Docker MCP Gateway: Empowering Secure and Scalable Agentic AI

As agentic AI continues to revolutionize industries, the need for secure, manageable infrastructure has never been greater. Docker's MCP Gateway rises to this challenge, offering an open-source solution that supports developers in scaling agent-based applications from local setups to robust production environments while maintaining rigorous security controls.

Image: Docker

Building on a Strong Foundation

Docker’s journey began with the MCP Toolkit, which set the standard for defining, sharing, and running agent-based workloads using Docker Compose. The community’s enthusiastic adoption, evidenced by over a million pulls from the Docker MCP Catalog, highlighted a clear demand for more scalable and secure orchestration. 

The MCP Gateway addresses this need by serving as a transparent, open-source enforcement point that bridges agents and external tools securely, integrating seamlessly with established Docker Compose workflows.

Key Features of Docker MCP Gateway

• Open Source and Community-Driven: The MCP Gateway is fully open source, hosted on GitHub, and actively encourages community contributions, ensuring transparency and rapid improvement.
  
  
• Discovery: Developers can easily browse available MCP servers on their host catalogs with intuitive CLI commands, simplifying tool selection for each project.
  
  
• Configuration Management: The Gateway streamlines secure management of secrets and server configurations—allowing safe injection of sensitive API keys and flexible handling of environment-specific settings across diverse MCP servers.
  
  
• Flexible Runtime Control: Through Docker’s CLI, users can expose specific MCP servers, customize configurations, and restrict accessible agentic tools, tailoring deployments to specific needs.
  
  
• Security Enhancements: Security is central to the Gateway. Pluggable interceptors verify container image signatures, block the leakage of sensitive data, and log calls for comprehensive auditability. These features help reduce risk and simplify compliance for AI deployments at scale.

Why This Matters for Agentic AI

Autonomous AI agents introduce complexity and elevate security risks. The MCP Gateway addresses these challenges by consolidating various MCP servers behind a governed, consistent interface. With native support in Docker Desktop and compatibility with community editions, the Gateway empowers both individual developers and organizations to build, scale, and secure agentic AI applications with confidence.

How the Workflow Comes Together

The MCP Gateway offers a streamlined yet powerful workflow:

• Discover: Use CLI commands to list all available MCP servers on your system.

  docker mcp catalog show​  Copy

• Configure: Securely manage secrets and set environment configurations tailored to your selected servers.

  docker mcp secret set 'brave.api_key=XXXXX' Copy

• Run: Enable and expose desired MCP servers, configure custom transports like SSE, and control which agentic tools are available.

  docker mcp server enable google-maps brave
  docker mcp gateway run Copy

• Secure: Activate features such as signature verification, call logging, and secret blocking to safeguard hosts and clients.

  docker mcp gateway run \
    --verify-signatures \
    --log-calls \
    --block-secrets Copy

A Foundation for the Future

The Docker MCP Gateway is quickly becoming an essential component for anyone developing agentic AI systems. Its open-source, transparent, and security-first approach lowers barriers for innovation while ensuring operational peace of mind. Developers can focus on advancing AI solutions, knowing their infrastructure is both scalable and protected. Explore the project’s GitHub repository to get started and connect with a vibrant community shaping the next generation of secure AI infrastructure.

Source: Docker Blog