diff --git a/src/models/index.js b/src/models/index.js
index 02c1617..5e08398 100644
--- a/src/models/index.js
+++ b/src/models/index.js
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ import DriveSegments from './drive_segments.model';
 import Drives from './drives.model';
 import OAuthAccounts from './oauth_accounts.model';
 
+import orm from './orm';
+
 export {
   Accounts,
   AthenaActionLog,
@@ -17,3 +19,5 @@ export {
   Drives,
   OAuthAccounts,
 };
+
+export default orm;
diff --git a/src/models/orm.js b/src/models/orm.js
index 46d11c4..acd0fc3 100644
--- a/src/models/orm.js
+++ b/src/models/orm.js
@@ -11,14 +11,4 @@ const sequelize = new Sequelize({
 
 sequelize.options.logging = () => {};
 
-/**
- * Synchronise the database (create new tables) to match the models defined
- * above.
- *
- * WARNING: If force is set, sequelize will delete columns and create new ones
- *          if their types have changed!
- *          Use sequelize-cli and migrations instead!
- */
-sequelize.sync({ force: process.env.DB_FORCE_SYNC === 'true' });
-
 export default sequelize;
diff --git a/src/server/app.js b/src/server/app.js
index d0d82c6..030f6e3 100644
--- a/src/server/app.js
+++ b/src/server/app.js
@@ -3,12 +3,8 @@ import cors from 'cors';
 import express from 'express';
 import log4js from 'log4js';
 
-import storageController from './controllers/storage';
 import controllers from './controllers';
 import router from './router';
-import { Accounts, Devices, Drives } from '../models';
-
-const logger = log4js.getLogger();
 
 function runAsyncWrapper(callback) {
   return function wrapper(req, res, next) {
@@ -17,49 +13,40 @@ function runAsyncWrapper(callback) {
   };
 }
 
-const tasks = [];
-const app = express();
+export default async () => {
+  const logger = log4js.getLogger();
+  const app = express();
 
-storageController.initializeStorage();
-tasks.push(storageController.updateTotalStorageUsed());
+  app.use(cors({
+    origin: ['http://localhost:3000', 'https://connect.retropilot.org'],
+    credentials: true,
+  }));
+  app.use(cookieParser());
 
-// debug: print out some info from the database
-Promise.all([Accounts.findAll(), Devices.findAll(), Drives.findAll()])
-  .then(([accounts, devices, drives]) => {
-    logger.info(`Found ${accounts.length} accounts`);
-    logger.info(`Found ${devices.length} devices`);
-    logger.info(`Found ${drives.length} drives`);
+  app.use(router);
+
+  app.use('/favicon.ico', express.static('static/favicon.ico'));
+  app.use(process.env.BASE_DRIVE_DOWNLOAD_PATH_MAPPING, express.static(process.env.STORAGE_PATH));
+
+  app.use('/.well-known', express.static('.well-known'));
+
+  app.use('/cabana', express.static('cabana/'));
+
+  app.get('/', async (req, res) => {
+    res.redirect('/useradmin');
   });
 
-app.use(cors({
-  origin: ['http://localhost:3000', 'https://connect.retropilot.org'],
-  credentials: true,
-}));
-app.use(cookieParser());
+  app.get('*', runAsyncWrapper(async (req, res) => {
+    logger.error(`HTTP.GET unhandled request: ${controllers.helpers.simpleStringify(req)}, ${controllers.helpers.simpleStringify(res)}`);
+    res.status(404);
+    res.send('Not Implemented');
+  }));
 
-app.use(router);
+  app.post('*', runAsyncWrapper(async (req, res) => {
+    logger.error(`HTTP.POST unhandled request: ${controllers.helpers.simpleStringify(req)}, ${controllers.helpers.simpleStringify(res)}`);
+    res.status(404);
+    res.send('Not Implemented');
+  }));
 
-app.use('/favicon.ico', express.static('static/favicon.ico'));
-app.use(process.env.BASE_DRIVE_DOWNLOAD_PATH_MAPPING, express.static(process.env.STORAGE_PATH));
-
-app.use('/.well-known', express.static('.well-known'));
-
-app.use('/cabana', express.static('cabana/'));
-
-app.get('/', async (req, res) => {
-  res.redirect('/useradmin');
-});
-
-app.get('*', runAsyncWrapper(async (req, res) => {
-  logger.error(`HTTP.GET unhandled request: ${controllers.helpers.simpleStringify(req)}, ${controllers.helpers.simpleStringify(res)}`);
-  res.status(404);
-  res.send('Not Implemented');
-}));
-
-app.post('*', runAsyncWrapper(async (req, res) => {
-  logger.error(`HTTP.POST unhandled request: ${controllers.helpers.simpleStringify(req)}, ${controllers.helpers.simpleStringify(res)}`);
-  res.status(404);
-  res.send('Not Implemented');
-}));
-
-export default Promise.all(tasks).then(() => app);
+  return app;
+};
diff --git a/src/server/server.js b/src/server/server.js
index 318dbf1..e7bc1d3 100644
--- a/src/server/server.js
+++ b/src/server/server.js
@@ -3,13 +3,36 @@ import http from 'http';
 import log4js from 'log4js';
 
 import app from './app';
+import storageController from './controllers/storage';
+import orm, { Accounts, Devices, Drives } from '../models';
 
 export default async () => {
-  const server = await app;
-
   const logger = log4js.getLogger();
-  const httpServer = http.createServer(server);
 
+  storageController.initializeStorage();
+  await storageController.updateTotalStorageUsed();
+
+  /**
+   * Synchronise the database (create new tables) to match the models defined
+   * above.
+   *
+   * WARNING: If force is set, sequelize will delete columns and create new ones
+   *          if their types have changed!
+   *          Use sequelize-cli and migrations instead!
+   */
+  const options = { force: process.env.DB_FORCE_SYNC === 'true' };
+  await orm.sync(options);
+  logger.info('Database synced', options);
+
+  // debug: print out some info from the database
+  Promise.all([Accounts.findAll(), Devices.findAll(), Drives.findAll()])
+    .then(([accounts, devices, drives]) => {
+      logger.info(`Found ${accounts.length} accounts`);
+      logger.info(`Found ${devices.length} devices`);
+      logger.info(`Found ${drives.length} drives`);
+    });
+
+  const httpServer = http.createServer(await app());
   httpServer.listen(process.env.HTTP_PORT, () => {
     logger.info(`RetroPilot Server listening at ${process.env.BASE_URL}`);
   });