Chroma vs Databases (read-only, switchable)
Chroma is an MCP server published by chroma-core. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). Databases (read-only, switchable) is an MCP server published by shibbirweb. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-19. 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 |  Databases (read-only, switchable) |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:c050ca8e1d4e Forks (GitHub): 117 Pulls (Docker Hub): 60 722 Stars (Docker Hub): 5 Stars (GitHub): 600 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.1.0 Downloads/month (npm): 820 Downloads/week (npm): 30 Forks (GitHub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 0 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 | Databases (read-only, switchable) |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 600 (better) | 0 (worse) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 60 722 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 117 (better) | 0 (worse) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/chroma) | On your machine (@shibbirweb/mcp-db-read-only) |
| Transport | stdio | stdio |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 13 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 1, secrets among them: 1 | 16, secrets among them: 3 |
| Licence (differs) | Apache-2.0 | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/chroma-core/chroma-mcp | github.com/shibbirweb/mcp-db-read-only |
| 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.
Databases (read-only, switchable)
Read-only SQL, MongoDB, Redis and Elasticsearch access, switchable mid-conversation.
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)
Databases (read-only, switchable) As a local MCP server: npm package
claude mcp add --env "DB_PASSWORD=<YOUR_DB_PASSWORD>" --env "DB_PROFILES=<YOUR_DB_PROFILES>" --env "MYSQL_PASSWORD=<YOUR_MYSQL_PASSWORD>" --transport stdio mcp-db-read-only -- npx -y @shibbirweb/mcp-db-read-onlyRequires: DB_PASSWORD (secret), DB_PROFILES (secret), MYSQL_PASSWORD (secret)
Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of Databases (read-only, switchable) publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
Only Chroma asks for
CHROMA_API_KEY (secret)
Only Databases (read-only, switchable) asks for
DB_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_MSDB_DEFAULT_PROFILEDB_LOGDB_LOG_DIRDB_LOG_FILEDB_LOG_FORMATDB_LOG_HISTORYDB_LOG_PORTDB_PASSWORD (secret)DB_PROFILES (secret)DB_QUERY_TIMEOUT_MSDB_URL
Show the remaining 4
MYSQL_DATABASEMYSQL_HOSTMYSQL_PASSWORD (secret)MYSQL_USER
Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.
What it can do: Chroma · What it can do: Databases (read-only, switchable) · 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.