What is the key difference between Npm and Crates?

Npm belongs to the Developer Tools category with cloud HTTP/SSE execution, while Crates belongs to the Developer Tools category with cloud HTTP/SSE execution.

How do I install Npm or Crates 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 Npm and Crates free or paid?

Npm operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Crates operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Npm lists 5 tools with 0 views and 0 GitHub stars. Crates lists 5 tools with 0 views and 0 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Npm and Crates 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

Npm vs Crates

In-depth architectural comparison of the Npm and Crates 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

Npm

Developer Tools · Remote HTTP/SSE

Quality: 55/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Crates

Developer Tools · Remote HTTP/SSE

Quality: 51/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Npm if you need specialized Developer Tools tools running via a hosted cloud SSE transport. Choose Crates 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?

Choose Npm 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).
Primary tools included: search_packages, get_package, get_downloads.

Explore Npm Details

Choose Crates 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).
Primary tools included: search_crates, get_crate, get_versions.

Explore Crates Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	N Npm Developer Tools	C Crates Developer Tools
Summary
Category & Scope	Developer Tools	Developer Tools
Quality signal

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Npm Tools (5)

search_packages

Search npm for packages by keyword. Returns package names, descriptions, latest versions, publish dates, and publishers. Use when discovering libraries for a task.

get_package

Get full details for a specific package: version, description, dependencies, homepage, repository, and license. Use after search_packages to evaluate a candidate package.

get_downloads

Fetch npm download counts for a package over a named period (last-day, last-week, last-month, last-year) or a custom date range like "2024-01-01:2024-06-30". Returns total downloads, start date, and end date.

list_versions

List published versions of an npm package with publish dates, dist-tags (latest/next/beta), and deprecation notices — answers "what versions of <pkg> exist", "when was <pkg> last published", "is the latest version deprecated". Returns versions newest-first, plus the package created/last-modified ti…

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).

Npm Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "npm": {
      "url": "https://pipeworx.io"
    }
  }
}

Crates Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "crates": {
      "url": "https://pipeworx.io"
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Npm is categorized under Developer Tools and uses a remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport. In contrast, Crates belongs to Developer Tools using remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport. Select Npm when you need capabilities focused on developer tools and Crates when you require tools for developer tools.