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7 MCP Concepts Explained Simply with LangChain
In this article, we’ll break down 7 MCP concepts in simple terms:
1. Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that allows AI applications to access external tools, data sources, and context through a consistent interface.
Example:
Imagine you’re building an AI assistant for a company. A user asks:
“How many unpaid invoices does customer ABC have?”
The information lives in the company’s ERP system.
The AI cannot access that information automatically, so your application needs a way to connect to the ERP.
Without MCP, you would integrate the ERP API directly into your AI application.
MCP introduces a standardized layer for exposing that functionality, making it easier for different AI applications to reuse the same integration.
2. MCP Client–Server Architecture
MCP introduces a client–server architecture that separates AI applications from the systems they interact with.
For example, a company might have three AI assistants:
- Finance Assistant
