API vs MCP: a wordless two-panel vector infographic about how software reaches outside services, before and after the Model Context Protocol. On the left, a user sends one request into a solid boundary. Inside, three apps are each wired to a dedicated service, and matching triangle, circle and square symbols show that every app talks only to the endpoint built for it. A fourth pairing, marked with a star, sits outside; its link is crossed out, signalling that growth means new code. The right side starts from the same user and query. A single app passes it to one MCP client, whose connection branches to two local servers sharing one location pin, while a lock marks the authorised route to remote servers, each beneath its own pin. One request, many sources: fixed reach versus extendable reach. Suits developer docs, technical talks, course material and articles on agents, tool use and interoperability.
