Getting Started#

This guide helps you install Cloud Native MCP Server, validate connectivity, and prepare for production rollout.

What You Will Set Up#

• Run the server in one of two modes: sse, streamable-http
• Enable authentication with the correct environment variables
• Verify runtime health and MCP handshake behavior
• Continue with FAQ and troubleshooting playbooks

Prerequisites#

• Kubernetes access (~/.kube/config or in-cluster credentials)
• Docker or a Linux host for binary execution
• Go 1.25+ (only needed for source build)
• Network access to observability backends you plan to integrate

Installation Options#

Choose a Run Mode#

First Validation#

Run these checks after startup:

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# Health check
curl -sS http://127.0.0.1:8080/health

# End-to-end SSE handshake + initialize
make sse-smoke BASE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8080

If you are not in the repository directory, run the script directly:

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/path/to/cloud-native-mcp-server/scripts/sse_smoke_test.sh http://127.0.0.1:8080

Authentication Check#

When MCP_AUTH_ENABLED=true and MCP_AUTH_MODE=apikey:

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# SSE stream request with API key
curl -sS -N "http://127.0.0.1:8080/api/aggregate/sse?api_key=ChangeMe-Strong-Key-123!"

You can also pass the key via request header:

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curl -sS -N \
  -H "X-Api-Key: ChangeMe-Strong-Key-123!" \
  http://127.0.0.1:8080/api/aggregate/sse

Common Runtime Settings#

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# Server mode and bind address
export MCP_MODE=sse
export MCP_ADDR=0.0.0.0:8080

# Authentication (apikey mode)
export MCP_AUTH_ENABLED=true
export MCP_AUTH_MODE=apikey
export MCP_AUTH_API_KEY='ChangeMe-Strong-Key-123!'

# Optional: disable non-required services
export MCP_DISABLED_SERVICES="kibana,jaeger"

Next Steps#

• Getting Started FAQ
• Troubleshooting
• Security Guide
• Configuration Guide
• Performance Guide
• Tools Reference