In-depth architectural comparison of the Arcgis Cranston and Data Brussels MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.
At a Glance & Executive Verdict
Arcgis Cranston
Developer Tools · Remote HTTP/SSE
Quality: 49/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required
Data Brussels
Developer Tools · Remote HTTP/SSE
Quality: 49/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required
Verdict Summary: Choose Arcgis Cranston if you need specialized Developer Tools tools running via a hosted cloud SSE transport. Choose Data Brussels if your workspace requires Developer Tools integration with remote web transport. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.
Which MCP Server Should You Choose?
A
Choose Arcgis Cranston when:
You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
You prefer remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Search Cranston GIS open geospatial datasets (parcels, zoning & city services) by keyword. Returns each dataset's name, summary, record_count, owner/org, and its Feature Service `url` — pass that url to query_layer / layer_info.
query_layer
Query an ArcGIS Feature Service / Map Service layer by its url (from search_datasets). SQL-like `where`, comma-separated `out_fields`, `order_by`, `limit`, `offset`. Returns attribute rows (and geometry). Use where="1=1" + out_fields="*" to sample.
layer_info
Get an ArcGIS Feature/Map Service layer's schema by url: fields (name + type), geometry type, total record count, and capabilities.
Data Brussels Tools (3)
search_datasets
Search Brussels Open Data for datasets by keyword (city services, mobility, culture & urban data). Returns dataset_ids (pass to query/dataset_info), titles, themes and record counts.
Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations
Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).
Arcgis Cranston is categorized under Developer Tools and uses a remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport. In contrast, Data Brussels belongs to Developer Tools using remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport. Select Arcgis Cranston when you need capabilities focused on developer tools and Data Brussels when you require tools for developer tools.