MCP vs APIs: Modes of communications with in AI systems
The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) has introduced new frameworks for connecting intelligent systems to external tools and data. Two critical technologies in this space are the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) . While both facilitate communication between software components, they serve distinct roles in modern AI ecosystems. Foundations of APIs and MCP What Are APIs? Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are standardized protocols that enable software systems to communicate. They define how applications can request services from one another, abstracting the underlying complexity of the systems they connect. For example, a weather app uses a weather service’s API to fetch real-time data without understanding the server’s internal workings 2 7 . APIs operate on a client-server model : The client (e.g., a mobile app) sends a request (e.g., "Get today’s temperature"). The server (e.g., a weather databa...