DeployStack Development

Welcome to the DeployStack development documentation! DeployStack is a comprehensive enterprise platform for managing Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, featuring a cloud control plane, local gateway proxy, and modern web interface for team-based MCP server orchestration.

Architecture Overview

DeployStack implements a sophisticated Control Plane / Data Plane architecture for enterprise MCP server management:

Frontend: Vue 3 + TypeScript web application providing the management interface for MCP server configurations
Backend: Fastify-based cloud control plane handling authentication, team management, and configuration distribution
Gateway: Local secure proxy that runs on developer machines, managing MCP server processes and credential injection
Shared: Common utilities and TypeScript types used across all services
Dual Transport: Supports both stdio (CLI tools) and SSE (VS Code) protocols for maximum compatibility

Development Areas

Frontend Development

Vue 3 web application with TypeScript, Vite, and shadcn-vue components. Direct fetch API patterns, SFC components, and internationalization.

Backend Development

Fastify cloud control plane with Drizzle ORM, plugin architecture, role-based access control, and OpenAPI documentation generation.

Gateway Development

Local secure proxy managing MCP server processes, credential injection, dual transport protocols (stdio/SSE), and team-based access control.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Node.js 18 or higher
npm 8 or higher
Git for version control
DeployStack account at cloud.deploystack.io (for gateway development)

Quick Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/deploystackio/deploystack.git
cd deploystack

# Install dependencies for all services
cd services/frontend && npm install
cd ../backend && npm install
cd ../gateway && npm install

# Start development servers (in separate terminals)
# Terminal 1 - Backend
cd services/backend && npm run dev  # http://localhost:3000

# Terminal 2 - Frontend
cd services/frontend && npm run dev  # http://localhost:5173

# Terminal 3 - Gateway (optional, for local MCP testing)
cd services/gateway && npm run dev   # http://localhost:9095

Development Workflow

Choose Your Service: Select frontend, backend, or gateway based on your contribution area
Set Up Environment: Follow the specific setup guides for your chosen service
Understand Architecture: Review how services interact (Frontend ↔ Backend ↔ Gateway)
Make Changes: Implement features following established patterns (Vue SFC for frontend, plugins for backend, process management for gateway)
Test: Run comprehensive test suites for your service
Submit: Create pull requests following our contribution guidelines

Project Structure

deploystack/
├── services/
│   ├── frontend/           # Vue 3 frontend application
│   │   ├── src/
│   │   ├── public/
│   │   └── package.json
│   ├── backend/            # Fastify backend API
│   │   ├── src/
│   │   ├── plugins/
│   │   └── package.json
│   ├── gateway/            # API Gateway service
│   │   ├── src/
│   │   ├── config/
│   │   └── package.json
│   └── shared/             # Shared utilities and types
│       └── package.json
├── docs/                   # Documentation
└── docker-compose.yml     # Development environment

Key Technologies

Frontend Stack

Vue 3 with Composition API and Single File Components (SFC)
TypeScript for type safety throughout the application
Vite for fast HMR and optimized builds
TailwindCSS with shadcn-vue component library
Direct fetch() API calls (no axios or API client libraries)
Vue I18n for multi-language support

Backend Stack

Fastify for high-performance cloud control plane
TypeScript with full type safety
Drizzle ORM supporting SQLite and PostgreSQL
Zod validation with automatic OpenAPI generation
Plugin System with isolated routes (/api/plugin/<id>/)
Role-Based Access Control with session management

Gateway Stack

Node.js process management runtime
Dual Transport stdio for CLI tools, SSE for VS Code
Secure Credential Injection without developer exposure
Process Manager for persistent MCP server processes
Session Management with cryptographic security
Team-Based Caching for instant startup and tool discovery

Development Philosophy

Enterprise MCP Management

DeployStack provides enterprise-grade MCP server orchestration through:

Control Plane Architecture: Cloud-based configuration management with local gateway execution
Security-First Design: Credential injection without exposure, team-based access control
Universal Compatibility: Supports MCP servers in any language (Node.js, Python, Go, Rust)
Developer Experience: Seamless integration with VS Code, CLI tools, and development workflows
Process Persistence: MCP servers run as managed background services with automatic lifecycle management

Code Quality

Type Safety: TypeScript throughout the stack
Testing: Comprehensive test coverage
Documentation: Clear, up-to-date documentation
Security: Built-in security best practices

Contributing

We welcome contributions to DeployStack! Key areas include:

Frontend: Vue components, UI/UX improvements, new management features
Backend: API endpoints, plugin development, database optimizations
Gateway: Process management, transport protocols, credential handling
Documentation: Guides, examples, API documentation
MCP Servers: Support for new MCP server types and configurations
Security: Enhanced credential management, access control improvements

Community

GitHub: deploystackio/deploystack
Issues: Report bugs and request features

For detailed development guides, choose your area of interest from the cards above. Each section contains comprehensive documentation for getting started, best practices, and advanced topics.

Frontend Development

Backend Development

Gateway Development

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