Unla
🧩 MCP Gateway - A lightweight gateway service that instantly transforms existing MCP Servers and APIs into MCP servers with zero code changes. Features Docker deployment and management UI, requiring no infrastructure modifications.
What is Unla?
Unla is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to 🧩 mcp gateway - a lightweight gateway service that instantly transforms existing mcp servers and apis into mcp servers with zero code changes. features docker deployment and management ui, requiring ...
🧩 MCP Gateway - A lightweight gateway service that instantly transforms existing MCP Servers and APIs into MCP servers with zero code changes. Features Docker deployment and management UI, requiring no infrastructure modifications.
This server falls under the Developer Tools category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- 🧩 MCP Gateway - A lightweight gateway service that instantly
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx unlaConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Unla
Unla is a lightweight MCP gateway that transforms existing REST APIs and MCP servers into MCP-compliant endpoints without modifying any source code. It deploys as a single Docker container with a web management UI, supports SSE and Streamable HTTP protocols, and handles multi-tenant sessions with hot-reload configuration. Teams use it to expose internal APIs or third-party services as MCP tools for AI agents instantly, without writing adapter code or managing per-API integrations.
Prerequisites
- Docker and Docker Compose installed (recommended deployment method)
- Ports 8080, 5234, 5235, 5335, and 5236 available on the host
- A secret string for APISERVER_JWT_SECRET_KEY (any strong random string)
- An MCP client such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any SSE-compatible agent
Pull and run the Unla all-in-one Docker image
Launch the Unla gateway with a single docker run command. Set the JWT secret and admin credentials via environment variables. The web UI will be available on port 8080.
docker run -d \
--name unla \
-p 8080:80 \
-p 5234:5234 \
-p 5235:5235 \
-p 5335:5335 \
-p 5236:5236 \
-e ENV=production \
-e APISERVER_JWT_SECRET_KEY=your_strong_secret \
-e SUPER_ADMIN_USERNAME=admin \
-e SUPER_ADMIN_PASSWORD=changeme \
--restart unless-stopped \
ghcr.io/amoylab/unla/allinone:latestOpen the management UI
Navigate to http://localhost:8080 in your browser and log in with the SUPER_ADMIN_USERNAME and SUPER_ADMIN_PASSWORD you set in the previous step.
Add an API or MCP server via the UI
In the Unla dashboard, click 'Add Server' and paste a YAML configuration describing your target REST API or existing MCP server. Unla converts it to an MCP-compatible endpoint automatically — no code changes required.
Connect your MCP client to the Unla endpoint
Point your AI agent or MCP client to the Unla SSE or HTTP endpoint. The URL format uses the tenant path for multi-user deployments.
# SSE endpoint:
http://localhost:5235/mcp/user/sse
# Streamable HTTP endpoint:
http://localhost:5235/mcp/user/mcpConfigure Claude Desktop to use Unla
Add Unla as a remote MCP server in your claude_desktop_config.json. Use the SSE transport pointing to the Unla gateway endpoint.
{
"mcpServers": {
"unla-gateway": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-sse", "http://localhost:5235/mcp/user/sse"]
}
}
}Unla Examples
Client configuration
Docker Compose setup for the Unla MCP gateway with required environment variables.
{
"mcpServers": {
"unla": {
"url": "http://localhost:5235/mcp/user/sse",
"transport": "sse"
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts once your APIs are registered in the Unla gateway.
- "List all the tools available through the Unla gateway."
- "Call the weather API tool to get the current forecast for New York."
- "Use the registered CRM API to fetch all open support tickets."
- "Hot-reload the gateway configuration without restarting any services."Troubleshooting Unla
Web UI at localhost:8080 returns connection refused
Check that the Docker container started successfully with 'docker logs unla'. Ensure port 8080 is not already in use on the host before running the container.
MCP client cannot connect to the SSE endpoint
Confirm the container is running and port 5235 is exposed. Also verify that the APISERVER_JWT_SECRET_KEY is set — without it the API server will refuse connections.
API conversion produces no tools in the MCP client
Review the YAML configuration in the Unla dashboard for syntax errors. Ensure the target API base URL is reachable from inside the Docker container (use host.docker.internal instead of localhost for APIs on the host machine).
Frequently Asked Questions about Unla
What is Unla?
Unla is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that 🧩 mcp gateway - a lightweight gateway service that instantly transforms existing mcp servers and apis into mcp servers with zero code changes. features docker deployment and management ui, requiring no infrastructure modifications. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Unla?
Follow the installation instructions on the Unla GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Unla?
Unla works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Unla free to use?
Yes, Unla is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Quick Config Preview
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