio and HTTP server paths. Supporting both means deliberately implementing, configuring, securing, and maintaining both paths; it does not mean one transport automatically serves every client. TypeScript SDK stdio guidance and Python SDK app integration guidance
Quick Recap
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A practical decision checklist
- Choose stdio if the desktop host launches the MCP server locally and the connection is intended to stay on that machine.
- Choose Streamable HTTP if clients need a remotely reachable endpoint or MCP belongs inside a hosted web application.
- For stdio, keep stdout free of logs and diagnostics; use stderr or host logging.
- For hosted HTTP, configure allowed Host and Origin values for the actual deployment, and plan for ordinary web-service operations and access control.
- If adopting protocol revision 2026-07-28, verify that your chosen SDK entry point explicitly selects it.
- If you need both local and remote clients, provide and support separate deployment paths rather than assuming one transport covers both.
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