diff --git a/rust-backend/.gitignore b/rust-backend/.gitignore
index d913617..f8c722e 100644
--- a/rust-backend/.gitignore
+++ b/rust-backend/.gitignore
@@ -1,2 +1,4 @@
 target
+database.sqlite3
+
 
diff --git a/rust-backend/Cargo.lock b/rust-backend/Cargo.lock
index 360a56a..10784bd 100644
--- a/rust-backend/Cargo.lock
+++ b/rust-backend/Cargo.lock
@@ -237,6 +237,17 @@ dependencies = [
  "alloc-no-stdlib",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "async-trait"
+version = "0.1.81"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "6e0c28dcc82d7c8ead5cb13beb15405b57b8546e93215673ff8ca0349a028107"
+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "autocfg"
 version = "1.3.0"
@@ -429,6 +440,18 @@ version = "1.0.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "5443807d6dff69373d433ab9ef5378ad8df50ca6298caf15de6e52e24aaf54d5"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "fallible-iterator"
+version = "0.3.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "2acce4a10f12dc2fb14a218589d4f1f62ef011b2d0cc4b3cb1bba8e94da14649"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "fallible-streaming-iterator"
+version = "0.1.9"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "7360491ce676a36bf9bb3c56c1aa791658183a54d2744120f27285738d90465a"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "flate2"
 version = "1.0.31"
@@ -535,6 +558,24 @@ name = "hashbrown"
 version = "0.14.5"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "e5274423e17b7c9fc20b6e7e208532f9b19825d82dfd615708b70edd83df41f1"
+dependencies = [
+ "ahash",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "hashlink"
+version = "0.9.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "6ba4ff7128dee98c7dc9794b6a411377e1404dba1c97deb8d1a55297bd25d8af"
+dependencies = [
+ "hashbrown",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "heck"
+version = "0.4.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "95505c38b4572b2d910cecb0281560f54b440a19336cbbcb27bf6ce6adc6f5a8"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "hermit-abi"
@@ -618,6 +659,16 @@ version = "0.2.155"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "97b3888a4aecf77e811145cadf6eef5901f4782c53886191b2f693f24761847c"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "libsqlite3-sys"
+version = "0.28.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "0c10584274047cb335c23d3e61bcef8e323adae7c5c8c760540f73610177fc3f"
+dependencies = [
+ "pkg-config",
+ "vcpkg",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "local-channel"
 version = "0.1.5"
@@ -831,6 +882,50 @@ dependencies = [
  "bitflags",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "refinery"
+version = "0.8.14"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "0904191f0566c3d3e0091d5cc8dec22e663d77def2d247b16e7a438b188bf75d"
+dependencies = [
+ "refinery-core",
+ "refinery-macros",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "refinery-core"
+version = "0.8.14"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "9bf253999e1899ae476c910b994959e341d84c4389ba9533d3dacbe06df04825"
+dependencies = [
+ "async-trait",
+ "cfg-if",
+ "log",
+ "regex",
+ "rusqlite",
+ "serde",
+ "siphasher",
+ "thiserror",
+ "time",
+ "toml",
+ "url",
+ "walkdir",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "refinery-macros"
+version = "0.8.14"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "bd81f69687fe8a1fa10995108b3ffc7cdbd63e682a4f8fbfd1020130780d7e17"
+dependencies = [
+ "heck",
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "refinery-core",
+ "regex",
+ "syn",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "regex"
 version = "1.10.6"
@@ -866,6 +961,20 @@ version = "0.8.4"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "7a66a03ae7c801facd77a29370b4faec201768915ac14a721ba36f20bc9c209b"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "rusqlite"
+version = "0.31.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "b838eba278d213a8beaf485bd313fd580ca4505a00d5871caeb1457c55322cae"
+dependencies = [
+ "bitflags",
+ "fallible-iterator",
+ "fallible-streaming-iterator",
+ "hashlink",
+ "libsqlite3-sys",
+ "smallvec",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "rustc-demangle"
 version = "0.1.24"
@@ -887,6 +996,15 @@ version = "1.0.18"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "f3cb5ba0dc43242ce17de99c180e96db90b235b8a9fdc9543c96d2209116bd9f"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "same-file"
+version = "1.0.6"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "93fc1dc3aaa9bfed95e02e6eadabb4baf7e3078b0bd1b4d7b6b0b68378900502"
+dependencies = [
+ "winapi-util",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "scopeguard"
 version = "1.2.0"
@@ -931,6 +1049,15 @@ dependencies = [
  "serde",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "serde_spanned"
+version = "0.6.7"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "eb5b1b31579f3811bf615c144393417496f152e12ac8b7663bf664f4a815306d"
+dependencies = [
+ "serde",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "serde_urlencoded"
 version = "0.7.1"
@@ -963,11 +1090,19 @@ dependencies = [
  "libc",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "siphasher"
+version = "1.0.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "56199f7ddabf13fe5074ce809e7d3f42b42ae711800501b5b16ea82ad029c39d"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "skantravels"
 version = "0.1.0"
 dependencies = [
  "actix-web",
+ "refinery",
+ "rusqlite",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1006,6 +1141,26 @@ dependencies = [
  "unicode-ident",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "thiserror"
+version = "1.0.63"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "c0342370b38b6a11b6cc11d6a805569958d54cfa061a29969c3b5ce2ea405724"
+dependencies = [
+ "thiserror-impl",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "thiserror-impl"
+version = "1.0.63"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "a4558b58466b9ad7ca0f102865eccc95938dca1a74a856f2b57b6629050da261"
+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "time"
 version = "0.3.36"
@@ -1082,6 +1237,40 @@ dependencies = [
  "tokio",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "toml"
+version = "0.8.19"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "a1ed1f98e3fdc28d6d910e6737ae6ab1a93bf1985935a1193e68f93eeb68d24e"
+dependencies = [
+ "serde",
+ "serde_spanned",
+ "toml_datetime",
+ "toml_edit",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "toml_datetime"
+version = "0.6.8"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "0dd7358ecb8fc2f8d014bf86f6f638ce72ba252a2c3a2572f2a795f1d23efb41"
+dependencies = [
+ "serde",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "toml_edit"
+version = "0.22.20"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "583c44c02ad26b0c3f3066fe629275e50627026c51ac2e595cca4c230ce1ce1d"
+dependencies = [
+ "indexmap",
+ "serde",
+ "serde_spanned",
+ "toml_datetime",
+ "winnow",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "tracing"
 version = "0.1.40"
@@ -1140,18 +1329,43 @@ dependencies = [
  "percent-encoding",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "vcpkg"
+version = "0.2.15"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "accd4ea62f7bb7a82fe23066fb0957d48ef677f6eeb8215f372f52e48bb32426"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "version_check"
 version = "0.9.5"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "0b928f33d975fc6ad9f86c8f283853ad26bdd5b10b7f1542aa2fa15e2289105a"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "walkdir"
+version = "2.5.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "29790946404f91d9c5d06f9874efddea1dc06c5efe94541a7d6863108e3a5e4b"
+dependencies = [
+ "same-file",
+ "winapi-util",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "wasi"
 version = "0.11.0+wasi-snapshot-preview1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "9c8d87e72b64a3b4db28d11ce29237c246188f4f51057d65a7eab63b7987e423"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "winapi-util"
+version = "0.1.9"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "cf221c93e13a30d793f7645a0e7762c55d169dbb0a49671918a2319d289b10bb"
+dependencies = [
+ "windows-sys",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "windows-sys"
 version = "0.52.0"
@@ -1225,6 +1439,15 @@ version = "0.52.6"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "589f6da84c646204747d1270a2a5661ea66ed1cced2631d546fdfb155959f9ec"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "winnow"
+version = "0.6.18"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "68a9bda4691f099d435ad181000724da8e5899daa10713c2d432552b9ccd3a6f"
+dependencies = [
+ "memchr",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "zerocopy"
 version = "0.7.35"
diff --git a/rust-backend/Cargo.toml b/rust-backend/Cargo.toml
index 737adda..788fb66 100644
--- a/rust-backend/Cargo.toml
+++ b/rust-backend/Cargo.toml
@@ -5,4 +5,6 @@ edition = "2021"
 
 [dependencies]
 actix-web = "4"
+refinery = { version = "0.8.14", features = ["rusqlite"] }
+rusqlite = "0.31"
 
diff --git a/rust-backend/migrations/V1__create_favorites_table.sql b/rust-backend/migrations/V1__create_favorites_table.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0ba82c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rust-backend/migrations/V1__create_favorites_table.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+CREATE TABLE favorites (
+	id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+	user_id TEXT NOT NULL,
+	lat REAL NOT NULL,
+	lng REAL NOT NULL
+);
+
diff --git a/rust-backend/src/main.rs b/rust-backend/src/main.rs
index 1731a6e..d058381 100644
--- a/rust-backend/src/main.rs
+++ b/rust-backend/src/main.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 use actix_web::{get, Responder, HttpResponse, HttpServer, App};
 
+mod embedded {
+    use refinery::embed_migrations;
+    embed_migrations!("./migrations");
+}
+
 #[get("/hc")]
 async fn healthcheck() -> impl Responder {
     HttpResponse::Ok().body("OK")
@@ -12,11 +17,22 @@ async fn main() -> std::io::Result<()> {
         .and_then(|port| port.parse::<u16>().ok())
         .unwrap_or(8080);
 
+    let database_path = std::env::var("RUST_BACKEND_DB")
+        .unwrap_or("database.sqlite3".to_string());
+
+    println!("Opening database: {}", database_path);
+
+    let mut conn = rusqlite::Connection::open(database_path).unwrap();
+
+    embedded::migrations::runner().run(&mut conn).unwrap();
+
+    println!("Starting web server at port {}", port);
+
     HttpServer::new(|| {
         App::new()
             .service(healthcheck)
     })
-    .bind(("127.0.0.1", port))?
+    .bind(("0.0.0.0", port))?
     .run()
     .await
 }