diff --git a/packages/backend-core/db.js b/packages/backend-core/db.js
index d2adf6c092..0d2869d9f1 100644
--- a/packages/backend-core/db.js
+++ b/packages/backend-core/db.js
@@ -3,4 +3,5 @@ module.exports = {
   ...require("./src/db/constants"),
   ...require("./src/db"),
   ...require("./src/db/views"),
+  ...require("./src/db/pouch"),
 }
diff --git a/packages/backend-core/package.json b/packages/backend-core/package.json
index a0c2ff2db1..a271b33557 100644
--- a/packages/backend-core/package.json
+++ b/packages/backend-core/package.json
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@
     "passport-jwt": "^4.0.0",
     "passport-local": "^1.0.0",
     "posthog-node": "^1.3.0",
+    "pouchdb-find": "^7.2.2",
+    "pouchdb-replication-stream": "^1.2.9",
     "sanitize-s3-objectkey": "^0.0.1",
     "tar-fs": "^2.1.1",
     "uuid": "^8.3.2",
diff --git a/packages/backend-core/src/cache/appMetadata.js b/packages/backend-core/src/cache/appMetadata.js
index 9e2317ae37..15a25006ab 100644
--- a/packages/backend-core/src/cache/appMetadata.js
+++ b/packages/backend-core/src/cache/appMetadata.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 const redis = require("../redis/authRedis")
-const { getCouch } = require("../db")
+const { getDB } = require("../db")
 const { DocumentTypes } = require("../db/constants")
 
 const AppState = {
@@ -10,11 +10,8 @@ const EXPIRY_SECONDS = 3600
 /**
  * The default populate app metadata function
  */
-const populateFromDB = async (appId, CouchDB = null) => {
-  if (!CouchDB) {
-    CouchDB = getCouch()
-  }
-  const db = new CouchDB(appId, { skip_setup: true })
+const populateFromDB = async appId => {
+  const db = getDB(appId, { skip_setup: true })
   return db.get(DocumentTypes.APP_METADATA)
 }
 
@@ -27,17 +24,16 @@ const isInvalid = metadata => {
  * Use redis cache to first read the app metadata.
  * If not present fallback to loading the app metadata directly and re-caching.
  * @param {string} appId the id of the app to get metadata from.
- * @param {object} CouchDB the database being passed
  * @returns {object} the app metadata.
  */
-exports.getAppMetadata = async (appId, CouchDB = null) => {
+exports.getAppMetadata = async appId => {
   const client = await redis.getAppClient()
   // try cache
   let metadata = await client.get(appId)
   if (!metadata) {
     let expiry = EXPIRY_SECONDS
     try {
-      metadata = await populateFromDB(appId, CouchDB)
+      metadata = await populateFromDB(appId)
     } catch (err) {
       // app DB left around, but no metadata, it is invalid
       if (err && err.status === 404) {
diff --git a/packages/backend-core/src/context/index.js b/packages/backend-core/src/context/index.js
index 968ad4eefb..bf815120fa 100644
--- a/packages/backend-core/src/context/index.js
+++ b/packages/backend-core/src/context/index.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 const env = require("../environment")
 const { Headers } = require("../../constants")
 const cls = require("./FunctionContext")
-const { getCouch } = require("../db")
+const { getDB } = require("../db")
 const { getProdAppID, getDevelopmentAppID } = require("../db/conversions")
 const { isEqual } = require("lodash")
 
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ exports.getAppId = () => {
   }
 }
 
-function getDB(key, opts) {
+function getContextDB(key, opts) {
   const dbOptsKey = `${key}${ContextKeys.DB_OPTS}`
   let storedOpts = cls.getFromContext(dbOptsKey)
   let db = cls.getFromContext(key)
@@ -143,7 +143,6 @@ function getDB(key, opts) {
     return db
   }
   const appId = exports.getAppId()
-  const CouchDB = getCouch()
   let toUseAppId
   switch (key) {
     case ContextKeys.CURRENT_DB:
@@ -156,7 +155,7 @@ function getDB(key, opts) {
       toUseAppId = getDevelopmentAppID(appId)
       break
   }
-  db = new CouchDB(toUseAppId, opts)
+  db = getDB(toUseAppId, opts)
   try {
     cls.setOnContext(key, db)
     if (opts) {
@@ -175,7 +174,7 @@ function getDB(key, opts) {
  * contained, dev or prod.
  */
 exports.getAppDB = opts => {
-  return getDB(ContextKeys.CURRENT_DB, opts)
+  return getContextDB(ContextKeys.CURRENT_DB, opts)
 }
 
 /**
@@ -183,7 +182,7 @@ exports.getAppDB = opts => {
  * contained a development app ID, this will open the prod one.
  */
 exports.getProdAppDB = opts => {
-  return getDB(ContextKeys.PROD_DB, opts)
+  return getContextDB(ContextKeys.PROD_DB, opts)
 }
 
 /**
@@ -191,5 +190,5 @@ exports.getProdAppDB = opts => {
  * contained a prod app ID, this will open the dev one.
  */
 exports.getDevAppDB = opts => {
-  return getDB(ContextKeys.DEV_DB, opts)
+  return getContextDB(ContextKeys.DEV_DB, opts)
 }
diff --git a/packages/backend-core/src/db/index.js b/packages/backend-core/src/db/index.js
index 163364dbf3..cc5eaaf9c5 100644
--- a/packages/backend-core/src/db/index.js
+++ b/packages/backend-core/src/db/index.js
@@ -1,13 +1,36 @@
-let Pouch
+const pouch = require("./pouch")
 
-module.exports.setDB = pouch => {
-  Pouch = pouch
+let PouchDB
+let initialised = false
+
+const put =
+  dbPut =>
+  async (doc, options = {}) => {
+    const response = await dbPut(doc, options)
+    // TODO: add created / updated
+    return response
+  }
+
+const checkInitialised = () => {
+  if (!initialised) {
+    throw new Error("init has not been called")
+  }
 }
 
-module.exports.getDB = dbName => {
-  return new Pouch(dbName)
+exports.init = opts => {
+  PouchDB = pouch.getPouch(opts)
+  initialised = true
 }
 
-module.exports.getCouch = () => {
-  return Pouch
+exports.getDB = (dbName, opts) => {
+  checkInitialised()
+  const db = new PouchDB(dbName, opts)
+  const dbPut = db.put
+  db.put = put(dbPut)
+  return db
+}
+
+exports.allDbs = () => {
+  checkInitialised()
+  return PouchDB.allDbs()
 }
diff --git a/packages/backend-core/src/db/pouch.js b/packages/backend-core/src/db/pouch.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0e3315b43c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend-core/src/db/pouch.js
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+const PouchDB = require("pouchdb")
+const env = require("../environment")
+
+exports.getCouchUrl = () => {
+  if (!env.COUCH_DB_URL) return
+
+  // username and password already exist in URL
+  if (env.COUCH_DB_URL.includes("@")) {
+    return env.COUCH_DB_URL
+  }
+
+  const [protocol, ...rest] = env.COUCH_DB_URL.split("://")
+
+  if (!env.COUCH_DB_USERNAME || !env.COUCH_DB_PASSWORD) {
+    throw new Error(
+      "CouchDB configuration invalid. You must provide a fully qualified CouchDB url, or the COUCH_DB_USER and COUCH_DB_PASSWORD environment variables."
+    )
+  }
+
+  return `${protocol}://${env.COUCH_DB_USERNAME}:${env.COUCH_DB_PASSWORD}@${rest}`
+}
+
+/**
+ * Return a constructor for PouchDB.
+ * This should be rarely used outside of the main application config.
+ * Exposed for exceptional cases such as in-memory views.
+ */
+exports.getPouch = (opts = {}) => {
+  const COUCH_DB_URL = exports.getCouchUrl() || "http://localhost:4005"
+
+  let POUCH_DB_DEFAULTS = {
+    prefix: COUCH_DB_URL,
+  }
+
+  if (opts.inMemory) {
+    const inMemory = require("pouchdb-adapter-memory")
+    PouchDB.plugin(inMemory)
+    POUCH_DB_DEFAULTS = {
+      prefix: undefined,
+      adapter: "memory",
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (opts.replication) {
+    const replicationStream = require("pouchdb-replication-stream")
+    PouchDB.plugin(replicationStream.plugin)
+    PouchDB.adapter("writableStream", replicationStream.adapters.writableStream)
+  }
+
+  if (opts.find) {
+    const find = require("pouchdb-find")
+    PouchDB.plugin(find)
+  }
+
+  const Pouch = PouchDB.defaults(POUCH_DB_DEFAULTS)
+  if (opts.allDbs) {
+    const allDbs = require("pouchdb-all-dbs")
+    allDbs(Pouch)
+  }
+
+  return Pouch
+}
diff --git a/packages/backend-core/src/db/utils.js b/packages/backend-core/src/db/utils.js
index f22273ccd5..e70f3fae79 100644
--- a/packages/backend-core/src/db/utils.js
+++ b/packages/backend-core/src/db/utils.js
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ const {
   getGlobalDBName,
 } = require("../tenancy")
 const fetch = require("node-fetch")
-const { getCouch } = require("./index")
+const { getDB, allDbs } = require("./index")
+const { getCouchUrl } = require("./pouch")
 const { getAppMetadata } = require("../cache/appMetadata")
 const { checkSlashesInUrl } = require("../helpers")
 const {
@@ -155,25 +156,6 @@ exports.getRoleParams = (roleId = null, otherProps = {}) => {
   return getDocParams(DocumentTypes.ROLE, roleId, otherProps)
 }
 
-exports.getCouchUrl = () => {
-  if (!env.COUCH_DB_URL) return
-
-  // username and password already exist in URL
-  if (env.COUCH_DB_URL.includes("@")) {
-    return env.COUCH_DB_URL
-  }
-
-  const [protocol, ...rest] = env.COUCH_DB_URL.split("://")
-
-  if (!env.COUCH_DB_USERNAME || !env.COUCH_DB_PASSWORD) {
-    throw new Error(
-      "CouchDB configuration invalid. You must provide a fully qualified CouchDB url, or the COUCH_DB_USER and COUCH_DB_PASSWORD environment variables."
-    )
-  }
-
-  return `${protocol}://${env.COUCH_DB_USERNAME}:${env.COUCH_DB_PASSWORD}@${rest}`
-}
-
 exports.getStartEndKeyURL = (base, baseKey, tenantId = null) => {
   const tenancy = tenantId ? `${SEPARATOR}${tenantId}` : ""
   return `${base}?startkey="${baseKey}${tenancy}"&endkey="${baseKey}${tenancy}${UNICODE_MAX}"`
@@ -189,7 +171,7 @@ exports.getAllDbs = async (opts = { efficient: false }) => {
   const efficient = opts && opts.efficient
   // specifically for testing we use the pouch package for this
   if (env.isTest()) {
-    return getCouch().allDbs()
+    return allDbs()
   }
   let dbs = []
   async function addDbs(url) {
@@ -201,7 +183,7 @@ exports.getAllDbs = async (opts = { efficient: false }) => {
       throw "Cannot connect to CouchDB instance"
     }
   }
-  let couchUrl = `${exports.getCouchUrl()}/_all_dbs`
+  let couchUrl = `${getCouchUrl()}/_all_dbs`
   let tenantId = getTenantId()
   if (!env.MULTI_TENANCY || (!efficient && tenantId === DEFAULT_TENANT_ID)) {
     // just get all DBs when:
@@ -232,7 +214,6 @@ exports.getAllDbs = async (opts = { efficient: false }) => {
  * @return {Promise<object[]>} returns the app information document stored in each app database.
  */
 exports.getAllApps = async ({ dev, all, idsOnly, efficient } = {}) => {
-  const CouchDB = getCouch()
   let tenantId = getTenantId()
   if (!env.MULTI_TENANCY && !tenantId) {
     tenantId = DEFAULT_TENANT_ID
@@ -260,7 +241,7 @@ exports.getAllApps = async ({ dev, all, idsOnly, efficient } = {}) => {
   }
   const appPromises = appDbNames.map(app =>
     // skip setup otherwise databases could be re-created
-    getAppMetadata(app, CouchDB)
+    getAppMetadata(app)
   )
   if (appPromises.length === 0) {
     return []
@@ -304,10 +285,9 @@ exports.getDevAppIDs = async () => {
 }
 
 exports.dbExists = async dbName => {
-  const CouchDB = getCouch()
   let exists = false
   try {
-    const db = CouchDB(dbName, { skip_setup: true })
+    const db = getDB(dbName, { skip_setup: true })
     // check if database exists
     const info = await db.info()
     if (info && !info.error) {
diff --git a/packages/backend-core/src/index.js b/packages/backend-core/src/index.js
index 8f71580162..f403b44a3d 100644
--- a/packages/backend-core/src/index.js
+++ b/packages/backend-core/src/index.js
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
-const { setDB } = require("./db")
+const db = require("./db")
 
 module.exports = {
-  init(pouch) {
-    setDB(pouch)
+  init(opts = {}) {
+    db.init(opts.db)
   },
   // some default exports from the library, however these ideally shouldn't
   // be used, instead the syntax require("@budibase/backend-core/db") should be used
@@ -20,4 +20,5 @@ module.exports = {
   accounts: require("./cloud/accounts"),
   tenancy: require("./tenancy"),
   featureFlags: require("./featureFlags"),
+  analytics: require("./analytics"),
 }
diff --git a/packages/backend-core/src/migrations/index.js b/packages/backend-core/src/migrations/index.js
index db0fe6b8ce..1974a52463 100644
--- a/packages/backend-core/src/migrations/index.js
+++ b/packages/backend-core/src/migrations/index.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 const { DEFAULT_TENANT_ID } = require("../constants")
+const { getDB } = require("../db")
 const { DocumentTypes } = require("../db/constants")
 const { getAllApps } = require("../db/utils")
 const environment = require("../environment")
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@ exports.getMigrationsDoc = async db => {
   }
 }
 
-const runMigration = async (CouchDB, migration, options = {}) => {
+const runMigration = async (migration, options = {}) => {
   const tenantId = getTenantId()
   const migrationType = migration.type
   const migrationName = migration.name
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ const runMigration = async (CouchDB, migration, options = {}) => {
 
   // run the migration against each db
   for (const dbName of dbNames) {
-    const db = new CouchDB(dbName)
+    const db = getDB(dbName)
     try {
       const doc = await exports.getMigrationsDoc(db)
 
@@ -88,7 +89,7 @@ const runMigration = async (CouchDB, migration, options = {}) => {
   }
 }
 
-exports.runMigrations = async (CouchDB, migrations, options = {}) => {
+exports.runMigrations = async (migrations, options = {}) => {
   console.log("Running migrations")
   let tenantIds
   if (environment.MULTI_TENANCY) {
@@ -108,9 +109,7 @@ exports.runMigrations = async (CouchDB, migrations, options = {}) => {
     // for all migrations
     for (const migration of migrations) {
       // run the migration
-      await doInTenant(tenantId, () =>
-        runMigration(CouchDB, migration, options)
-      )
+      await doInTenant(tenantId, () => runMigration(migration, options))
     }
   }
   console.log("Migrations complete")
diff --git a/packages/backend-core/src/migrations/tests/index.spec.js b/packages/backend-core/src/migrations/tests/index.spec.js
index 12a2e54cb3..0a7659e279 100644
--- a/packages/backend-core/src/migrations/tests/index.spec.js
+++ b/packages/backend-core/src/migrations/tests/index.spec.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 require("../../tests/utilities/dbConfig")
 
 const { runMigrations, getMigrationsDoc } = require("../index")
-const CouchDB = require("../../db").getCouch()
+const { getDB } = require("../../db")
 const {
   StaticDatabases,
 } = require("../../db/utils")
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ describe("migrations", () => {
   }]
 
   beforeEach(() => {
-    db = new CouchDB(StaticDatabases.GLOBAL.name)
+    db = getDB(StaticDatabases.GLOBAL.name)
   })
 
   afterEach(async () => {
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ describe("migrations", () => {
   })
 
   const migrate = () => {
-    return runMigrations(CouchDB, MIGRATIONS)
+    return runMigrations(MIGRATIONS)
   }
 
   it("should run a new migration", async () => {
diff --git a/packages/backend-core/src/tests/utilities/db.js b/packages/backend-core/src/tests/utilities/db.js
deleted file mode 100644
index bb99592d1c..0000000000
--- a/packages/backend-core/src/tests/utilities/db.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,17 +0,0 @@
-const PouchDB = require("pouchdb")
-const env = require("../../environment")
-
-let POUCH_DB_DEFAULTS
-
-// should always be test but good to do the sanity check
-if (env.isTest()) {
-  PouchDB.plugin(require("pouchdb-adapter-memory"))
-  POUCH_DB_DEFAULTS = {
-    prefix: undefined,
-    adapter: "memory",
-  }
-}
-
-const Pouch = PouchDB.defaults(POUCH_DB_DEFAULTS)
-
-module.exports = Pouch
diff --git a/packages/backend-core/src/tests/utilities/dbConfig.js b/packages/backend-core/src/tests/utilities/dbConfig.js
index 45b9ff33f9..acd692df40 100644
--- a/packages/backend-core/src/tests/utilities/dbConfig.js
+++ b/packages/backend-core/src/tests/utilities/dbConfig.js
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
-const packageConfiguration = require("../../index")
-const CouchDB = require("./db")
-packageConfiguration.init(CouchDB)
+const core = require("../../index")
+const dbConfig = {
+  inMemory: true,
+}
+core.init({ db: dbConfig })
diff --git a/packages/backend-core/yarn.lock b/packages/backend-core/yarn.lock
index b072b163de..ad9769202b 100644
--- a/packages/backend-core/yarn.lock
+++ b/packages/backend-core/yarn.lock
@@ -2217,7 +2217,7 @@ inflight@^1.0.4:
     once "^1.3.0"
     wrappy "1"
 
-inherits@2, inherits@2.0.4, inherits@^2.0.3, inherits@^2.0.4, inherits@~2.0.1:
+inherits@2, inherits@2.0.4, inherits@^2.0.1, inherits@^2.0.3, inherits@^2.0.4, inherits@~2.0.1, inherits@~2.0.3:
   version "2.0.4"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/inherits/-/inherits-2.0.4.tgz#0fa2c64f932917c3433a0ded55363aae37416b7c"
   integrity sha512-k/vGaX4/Yla3WzyMCvTQOXYeIHvqOKtnqBduzTHpzpQZzAskKMhZ2K+EnBiSM9zGSoIFeMpXKxa4dYeZIQqewQ==
@@ -2407,7 +2407,7 @@ isarray@0.0.1:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/isarray/-/isarray-0.0.1.tgz#8a18acfca9a8f4177e09abfc6038939b05d1eedf"
   integrity sha1-ihis/Kmo9Bd+Cav8YDiTmwXR7t8=
 
-isarray@1.0.0, isarray@^1.0.0:
+isarray@1.0.0, isarray@^1.0.0, isarray@~1.0.0:
   version "1.0.0"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/isarray/-/isarray-1.0.0.tgz#bb935d48582cba168c06834957a54a3e07124f11"
   integrity sha1-u5NdSFgsuhaMBoNJV6VKPgcSTxE=
@@ -2954,7 +2954,7 @@ json-stable-stringify@^1.0.1:
   dependencies:
     jsonify "~0.0.0"
 
-json-stringify-safe@~5.0.1:
+json-stringify-safe@^5.0.1, json-stringify-safe@~5.0.1:
   version "5.0.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/json-stringify-safe/-/json-stringify-safe-5.0.1.tgz#1296a2d58fd45f19a0f6ce01d65701e2c735b6eb"
   integrity sha1-Epai1Y/UXxmg9s4B1lcB4sc1tus=
@@ -3256,6 +3256,11 @@ lodash.once@^4.0.0:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/lodash.once/-/lodash.once-4.1.1.tgz#0dd3971213c7c56df880977d504c88fb471a97ac"
   integrity sha1-DdOXEhPHxW34gJd9UEyI+0cal6w=
 
+lodash.pick@^4.0.0:
+  version "4.4.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/lodash.pick/-/lodash.pick-4.4.0.tgz#52f05610fff9ded422611441ed1fc123a03001b3"
+  integrity sha1-UvBWEP/53tQiYRRB7R/BI6AwAbM=
+
 lodash@^4.14.0:
   version "4.17.4"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/lodash/-/lodash-4.17.4.tgz#78203a4d1c328ae1d86dca6460e369b57f4055ae"
@@ -3465,6 +3470,16 @@ natural-compare@^1.4.0:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/natural-compare/-/natural-compare-1.4.0.tgz#4abebfeed7541f2c27acfb29bdbbd15c8d5ba4f7"
   integrity sha1-Sr6/7tdUHywnrPspvbvRXI1bpPc=
 
+ndjson@^1.4.3:
+  version "1.5.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/ndjson/-/ndjson-1.5.0.tgz#ae603b36b134bcec347b452422b0bf98d5832ec8"
+  integrity sha1-rmA7NrE0vOw0e0UkIrC/mNWDLsg=
+  dependencies:
+    json-stringify-safe "^5.0.1"
+    minimist "^1.2.0"
+    split2 "^2.1.0"
+    through2 "^2.0.3"
+
 nice-try@^1.0.4:
   version "1.0.5"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/nice-try/-/nice-try-1.0.5.tgz#a3378a7696ce7d223e88fc9b764bd7ef1089e366"
@@ -3849,6 +3864,28 @@ posthog-node@^1.3.0:
     remove-trailing-slash "^0.1.1"
     uuid "^8.3.2"
 
+pouch-stream@^0.4.0:
+  version "0.4.1"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/pouch-stream/-/pouch-stream-0.4.1.tgz#0c6d8475c9307677627991a2f079b301c3b89bdd"
+  integrity sha1-DG2EdckwdndieZGi8HmzAcO4m90=
+  dependencies:
+    inherits "^2.0.1"
+    readable-stream "^1.0.27-1"
+
+pouchdb-abstract-mapreduce@7.2.2:
+  version "7.2.2"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/pouchdb-abstract-mapreduce/-/pouchdb-abstract-mapreduce-7.2.2.tgz#dd1b10a83f8d24361dce9aaaab054614b39f766f"
+  integrity sha512-7HWN/2yV2JkwMnGnlp84lGvFtnm0Q55NiBUdbBcaT810+clCGKvhssBCrXnmwShD1SXTwT83aszsgiSfW+SnBA==
+  dependencies:
+    pouchdb-binary-utils "7.2.2"
+    pouchdb-collate "7.2.2"
+    pouchdb-collections "7.2.2"
+    pouchdb-errors "7.2.2"
+    pouchdb-fetch "7.2.2"
+    pouchdb-mapreduce-utils "7.2.2"
+    pouchdb-md5 "7.2.2"
+    pouchdb-utils "7.2.2"
+
 pouchdb-adapter-leveldb-core@7.2.2:
   version "7.2.2"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/pouchdb-adapter-leveldb-core/-/pouchdb-adapter-leveldb-core-7.2.2.tgz#e0aa6a476e2607d7ae89f4a803c9fba6e6d05a8a"
@@ -3908,6 +3945,11 @@ pouchdb-binary-utils@7.2.2:
   dependencies:
     buffer-from "1.1.1"
 
+pouchdb-collate@7.2.2:
+  version "7.2.2"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/pouchdb-collate/-/pouchdb-collate-7.2.2.tgz#fc261f5ef837c437e3445fb0abc3f125d982c37c"
+  integrity sha512-/SMY9GGasslknivWlCVwXMRMnQ8myKHs4WryQ5535nq1Wj/ehpqWloMwxEQGvZE1Sda3LOm7/5HwLTcB8Our+w==
+
 pouchdb-collections@7.2.2:
   version "7.2.2"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/pouchdb-collections/-/pouchdb-collections-7.2.2.tgz#aeed77f33322429e3f59d59ea233b48ff0e68572"
@@ -3920,6 +3962,28 @@ pouchdb-errors@7.2.2:
   dependencies:
     inherits "2.0.4"
 
+pouchdb-fetch@7.2.2:
+  version "7.2.2"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/pouchdb-fetch/-/pouchdb-fetch-7.2.2.tgz#492791236d60c899d7e9973f9aca0d7b9cc02230"
+  integrity sha512-lUHmaG6U3zjdMkh8Vob9GvEiRGwJfXKE02aZfjiVQgew+9SLkuOxNw3y2q4d1B6mBd273y1k2Lm0IAziRNxQnA==
+  dependencies:
+    abort-controller "3.0.0"
+    fetch-cookie "0.10.1"
+    node-fetch "2.6.0"
+
+pouchdb-find@^7.2.2:
+  version "7.2.2"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/pouchdb-find/-/pouchdb-find-7.2.2.tgz#1227afdd761812d508fe0794b3e904518a721089"
+  integrity sha512-BmFeFVQ0kHmDehvJxNZl9OmIztCjPlZlVSdpijuFbk/Fi1EFPU1BAv3kLC+6DhZuOqU/BCoaUBY9sn66pPY2ag==
+  dependencies:
+    pouchdb-abstract-mapreduce "7.2.2"
+    pouchdb-collate "7.2.2"
+    pouchdb-errors "7.2.2"
+    pouchdb-fetch "7.2.2"
+    pouchdb-md5 "7.2.2"
+    pouchdb-selector-core "7.2.2"
+    pouchdb-utils "7.2.2"
+
 pouchdb-json@7.2.2:
   version "7.2.2"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/pouchdb-json/-/pouchdb-json-7.2.2.tgz#b939be24b91a7322e9a24b8880a6e21514ec5e1f"
@@ -3927,6 +3991,16 @@ pouchdb-json@7.2.2:
   dependencies:
     vuvuzela "1.0.3"
 
+pouchdb-mapreduce-utils@7.2.2:
+  version "7.2.2"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/pouchdb-mapreduce-utils/-/pouchdb-mapreduce-utils-7.2.2.tgz#13a46a3cc2a3f3b8e24861da26966904f2963146"
+  integrity sha512-rAllb73hIkU8rU2LJNbzlcj91KuulpwQu804/F6xF3fhZKC/4JQMClahk+N/+VATkpmLxp1zWmvmgdlwVU4HtQ==
+  dependencies:
+    argsarray "0.0.1"
+    inherits "2.0.4"
+    pouchdb-collections "7.2.2"
+    pouchdb-utils "7.2.2"
+
 pouchdb-md5@7.2.2:
   version "7.2.2"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/pouchdb-md5/-/pouchdb-md5-7.2.2.tgz#415401acc5a844112d765bd1fb4e5d9f38fb0838"
@@ -3940,13 +4014,34 @@ pouchdb-merge@7.2.2:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/pouchdb-merge/-/pouchdb-merge-7.2.2.tgz#940d85a2b532d6a93a6cab4b250f5648511bcc16"
   integrity sha512-6yzKJfjIchBaS7Tusuk8280WJdESzFfQ0sb4jeMUNnrqs4Cx3b0DIEOYTRRD9EJDM+je7D3AZZ4AT0tFw8gb4A==
 
-pouchdb-promise@6.4.3:
+pouchdb-promise@6.4.3, pouchdb-promise@^6.0.4:
   version "6.4.3"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/pouchdb-promise/-/pouchdb-promise-6.4.3.tgz#74516f4acf74957b54debd0fb2c0e5b5a68ca7b3"
   integrity sha512-ruJaSFXwzsxRHQfwNHjQfsj58LBOY1RzGzde4PM5CWINZwFjCQAhZwfMrch2o/0oZT6d+Xtt0HTWhq35p3b0qw==
   dependencies:
     lie "3.1.1"
 
+pouchdb-replication-stream@^1.2.9:
+  version "1.2.9"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/pouchdb-replication-stream/-/pouchdb-replication-stream-1.2.9.tgz#aa4fa5d8f52df4825392f18e07c7e11acffc650a"
+  integrity sha1-qk+l2PUt9IJTkvGOB8fhGs/8ZQo=
+  dependencies:
+    argsarray "0.0.1"
+    inherits "^2.0.3"
+    lodash.pick "^4.0.0"
+    ndjson "^1.4.3"
+    pouch-stream "^0.4.0"
+    pouchdb-promise "^6.0.4"
+    through2 "^2.0.0"
+
+pouchdb-selector-core@7.2.2:
+  version "7.2.2"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/pouchdb-selector-core/-/pouchdb-selector-core-7.2.2.tgz#264d7436a8c8ac3801f39960e79875ef7f3879a0"
+  integrity sha512-XYKCNv9oiNmSXV5+CgR9pkEkTFqxQGWplnVhO3W9P154H08lU0ZoNH02+uf+NjZ2kjse7Q1fxV4r401LEcGMMg==
+  dependencies:
+    pouchdb-collate "7.2.2"
+    pouchdb-utils "7.2.2"
+
 pouchdb-utils@7.2.2:
   version "7.2.2"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/pouchdb-utils/-/pouchdb-utils-7.2.2.tgz#c17c4788f1d052b0daf4ef8797bbc4aaa3945aa4"
@@ -4007,6 +4102,11 @@ private@^0.1.6, private@~0.1.5:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/private/-/private-0.1.8.tgz#2381edb3689f7a53d653190060fcf822d2f368ff"
   integrity sha512-VvivMrbvd2nKkiG38qjULzlc+4Vx4wm/whI9pQD35YrARNnhxeiRktSOhSukRLFNlzg6Br/cJPet5J/u19r/mg==
 
+process-nextick-args@~2.0.0:
+  version "2.0.1"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/process-nextick-args/-/process-nextick-args-2.0.1.tgz#7820d9b16120cc55ca9ae7792680ae7dba6d7fe2"
+  integrity sha512-3ouUOpQhtgrbOa17J7+uxOTpITYWaGP7/AhoR3+A+/1e9skrzelGi/dXzEYyvbxubEF6Wn2ypscTKiKJFFn1ag==
+
 prompts@^2.0.1:
   version "2.4.2"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/prompts/-/prompts-2.4.2.tgz#7b57e73b3a48029ad10ebd44f74b01722a4cb069"
@@ -4092,7 +4192,7 @@ read-pkg@^5.2.0:
     parse-json "^5.0.0"
     type-fest "^0.6.0"
 
-readable-stream@1.1.14:
+readable-stream@1.1.14, readable-stream@^1.0.27-1:
   version "1.1.14"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/readable-stream/-/readable-stream-1.1.14.tgz#7cf4c54ef648e3813084c636dd2079e166c081d9"
   integrity sha1-fPTFTvZI44EwhMY23SB54WbAgdk=
@@ -4116,6 +4216,19 @@ readable-stream@~0.0.2:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/readable-stream/-/readable-stream-0.0.4.tgz#f32d76e3fb863344a548d79923007173665b3b8d"
   integrity sha1-8y124/uGM0SlSNeZIwBxc2ZbO40=
 
+readable-stream@~2.3.6:
+  version "2.3.7"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/readable-stream/-/readable-stream-2.3.7.tgz#1eca1cf711aef814c04f62252a36a62f6cb23b57"
+  integrity sha512-Ebho8K4jIbHAxnuxi7o42OrZgF/ZTNcsZj6nRKyUmkhLFq8CHItp/fy6hQZuZmP/n3yZ9VBUbp4zz/mX8hmYPw==
+  dependencies:
+    core-util-is "~1.0.0"
+    inherits "~2.0.3"
+    isarray "~1.0.0"
+    process-nextick-args "~2.0.0"
+    safe-buffer "~5.1.1"
+    string_decoder "~1.1.1"
+    util-deprecate "~1.0.1"
+
 readline-sync@^1.4.9:
   version "1.4.10"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/readline-sync/-/readline-sync-1.4.10.tgz#41df7fbb4b6312d673011594145705bf56d8873b"
@@ -4292,7 +4405,7 @@ safe-buffer@^5.0.1, safe-buffer@^5.1.2, safe-buffer@~5.2.0:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/safe-buffer/-/safe-buffer-5.2.1.tgz#1eaf9fa9bdb1fdd4ec75f58f9cdb4e6b7827eec6"
   integrity sha512-rp3So07KcdmmKbGvgaNxQSJr7bGVSVk5S9Eq1F+ppbRo70+YeaDxkw5Dd8NPN+GD6bjnYm2VuPuCXmpuYvmCXQ==
 
-safe-buffer@~5.1.1:
+safe-buffer@~5.1.0, safe-buffer@~5.1.1:
   version "5.1.2"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/safe-buffer/-/safe-buffer-5.1.2.tgz#991ec69d296e0313747d59bdfd2b745c35f8828d"
   integrity sha512-Gd2UZBJDkXlY7GbJxfsE8/nvKkUEU1G38c1siN6QP6a9PT9MmHB8GnpscSmMJSoF8LOIrt8ud/wPtojys4G6+g==
@@ -4548,6 +4661,13 @@ split-string@^3.0.1, split-string@^3.0.2:
   dependencies:
     extend-shallow "^3.0.0"
 
+split2@^2.1.0:
+  version "2.2.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/split2/-/split2-2.2.0.tgz#186b2575bcf83e85b7d18465756238ee4ee42493"
+  integrity sha512-RAb22TG39LhI31MbreBgIuKiIKhVsawfTgEGqKHTK87aG+ul/PB8Sqoi3I7kVdRWiCfrKxK3uo4/YUkpNvhPbw==
+  dependencies:
+    through2 "^2.0.2"
+
 sprintf-js@^1.1.1:
   version "1.1.2"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/sprintf-js/-/sprintf-js-1.1.2.tgz#da1765262bf8c0f571749f2ad6c26300207ae673"
@@ -4638,6 +4758,13 @@ string_decoder@~0.10.x:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/string_decoder/-/string_decoder-0.10.31.tgz#62e203bc41766c6c28c9fc84301dab1c5310fa94"
   integrity sha1-YuIDvEF2bGwoyfyEMB2rHFMQ+pQ=
 
+string_decoder@~1.1.1:
+  version "1.1.1"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/string_decoder/-/string_decoder-1.1.1.tgz#9cf1611ba62685d7030ae9e4ba34149c3af03fc8"
+  integrity sha512-n/ShnvDi6FHbbVfviro+WojiFzv+s8MPMHBczVePfUpDJLwoLT0ht1l4YwBCbi8pJAveEEdnkHyPyTP/mzRfwg==
+  dependencies:
+    safe-buffer "~5.1.0"
+
 stringstream@~0.0.4:
   version "0.0.6"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/stringstream/-/stringstream-0.0.6.tgz#7880225b0d4ad10e30927d167a1d6f2fd3b33a72"
@@ -4753,6 +4880,14 @@ through2@3.0.2:
     inherits "^2.0.4"
     readable-stream "2 || 3"
 
+through2@^2.0.0, through2@^2.0.2, through2@^2.0.3:
+  version "2.0.5"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/through2/-/through2-2.0.5.tgz#01c1e39eb31d07cb7d03a96a70823260b23132cd"
+  integrity sha512-/mrRod8xqpA+IHSLyGCQ2s8SPHiCDEeQJSep1jqLYeEUClOFG2Qsh+4FU6G9VeqpZnGW/Su8LQGc4YKni5rYSQ==
+  dependencies:
+    readable-stream "~2.3.6"
+    xtend "~4.0.1"
+
 through@~2.3.4:
   version "2.3.8"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/through/-/through-2.3.8.tgz#0dd4c9ffaabc357960b1b724115d7e0e86a2e1f5"
@@ -4947,7 +5082,7 @@ use@^3.1.0:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/use/-/use-3.1.1.tgz#d50c8cac79a19fbc20f2911f56eb973f4e10070f"
   integrity sha512-cwESVXlO3url9YWlFW/TA9cshCEhtu7IKJ/p5soJ/gGpj7vbvFrAY/eIioQ6Dw23KjZhYgiIo8HOs1nQ2vr/oQ==
 
-util-deprecate@^1.0.1:
+util-deprecate@^1.0.1, util-deprecate@~1.0.1:
   version "1.0.2"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/util-deprecate/-/util-deprecate-1.0.2.tgz#450d4dc9fa70de732762fbd2d4a28981419a0ccf"
   integrity sha1-RQ1Nyfpw3nMnYvvS1KKJgUGaDM8=
@@ -5174,7 +5309,7 @@ xmlchars@^2.2.0:
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/xmlchars/-/xmlchars-2.2.0.tgz#060fe1bcb7f9c76fe2a17db86a9bc3ab894210cb"
   integrity sha512-JZnDKK8B0RCDw84FNdDAIpZK+JuJw+s7Lz8nksI7SIuU3UXJJslUthsi+uWBUYOwPFwW7W7PRLRfUKpxjtjFCw==
 
-xtend@^4.0.2, xtend@~4.0.0:
+xtend@^4.0.2, xtend@~4.0.0, xtend@~4.0.1:
   version "4.0.2"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/xtend/-/xtend-4.0.2.tgz#bb72779f5fa465186b1f438f674fa347fdb5db54"
   integrity sha512-LKYU1iAXJXUgAXn9URjiu+MWhyUXHsvfp7mcuYm9dSUKK0/CjtrUwFAxD82/mCWbtLsGjFIad0wIsod4zrTAEQ==
diff --git a/packages/server/scripts/exportAppTemplate.js b/packages/server/scripts/exportAppTemplate.js
index 8b641f7c92..905102722e 100755
--- a/packages/server/scripts/exportAppTemplate.js
+++ b/packages/server/scripts/exportAppTemplate.js
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 const yargs = require("yargs")
 const fs = require("fs")
 const { join } = require("path")
-const CouchDB = require("../src/db")
+require("../src/db").init()
+const { getDB } = require("@budibase/backend-core/db")
 // load environment
 const env = require("../src/environment")
 const {
@@ -47,7 +48,7 @@ yargs
       const writeStream = fs.createWriteStream(join(exportPath, "dump.text"))
       // perform couch dump
 
-      const instanceDb = new CouchDB(appId)
+      const instanceDb = getDB(appId)
       await instanceDb.dump(writeStream, {
         filter: doc =>
           !(
diff --git a/packages/server/scripts/replicateApp.js b/packages/server/scripts/replicateApp.js
index 6730fe42d3..455c78b66e 100644
--- a/packages/server/scripts/replicateApp.js
+++ b/packages/server/scripts/replicateApp.js
@@ -5,10 +5,9 @@
  * e.g. node scripts/replicateApp Mike http://admin:password@127.0.0.1:5984
  */
 
-const CouchDB = require("../src/db")
+require("../src/db").init()
 const { DocumentTypes } = require("../src/db/utils")
-const { getAllDbs } = require("@budibase/backend-core/db")
-
+const { getAllDbs, getDB } = require("@budibase/backend-core/db")
 const appName = process.argv[2].toLowerCase()
 const remoteUrl = process.argv[3]
 
@@ -19,7 +18,7 @@ const run = async () => {
   const appDbNames = dbs.filter(dbName => dbName.startsWith("inst_app"))
   let apps = []
   for (let dbName of appDbNames) {
-    const db = new CouchDB(dbName)
+    const db = getDB(dbName)
     apps.push(db.get(DocumentTypes.APP_METADATA))
   }
   apps = await Promise.all(apps)
@@ -34,8 +33,8 @@ const run = async () => {
     return
   }
 
-  const instanceDb = new CouchDB(app.appId)
-  const remoteDb = new CouchDB(`${remoteUrl}/${appName}`)
+  const instanceDb = getDB(app.appId)
+  const remoteDb = getDB(`${remoteUrl}/${appName}`)
 
   instanceDb.replicate
     .to(remoteDb)
diff --git a/packages/server/src/api/controllers/query/import/tests/index.spec.js b/packages/server/src/api/controllers/query/import/tests/index.spec.js
index 0cfb4f4f19..f207213587 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/api/controllers/query/import/tests/index.spec.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/api/controllers/query/import/tests/index.spec.js
@@ -1,12 +1,4 @@
-
-const bulkDocs = jest.fn()
-const db = jest.fn(() => {
-  return {
-    bulkDocs
-  }
-})
-jest.mock("../../../../../db", () => db)
-require("@budibase/backend-core").init(require("../../../../../db"))
+const TestConfig = require("../../../../../tests/utilities/TestConfiguration")
 
 const { RestImporter } = require("../index")
 
@@ -48,6 +40,12 @@ const datasets = {
 }
 
 describe("Rest Importer", () => {
+  const config = new TestConfig(false)
+
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    await config.init()
+  })
+
   let restImporter 
 
   const init = async (data) => {
@@ -105,11 +103,9 @@ describe("Rest Importer", () => {
 
   const testImportQueries = async (key, data, assertions) => {
     await init(data)
-    bulkDocs.mockReturnValue([])
     const importResult = await restImporter.importQueries("datasourceId")
     expect(importResult.errorQueries.length).toBe(0)
     expect(importResult.queries.length).toBe(assertions[key].count)
-    expect(bulkDocs).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
     jest.clearAllMocks()
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/server/src/app.ts b/packages/server/src/app.ts
index 93b32d353f..4060749629 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/app.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/app.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 // need to load environment first
 import { ExtendableContext } from "koa"
 import * as env from "./environment"
-const CouchDB = require("./db")
-require("@budibase/backend-core").init(CouchDB)
+import db from "./db"
+db.init()
 const Koa = require("koa")
 const destroyable = require("server-destroy")
 const koaBody = require("koa-body")
diff --git a/packages/server/src/automations/utils.ts b/packages/server/src/automations/utils.ts
index b0a891f42b..ac73ea932b 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/automations/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/automations/utils.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
 import { Thread, ThreadType } from "../threads"
 import { definitions } from "./triggerInfo"
 import * as webhooks from "../api/controllers/webhook"
-import CouchDB from "../db"
 import { queue } from "./bullboard"
 import newid from "../db/newid"
 import { updateEntityMetadata } from "../utilities"
 import { MetadataTypes, WebhookType } from "../constants"
-import { getProdAppID } from "@budibase/backend-core/db"
+import { getProdAppID, getDB } from "@budibase/backend-core/db"
 import { cloneDeep } from "lodash/fp"
 import { getAppDB, getAppId } from "@budibase/backend-core/context"
 import { tenancy } from "@budibase/backend-core"
@@ -20,13 +19,17 @@ export async function processEvent(job: any) {
   try {
     const tenantId = tenancy.getTenantIDFromAppID(job.data.event.appId)
     return await tenancy.doInTenant(tenantId, async () => {
+      console.log(
+        `${job.data.automation.appId} automation ${job.data.automation._id} running`
+      )
       // need to actually await these so that an error can be captured properly
       const runFn = () => Runner.run(job)
       return quotas.addAutomation(runFn)
     })
   } catch (err) {
+    const errJson = JSON.stringify(err)
     console.error(
-      `${job.data.automation.appId} automation ${job.data.automation._id} was unable to run - ${err}`
+      `${job.data.automation.appId} automation ${job.data.automation._id} was unable to run - ${errJson}`
     )
     return { err }
   }
@@ -108,7 +111,7 @@ export async function enableCronTrigger(appId: any, automation: any) {
     // can't use getAppDB here as this is likely to be called from dev app,
     // but this call could be for dev app or prod app, need to just use what
     // was passed in
-    const db = new CouchDB(appId)
+    const db = getDB(appId)
     const response = await db.put(automation)
     automation._id = response.id
     automation._rev = response.rev
diff --git a/packages/server/src/db/client.js b/packages/server/src/db/client.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 9e90163fff..0000000000
--- a/packages/server/src/db/client.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,31 +0,0 @@
-const PouchDB = require("pouchdb")
-const { getCouchUrl } = require("@budibase/backend-core/db")
-const replicationStream = require("pouchdb-replication-stream")
-const allDbs = require("pouchdb-all-dbs")
-const find = require("pouchdb-find")
-const env = require("../environment")
-
-const COUCH_DB_URL = getCouchUrl() || "http://localhost:4005"
-
-PouchDB.plugin(replicationStream.plugin)
-PouchDB.plugin(find)
-PouchDB.adapter("writableStream", replicationStream.adapters.writableStream)
-
-let POUCH_DB_DEFAULTS = {
-  prefix: COUCH_DB_URL,
-}
-
-if (env.isTest()) {
-  PouchDB.plugin(require("pouchdb-adapter-memory"))
-  POUCH_DB_DEFAULTS = {
-    prefix: undefined,
-    adapter: "memory",
-  }
-}
-
-const Pouch = PouchDB.defaults(POUCH_DB_DEFAULTS)
-
-// have to still have pouch alldbs for testing
-allDbs(Pouch)
-
-module.exports = Pouch
diff --git a/packages/server/src/db/inMemoryView.js b/packages/server/src/db/inMemoryView.js
index 892617e068..df154485c2 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/db/inMemoryView.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/db/inMemoryView.js
@@ -1,12 +1,9 @@
-const PouchDB = require("pouchdb")
-const memory = require("pouchdb-adapter-memory")
 const newid = require("./newid")
 
-PouchDB.plugin(memory)
-const Pouch = PouchDB.defaults({
-  prefix: undefined,
-  adapter: "memory",
-})
+// bypass the main application db config
+// use in memory pouchdb directly
+const { getPouch } = require("@budibase/backend-core/db")
+const Pouch = getPouch({ inMemory: true })
 
 exports.runView = async (view, calculation, group, data) => {
   // use a different ID each time for the DB, make sure they
diff --git a/packages/server/src/db/index.js b/packages/server/src/db/index.js
index f03b5b1fb0..75ad19b87f 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/db/index.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/db/index.js
@@ -1,3 +1,16 @@
-const client = require("./client")
+const core = require("@budibase/backend-core")
+const env = require("../environment")
 
-module.exports = client
+exports.init = () => {
+  const dbConfig = {
+    replication: true,
+    find: true,
+  }
+
+  if (env.isTest()) {
+    dbConfig.inMemory = true
+    dbConfig.allDbs = true
+  }
+
+  core.init({ db: dbConfig })
+}
diff --git a/packages/server/src/db/tests/linkTests.spec.js b/packages/server/src/db/tests/linkTests.spec.js
index 9a309df70a..aaa95febd4 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/db/tests/linkTests.spec.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/db/tests/linkTests.spec.js
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 const TestConfig = require("../../tests/utilities/TestConfiguration")
 const { basicTable } = require("../../tests/utilities/structures")
 const linkUtils = require("../linkedRows/linkUtils")
-const CouchDB = require("../index")
 const { getAppDB } = require("@budibase/backend-core/context")
+const { getDB } = require("@budibase/backend-core/db")
 
 describe("test link functionality", () => {
   const config = new TestConfig(false)
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ describe("test link functionality", () => {
   describe("getLinkDocuments", () => {
     it("should create the link view when it doesn't exist", async () => {
       // create the DB and a very basic app design DB
-      const db = new CouchDB("test")
+      const db = getDB("test")
       await db.put({ _id: "_design/database", views: {} })
       const output = await linkUtils.getLinkDocuments({
         tableId: "test",
diff --git a/packages/server/src/middleware/tests/authorized.spec.js b/packages/server/src/middleware/tests/authorized.spec.js
index 9cfa9d368f..f461a6d907 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/middleware/tests/authorized.spec.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/middleware/tests/authorized.spec.js
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ jest.mock("../../environment", () => ({
 const authorizedMiddleware = require("../authorized")
 const env = require("../../environment")
 const { PermissionTypes, PermissionLevels } = require("@budibase/backend-core/permissions")
-require("@budibase/backend-core").init(require("../../db"))
 const { doInAppContext } = require("@budibase/backend-core/context")
 
 const APP_ID = ""
diff --git a/packages/server/src/migrations/functions/tests/appUrls.spec.js b/packages/server/src/migrations/functions/tests/appUrls.spec.js
index d3f080dfd4..fe87863e56 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/migrations/functions/tests/appUrls.spec.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/migrations/functions/tests/appUrls.spec.js
@@ -1,12 +1,10 @@
-const { DocumentTypes } = require("@budibase/backend-core/db")
-const env = require("../../../environment")
+const { DocumentTypes, getDB } = require("@budibase/backend-core/db")
 const TestConfig = require("../../../tests/utilities/TestConfiguration")
 
 const migration = require("../appUrls")
 
 describe("run", () => {
   let config = new TestConfig(false)
-  const CouchDB = config.getCouch()
 
   beforeEach(async () => {
     await config.init()
@@ -16,7 +14,7 @@ describe("run", () => {
 
   it("runs successfully", async () => {
     const app = await config.createApp("testApp")
-    const appDb = new CouchDB(app.appId)
+    const appDb = getDB(app.appId)
     let metadata = await appDb.get(DocumentTypes.APP_METADATA)
     delete metadata.url
     await appDb.put(metadata)
diff --git a/packages/server/src/migrations/index.ts b/packages/server/src/migrations/index.ts
index d8383fcb39..6d63d81544 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/migrations/index.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/migrations/index.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import CouchDB from "../db"
 const {
   MIGRATION_TYPES,
   runMigrations,
@@ -64,5 +63,5 @@ export const MIGRATIONS: Migration[] = [
 ]
 
 export const migrate = async (options?: MigrationOptions) => {
-  await runMigrations(CouchDB, MIGRATIONS, options)
+  await runMigrations(MIGRATIONS, options)
 }
diff --git a/packages/server/src/module.d.ts b/packages/server/src/module.d.ts
index 0d1dc8d938..0419a40a14 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/module.d.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/module.d.ts
@@ -5,3 +5,7 @@ declare module "@budibase/backend-core/context"
 declare module "@budibase/backend-core/cache"
 declare module "@budibase/backend-core/permissions"
 declare module "@budibase/backend-core/roles"
+declare module "@budibase/backend-core/constants"
+declare module "@budibase/backend-core/auth"
+declare module "@budibase/backend-core/sessions"
+declare module "@budibase/backend-core/encryption"
diff --git a/packages/server/src/tests/utilities/TestConfiguration.js b/packages/server/src/tests/utilities/TestConfiguration.js
index 1d280fdd4b..5d240d02d6 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/tests/utilities/TestConfiguration.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/tests/utilities/TestConfiguration.js
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
-const core = require("@budibase/backend-core")
-const CouchDB = require("../../db")
-core.init(CouchDB)
+require("../../db").init()
 const { BUILTIN_ROLE_IDS } = require("@budibase/backend-core/roles")
 const env = require("../../environment")
 const {
@@ -57,10 +55,6 @@ class TestConfiguration {
     return this.appId
   }
 
-  getCouch() {
-    return CouchDB
-  }
-
   async _req(config, params, controlFunc) {
     const request = {}
     // fake cookies, we don't need them
diff --git a/packages/server/src/threads/utils.js b/packages/server/src/threads/utils.js
index bf89791874..f56bd25c2d 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/threads/utils.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/threads/utils.js
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 const env = require("../environment")
-const CouchDB = require("../db")
-const { init } = require("@budibase/backend-core")
+const db = require("../db")
 const redis = require("@budibase/backend-core/redis")
 const { SEPARATOR } = require("@budibase/backend-core/db")
 
@@ -25,7 +24,7 @@ exports.threadSetup = () => {
   }
   // when thread starts, make sure it is recorded
   env.setInThread()
-  init(CouchDB)
+  db.init()
 }
 
 function makeVariableKey(queryId, variable) {
diff --git a/packages/server/src/utilities/fileSystem/index.js b/packages/server/src/utilities/fileSystem/index.js
index 904b4ced18..3822dbc751 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/utilities/fileSystem/index.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/utilities/fileSystem/index.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ const { budibaseTempDir } = require("../budibaseDir")
 const fs = require("fs")
 const { join } = require("path")
 const uuid = require("uuid/v4")
-const CouchDB = require("../../db")
+const { getDB } = require("@budibase/backend-core/db")
 const { ObjectStoreBuckets } = require("../../constants")
 const {
   upload,
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ exports.streamBackup = async appId => {
  * @return {*} either a readable stream or a string
  */
 exports.exportDB = async (dbName, { stream, filter, exportName } = {}) => {
-  const instanceDb = new CouchDB(dbName)
+  const instanceDb = getDB(dbName)
 
   // Stream the dump if required
   if (stream) {
diff --git a/packages/server/src/utilities/usageQuota/rows.js b/packages/server/src/utilities/usageQuota/rows.js
index 378caffc46..51e64eb930 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/utilities/usageQuota/rows.js
+++ b/packages/server/src/utilities/usageQuota/rows.js
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 const { getRowParams, USER_METDATA_PREFIX } = require("../../db/utils")
-const CouchDB = require("../../db")
-const { isDevAppID, getDevelopmentAppID } = require("@budibase/backend-core/db")
+const {
+  isDevAppID,
+  getDevelopmentAppID,
+  getDB,
+} = require("@budibase/backend-core/db")
 
 const ROW_EXCLUSIONS = [USER_METDATA_PREFIX]
 
@@ -24,7 +27,7 @@ const getAppPairs = appIds => {
 
 const getAppRows = async appId => {
   // need to specify the app ID, as this is used for different apps in one call
-  const appDb = new CouchDB(appId)
+  const appDb = getDB(appId)
   const response = await appDb.allDocs(
     getRowParams(null, null, {
       include_docs: false,
diff --git a/packages/worker/src/api/controllers/system/tenants.js b/packages/worker/src/api/controllers/system/tenants.js
index 4d41ce894c..c310b3da62 100644
--- a/packages/worker/src/api/controllers/system/tenants.js
+++ b/packages/worker/src/api/controllers/system/tenants.js
@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
-const CouchDB = require("../../../db")
-const { StaticDatabases } = require("@budibase/backend-core/db")
+const { StaticDatabases, getDB } = require("@budibase/backend-core/db")
 const { getTenantId } = require("@budibase/backend-core/tenancy")
 const { deleteTenant } = require("@budibase/backend-core/deprovision")
 
 exports.exists = async ctx => {
   const tenantId = ctx.request.params
-  const db = new CouchDB(StaticDatabases.PLATFORM_INFO.name)
+  const db = getDB(StaticDatabases.PLATFORM_INFO.name)
   let exists = false
   try {
     const tenantsDoc = await db.get(StaticDatabases.PLATFORM_INFO.docs.tenants)
@@ -21,7 +20,7 @@ exports.exists = async ctx => {
 }
 
 exports.fetch = async ctx => {
-  const db = new CouchDB(StaticDatabases.PLATFORM_INFO.name)
+  const db = getDB(StaticDatabases.PLATFORM_INFO.name)
   let tenants = []
   try {
     const tenantsDoc = await db.get(StaticDatabases.PLATFORM_INFO.docs.tenants)
diff --git a/packages/worker/src/api/routes/tests/utilities/TestConfiguration.js b/packages/worker/src/api/routes/tests/utilities/TestConfiguration.js
index 6b6c0e24b3..d297d818bd 100644
--- a/packages/worker/src/api/routes/tests/utilities/TestConfiguration.js
+++ b/packages/worker/src/api/routes/tests/utilities/TestConfiguration.js
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+require("../../../../db").init()
 const env = require("../../../../environment")
 const controllers = require("./controllers")
 const supertest = require("supertest")
@@ -8,15 +9,12 @@ const { getGlobalUserByEmail } = require("@budibase/backend-core/utils")
 const { createASession } = require("@budibase/backend-core/sessions")
 const { newid } = require("@budibase/backend-core/src/hashing")
 const { TENANT_ID, CSRF_TOKEN } = require("./structures")
-const core = require("@budibase/backend-core")
-const CouchDB = require("../../../../db")
 const { doInTenant } = require("@budibase/backend-core/tenancy")
-core.init(CouchDB)
 
 class TestConfiguration {
   constructor(openServer = true) {
     if (openServer) {
-      env.PORT = 4003
+      env.PORT = 4012
       this.server = require("../../../../index")
       // we need the request for logging in, involves cookies, hard to fake
       this.request = supertest(this.server)
diff --git a/packages/worker/src/db/index.js b/packages/worker/src/db/index.js
index 770aabd95b..25dc02962b 100644
--- a/packages/worker/src/db/index.js
+++ b/packages/worker/src/db/index.js
@@ -1,26 +1,11 @@
-const PouchDB = require("pouchdb")
-const allDbs = require("pouchdb-all-dbs")
+const core = require("@budibase/backend-core")
 const env = require("../environment")
-const { getCouchUrl } = require("@budibase/backend-core/db")
 
-// level option is purely for testing (development)
-const COUCH_DB_URL = getCouchUrl() || "http://localhost:4005"
-
-let POUCH_DB_DEFAULTS = {
-  prefix: COUCH_DB_URL,
-}
-
-if (env.isTest()) {
-  PouchDB.plugin(require("pouchdb-adapter-memory"))
-  POUCH_DB_DEFAULTS = {
-    prefix: undefined,
-    adapter: "memory",
+exports.init = () => {
+  const dbConfig = {}
+  if (env.isTest()) {
+    dbConfig.inMemory = true
+    dbConfig.allDbs = true
   }
+  core.init({ db: dbConfig })
 }
-
-const Pouch = PouchDB.defaults(POUCH_DB_DEFAULTS)
-
-// have to still have pouch alldbs for testing
-allDbs(Pouch)
-
-module.exports = Pouch
diff --git a/packages/worker/src/index.ts b/packages/worker/src/index.ts
index 923355374e..75c4020088 100644
--- a/packages/worker/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/worker/src/index.ts
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@ import { Event } from "@sentry/types/dist/event"
 import Application from "koa"
 
 const env = require("./environment")
-const CouchDB = require("./db")
-require("@budibase/backend-core").init(CouchDB)
+import db from "./db"
+db.init()
 const Koa = require("koa")
 const destroyable = require("server-destroy")
 const koaBody = require("koa-body")