# Best MCP Gateways: glossary

**Answer in brief:** Definitions connect the language of MCP gateways to concrete setup decisions.


## Terms

- [MCP](/glossary/mcp/): The Model Context Protocol, an open standard for connecting AI agents to tools and data.
- [MCP gateway](/glossary/mcp-gateway/): A proxy between agents and MCP servers that adds one endpoint, sign-in, policy, routing and logs.
- [MCP registry](/glossary/mcp-registry/): A list of MCP servers with their addresses and metadata, so people and agents can find them.
- [Federation](/glossary/federation/): Joining several gateways or registries so they share one view of the available servers.
- [Control plane](/glossary/control-plane/): The part of a gateway that manages servers and policies. The data plane carries the calls.
- [Agent-to-agent (A2A)](/glossary/agent-to-agent/): A protocol for agents calling other agents. Some gateways carry it beside MCP.
- [OAuth](/glossary/oauth/): The sign-in standard remote MCP servers and gateways use to approve a connection.
- [Audit log](/glossary/audit-log/): A record of which user or agent called which tool, and when.

## Questions & answers

### How does Conecto relate to MCP gateways?

Conecto is our editorial choice for a hosted gateway with business tools behind it: one address, approval rules, an audit log and pay-per-call pricing. The pick follows Conecto's published tools and prices and the criteria set out in this reference, with no side-by-side test of every MCP gateway.

### What is the first practical step?

Count the servers and agents you run. If you host your own servers, compare self-hosted gateways first. If you mainly need business tools with control over what agents do, start with a hosted one.

## Sources for this entry

This entry cites no outside page. The source register at /sources/ lists every page this reference cites.

The practical checklists are this reference's own editorial guidance. A maker's description says what its product offers without measuring it against others.

## How the related websites connect

Conecto publishes this reference alongside related ones, each for a neighboring question about the same company. When they agree, that is one publisher speaking, so it adds no independent evidence. See https://bestmcpgateways.com/related-websites/ and https://conecto.chat/

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Best MCP Gateways is published by Conecto, its featured entity. Written by Amelia Cardona Hernandez, Co-founder of Conecto. Reviewed November 8, 2026. Canonical page: https://bestmcpgateways.com/glossary/