MCP RESTful API Server

A Model Context Protocol server for RESTful API operations and JSON Server. This server acts as a bridge between Large Language Models and REST APIs, enabling AI models to interact with external services through the Model Context Protocol.

Features

• Complete CRUD Operations: GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE HTTP methods
• JSON Server Compatible: Works seamlessly with JSON Server and other RESTful APIs
• Multiple Authentication Methods: Basic auth, Bearer token, or no authentication
• Environment-based Configuration: Easy setup through environment variables
• Resource Discovery: Exposes API endpoints as discoverable MCP resources
• Comprehensive Error Handling: Detailed error messages and logging
• TypeScript: Full type safety and excellent developer experience
• Production Ready: Includes build optimization, linting, and testing

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20.0.0 or higher
• Access to a Restful-API
• Valid Restful-API credentials

Usage

Basic MCP Integration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "restful-api-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "restful-api-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "API_BASE_URL": "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com",
        "API_AUTH_TYPE": "none"
      }
    }
  }
}

Installation

Local Installation

# Clone the repository
git https://github.com/mikdanjey/restful-api-mcp-server.git
cd restful-api-mcp-server

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

Quick Start

Option 1: Using .env file (Recommended)

1. Run the setup script:

npm run setup

This will:

• Copy .env.example to .env
• Install dependencies
• Build the project

2. Edit the .env file with your API configuration:

# Edit .env file
API_BASE_URL=https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com
API_AUTH_TYPE=none

3. Start the server:

npm start

Option 2: Using environment variables

1. Set up environment variables:

# For JSONPlaceholder API (no authentication)
export API_BASE_URL="https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com"
export API_AUTH_TYPE="none"

# For APIs with Bearer token authentication
export API_BASE_URL="https://api.example.com"
export API_AUTH_TYPE="token"
export API_AUTH_TOKEN="your-bearer-token-here"

# For APIs with Basic authentication
export API_BASE_URL="https://api.example.com"
export API_AUTH_TYPE="basic"
export API_BASIC_AUTH_USERNAME="your-username"
export API_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD="your-password"

2. Start the server:

# If installed globally
restful-api-mcp-server

# If running from source
npm start

# With debug logging
restful-api-mcp-server --debug

Configuration

The server can be configured using environment variables or a .env file. The .env file approach is recommended for development.

Using .env File

1. Copy the example file: cp .env.example .env
2. Edit .env with your configuration
3. The server will automatically load these variables on startup

Environment Variables

| Variable | Required | Description | Example | | ------------------------- | ----------- | -------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------- | | API_BASE_URL | Yes | Base URL of the REST API | https://api.example.com | | API_AUTH_TYPE | Yes | Authentication method | basic, token, or none | | API_AUTH_TOKEN | Conditional | Bearer token (required when API_AUTH_TYPE=token) | eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIs... | | API_BASIC_AUTH_USERNAME | Conditional | Username (required when API_AUTH_TYPE=basic) | admin | | API_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD | Conditional | Password (required when API_AUTH_TYPE=basic) | secret123 | | DEBUG | No | Enable debug logging | true or false |

Command Line Options

restful-api-mcp-server [options]

Options:
  -h, --help     Show help message
  -v, --version  Show version information
  -d, --debug    Enable debug logging
  -c, --config   Specify config file path (future use)

MCP Tools

The server provides the following MCP tools for interacting with REST APIs:

api_get

Perform GET requests to retrieve data.

Parameters:

• path (string, required): API endpoint path (e.g., "/users/1")
• queryParams (object, optional): Query parameters as key-value pairs
• headers (object, optional): Additional HTTP headers

Example:

{
  "name": "api_get",
  "arguments": {
    "path": "/users",
    "queryParams": {
      "page": "1",
      "limit": "10"
    },
    "headers": {
      "Accept": "application/json"
    }
  }
}

api_post

Create new resources via POST requests.

Parameters:

• path (string, required): API endpoint path
• body (object, optional): Request body data
• headers (object, optional): Additional HTTP headers

api_put

Update resources via PUT requests (full replacement).

Parameters:

• path (string, required): API endpoint path
• body (object, optional): Request body data
• headers (object, optional): Additional HTTP headers

api_patch

Partially update resources via PATCH requests.

Parameters:

• path (string, required): API endpoint path
• body (object, optional): Request body data
• headers (object, optional): Additional HTTP headers

api_delete

Delete resources via DELETE requests.

Parameters:

• path (string, required): API endpoint path
• headers (object, optional): Additional HTTP headers

MCP Resources

The server exposes API endpoints as discoverable MCP resources:

• Resource URI: api://endpoints/{endpoint}
• Description: Provides documentation about available API endpoints and their supported operations

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20.0.0 or higher
• npm or yarn package manager

Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/mikdanjey/restful-api-mcp-server.git
cd restful-api-mcp-server

# Run the setup script (installs dependencies, creates .env, and builds)
npm run setup

# Or do it manually:
# npm install
# cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your configuration
# npm run build

Available Scripts

# Setup
npm run setup           # Complete setup: create .env, install deps, build
npm run setup:env       # Create .env file from .env.example
npm run validate        # Validate configuration before starting

# Development
npm run dev             # Build and watch for changes
npm run build:dev       # Build for development
npm run start:dev       # Build and start in one command
npm run type-check      # Run TypeScript type checking

# Production
npm run build           # Full production build with linting and type checking
npm run build:prod      # Optimized production build
npm start              # Start the built server

# Testing
npm test               # Run tests
npm run test:watch     # Run tests in watch mode
npm run test:coverage  # Run tests with coverage report

# Code Quality
npm run lint           # Run ESLint
npm run lint:fix       # Run ESLint with auto-fix
npm run clean          # Clean build artifacts

# Alternative: Using Make
make setup             # Same as npm run setup
make build             # Same as npm run build
make start             # Same as npm start
make dev               # Same as npm run dev
make test              # Same as npm test
make lint              # Same as npm run lint

Project Structure

src/
├── auth/           # Authentication strategies
├── client/         # HTTP client wrapper
├── config/         # Configuration management
├── resources/      # MCP resource providers
├── tools/          # MCP tool handlers
├── types/          # TypeScript type definitions
└── index.ts        # Main entry point

tests/
├── unit/           # Unit tests
├── integration/    # Integration tests
└── fixtures/       # Test fixtures and mocks

Examples

Using with JSONPlaceholder API

# Set up environment
export API_BASE_URL="https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com"
export API_AUTH_TYPE="none"

# Start the server
restful-api-mcp-server

# The server will provide tools to interact with JSONPlaceholder:
# - GET /posts, /users, /comments, etc.
# - POST /posts (creates mock resources)
# - PUT /posts/1 (updates mock resources)
# - DELETE /posts/1 (deletes mock resources)

Using with JSON Server

# Start a local JSON Server (install with: npm install -g json-server)
echo '{"posts": [{"id": 1, "title": "Hello World"}], "users": [{"id": 1, "name": "John"}]}' > db.json
json-server --watch db.json --port 3000

# Set up environment for local JSON Server
export API_BASE_URL="http://localhost:3000"
export API_AUTH_TYPE="none"

# Start the MCP server
restful-api-mcp-server

# The server will provide tools to interact with JSON Server:
# - GET /posts, /users (retrieve data)
# - POST /posts (create new posts)
# - PUT /posts/1 (update posts)
# - DELETE /posts/1 (delete posts)

Using with GitHub API

# Set up environment
export API_BASE_URL="https://api.github.com"
export API_AUTH_TYPE="token"
export API_AUTH_TOKEN="ghp_your_github_token_here"

# Start the server
restful-api-mcp-server

# The server will provide tools to interact with GitHub API:
# - GET /user (get authenticated user)
# - GET /repos/owner/repo (get repository info)
# - POST /repos/owner/repo/issues (create issues)

Error Handling

The server provides comprehensive error handling:

• Configuration Errors: Clear messages for missing or invalid environment variables
• Authentication Errors: Detailed feedback for authentication failures
• Network Errors: Timeout and connection error handling
• HTTP Errors: Proper handling of 4xx and 5xx status codes
• Validation Errors: Input validation with helpful error messages

All errors are returned in a consistent format with appropriate error codes and details.

Troubleshooting

Configuration Issues

If you're having trouble with configuration:

1. Validate your configuration:

   npm run validate

2. Check your .env file:

   cat .env

3. Verify required environment variables are set:

   • API_BASE_URL - Must be a valid URL
   • API_AUTH_TYPE - Must be 'basic', 'token', or 'none'
   • For token auth: API_AUTH_TOKEN must be set
   • For basic auth: API_BASIC_AUTH_USERNAME and API_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD must be set

Common Issues

• "Configuration validation failed": Check that all required environment variables are set correctly
• "API base URL is not accessible": Verify the URL is correct and the API is running
• Authentication errors: Verify your credentials are correct for the API
• Build errors: Make sure you have Node.js 18+ and run npm install

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging to get more detailed information:

# Using .env file
echo "DEBUG=true" >> .env

# Using environment variable
DEBUG=true npm start

# Using command line flag
npm start -- --debug

Logging

The server includes structured logging:

• Info Level: Server startup, configuration, and operation status
• Warn Level: Non-critical issues and warnings
• Error Level: Errors and exceptions with full context
• Debug Level: Detailed debugging information (enabled with --debug or DEBUG=true)

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests for your changes
5. Run the test suite (npm test)
6. Run linting (npm run lint)
7. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
8. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
9. Open a Pull Request

License

MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

• Issues: Report bugs and request features on GitHub Issues
• Documentation: Full documentation available in the docs directory
• Examples: More examples available in the examples directory