MCP Resources (MCP can do more than just Tools)

MCP can expose resources as well as tools—but when should you use each? In this C# walkthrough, I build a remote MCP server with customer data and an image resource, test it in Insomnia, and show how Codex discovers and reads resources. Source code: https://github.com/rwjdk/agent-framew... You'll learn how to: • Compare MCP tools and resources, including client support and payload tradeoffs • Register tools and resources in an ASP.NET Core MCP server • Define resource URI templates, names, descriptions, and MIME types • Return customer JSON and a PNG image using BlobResourceContents • Test both interfaces in Insomnia and guide Codex to use resources My course — AI in C# using the Microsoft Agent Framework: https://www.udemy.com/course/ai-in-c-... Microsoft Agent Framework playlist:    • Microsoft Agent Framework for C#: All videos   Chapters 00:00 MCP tools versus resources 02:23 Payload size and client limitations 03:47 Build a remote MCP server in C# 05:07 Resource attributes, URI templates, and MIME types 06:34 Return an image as a blob resource 07:08 Test tools and resources in Insomnia 08:43 Use MCP resources from Codex 11:28 When I would choose resources 12:49 Why resources matter for MCP Apps GitHub: https://github.com/rwjdk #MCP #CSharp #ModelContextProtocol