Deployment Overview

Deploy the IBM i MCP Server using container images, Docker Compose, or OpenShift with Kustomize.

Deploy the IBM i MCP Server in containerized environments for production use, team access, or integration with AI gateway platforms.

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Deployment Options

Docker & Podman

Run the server using pre-built container images from GitHub Container Registry. Supports amd64, arm64, and ppc64le architectures.

OpenShift

Deploy to Red Hat OpenShift using Kustomize with source-to-image (S2I) builds, auto-redeployment triggers, and enterprise-grade routing.

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Container Images

Official container images are published to GitHub Container Registry on each release:

ghcr.io/ibm/ibmi-mcp-server

Architecture	Tag Pattern	Use Case
amd64	amd64-v0.3.1	Standard x86-64 servers and cloud VMs
arm64	arm64-v0.3.1	Apple Silicon Macs, ARM-based cloud instances
ppc64le	ppc64le-v0.3.1	IBM Power Systems, running alongside IBM i

Images are built automatically by GitHub Actions when a new version tag is pushed. Each architecture gets its own tagged image.

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Prerequisites

All deployment methods require:

1. Mapepire running on IBM i — The WebSocket-based SQL gateway that the MCP server connects to. See the Setup Mapepire guide if not already configured.
2. IBM i credentials — Hostname, user profile, and password with database authorities.
3. Network connectivity — The container must be able to reach your IBM i system on the Mapepire port (default: 8076).

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Quick Comparison

	Docker / Podman	OpenShift
Best for	Local development, small teams, standalone deployments	Enterprise production, multi-tenant, CI/CD pipelines
Setup time	5 minutes	30 minutes
Scaling	Manual (docker-compose replicas)	Automatic (pod autoscaling)
TLS	Manual (reverse proxy)	Built-in (OpenShift Routes)
Image builds	Pre-built from GHCR	Source-to-Image (S2I) from Git
Monitoring	Container logs	OpenShift console, OpenTelemetry

Not ready for containers?

Run the server directly with npx or from source — no container runtime required. See the Quick Start Guide.