MCP Architecture Under the Hood

In Chapter 1, we explored what the Model Context Protocol is and why it matters. You saw how the lack of a shared standard left every AI integration feeling like a one-off science project, and how MCP steps in to fix that. Now it is time to pop the hood and look at how MCP actually works under the surface. Understanding the architecture is not just an academic exercise. When you start building your own MCP servers in C# later in this book, every design decision you make will trace back to the concepts we cover in this chapter.