diff --git a/api/app.js b/api/app.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3ca81b93
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/app.js
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+'use strict';
+
+var cors = require('cors')
+var express = require('express');
+var compress = require('compression');
+var bodyParser = require('body-parser');
+
+var routes = require('./routes');
+
+function init(backend) {
+  var app = express();
+
+  // parse POST data
+  app.use(cors());
+  app.use(compress());
+  app.use(bodyParser.json());
+  app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ extended: false }));
+
+  // install routes
+  app.use('/', routes(backend));
+
+  // catch 404 and forward to error handler
+  app.use(function(req, res, next) {
+      var err = new Error('Not Found');
+      err.status = 404;
+      next(err);
+  });
+
+  // production error handler
+  app.use(function(err, req, res, next) {
+      res.status(err.status || 500);
+      res.send({
+          message: err.message,
+          error: {}
+      });
+  });
+
+  return app;
+}
+
+module.exports = init;
diff --git a/api/bin/www b/api/bin/www
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..55d52e15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/bin/www
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+
+/**
+ * Module dependencies.
+ */
+
+var API = require('../app');
+var http = require('http');
+
+/**
+ * Init api with backing services
+ */
+
+var Node = {
+  status: 'live',
+  nodes: 123
+}
+var app = new API(Node);
+
+/**
+ * Get port from environment and store in Express.
+ */
+
+var port = normalizePort(process.env.PORT || '8000');
+app.set('port', port);
+
+/**
+ * Create HTTP server.
+ */
+
+var server = http.createServer(app);
+
+/**
+ * Listen on provided port, on all network interfaces.
+ */
+
+server.listen(port);
+server.on('error', onError);
+server.on('listening', onListening);
+
+/**
+ * Normalize a port into a number, string, or false.
+ */
+
+function normalizePort(val) {
+  var port = parseInt(val, 10);
+
+  if (isNaN(port)) {
+    // named pipe
+    return val;
+  }
+
+  if (port >= 0) {
+    // port number
+    return port;
+  }
+
+  return false;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Event listener for HTTP server "error" event.
+ */
+
+function onError(error) {
+  if (error.syscall !== 'listen') {
+    throw error;
+  }
+
+  var bind = typeof port === 'string'
+    ? 'Pipe ' + port
+    : 'Port ' + port
+
+  // handle specific listen errors with friendly messages
+  switch (error.code) {
+    case 'EACCES':
+      console.error(bind + ' requires elevated privileges');
+      process.exit(1);
+      break;
+    case 'EADDRINUSE':
+      console.error(bind + ' is already in use');
+      process.exit(1);
+      break;
+    default:
+      throw error;
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Event listener for HTTP server "listening" event.
+ */
+
+function onListening() {
+  var addr = server.address();
+  var bind = typeof addr === 'string'
+    ? 'pipe ' + addr
+    : 'port ' + addr.port;
+  console.log('Listening on ' + bind);
+}
diff --git a/api/routes/index.js b/api/routes/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..645f8d9f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/routes/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+'use strict';
+
+var express = require('express');
+var router = express.Router();
+
+function initRouter(backend) {
+  var v1 = require('./v1')(backend);
+  var v2 = require('./v2')(backend);
+
+  router.use('/v1', v1);
+  router.use('/v2', v2);
+
+  router.get('/', function(req, res, next) {
+    res.send('bitcore node api');
+  });
+
+  return router;
+}
+
+module.exports = initRouter;
diff --git a/api/routes/v1.js b/api/routes/v1.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bfcaabf3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/routes/v1.js
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+'use strict';
+
+var express = require('express');
+
+function initRouter(backend) {
+  var router = express.Router();
+
+  function mockResponse(req, res, next) {
+    res.send('This is a mocked response. Backed service is: ' + backend.status);
+  }
+
+  router.get('/blocks', mockResponse);
+  router.get('/block/:blockHash', mockResponse);
+  router.get('/block-index/:height', mockResponse);
+
+  // Transaction routes
+  router.get('/tx/:txid', mockResponse);
+  router.get('/txs', mockResponse);
+  router.post('/tx/send', mockResponse);
+
+  // Address routes
+  router.get('/addr/:addr', mockResponse);
+  router.get('/addr/:addr/utxo', mockResponse);
+  router.get('/addrs/:addrs/utxo', mockResponse);
+  router.post('/addrs/utxo', mockResponse);
+  router.get('/addrs/:addrs/txs', mockResponse);
+  router.post('/addrs/txs', mockResponse);
+
+  // Address property routes
+  router.get('/addr/:addr/balance', mockResponse);
+  router.get('/addr/:addr/totalReceived', mockResponse);
+  router.get('/addr/:addr/totalSent', mockResponse);
+  router.get('/addr/:addr/unconfirmedBalance', mockResponse);
+
+  // Status route
+  router.get('/status', mockResponse);
+  router.get('/sync', mockResponse);
+  router.get('/peer', mockResponse);
+
+  // Currency
+  router.get('/currency', mockResponse);
+
+  // Address routes
+  router.get('/messages/verify', mockResponse);
+  router.post('/messages/verify', mockResponse);
+
+  return router;
+}
+
+module.exports = initRouter;
diff --git a/api/routes/v2.js b/api/routes/v2.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b6e51377
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/routes/v2.js
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+'use strict';
+
+var express = require('express');
+
+function initRouter(backend) {
+  var router = express.Router();
+
+  router.get('/blocks', function(req, res, next) {
+    res.send('blocks v2 ' + backend.nodes);
+  });
+
+  return router;
+}
+
+module.exports = initRouter;
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 957d0d66..20437458 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -52,8 +52,10 @@
     "buffertools": "*",
     "commander": "^2.3.0",
     "config": "^1.12.0",
+    "compression": "^1.4.1",
+    "cors": "^2.5.3",
     "cron": "^1.0.4",
-    "express": "~3.4.7",
+    "express": "4.11.1",
     "glob": "*",
     "js-yaml": "^3.2.7",
     "leveldown": "~0.10.0",