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1. What is MCP?2. Core Architecture3. Host vs Client vs Server

Host vs Client vs Server

📚 Foundation⏱ 6 min⭐ 50 XP⌨ Hands-on lab

Distinguishing the Roles

Understanding the difference between the Host, Client, and Server is critical when debugging MCP setups.

ComponentRoleExamples
HostUser interface and LLM communication. Manages multiple clients.Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor
ClientProtocol-level state machine. Sends requests, parses responses.@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/client
ServerExecutes code, talks to databases/APIs, provides data.mcp-server-postgres, mcp-github
💡 Key Insight: There is a strict 1-to-1 relationship between an MCP Client instance and an MCP Server. The Host application usually runs many Client instances to talk to multiple Servers simultaneously.
⌨ HANDS-ON LABAudit Active Host MCP Connections
⭐ +100 XP

Audit active MCP client configurations on your workstation.

1List all configured MCP servers using the Claude CLI.
lab-sandbox — simulated environment
INFINITY LAB SANDBOX v2.6 — simulated shell
Type the command for the current objective. Helpers: "hint", "solution", "clear".
$
OBJECTIVE 1 / 1 — type "hint" if stuck
🧪 Knowledge Check
Press 1-4 to select1 of 3
What is the relationship between MCP Clients and MCP Servers?
Many-to-Many
One-to-Many (One client, many servers)
One-to-One
Many-to-One