Deployment + distribution, from local to installable

Three deployment modes

1. Stdio + npm package (for local servers) You package your TypeScript server as an npm package. Users install npm install -g my-mcp-server and configure Claude Code. The server runs locally on the user's machine.

2. HTTP + Cloud Run / Fly / Railway (for central services) Your server runs as an HTTP service in the cloud. Users only provide the URL and do OAuth. Central updates, multi-user.

3. MCPize (the marketplace path) A service specialized for MCP deploys. Same code base, MCPize packages, hosts, manages the HTTP route. Good for quickly trying things out, less control.

Stdio + npm (the most common case)

Step 1: compile TypeScript to JavaScript.

// package.json
{
  "main": "dist/index.js",
  "bin": {
    "my-mcp-server": "dist/index.js"
  },
  "scripts": {
    "build": "tsc",
    "prepublishOnly": "npm run build"
  }
}

The tsconfig.json must have "outDir": "dist". The bin entry makes the package executable.

Step 2: README.md with install instructions.

# my-mcp-server

## Install

claude mcp add my-server -s user -- npx -y my-mcp-server

## Config

Set env var `MY_API_KEY`.

Step 3: npm publish.

npm login  # one-time
npm publish --access public

Done. Anyone running npx -y my-mcp-server pulls your package automatically.

HTTP server + Cloud Run

If users should access a central service (multi-tenant, SaaS), you need HTTP. That's significantly more effort.

In addition to the SDK you need:

• Express / Hono / Fastify for HTTP transport.
• OAuth 2.1 flow if multi-user (Magic Link, Authorization Code).
• Database for user storage.
• Rate limiting because the server is public.
• Logging + monitoring.

Deployment then: Dockerfile, push to Google Cloud Run, Fly.io, Railway, AWS Runner. Small compute packages usually suffice (512 MB RAM, 1 CPU). Cost: 5-20 EUR/month for small services.

MCPize (the fast path)

MCPize is a specialized MCP deploy service. You push your code, MCPize builds and hosts. Ideal for:

• Quick prototyping in production
• Not wanting to host yourself
• Marketplace presence (users find your server on mcpize.com)

Limitation: less control. If your server has special build steps, MCPize must support them (not all are).

The decision matrix

| Use case | Choice | |---|---| | Personal tool, only you | stdio + local | | Team, no user data sharing | stdio + npm, internal via git | | Open source for dev community | stdio + npm + GitHub | | SaaS with login and customer data | HTTP + Cloud Run + OAuth | | Test if anyone wants it | MCPize |

Monetization when you go HTTP

If you have an HTTP server with user accounts:

• Stripe integration for Pro tiers
• Feature flag check per request: is this user on the Pro tier?
• Rate limit different per tier (Free: 100 calls/day, Pro: unlimited)

The StudioMeyer MCP SaaS servers (memory, crm, geo) use exactly this pattern.

Last lesson

The last lesson shows how to make your MCP server findable: MCP marketplaces, discovery standards, community channels. Distribution is another half-week of work after the deploy.