Geekflare

Best Open Source MCP Gateways in 2026

I looked at open source MCP gateway including dedicated gateways and control planes, API gateways with MCP features, and tools that turn existing APIs into MCP tools. Then I put agentgateway, ContextForge, Docker MCP Gateway, ToolHive and MCPHub in front of the same two MCP servers on one cloud server, and measured what each adds to a tool call, what it allows by default, and whether it can hide tools.

Data refreshedMethodologyHow we evaluate
Founder of Geekflare

Chandan Kumar is a founder of Geekflare. He is a technology enthusiast and entrepreneur who loves to help businesses and people around the world. Chandan has worked at BNP Paribas, Citibank, Deutsche Bank, Motorola, and HP. He’s got an in-depth understanding of business software and IT infrastructure.

What I found

  • The overhead varied a lot. agentgateway added about 0.4 ms per tool call and handled 305 calls a second from 8 sessions, while ContextForge took 47 ms per call, managed 25 calls a second and used 847 MB at idle.
  • Docker MCP Gateway, ContextForge and MCPHub refused requests without a token, while agentgateway and ToolHive's local vMCP served every tool to anyone who could reach the port.
  • ContextForge and MCPHub blocked my test server on a private address and rate-limited my load test by default, and Docker MCP Gateway only accepted remote servers over HTTPS. All three are sensible, and all needed a setting changed before agents could use them hard.
  • All five could hide tools and serve Geekflare's remote MCP server. ToolHive, though, deleted an existing Docker container that shared its workload's name, so run it on a host where it has Docker to itself.

Tested on DigitalOcean Droplet with Ubuntu 24.04 server with 2 vCPU and 4 GB of RAM, using Docker. “Ready in” runs from an empty server to the first working screen or result, image downloads included. “Memory at idle” is what the software and its database use together with no traffic. Each gateway sat in front of the same two MCP servers: the reference "everything" server on the same machine and Geekflare's hosted MCP server. The median tool call is 300 calls to the echo tool in one session, and calls per second is 8 sessions calling it for 15 seconds. Straight to the reference server, a call took 5.7 ms and 8 sessions made 373 calls a second. Docker MCP Gateway ran the reference server itself, in a container over stdio, as it is designed to.

SoftwareVersionReady inMemory at idleMedian tool callCalls/s, 8 sessionsPeak memoryWhat happened
agentgateway1.7.05 s9 MB of 4 GB6.1 ms30516 MBThe lightest and fastest MCP gateway. 9 MB at idle and about 0.4 ms added per tool call. It accepts requests without any authentication until you configure it.
ContextForge1.1.029 s847 MB of 4 GB47.5 ms251,345 MBIt did everything I asked, from virtual servers to filtering, but it was the heaviest and slowest here: 847 MB at idle and 47 ms per tool call, against under 15 ms for the others.
Docker MCP Gateway0.44.35 s11 MB of 4 GB4.6 ms276245 MBA token on every request, HTTPS-only remote servers, digest-pinned and signature-checked images, and secrets blocked in tool calls. It needs the Docker socket, and runs one server container per client session.
ToolHive0.59.010 s654 MB of 4 GB13.4 ms154654 MBRunning each server in its own container with an egress proxy and DNS filter worked out of the box. The local vMCP is meant for evaluation, accepts anonymous requests on loopback, and used 654 MB across its proxy and containers.
MCPHub1.1.1431 s121 MB of 4 GB14.6 ms98274 MBA free dashboard, groups, per-tool switches and bearer keys in one container that used 121 MB. The groups example in its docs crashed it at startup, and its default rate limit stopped my load test until I raised it.

8 Open Source MCP Gateways compared

Licence, deployment options and the vendor's hosted or enterprise offering side by side. Several are broader platforms or API gateways.

LicenceTypeDockerSSOManaged cloud
1
agentgateway
Rust
Apache-2.0
Permissive
LLM, MCP and A2A gateway5.8kOct 2026(Actively maintained)YesFree editionNone
2
ContextForge
Python
Apache-2.0
Permissive
MCP gateway and registry4.7kOct 2026(Actively maintained)YesFree editionNone
3
Docker MCP Gateway
Go
MIT
Open core
MCP gateway and server runner1.6kOct 2026(Actively maintained)YesPaid onlyPrice on request
4
ToolHive
Go
Apache-2.0
Open core
MCP server manager and gateway2.3kOct 2026(Actively maintained)NoFree editionNone
5
Obot
Go
MIT
Open core
MCP gateway and registry1.1kOct 2026(Actively maintained)YesFree editionPrice on request
6
MCPHub
TypeScript / Node.js
Apache-2.0
Permissive
MCP gateway and control plane2.6kOct 2026(Actively maintained)YesFree editionNone
7
Unla
Go, with a React web UI
MIT
Permissive
API-to-MCP gateway2.2kAug 2026(Actively maintained)YesNoNone
8
Tyk
Go
MPL-2.0
Open core
API gateway with MCP support11kOct 2026(Actively maintained)YesPaid onlyPrice on request
  • Actively maintained
  • Slowing: last release 1 to 2 years ago
  • Stale: no release in over 2 years

What each one can do

The features that decide most MCP gateway projects, checked against each project's docs and, for the five I tested, on my server. Paid means the feature is only in a paid edition, a licence key or the vendor's cloud.

SoftwareOne endpointClient authPer-tool accessServer catalogAPI to MCPSandboxed serversGuardrails
agentgatewayYesYesOAuth 2.0 resource server and JWTYesCEL rules per tool, prompt and resourceNoYesNoStdio servers run as plain subprocessesYesCEL rules you write or an external policy server
ContextForgeYesVirtual servers combine tools from many sourcesYesJWT API tokens, OIDC SSO and OAuthYesPer-team visibility and virtual servers; OPA or Cedar for finer rulesYesYAML catalog shown in the Admin UIYesREST with OpenAPI schemas, and gRPC via reflectionNoDoes not run servers itself; docs say to sandbox themYesPII, deny-list and moderation plugins, off until enabled
Docker MCP GatewayYesPartlyOne shared bearer token; user SSO is in the Enterprise GatewayPartlyAllowlist per profile, not per user; group policy is paidYesDocker MCP Catalog and custom OCI catalogsNoYesContainers with CPU and memory limits; network blocking optionalYesSecret scanning by default; custom checks via interceptors
ToolHiveYesVirtual MCP server, on Kubernetes or via the CLIYesOAuth 2.1 and OIDC; virtual API keys are EnterpriseYesCedar rules per tool on user, role or group claimsYesRegistry Server; org-wide catalog policies are EnterpriseNoYesContainer per server, network isolation on by defaultPartlyWebhooks and argument rules; no built-in scanner
ObotYesYesOAuth sign-in or scoped API keysYesvMCP profiles per user or IdP groupYesGit-backed, served over the MCP Registry APIYesOpenAPI import since v0.27.0; no upstream OAuthYesPods with network policies; domain allowlists need AviatrixYesPII and credential filters, webhooks, experimental AI judge
MCPHubYesYesBearer keys and a built-in OAuth 2.0 serverYesTool subsets per group, keys scoped to groups or serversYesBuilt-in server market plus the official MCP RegistryYesOpenAPI specsNostdio servers run as child processesNo
UnlaNoOne route per serverPartlyOptional OAuth 2 per route, barely documentedPartlyAllowed tools per server, not per user or keyNoYesREST via YAML or OpenAPI import; gRPC plannedNoNo
TykNoOne proxy per upstream serverYesOAuth 2.1 with PRM, JWT, API keys or mTLSYesPaid onlyDashboard MCP registryPaid onlyEnterprise Edition, Tyk OAS REST APIs onlyNoRemote servers onlyNoOnly through plugins you write
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MCP gateways I'd recommend

Ranked on what a team needs from the one place every agent's tool calls pass through including authentication, per-tool control, safe handling of local servers, latency, and which of those stay free.

  1. #1Best lightweight MCP gatewayTested by Geekflare
    Full reviewWebsite GitHub

    agentgateway

    Rust proxy for LLM, MCP and agent-to-agent traffic, with per-key budgets, guardrails and a built-in UI

    Federates MCP servers and OpenAPI backends behind one endpoint with OAuth, per-tool CEL rules and guardrails, all free under the Linux Foundation. The fastest and lightest I tested, but it has no auth until you configure it.

    Tested Oct 30, 2026, version 1.7.0
    Ready in
    5 s
    Memory in use at idle
    9 MB of 4 GB
    Median tool call
    6.1 ms
    Calls/s, 8 sessions
    305
    Peak memory
    16 MB

    The lightest and fastest MCP gateway. 9 MB at idle and about 0.4 ms added per tool call. It accepts requests without any authentication until you configure it.

    Commands, notes and screenshots

    Best for

    Teams that want one gateway for LLM calls, MCP servers and agents

    Not for

    Teams that need response caching in the gateway

    • Handles LLM, MCP and A2A traffic in one proxy
    • Runs as a single binary with no Kubernetes needed
    • Per-key dollar budgets and a cost dashboard in the free version
    • Several guardrail types that can run in sequence
    • Rate limits are local to each instance unless you pay for Solo Enterprise
    • No response caching
    • Fast release pace means frequent upgrades
    • In the simple LLM config, failover helps the next request while the failing one still errors
    Licence
    Apache-2.0 (permissive)
    Stack
    Rust
    Databases
    SQLite, PostgreSQL
    GitHub
    5.8k stars · 286 contributors
    Latest release
    v1.7.0 · Oct 27, 2026
    SSO
    Free edition
    Audit logs
    Free edition
  2. #2Most complete free gateway and registryTested by Geekflare
    Full reviewWebsite GitHub

    ContextForge

    Python gateway and registry that puts MCP servers, A2A agents and REST or gRPC APIs behind one endpoint, with teams, SSO and plugins

    Virtual servers, REST and gRPC to MCP, SSO with team roles, an audit trail and policy plugins, with no paid edition from IBM. It was the heaviest and slowest in my test.

    Tested Oct 30, 2026, version 1.1.0
    Ready in
    29 s
    Memory in use at idle
    847 MB of 4 GB
    Median tool call
    47.5 ms
    Calls/s, 8 sessions
    25
    Peak memory
    1,345 MB

    It did everything I asked, from virtual servers to filtering, but it was the heaviest and slowest here: 847 MB at idle and 47 ms per tool call, against under 15 ms for the others.

    Commands, notes and screenshots

    Best for

    Platform teams that want SSO, team roles and REST-to-MCP in a free gateway

    Not for

    Teams that want a small proxy with little to configure

    • SSO, team roles and an audit trail are in the free version
    • Turns REST and gRPC services into MCP tools without writing a server
    • Plugin hooks before and after tool calls, with PII, deny-list, OPA and Cedar plugins
    • Also routes A2A agents and proxies LLM calls
    • 19 security advisories in 2026, several critical, all fixed by version 1.0.7
    • More than 300 settings, and secrets must be generated before the first start
    • No arm64 container support in production and no published Helm repository
    Licence
    Apache-2.0 (permissive)
    Stack
    Python
    Databases
    SQLite, PostgreSQL, Redis
    GitHub
    4.7k stars · 182 contributors
    Latest release
    v1.1.0 · Oct 20, 2026
    SSO
    Free edition
    Audit logs
    Free edition
  3. #3Best for running local MCP servers safelyTested by Geekflare
    Full reviewWebsite GitHub

    Docker MCP Gateway

    Docker CLI plugin that runs MCP servers from a catalog in isolated containers and serves their tools to clients through one gateway

    Each server runs in its own container from digest-pinned, signed images, with secrets blocked in tool calls and a token required by default. Users, policies and audit trails are in Docker's paid Enterprise Gateway.

    Tested Oct 30, 2026, version 0.44.3
    Ready in
    5 s
    Memory in use at idle
    11 MB of 4 GB
    Median tool call
    4.6 ms
    Calls/s, 8 sessions
    276
    Peak memory
    245 MB

    A token on every request, HTTPS-only remote servers, digest-pinned and signature-checked images, and secrets blocked in tool calls. It needs the Docker socket, and runs one server container per client session.

    Commands, notes and screenshots

    Best for

    Developers and small teams running catalog MCP servers in containers

    Not for

    Companies that need per-user access control without a Docker contract

    • Each server runs in its own container with limits and no host environment
    • Secret blocking and image signature checks are on by default
    • Docker MCP Catalog with signed images, plus private catalogs as OCI artifacts
    • One command connects Claude, Cursor, VS Code and other clients to a profile
    • No users or roles in the free version, only one shared bearer token
    • Outside Docker Desktop you need feature flags, a .env or credential helper for secrets
    • Two critical advisories in July 2026, and every release is still marked pre-release
    Licence
    MIT (open core)
    Stack
    Go
    Databases
    SQLite
    GitHub
    1.6k stars · 39 contributors
    Latest release
    0.44.3 · Oct 26, 2026
    Managed cloud
    Docker MCP Enterprise Gateway, Price on request
    SSO
    Paid only
    Audit logs
    Paid only
  4. #4Best for Kubernetes teamsTested by Geekflare
    Full reviewWebsite GitHub

    ToolHive

    Runs each MCP server in its own container, locally or on Kubernetes, with a virtual MCP gateway, a registry server and Cedar policies per tool

    Runs every MCP server in an isolated container, and on Kubernetes its operator adds a virtual MCP gateway, a registry, Cedar rules per tool and audit logs for free. Frequent security fixes, and no admin console outside Stacklok Enterprise.

    Tested Oct 30, 2026, version 0.59.0
    Ready in
    10 s
    Memory in use at idle
    654 MB of 4 GB
    Median tool call
    13.4 ms
    Calls/s, 8 sessions
    154
    Peak memory
    654 MB

    Running each server in its own container with an egress proxy and DNS filter worked out of the box. The local vMCP is meant for evaluation, accepts anonymous requests on loopback, and used 654 MB across its proxy and containers.

    Commands, notes and screenshots

    Best for

    Platform teams that run MCP servers on Kubernetes and want containers and policy as code

    Not for

    Teams that want a web console to manage users, catalog and access without Kubernetes

    • Every server runs in its own container with network isolation on by default
    • Virtual MCP server combines many servers behind one endpoint, on Kubernetes or locally
    • Cedar policies can allow or deny single tools by user, role or group claim
    • Gateway, registry, operator and auth are all in the Apache 2.0 version
    • No admin console in the free version; configuration is CLI flags, CRDs and policy files
    • Over 40 security advisories in September and October 2026, one of them a critical auth bypass
    • Pre-1.0 with several releases a week and no supported older versions outside Enterprise
    Licence
    Apache-2.0 (open core)
    Stack
    Go
    Databases
    PostgreSQL, Redis
    GitHub
    2.3k stars · 138 contributors
    Latest release
    v0.59.0 · Oct 28, 2026
    SSO
    Free edition
    Audit logs
    Free edition
  5. #5Best all-in-one platform with an admin UI
    Website GitHub

    Obot

    Self-hosted control plane with an MCP gateway, a Git-backed server catalog, hosted MCP servers, an LLM gateway and audit logs

    Catalog, hosted servers, virtual MCP servers with tool profiles per group, OpenAPI import and filters in one MIT server with a web console. The free edition stops adding users at 100.

    Best for

    Companies that want one admin UI to approve, host and govern MCP servers for staff

    Not for

    Teams that want a small stateless proxy without PostgreSQL or a licence check

    • Everything, including the enterprise features, is MIT-licensed code
    • Tool access per user or IdP group through virtual MCP server profiles
    • Turns any API with an OpenAPI schema into a hosted MCP server
    • Filters can reject or rewrite tool calls, with a built-in PII filter
    • Free edition stops adding users and devices at 100
    • Two critical advisories in May 2026, and one authorization bypass reopened in September
    • Pre-1.0 releases still carry breaking changes, such as v0.27.0 ending direct server connections
    Licence
    MIT (open core)
    Stack
    Go
    Databases
    PostgreSQL
    GitHub
    1.1k stars · 32 contributors
    Latest release
    v0.27.0 · Oct 20, 2026
    Managed cloud
    Obot Cloud, Price on request
    SSO
    Free edition
    Audit logs
    Free edition
  6. #6Best self-hosted dashboard for small teamsTested by Geekflare
    Full reviewWebsite GitHub

    MCPHub

    Self-hosted MCP gateway that puts many MCP servers behind one endpoint, with groups, scoped keys, per-user credentials and a web dashboard

    One light container with a dashboard, groups, per-tool switches, bearer keys and OIDC login, with nothing held back for a paid plan. Two roles only, and many security fixes in 2026.

    Tested Oct 30, 2026, version 1.1.14
    Ready in
    31 s
    Memory in use at idle
    121 MB of 4 GB
    Median tool call
    14.6 ms
    Calls/s, 8 sessions
    98
    Peak memory
    274 MB

    A free dashboard, groups, per-tool switches and bearer keys in one container that used 121 MB. The groups example in its docs crashed it at startup, and its default rate limit stopped my load test until I raised it.

    Commands, notes and screenshots

    Best for

    Teams that want a free MCP gateway with a dashboard, scoped keys and OIDC login

    Not for

    Companies that need fine-grained admin roles or a vendor with a support contract

    • Groups can expose a chosen subset of tools from each server
    • Scoped bearer keys and a built-in OAuth server for MCP clients
    • OIDC sign-in for the dashboard is free
    • Each user can bind personal API keys to a shared server
    • Only two roles, admin and user
    • Many high and critical security advisories were fixed between August and October 2026
    • The tool-call activity log only works with PostgreSQL
    Licence
    Apache-2.0 (permissive)
    Stack
    TypeScript / Node.js
    Databases
    PostgreSQL
    GitHub
    2.6k stars · 68 contributors
    Latest release
    v1.1.15 · Oct 31, 2026
    SSO
    Free edition
    Audit logs
    Free edition
  7. #7Best for turning REST APIs into MCP tools
    Website GitHub

    Unla

    Go gateway that turns REST APIs into MCP servers through YAML config and proxies existing MCP servers, with a web UI for managing them

    A small Go gateway that maps existing REST APIs to MCP tools with YAML and keeps a history of every config change. It doesn't combine servers into one endpoint, and its docs trail the code.

    Best for

    Teams that want to expose existing REST APIs to agents without writing MCP servers

    Not for

    Teams that need one aggregated endpoint with per-user tool access and SSO

    • REST endpoints become MCP tools through YAML, no code
    • Can import an OpenAPI spec to generate the tool config
    • Keeps a version history of each config with rollback
    • Runs as several replicas with Redis for sessions and config reloads
    • No single endpoint that combines several MCP servers
    • Docs lag the code and the API reference is still placeholder pages
    • An open issue reports that any logged-in user can create tenants
    Licence
    MIT (permissive)
    Stack
    Go, with a React web UI
    Databases
    SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis
    GitHub
    2.2k stars · 28 contributors
    Latest release
    v0.10.0 · Aug 4, 2026
    SSO
    No
    Audit logs
    Free edition
  8. #8Best if you already run Tyk
    Website GitHub

    Tyk

    Go API gateway for REST, GraphQL, gRPC and TCP that also proxies remote MCP servers with OAuth 2.1 and per-tool policies

    Puts remote MCP servers behind the same gateway as your other APIs, with OAuth 2.1 and per-tool allow and block rules in the free build. One proxy per server, and REST-to-MCP needs a licence.

    Best for

    Teams already running Tyk that want to govern remote MCP servers

    Not for

    Teams that want one endpoint combining many MCP servers

    • Per-tool allow and block rules, with hidden tools removed from tools/list
    • OAuth 2.1 discovery for MCP clients in the free gateway
    • Rate limits, timeouts and circuit breakers per tool
    • Same gateway and auth plugins for REST, GraphQL, gRPC and MCP
    • One proxy per upstream MCP server, with no combined endpoint
    • REST-to-MCP proxies and upstream OAuth need an Enterprise licence
    • Streamable HTTP only, so stdio servers need a separate bridge
    Licence
    MPL-2.0 (open core)
    Stack
    Go
    Databases
    Redis
    GitHub
    11k stars · 138 contributors
    Latest release
    v5.16.0 · Oct 27, 2026
    Managed cloud
    Tyk Cloud, Price on request
    SSO
    Paid only
    Audit logs
    Free edition

More MCP gateways and building blocks

LLM and API gateways that also handle MCP, smaller control planes, an identity-aware proxy, and the bridges and frameworks teams use to assemble their own gateway.

SoftwareLicenceTypeGitHub starsLatest release
Archestra
AI platform with an MCP gateway, a private MCP registry, Kubernetes-hosted MCP servers, an LLM proxy with cost limits and an internal chat app
AGPL-3.0 / Archestra Enterprise
Open core
MCP gateway, registry and orchestrator4.4k(Actively maintained)Oct 2026
MCPJungle
Go MCP gateway and registry that puts many MCP servers behind one endpoint, with tool groups and per-client access in enterprise mode
MPL-2.0
Copyleft
MCP gateway and registry1.3k(Actively maintained)Oct 2026
Bifrost
Go gateway that puts many LLM providers behind one OpenAI-compatible API, with failover, virtual keys, budgets, semantic caching and an MCP gateway
Apache-2.0
Open core
LLM gateway9.2k(Actively maintained)Oct 2026
LiteLLM
Python SDK and proxy server that puts 100+ LLM providers behind one OpenAI-format API, with virtual keys, budgets and spend tracking
MIT
Open core
Python SDK with a proxy server62k(Actively maintained)Oct 2026
Apache APISIX
API gateway on NGINX and etcd with AI plugins for LLM proxying, fallbacks, token limits, caching and guardrails
Apache-2.0
Permissive
API gateway with AI plugins17k(Actively maintained)Sep 2026
Higress
API gateway built on Istio and Envoy, with Wasm plugins for LLM proxying, token quotas, semantic caching and MCP hosting
Apache-2.0
Permissive
API gateway with AI plugins9.7k(Actively maintained)Oct 2026
Agent Router
Kubernetes control plane for LLM and MCP traffic built on Envoy Gateway, formerly Envoy AI Gateway
Apache-2.0
Permissive
Kubernetes AI gateway2.3k(Actively maintained)Oct 2026
Pomerium
Identity-aware reverse proxy that puts OAuth 2.1 login and per-tool policy in front of MCP servers and internal apps
Apache-2.0
Permissive
Identity-aware proxy with MCP support5.1k(Actively maintained)Oct 2026
Supergateway
Command-line gateway that serves stdio MCP servers over SSE, WebSocket or Streamable HTTP and can combine several on one URL
MIT
Permissive
MCP transport bridge2.9k(Actively maintained)Oct 2026
mcp-proxy
Python bridge that exposes local stdio MCP servers over SSE or Streamable HTTP, or lets stdio clients reach remote servers
MIT
Permissive
MCP transport bridge2.8k(Actively maintained)Oct 2026
FastMCP
Python framework for MCP servers and clients that can proxy, mount and combine other MCP servers or OpenAPI specs into one server
Apache-2.0
Permissive
MCP framework with proxying28k(Actively maintained)Oct 2026
  • Actively maintained
  • Slowing: last release 1 to 2 years ago
  • Stale: no release in over 2 years

Not included, and why

Projects that stopped or are too new, ones whose MCP features are all paid, a registry that isn't meant to be self-hosted, and hosted services.

  • Microsoft MCP Gateway: Under 1,000 GitHub stars, mostly the work of one maintainer, and built around Azure and Entra ID. Azure teams are more likely to use API Management's MCP features.
  • MetaMCP: No release since December 2025, the author says development will be slow, and recent security reports have gone unanswered.
  • Official MCP Registry: A public metadata registry rather than a gateway, and its docs say it is not for self-hosting.
  • Kong AI Gateway and Gravitee: All of their MCP features are in paid editions, and Kong's open source line ends at 3.9.
  • MCP Router and HyprMCP: Both repositories are archived. MCP Router ended development and security updates in September 2026.
  • Lasso MCP Gateway, 1MCP and Lunar MCPX: Under 1,000 GitHub stars.
  • Composio and Klavis: Open source SDKs and servers, but the multi-server platform runs as their hosted service.
  • Smithery, Cloudflare, Traefik Hub, TrueFoundry and Azure API Management: Hosted or proprietary.

How to choose

Decide where your servers run

Local stdio servers run code on your machines, so pick a gateway that sandboxes them, such as Docker MCP Gateway, ToolHive or Obot. If your servers are all remote, a proxy such as agentgateway, ContextForge or MCPHub is enough.

Plan who gets which tools

For many users or teams, look for per-tool rules tied to identity. ContextForge, MCPHub, ToolHive and Obot keep SSO and roles free, while Docker keeps users and policies for its Enterprise Gateway. agentgateway does it with CEL rules on JWT claims.

Reuse the APIs you already have

To give agents your internal APIs without writing MCP servers, use a gateway that converts REST or OpenAPI into tools, such as Unla, ContextForge, agentgateway or Obot. FastMCP's own docs warn against mapping every endpoint one to one, so curate the tools you expose.

Treat it as security infrastructure

Every tool call and many credentials pass through the gateway. Turn on authentication before you expose it, keep it on its latest release and keep its admin API on a private network.

How we evaluate

No vendor influences these pages. A vendor can pay for a Featured placement, labelled Sponsored, which never changes a rank or a review.

What qualifies
Self-hostable MCP gateways, MCP control planes and API gateways with MCP features, under an OSI open source licence or a clearly labelled open-core one, with a release or commit in the last 12 months and 1,000+ GitHub stars or a long-established product. Individual MCP servers, MCP client apps, hosted-only services and projects whose MCP features are all in a paid edition are not considered.
Where we look
GitHub, the pages that rank for each category, so both established and newer projects are considered.
How we rank
Fit for business and technical teams: maintenance activity, self-hosting effort, licence terms, and which features the paid editions lock. Payment never changes a ranking.
Where the data comes from
Stars, releases, contributors and licences come from GitHub. Editions, pricing and requirements come from each software's own docs.
Hands-on testing
We install several of the picks in each category on a cloud Ubuntu 24.04 server (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM) with Docker, and record install time and idle memory.
Questions

Frequently asked questions

An MCP gateway sits between AI agents or MCP clients and your MCP servers. Clients connect to one endpoint, and the gateway handles authentication, which tools each user can see, logging, and running or proxying the servers behind it.

For a light, fast gateway in front of remote servers, agentgateway. For the most built-in features, including a registry and REST-to-MCP, ContextForge, and for running local servers safely in containers, Docker MCP Gateway or ToolHive.

For one person with a few servers, probably not. Once several teams use MCP, a gateway gives you one place to control which servers and tools they reach, keep credentials out of client configs, and log what agents do.

An LLM gateway sits in front of model providers and handles keys, budgets and fallbacks for model calls. An MCP gateway sits in front of tools. Some projects do both, such as agentgateway, Bifrost and LiteLLM; see the open source LLM gateways we tested.

Yes, the gateway is MIT-licensed and runs without Docker Desktop. Users, per-group policies and audit events are in Docker MCP Enterprise Gateway, which is priced on request, and Docker Desktop itself needs a paid plan at larger companies.