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Launching an API

This guide explains how to launch the API you created using the Gateway discovery process.

Prerequisites

Before launching your API, ensure you have:

  1. Gateway installed using one of the installation methods
  2. A generated gateway.yaml configuration file from the API generation process

Starting the REST API Server

Once you have your configuration file, you can start the API server with a simple command:

Terminal window
# Launch the API using your gateway.yaml configuration
./gateway start --config gateway.yaml rest

Parameter Descriptions:

  • start: Initiates the Gateway service
  • --config gateway.yaml: Path to your generated API configuration file
  • rest: Specifies that you want to start a REST API server

Accessing Your API

After running the command, Gateway will launch a web server with the following default settings:

The Swagger documentation provides a complete interactive reference for all endpoints in your API, allowing you to:

  • Explore available endpoints
  • Test API calls directly from the browser
  • View request and response schemas
  • Understand parameter requirements

Customizing Server Settings

If you need to customize the server address or port, you can modify the gateway.yaml file or provide command-line overrides:

Terminal window
# Launch on a different port
./gateway start --config gateway.yaml rest --addr :7000

Launching MCP SSE Server Mode

To start Gateway in MCP (Message Communication Protocol) SSE server mode, use the following command:

Terminal window
# Launch the API in MCP server mode
./gateway start --config gateway.yaml mcp

By default it will be available on address:

http://localhost:9090/sse

MCP Server Parameters:

  • start: Initiates the Gateway service
  • --addr: Address for gateway server (default: “:9090”)
  • --config gateway.yaml: Path to your generated API configuration file
  • mcp: Specifies that you want to start an MCP server

The MCP server mode allows for efficient message-based communication between services.

Using MCP StdInOut Mode

For scenarios where you need direct input/output communication, you can use the MCP StdInOut mode for example when working with local applications like Claude Desktop or Cursor:

Terminal window
# Launch the API in MCP StdInOut mode
./gateway start --config gateway.yaml mcp-stdio

MCP StdInOut Parameters:

  • start: Initiates the Gateway service
  • --config gateway.yaml: Path to your generated API configuration file
  • mcp-stdio: Specifies that you want to use MCP with standard input/output

This mode is particularly useful for:

  • Testing and debugging MCP communication
  • Integration with systems that require direct stdin/stdout communication and local launching applications
  • Script-based automation and pipeline processing