𝗠𝗖𝗣 𝘃𝘀 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀. 𝗠𝗖𝗣 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿. It gives AI systems a standard way to connect to external systems and capabilities. MCP servers expose tools that the model can discover and invoke, whether that’s querying a database, calling an API, or taking action in another system. Instead of building one-off integrations, MCP gives agents a consistent interface for accessing those capabilities. 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 for how an agent should perform a task. A Skill packages instructions in a SKILL. md file, alongside optional scripts, references, and other resources. Rather than adding another service or integration, Skills run within the agent’s existing environment and give it task-specific procedures, conventions, and know-how it can load when needed. MCP gives agents reach. Skills give them know-how. Together, they’re part of a broader shift toward AI taking a more active role in engineering work. But building capable AI systems involves more than connecting tools and defining instructions. Developers also need to understand how to work with data, implement retrieval, give AI models the right context, and more. MongoDB's AI Learning Hub helps you build these skills through free, self-paced learning tracks, hands-on tutorials, and practical resources 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 → lucode.co/ai-learning-hub-mo… Start building AI apps with MongoDB Atlas → lucode.co/mongodb-atlas-z75x… What else would you add? —— ♻️ Repost to help others learn AI. 🙏 Thanks to @MongoDB for sponsoring this post. ➕ Follow me ( Nikki Siapno ) to improve at AI and system design.

Top 12 API Security Best Practices: • Add rate limiting and throttling • Monitor and log activity • Use an API gateway • Encrypt data at rest • Validate all inputs • Version your APIs • Whitelist allowed clients • Use HTTPS • Enforce authentication • Enforce authorization • Manage dependencies proactively • Run regular security audits This list is not exhaustive, there are plenty more: API key/token lifecycle management, secret rotation, principle of least privilege, etc. If you want to dive deeper, I'm releasing some deep dive articles on API design in my newsletter over the next two months. What else would you add? —— 📌 PS: One of the most important skills for an engineer is system design. Download my 𝟮𝟭𝟴 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 for free and join 35,000+ engineers who get my free weekly newsletter → lucode.co/system-design-hand… —— ♻️ Repost to help others learn API security. ➕ Follow me ( @NikkiSiapno ) to improve at system design.