API Gateway vs mcp-apps
API Gateway is an MCP server published by rflpazini. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). mcp-apps is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by modelcontextprotocol. Marketplaces we read that list it: 2 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-official, Claude Code: claude-plugins-community). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-13. 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 |   API Gateway | mcp-apps |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:9cc67b4a037f Forks (GitHub): 12 Pulls (Docker Hub): 58 363 Stars (Docker Hub): 6 Stars (GitHub): 44 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-official | Not listed | Listed Version: 0.1.0 Forks (GitHub): 402 Stars (GitHub): 2 943 Not marked · First seen |
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Not listed | Listed Version: 0.1.0 Forks (GitHub): 402 Stars (GitHub): 2 943 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 | API Gateway | mcp-apps |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 1 (worse) | 2 (better) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 44 (worse) | 2 943 (better) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 58 363 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 12 (worse) | 402 (better) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/api-gateway) | Installs as a plugin bundle |
| Transport (differs) | stdio | Not stated |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 2 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 3, secrets among them: 0 | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | Not a bundle | 4 |
| Licence (differs) | Not stated | MIT |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/rflpazini/mcp-api-gateway | github.com/modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps |
| 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
API Gateway
A universal MCP (Model Context Protocol) server to integrate any API with Claude Desktop using only Docker configurations.
mcp-apps
Skills for creating MCP Apps with the MCP Apps SDK
How to run each
API Gateway As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --transport stdio mcp-api-gateway -- docker run -i --rm mcp/api-gatewaymcp-apps As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin install mcp-apps@claude-plugins-officialCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of mcp-apps publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
The marketplaces of mcp-apps publish no settings it asks for, so we do not compare settings.
What it can do: API Gateway · What it can do: mcp-apps · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-official/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.