---
title: The FastMCP Server
sidebarTitle: FastMCP Server
description: Learn about the core FastMCP server class and how to run it.
icon: server
---

The central piece of a FastMCP application is the `FastMCP` server class. This class acts as the main container for your application's tools, resources, and prompts, and manages communication with MCP clients.

## Creating a Server

Instantiating a server is straightforward. You typically provide a name for your server, which helps identify it in client applications or logs.

```python
from fastmcp import FastMCP

# Create a basic server instance
mcp = FastMCP(name="MyAssistantServer")

# You can also add instructions for how to interact with the server
mcp_with_instructions = FastMCP(
    name="HelpfulAssistant",
    instructions="This server provides data analysis tools. Call get_average() to analyze numerical data."
)
```

The `FastMCP` constructor accepts several arguments:

*   `name`: (Optional) A human-readable name for your server. Defaults to "FastMCP".
*   `instructions`: (Optional) Description of how to interact with this server. These instructions help clients understand the server's purpose and available functionality.
*   `lifespan`: (Optional) An async context manager function for server startup and shutdown logic. See [Lifespan Management](/advanced/lifespan).
*   `tags`: (Optional) A set of strings to tag the server itself.
*   `**settings`: Keyword arguments corresponding to `ServerSettings` for configuration. See [Configuration](/advanced/configuration).

## Components

FastMCP servers expose several types of components to the client:

### Tools

Tools are functions that the client can call to perform actions or access external systems.

```python
@mcp.tool()
def multiply(a: float, b: float) -> float:
    """Multiplies two numbers together."""
    return a * b
```

See [Tools](/server/tools) for detailed documentation.

### Resources

Resources expose data sources that the client can read.

```python
@mcp.resource("data://config")
def get_config() -> dict:
    """Provides the application configuration."""
    return {"theme": "dark", "version": "1.0"}
```

See [Resources & Templates](/server/resources) for detailed documentation.

### Resource Templates

Resource templates are parameterized resources that allow the client to request specific data.

```python
@mcp.resource("users://{user_id}/profile")
def get_user_profile(user_id: int) -> dict:
    """Retrieves a user's profile by ID."""
    # The {user_id} in the URI is extracted and passed to this function
    return {"id": user_id, "name": f"User {user_id}", "status": "active"}
```

See [Resources & Templates](/server/resources) for detailed documentation.

### Prompts

Prompts are reusable message templates for guiding the LLM.

```python
@mcp.prompt()
def analyze_data(data_points: list[float]) -> str:
    """Creates a prompt asking for analysis of numerical data."""
    formatted_data = ", ".join(str(point) for point in data_points)
    return f"Please analyze these data points: {formatted_data}"
```

See [Prompts](/server/prompts) for detailed documentation.

## Running the Server

FastMCP servers need a transport mechanism to communicate with clients. In the MCP protocol, servers typically run as separate processes that clients connect to.

### The `__main__` Block Pattern

The standard way to make your server executable is to include a `run()` call inside an `if __name__ == "__main__":` block:

```python
# my_server.py
from fastmcp import FastMCP

mcp = FastMCP(name="MyServer")

@mcp.tool()
def greet(name: str) -> str:
    """Greet a user by name."""
    return f"Hello, {name}!"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # This code only runs when the file is executed directly
    mcp.run()
```

This pattern is important because:

1. **Client Compatibility**: Standard MCP clients (like Claude Desktop) expect to execute your server file directly with `python my_server.py`
2. **Process Isolation**: Each server runs in its own process, allowing clients to manage multiple servers independently
3. **Import Safety**: The main block prevents the server from running when the file is imported by other code

While this pattern is technically optional when using FastMCP's CLI, it's considered a best practice for maximum compatibility with all MCP clients.

### Transport Options

FastMCP supports two transport mechanisms:

#### STDIO Transport (Default)

The standard input/output (STDIO) transport is the default and most widely compatible option:

```python
# Run with stdio (default)
mcp.run()  # or explicitly: mcp.run(transport="stdio")
```

With STDIO:
- The client starts a new server process for each session
- Communication happens through standard input/output streams
- The server process terminates when the client disconnects
- This is ideal for integrations with tools like Claude Desktop, where each conversation gets its own server instance

#### SSE Transport (Server-Sent Events)

For long-running servers that serve multiple clients, FastMCP supports SSE:

```python
# Run with SSE on default host/port (0.0.0.0:8000)
mcp.run(transport="sse")
```

With SSE:
- The server runs as a persistent web server
- Multiple clients can connect simultaneously
- The server stays running until explicitly terminated
- This is ideal for remote access to services

You can configure the host, port, and log level when running the server:

```python
# Configure with parameters
mcp.run(transport="sse", host="127.0.0.1", port=8888)

# Or run asynchronously with the same parameters
import asyncio
asyncio.run(mcp.run_sse_async(host="127.0.0.1", port=8888, log_level="debug"))
```

These parameters override any settings defined when creating the FastMCP instance.

### Using the FastMCP CLI

The FastMCP CLI provides a convenient way to run servers:

```bash
# Run a server (defaults to stdio transport)
fastmcp run my_server.py:mcp

# Explicitly specify a transport
fastmcp run my_server.py:mcp --transport sse

# Configure SSE transport
fastmcp run my_server.py:mcp --transport sse --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8888
```

The CLI can dynamically find and run FastMCP server objects in your files, but including the `if __name__ == "__main__":` block ensures compatibility with all clients.

<Tip>
For more options, including how to set up your server's dependencies or use advanced configurations, see the [CLI Reference](/cli/overview).
</Tip>

## Mounting Subservers

FastMCP allows you to compose complex applications by mounting other FastMCP servers as subservers. This is useful for:

- Organizing large applications into logical components
- Reusing existing FastMCP servers as parts of a larger system
- Creating domain-specific servers that can be used independently or composed

```python
from fastmcp import FastMCP

# Create the main server
main_mcp = FastMCP(name="MainServer")

# Create a domain-specific subserver
weather_mcp = FastMCP(name="WeatherService")

@weather_mcp.tool()
def get_forecast(city: str) -> dict:
    """Get the weather forecast for a city."""
    return {"city": city, "forecast": "Sunny", "temperature": 72}

# Create another domain-specific subserver
calculator_mcp = FastMCP(name="CalculatorService")

@calculator_mcp.tool()
def add(a: float, b: float) -> float:
    """Add two numbers."""
    return a + b

# Mount the subservers with prefixes
main_mcp.mount("weather", weather_mcp)
main_mcp.mount("calc", calculator_mcp)

# Now main_mcp has access to both subservers' tools:
# - "weather_get_forecast" (from weather_mcp)
# - "calc_add" (from calculator_mcp)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main_mcp.run()
```

### How Mounting Works

When you mount a server with `main_mcp.mount(prefix, subserver)`:

1. All tools from the subserver are imported with prefixed names:
   - `tool_name` becomes `{prefix}_tool_name`
   - Default separator is `_`, but can be customized

2. All resources and resource templates are imported with prefixed URIs:
   - `resource://data` becomes `{prefix}+resource://data`
   - Default separator is `+`, but can be customized

3. All prompts are imported with prefixed names:
   - `prompt_name` becomes `{prefix}_prompt_name`
   - Default separator is `_`, but can be customized

4. The subserver's lifespan is managed automatically when the main server starts and stops

### Customizing Separators

You can customize the separators used for naming:

```python
main_mcp.mount(
    "weather", 
    weather_mcp,
    tool_separator="-",       # Use "weather-get_forecast" instead of "weather_get_forecast"
    resource_separator=".",   # Use "weather.resource://data" instead of "weather+resource://data"
    prompt_separator=":"      # Use "weather:prompt_name" instead of "weather_prompt_name"
)
```

<Warning>
Some MCP clients may reject certain separators as invalid. For example, Claude Desktop does not support `/` in tool names.
</Warning>

## Server Configuration

Server behavior, like transport settings (host, port for SSE) and how duplicate components are handled, can be configured via `ServerSettings`. These settings can be passed during `FastMCP` initialization, set via environment variables (prefixed with `FASTMCP_SERVER_`), or loaded from a `.env` file.

```python
from fastmcp import FastMCP
from fastmcp.settings import DuplicateBehavior

# Configure during initialization
mcp = FastMCP(
    name="ConfiguredServer",
    port=8080, # Directly maps to ServerSettings
    on_duplicate_tools=DuplicateBehavior.ERROR # Set duplicate handling
)

# Settings are accessible via mcp.settings
print(mcp.settings.port) # Output: 8080
print(mcp.settings.on_duplicate_tools) # Output: DuplicateBehavior.ERROR
```

### Key Configuration Options

- **`host`**: Host address for SSE transport (default: "0.0.0.0")
- **`port`**: Port number for SSE transport (default: 8000)
- **`log_level`**: Logging level (default: "INFO")
- **`on_duplicate_tools`**: How to handle duplicate tool registrations
- **`on_duplicate_resources`**: How to handle duplicate resource registrations
- **`on_duplicate_prompts`**: How to handle duplicate prompt registrations

All of these can be configured directly as parameters when creating the `FastMCP` instance.

See the [Configuration](/advanced/configuration) page for more details.