What is the key difference between Containerization Assist and Portainer MCP?

Containerization Assist belongs to the Cloud Platforms category with local stdio execution, while Portainer MCP belongs to the Cloud Platforms category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Containerization Assist or Portainer MCP in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Containerization Assist and Portainer MCP free or paid?

Containerization Assist operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Portainer MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (API Key required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Containerization Assist lists 14 tools with 2 views and 41 GitHub stars. Portainer MCP lists 6 tools with 8 views and 233 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Containerization Assist and Portainer MCP together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Containerization Assist vs Portainer MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the Containerization Assist and Portainer MCP 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

Containerization Assist

Cloud Platforms · Local stdio

Quality: 57/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Portainer MCP

Cloud Platforms · Local stdio

Quality: 52/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Verdict Summary: Choose Containerization Assist if you need specialized Cloud Platforms tools running via a local process. Choose Portainer MCP if your workspace requires Cloud Platforms integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Containerization Assist when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Cloud Platforms domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: analyze-repo, generate-dockerfile, fix-dockerfile.

Explore Containerization Assist Details

Choose Portainer MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Cloud Platforms domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: PORTAINER_URL, PORTAINER_API_KEY, PORTAINER_TLS_VERIFY, PORTAINER_MCP_ALLOWED_HOSTS, PORTAINER_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN, PORTAINER_MCP_TLS_CERT, PORTAINER_MCP_TLS_KEY, PORTAINER_MCP_TRUST_PROXY_AUTH.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Containerization Assist Cloud Platforms	Portainer MCP portainer Cloud Platforms
Summary	TypeScript MCP server for AI-powered containerization workflows with Docker and Kubernetes support	/🏠 - A powerful MCP server that enables AI assistants to seamlessly interact with Portainer instances, providing natural language access to container management, deployment operations, and infrastructure monitoring capabilities.
Category & Scope	Cloud Platforms

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Containerization Assist Tools (14)

analyze-repo

Analyze repository structure and detect technologies by parsing config files

generate-dockerfile

Gather insights from knowledge base and return requirements for Dockerfile creation

fix-dockerfile

Analyze Dockerfile for issues including organizational policy validation and return knowledge-based fix recommendations

build-image-context

Prepare Docker build context with security analysis and return build commands

scan-image

Scan Docker images for security vulnerabilities with remediation guidance (uses Trivy CLI)

tag-image

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).

Containerization Assist Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "containerization-assist": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "containerization-assist-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Portainer MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "portainer-portainer-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "portainer-portainer-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PORTAINER_URL": "YOUR_PORTAINER_URL_HERE",
        "PORTAINER_API_KEY": "YOUR_PORTAINER_API_KEY_HERE",
        "PORTAINER_TLS_VERIFY": "YOUR_PORTAINER_TLS_VERIFY_HERE",
        "PORTAINER_MCP_ALLOWED_HOSTS": "YOUR_PORTAINER_MCP_ALLOWED_HOSTS_HERE",
        "PORTAINER_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN": "YOUR_PORTAINER_MCP_AUTH_TOKEN_HERE",
        "PORTAINER_MCP_TLS_CERT": "YOUR_PORTAINER_MCP_TLS_CERT_HERE",
        "PORTAINER_MCP_TLS_KEY": "YOUR_PORTAINER_MCP_TLS_KEY_HERE",
        "PORTAINER_MCP_TRUST_PROXY_AUTH": "YOUR_PORTAINER_MCP_TRUST_PROXY_AUTH_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Containerization Assist is categorized under Cloud Platforms and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Portainer MCP belongs to Cloud Platforms using local stdio subprocess. Select Containerization Assist when you need capabilities focused on cloud platforms and Portainer MCP when you require tools for cloud platforms.

More alternatives to Containerization Assist More alternatives to Portainer MCP Cloud Platforms category hub