Getting Started with Remote MCP Servers using Azure Functions (Python)

This is a quickstart template to easily build and deploy a custom remote MCP server to the cloud using Azure Functions with Python. You can clone/restore/run on your local machine with debugging, and azd up to have it in the cloud in a couple of minutes. The MCP server is secured by design using keys and HTTPS, and allows more options for OAuth using EasyAuth and/or API Management as well as network isolation using VNET.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.9+
• Azure Functions Core Tools >= 4.0.7030
• Azure Developer CLI
• To use Visual Studio Code to run and debug locally:
  • Visual Studio Code
  • Azure Functions extension
  • Python extension
• Docker to run Azurite, the Azure Storage Emulator (optional)

Prepare your local environment

An Azure Storage Emulator is needed for this particular sample because Azure Functions requires a storage account for certain operations.

1. Start Azurite (if using Docker):

   docker run -p 10000:10000 -p 10001:10001 -p 10002:10002 mcr.microsoft.com/azure-storage/azurite
   

2. Create a Python virtual environment:

   python -m venv .venv
   

3. Activate the virtual environment:

   On Windows:

   .\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
   

   On macOS/Linux:

   source .venv/bin/activate
   

4. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

Run and Debug Locally

1. Open the project in VS Code
2. Make sure Azurite is running
3. Press F5 to start debugging, or run:

   func start
   

Deploy to Azure

1. Login to Azure (if not already logged in):

   azd auth login
   

2. Provision and deploy:

   azd up
   

This will:

• Create the required Azure resources (Resource Group, Storage Account, Function App)
• Deploy your Python MCP server to Azure Functions

MCP Tools Available

This MCP server exposes the following tools:

mcp-name: com.microsoft.esrp/esrp-oss-mcp-test

Project Structure

esrp-mcp-server-python/
├── function_app.py        # Main Azure Functions app with MCP tools
├── host.json              # Azure Functions host configuration
├── local.settings.json    # Local settings (not committed to git)
├── azure.yaml             # Azure Developer CLI configuration
├── requirements.txt       # Python dependencies
├── server.json            # MCP server manifest
├── data/                  # Data files
│   ├── publishedPackages.json   # List of certified packages
│   └── packageHashes.json       # Package hash information
└── README.md              # This file

Configuration

Environment Variables

Connecting MCP Clients

After deployment, you can connect MCP clients to your remote MCP server using the function URL provided by Azure Functions. The URL format will be:

https://<your-function-app>.azurewebsites.net/runtime/webhooks/mcp/sse

Make sure to include the function key for authentication.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE.md file for details.