Introducing Remote MCP Server Support with Enhanced Authentication

We're thrilled to announce a major enhancement to Storm MCP Gateway: full support for remote MCP servers with comprehensive authentication options. This powerful update enables you to connect to MCP servers hosted anywhere, whether in your private cloud, on-premises infrastructure, or third-party hosting environments.

�� What's New?

Remote Server Connectivity

Storm MCP Gateway can now seamlessly connect to MCP servers regardless of their location:

Cloud-hosted servers - AWS, Azure, GCP, or any cloud provider
On-premises infrastructure - Behind corporate firewalls with secure tunneling
Edge deployments - IoT devices, edge computing nodes
Partner ecosystems - Third-party MCP servers from trusted providers

Multiple Authentication Methods

Security is paramount when connecting to remote servers. Storm MCP Gateway now supports a comprehensive range of authentication methods:

🔐 OAuth 2.0

Full OAuth 2.0 flow support including:

Authorization Code flow
Client Credentials flow
Refresh token management
PKCE support for enhanced security

🔑 API Key Authentication

Simple yet secure API key-based authentication:

Header-based API keys
Query parameter support
Custom header configuration
Key rotation capabilities

👤 Basic Authentication

Traditional username/password authentication:

HTTP Basic Auth support
Secure credential storage
Encrypted transmission

🎫 Bearer Token Authentication

JWT and custom bearer token support:

JWT validation
Custom token formats
Automatic token refresh
Token expiration handling

🔒 Custom Authentication

For specialized authentication requirements:

Custom header injection
Multi-factor authentication support
Certificate-based authentication
SSO integration

🚀 How It Works

1. Configure Your Remote Server

Navigate to the Apps page and select "Add Remote Server":

{
  "name": "Production Analytics Server",
  "endpoint": "https://analytics.company.com/mcp",
  "authType": "oauth2",
  "authConfig": {
    "clientId": "your-client-id",
    "authorizationUrl": "https://auth.company.com/oauth/authorize",
    "tokenUrl": "https://auth.company.com/oauth/token",
    "scopes": ["read", "write"]
  }
}

2. Authenticate Securely

Storm MCP Gateway handles the entire authentication flow:

Secure credential storage in encrypted vault
Automatic token refresh before expiration
Retry logic with exponential backoff
Comprehensive error handling

3. Connect and Use

Once authenticated, remote servers appear just like local ones:

Full function discovery
Real-time status monitoring
Seamless integration with existing gateways
Performance metrics and logging

💼 Use Cases

Multi-Cloud Architecture

Connect MCP servers across different cloud providers:

Aggregate data from AWS, Azure, and GCP
Maintain vendor independence
Implement disaster recovery strategies

Hybrid Cloud Deployments

Bridge on-premises and cloud infrastructure:

Gradual cloud migration
Compliance with data residency requirements
Leverage existing investments

Partner Integration

Connect to third-party MCP services:

SaaS application integration
Marketplace connectivity
White-label solutions

Edge Computing

Manage distributed edge nodes:

IoT device orchestration
Real-time data processing
Low-latency operations

🔧 Configuration Examples

OAuth 2.0 Configuration

{
  "authType": "oauth2",
  "authConfig": {
    "clientId": "storm-mcp-client",
    "clientSecret": "${OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET}",
    "authorizationUrl": "https://identity.provider.com/authorize",
    "tokenUrl": "https://identity.provider.com/token",
    "scopes": ["mcp:read", "mcp:write"],
    "additionalParams": {
      "audience": "https://api.provider.com"
    }
  }
}

API Key Configuration

{
  "authType": "apiKey",
  "authConfig": {
    "headerName": "X-API-Key",
    "apiKey": "${API_KEY}",
    "additionalHeaders": {
      "X-Tenant-ID": "tenant-123"
    }
  }
}

Bearer Token Configuration

{
  "authType": "bearer",
  "authConfig": {
    "token": "${BEARER_TOKEN}",
    "tokenType": "JWT",
    "refreshUrl": "https://auth.provider.com/refresh",
    "expiresIn": 3600
  }
}

🛡️ Security Features

Encryption at Rest

All credentials encrypted using AES-256
Secure key management
Hardware security module (HSM) support

Encryption in Transit

TLS 1.3 for all connections
Certificate pinning options
Mutual TLS support

Access Control

Role-based access control (RBAC)
Fine-grained permissions
Audit logging

Compliance

SOC 2 Type II certified
GDPR compliant
HIPAA ready

📊 Performance & Reliability

Connection Pooling

Intelligent connection management
Automatic reconnection
Load balancing across multiple servers

Caching

Response caching for improved performance
Configurable TTL
Cache invalidation strategies

Monitoring

Real-time connection status
Latency metrics
Error rate tracking
Custom alerting

🎯 Getting Started

Update to the latest version of Storm MCP Gateway
Navigate to Apps → Add Remote Server
Configure your server with the appropriate authentication
Test the connection using our built-in diagnostics
Start using your remote MCP server!

📈 What's Next?

We're continuing to enhance remote server support with:

Federated authentication - Single sign-on across multiple providers
Geographic routing - Automatic routing to nearest server
Advanced load balancing - Intelligent request distribution
WebSocket support - Real-time bidirectional communication
GraphQL endpoints - Modern API support

�� Documentation

For detailed configuration guides and API references, visit:

🤝 Feedback

We'd love to hear about your experience with remote MCP servers:

Share your use cases in our Discord community
Report issues on GitHub
Request features through our feedback portal

Remote MCP server support opens up endless possibilities for distributed architectures, hybrid deployments, and partner integrations. We can't wait to see what you build!

Start connecting to remote MCP servers today and unlock the full potential of your distributed infrastructure! 🚀