Pamela Fox presents a detailed series on building, deploying, and securing MCP servers with Python and Azure, covering FastMCP, cloud deployment, and authentication using Microsoft Entra.

Building and Deploying MCP Servers with Python and Azure

Pamela Fox’s three-part livestream series, Python + MCP, guides developers through building Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers in Python, deploying them to Azure, and implementing secure authentication. All accompanying materials—including presentation slides, video sessions, and open-source code samples—are provided for extended learning.

Series Overview

  • Build MCP servers in Python using FastMCP
  • Deploy servers on Azure (Container Apps and Azure Functions)
  • Add authentication leveraging Microsoft Entra as the OAuth provider

Resources

Part 1: Building MCP Servers with FastMCP

  • Introduction to MCP (Model Context Protocol): An open protocol for extending AI agents and chatbots with enhanced, custom functionality.
  • Guide to building an MCP server in Python using the FastMCP SDK.
  • Integrate with chatbots like GitHub Copilot in VS Code using resources, tool callbacks, and prompts.
  • Examples of connecting with frameworks like Langchain and Microsoft agent-framework.
  • Session slides Code repository

Part 2: Deploying MCP Servers on Azure

  • Steps for containerizing an MCP server using Docker.
  • Deploying containers to Azure Container Apps.
  • Observability using OpenTelemetry, Azure Application Insights, and Logfire.
  • Private networking for MCP servers via Azure virtual networks.
  • Session slides Code examples

Part 3: Adding Authentication with Microsoft Entra

  • Implementing API key-based authentication for basic security.
  • OAuth2 integration for user-specific data, exploring advanced flows such as PRM and DCR/CIMD for MCP.
  • Demonstrating full authentication flows with KeyCloak (open-source identity provider), and implementing an OAuth proxy pattern with Microsoft Entra.
  • Session slides Code repositories, Functions examples

Additional Information

  • Weekly office hours via Foundry Discord for community Q&A: Join here
  • Materials available for classroom and self-guided learning

Author: Pamela Fox

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