Chroma vs MCP Database Server
Chroma is an MCP server published by chroma-core. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). MCP Database Server is an MCP server published by Souhar-dya. Marketplaces we read that list it: 2 (Official MCP Registry, Docker MCP Catalog). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-18. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  Chroma |   MCP Database Server |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:c050ca8e1d4e Forks (GitHub): 117 Pulls (Docker Hub): 60 155 Stars (Docker Hub): 5 Stars (GitHub): 599 Not marked · First seen |
Listed Version: sha256:9ccd629df448 Forks (GitHub): 13 Stars (GitHub): 19 Not marked · First seen |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.3.1 Forks (GitHub): 13 Stars (GitHub): 19 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | Chroma | MCP Database Server |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 1 (worse) | 2 (better) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 599 (better) | 19 (worse) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 60 155 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 117 (better) | 13 (worse) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/chroma) | On your machine (docker.io/souhardyak/mcp-db-server:1.3.1) |
| Transport | stdio | stdio |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 13 | 7 |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 1, secrets among them: 1 | 1, secrets among them: 0 |
| Licence (differs) | Apache-2.0 | NOASSERTION |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/chroma-core/chroma-mcp | github.com/souhar-dya/mcp-db-server |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 0 | 0 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
Chroma
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation that provides database capabilities for Chroma.
MCP Database Server
MCP server for SQLite, PostgreSQL, and MySQL with natural language to SQL and direct SQL tooling.
How to run each
Chroma As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --env "CHROMA_API_KEY=<YOUR_CHROMA_API_KEY>" --transport stdio chroma -- docker run -i --rm -e CHROMA_API_KEY mcp/chromaRequires: CHROMA_API_KEY (secret)
MCP Database Server As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --transport stdio mcp-db-server -- docker run -i --rm docker.io/souhardyak/mcp-db-server:1.3.1Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
Only Chroma declares
chroma_add_documentschroma_create_collectionchroma_delete_collectionchroma_delete_documentschroma_fork_collectionchroma_get_collection_countchroma_get_collection_infochroma_get_documentschroma_list_collectionschroma_modify_collectionchroma_peek_collectionchroma_query_documents
Show the remaining 1
chroma_update_documents
Only MCP Database Server declares
connect_to_databasedescribe_tableexecute_sqlget_connection_examplesget_current_database_infolist_tablesquery_database
Both declare
None
Tool names as each marketplace publishes them. More tools is not better in itself: compare what each needs for the job.
Settings each asks for
Only Chroma asks for
CHROMA_API_KEY (secret)
Only MCP Database Server asks for
DATABASE_URL
Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.
What it can do: Chroma · What it can do: MCP Database Server · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.