diff --git a/packages/common/src/records/validateRecord.js b/packages/common/src/records/validateRecord.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..84890c32e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/common/src/records/validateRecord.js
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+const { map, reduce, filter, isEmpty, flatten, each, union } = require("lodash/fp");
+const { compileCode } = require("../common/compileCode");
+const { validateFieldParse, validateTypeConstraints } = require("../schema/types");
+import {
+  validateFieldParse,
+  validateTypeConstraints,
+} from "../schema/types/index.js"
+import { $, isNonEmptyString } from "../common/index.mjs"
+
+const fieldParseError = (fieldName, value) => ({
+  fields: [fieldName],
+  message: `Could not parse field ${fieldName}:${value}`,
+})
+
+const validateAllFieldParse = (record, model) =>
+  $(model.fields, [
+    map(f => ({ name: f.name, parseResult: validateFieldParse(f, record) })),
+    reduce((errors, f) => {
+      if (f.parseResult.success) return errors
+      errors.push(fieldParseError(f.name, f.parseResult.value))
+      return errors
+    }, []),
+  ])
+
+const validateAllTypeConstraints = (record, model) => {
+  const errors = []
+  for (const field of model.fields) {
+    $(validateTypeConstraints(field, record), [
+      filter(isNonEmptyString),
+      map(m => ({ message: m, fields: [field.name] })),
+      each(e => errors.push(e)),
+    ])
+  }
+  return errors
+}
+
+const runRecordValidationRules = (record, model) => {
+  const runValidationRule = rule => {
+    const isValid = compileCode(rule.expressionWhenValid)
+    const expressionContext = { record }
+    return isValid(expressionContext)
+      ? { valid: true }
+      : {
+          valid: false,
+          fields: rule.invalidFields,
+          message: rule.messageWhenInvalid,
+        }
+  }
+
+  return $(model.validationRules, [
+    map(runValidationRule),
+    flatten,
+    filter(r => r.valid === false),
+    map(r => ({ fields: r.fields, message: r.message })),
+  ])
+}
+
+export const validateRecord = (schema, record) => {
+  const model = schema.findModel(record._modelId)
+  const fieldParseFails = validateAllFieldParse(record, model)
+
+  // non parsing would cause further issues - exit here
+  if (!isEmpty(fieldParseFails)) {
+    return { isValid: false, errors: fieldParseFails }
+  }
+
+  const recordValidationRuleFails = runRecordValidationRules(record, model)
+  const typeContraintFails = validateAllTypeConstraints(record, model)
+
+  if (
+    isEmpty(fieldParseFails) &&
+    isEmpty(recordValidationRuleFails) &&
+    isEmpty(typeContraintFails)
+  ) {
+    return { isValid: true, errors: [] }
+  }
+
+  return {
+    isValid: false,
+    errors: union(
+      fieldParseFails,
+      typeContraintFails,
+      recordValidationRuleFails
+    ),
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/common/test/validateRecord.spec.js b/packages/common/test/validateRecord.spec.js
index 19fb664c5c..f74f1a464e 100644
--- a/packages/common/test/validateRecord.spec.js
+++ b/packages/common/test/validateRecord.spec.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { testSchema } from "./testSchema.mjs"
-import { validateRecord } from "../src/records/validateRecord.mjs"
+import { validateRecord } from "../src/records/validateRecord.js"
 import { getNewRecord } from "../src/records/getNewRecord.mjs"
 
 describe("validateRecord", () => {
diff --git a/packages/server/middleware/controllers/user.js b/packages/server/middleware/controllers/user.js
index 32680118e2..0aa52d15bd 100644
--- a/packages/server/middleware/controllers/user.js
+++ b/packages/server/middleware/controllers/user.js
@@ -12,10 +12,20 @@ exports.fetch = async function(ctx) {
 
 exports.create = async function(ctx) {
   const database = couchdb.db.use(ctx.params.databaseId);
-  ctx.body =  await database.insert(ctx.request.body);
+  const response =  await database.insert(ctx.request.body);
+  ctx.body = {
+    ...response,
+    message: `User created successfully.`,
+    status: 200
+  }
 };
 
 exports.destroy = async function(ctx) {
   const database = couchdb.db.use(ctx.params.databaseId);
-  ctx.body = await database.destroy(ctx.params.userId)
+  const response = await database.destroy(ctx.params.userId)
+  ctx.body = {
+    ...response,
+    message: `User deleted.`,
+    status: 200
+  }
 };
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/server/middleware/routes/neo/tests/couchTestUtils.js b/packages/server/middleware/routes/neo/tests/couchTestUtils.js
index be4ddcff5f..3cdd9f0316 100644
--- a/packages/server/middleware/routes/neo/tests/couchTestUtils.js
+++ b/packages/server/middleware/routes/neo/tests/couchTestUtils.js
@@ -30,4 +30,9 @@ exports.createInstanceDatabase = async instanceId => {
       } 
     }
   }, '_design/database');
+}
+
+exports.insertDocument = async (databaseId, document) => {
+  const { id, ...documentFields } = document;
+  await couchdb.db.use(databaseId).insert(documentFields, id);
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/server/middleware/routes/neo/tests/user.spec.js b/packages/server/middleware/routes/neo/tests/user.spec.js
index b7c78cf4bc..431bcfbe1a 100644
--- a/packages/server/middleware/routes/neo/tests/user.spec.js
+++ b/packages/server/middleware/routes/neo/tests/user.spec.js
@@ -1,29 +1,68 @@
 const couchdb = require("../../../../db");
 const supertest = require("supertest");
 const app = require("../../../../app");
-const { createInstanceDatabase } = require("./couchTestUtils");
+const { createInstanceDatabase, insertDocument, destroyDatabase } = require("./couchTestUtils");
 
 
 const TEST_INSTANCE_ID = "testing-123";
+const TEST_USER = {
+  name: "Dave"
+}
 
 describe("/users", () => {
   let request;
+  let server;
 
   beforeAll(async () => {
-    const server = await app({
+    server = await app({
       config: {
         port: 3000
       }
     });
     request = supertest(server);
-    createInstanceDatabase(TEST_INSTANCE_ID);
   });
 
   afterAll(async () => {
-    app.close();
+    server.close();
   })
 
+  describe("fetch", () => {
+    beforeEach(async () => {
+      await createInstanceDatabase(TEST_INSTANCE_ID);
+      await insertDocument(TEST_INSTANCE_ID, {
+        id: "cool-user-id",
+        type: "user",
+        name: "Dave"
+      })
+    });
+
+    afterEach(async () => {
+      await destroyDatabase(TEST_INSTANCE_ID);
+    });
+
+    it("returns a list of users from an instance db", done => {
+      request
+        .get(`/api/${TEST_INSTANCE_ID}/users`)
+        .set("Accept", "application/json")
+        .expect('Content-Type', /json/)
+        .expect(200)
+        .end(async (err, res) => {
+            const createdUser = res.body[0].doc;
+            expect(createdUser.name).toEqual(TEST_USER.name);            
+            done();
+        });
+      })
+    });
+
   describe("create", () => {
+    beforeEach(async () => {
+      await createInstanceDatabase(TEST_INSTANCE_ID);
+    });
+
+    afterEach(async () => {
+      await destroyDatabase(TEST_INSTANCE_ID);
+    });
+
     it("returns a success message when a user is successfully created", done => {
       request
         .post(`/api/${TEST_INSTANCE_ID}/users`)
@@ -32,7 +71,7 @@ describe("/users", () => {
         .expect('Content-Type', /json/)
         .expect(200)
         .end(async (err, res) => {
-            expect(res.body.message).toEqual("Instance Database testing-123 successfully provisioned.");            
+            expect(res.body.message).toEqual("User created successfully.");            
             done();
         });
       })