Node.js 91 packages installed
91 packages installed
for a hello world.
zeromcp vs @modelcontextprotocol/sdk — side by side.
Dependencies
0 ZeroMCP
vs. 91 Official SDK
Throughput
4.19K req/s ZeroMCP
vs. 2.59K req/s Official SDK
Memory
26 MB ZeroMCP
vs. 174 MB Official SDK
This is a hello world
3 imports. A server class. A Zod schema. A transport. 12 lines before your tool does anything.
@modelcontextprotocol/sdk 12 lines
import { McpServer } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/mcp.js";
import { StdioServerTransport } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/stdio.js";
import { z } from "zod";
const server = new McpServer({ name: "test", version: "1.0.0" });
server.tool("hello", { name: z.string() }, async ({ name }) => ({
content: [{ type: "text", text: `Hello, ${name}!` }],
}));
const transport = new StdioServerTransport();
await server.connect(transport);This is the whole server
No server class. No schema library. No transport setup.
Drop it in a folder and run zeromcp serve.
ZeroMCP 9 lines
// tools/hello.js
export default {
description: "Say hello to someone",
input: {
name: 'string',
},
execute: async ({ name }) => {
return `Hello, ${name}!`;
},
};HTTP Performance — Head to Head
Mixed workload across all 7 MCP method types. 5-minute sustained load in Docker. bare http for ZeroMCP, stdio proxy for the official SDK.
req/s CPU Memory Ratio
ZeroMCP (bare http) 4.19K 0.02% 26 MB 1.6x
Official SDK 2.59K 0.02% 174 MB
The tradeoff
Choose the official SDK
If you need same-day MCP spec update tracking or enterprise support contracts. The official SDK is maintained by the spec team at Anthropic and ships new spec features the day they're announced.
- Zod schemas — native runtime type checking if your team standardizes on Zod
- Spec parity — tracks every spec change immediately
- Enterprise support — maintained by the MCP specification team at Anthropic
Choose ZeroMCP
If you want to ship fast. Drop a file, embed in your existing HTTP server, zero dependencies. Production performance without the ceremony.
- 0 dependencies
- File-based tools — drop a .js file, it's live
- 19 HTTP frameworks supported
- Built-in sandbox with enforced permissions
- 4.19K req/s on bare http