diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 722b361..d762742 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ following:
     e.g. for Python3.6, you would install `python36-dev`. You're smart enough to figure the rest out from here ;)
  3. (Optional) Reverse Proxy software to handle a public-facing API. 
     We recommend Caddy, though there is an `nginx.conf` file under `config`.
- 4. Patience (Strongly recommended but often neglected)
+ 5. Patience (Strongly recommended but often neglected)
  
 ## Installation
 
diff --git a/src/schema/comments_ddl.sql b/src/schema/comments_ddl.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7c5d15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/schema/comments_ddl.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+
+PRAGMA FOREIGN_KEYS = ON;
+
+-- tables
+-- DROP TABLE IF EXISTS COMMENT;
+-- DROP TABLE IF EXISTS CHANNEL;
+
+-- DROP TABLE IF EXISTS COMMENT;
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS COMMENT (
+    CommentId   TEXT    NOT NULL,
+    LbryClaimId TEXT    NOT NULL,
+    ChannelId   TEXT                DEFAULT NULL,
+    Body        TEXT    NOT NULL,
+    ParentId    TEXT                DEFAULT NULL,
+    Signature   TEXT                DEFAULT NULL,
+    Timestamp   INTEGER NOT NULL,
+    SigningTs   TEXT                DEFAULT NULL,
+    CONSTRAINT COMMENT_PRIMARY_KEY PRIMARY KEY (CommentId) ON CONFLICT IGNORE,
+    CONSTRAINT COMMENT_SIGNATURE_SK UNIQUE (Signature) ON CONFLICT ABORT,
+    CONSTRAINT COMMENT_CHANNEL_FK FOREIGN KEY (ChannelId) REFERENCES CHANNEL(ClaimId)
+        ON DELETE NO ACTION ON UPDATE NO ACTION,
+    CONSTRAINT COMMENT_PARENT_FK FOREIGN KEY (ParentId) REFERENCES COMMENT(CommentId)
+        ON UPDATE CASCADE ON DELETE NO ACTION  -- setting null implies comment is top level
+);
+
+-- ALTER TABLE COMMENT ADD COLUMN SigningTs TEXT DEFAULT NULL;
+
+-- DROP TABLE IF EXISTS CHANNEL;
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS CHANNEL(
+    ClaimId     TEXT    NOT NULL,
+    Name        TEXT    NOT NULL,
+    CONSTRAINT CHANNEL_PK PRIMARY KEY (ClaimId)
+        ON CONFLICT IGNORE
+);
+
+
+-- indexes
+-- DROP INDEX IF EXISTS COMMENT_CLAIM_INDEX;
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS CLAIM_COMMENT_INDEX ON COMMENT (LbryClaimId, CommentId);
+
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS CHANNEL_COMMENT_INDEX ON COMMENT(ChannelId, CommentId);
+
+-- VIEWS
+DROP VIEW IF EXISTS COMMENTS_ON_CLAIMS;
+CREATE VIEW IF NOT EXISTS COMMENTS_ON_CLAIMS (comment_id, claim_id, timestamp, channel_name, channel_id, channel_url, signature, signing_ts, parent_id, comment) AS
+    SELECT C.CommentId, C.LbryClaimId, C.Timestamp, CHAN.Name, CHAN.ClaimId, 'lbry://' || CHAN.Name || '#' || CHAN.ClaimId, C.Signature, C.SigningTs, C.ParentId, C.Body
+    FROM COMMENT AS C
+    LEFT OUTER JOIN CHANNEL CHAN on C.ChannelId = CHAN.ClaimId
+    ORDER BY C.Timestamp DESC;
+
+
+
+DROP VIEW IF EXISTS COMMENT_REPLIES;
+CREATE VIEW IF NOT EXISTS COMMENT_REPLIES (Author, CommentBody, ParentAuthor, ParentCommentBody) AS
+    SELECT AUTHOR.Name, OG.Body, PCHAN.Name, PARENT.Body FROM COMMENT AS OG
+        JOIN  COMMENT AS PARENT
+        ON OG.ParentId = PARENT.CommentId
+        JOIN CHANNEL AS PCHAN ON PARENT.ChannelId = PCHAN.ClaimId
+        JOIN CHANNEL AS AUTHOR ON OG.ChannelId = AUTHOR.ClaimId
+        ORDER BY OG.Timestamp;
+
+-- this is the default channel for anyone who wants to publish anonymously
+-- INSERT INTO CHANNEL
+-- VALUES ('9cb713f01bf247a0e03170b5ed00d5161340c486', '@Anonymous');
diff --git a/src/schema/db_helpers.py b/src/schema/db_helpers.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..24ce26e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/schema/db_helpers.py
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+import logging
+import sqlite3
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+def setup_database(db_path, schema_path):
+    logger.info(f'Creating db schema from {schema_path} in {db_path}')
+    with sqlite3.connect(db_path) as conn:
+        with open(schema_path, 'r') as ddl:
+            with conn:
+                conn.executescript(ddl.read())
+
+
+def teardown_database(db_path):
+    logger.info('Dropping all tables from %s', db_path)
+    with sqlite3.connect(db_path) as conn:
+        conn.executescript("""
+            DROP VIEW IF EXISTS COMMENTS_ON_CLAIMS;
+            DROP VIEW IF EXISTS COMMENT_REPLIES;
+            DROP TABLE IF EXISTS COMMENT;
+            DROP TABLE IF EXISTS CHANNEL;
+        """)
+
+
+def backup_database(conn: sqlite3.Connection, back_fp):
+    with sqlite3.connect(back_fp) as back:
+        conn.backup(back)