# 5 agent architecture scenarios: assess MCP vs. A2A

DevFeed: [5 agent architecture scenarios: assess MCP vs. A2A](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/5-agent-architecture-scenarios-assess-mcp-vs-a2a-4764.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://redis.io/blog/5-agent-architectures-mcp-a2a-protocol-guide/>)

Author: Jeff Mills

Published: 2026-07-22T00:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Redis Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/redis-blog.md>)

Topics: [Model Context Protocol](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/model-context-protocol.md>), [Remote Procedure Call (RPC)](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/rpc.md>), [JSON](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/json.md>), [Large Language Model](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/llm.md>), [anthropic](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/anthropic.md>)

Tags: [agent](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agent.md>), [anthropic](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/anthropic.md>), [apis](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/apis.md>), [architecture](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/architecture.md>), [article](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/article.md>), [data](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/data.md>), [external](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/external.md>), [json](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/json.md>), [llms](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/llms.md>), [mcp](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/mcp.md>), [rpc](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/rpc.md>), [server](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/server.md>), [tech-de](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/tech-de.md>)

## AI overview

An analysis of five agent architecture scenarios, using the boundary between an agent and external tools or data, and the boundary between agents, to clarify when MCP or A2A is appropriate. It explains MCP's client-host-server model and JSON-RPC exchanges, contrasts it with A2A, and emphasizes that neither protocol is universally required.

## Source excerpt

We've watched enterprise teams go from vague "we might do agent stuff" conversations to full internal agent environments in a matter of months, and the same protocol question comes up in almost every one: does the design need the Model Context Protoco...