diff --git a/api/api-doc/storage_service.json b/api/api-doc/storage_service.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e45d6de89c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/api-doc/storage_service.json
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+{
+   "apiVersion":"0.0.1",
+   "swaggerVersion":"1.2",
+   "basePath":"{{Protocol}}://{{Host}}",
+   "resourcePath":"/storage_service",
+   "produces":[
+      "application/json"
+   ],
+   "apis":[
+      {
+         "path":"/storage_service/hostid/local",
+         "operations":[
+            {
+               "method":"GET",
+               "summary":"Returns the local host id",
+               "type":"string",
+               "nickname":"local_hostid",
+               "produces":[
+                  "application/json"
+               ],
+               "parameters":[
+                  {
+                  }
+               ]
+            }
+         ]
+      }
+   ]
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/api/api.cc b/api/api.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..40f5022816
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/api.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Cloudius Systems
+ */
+
+#include "api.hh"
+#include "http/api_docs.hh"
+#include "storage_service.hh"
+
+namespace api {
+
+future<> set_server(http_context& ctx) {
+    auto rb = std::make_shared < api_registry_builder > ("api/api-doc/");
+
+    return ctx.http_server.set_routes(rb->set_api_doc()).then([&ctx, rb] {
+        ctx.http_server.set_routes(rb->register_function("storage_service",
+                        "The storage service API"))
+        .then([&ctx] {
+            return set_storage_service(ctx);
+        });
+    });
+}
+
+}
+
diff --git a/api/api.hh b/api/api.hh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dffad12346
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/api.hh
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Cloudius Systems
+ */
+
+#ifndef API_API_HH_
+#define API_API_HH_
+
+#include "http/httpd.hh"
+
+namespace api {
+
+struct http_context {
+    http_server_control http_server;
+};
+
+future<> set_server(http_context& ctx);
+
+}
+
+#endif /* API_API_HH_ */
diff --git a/api/storage_service.cc b/api/storage_service.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..86b6a26e1a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/storage_service.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Cloudius Systems
+ */
+
+#include "storage_service.hh"
+#include "api/api-doc/storage_service.json.hh"
+
+namespace api {
+
+future<> set_storage_service(http_context& ctx) {
+    return ctx.http_server.set_routes([] (routes& r) {
+        httpd::storage_service_json::local_hostid.set(r, [](const_req req) {
+            return "";
+        });
+    });
+}
+
+}
diff --git a/api/storage_service.hh b/api/storage_service.hh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d17d679e27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/storage_service.hh
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2015 Cloudius Systems
+ */
+
+#ifndef API_STORAGE_SERVICE_HH_
+#define API_STORAGE_SERVICE_HH_
+
+#include "api.hh"
+
+namespace api {
+
+future<> set_storage_service(http_context& ctx);
+
+}
+
+#endif /* API_APP_HH_ */
diff --git a/configure.py b/configure.py
index 5bde80474f..8ed5bbb2a9 100755
--- a/configure.py
+++ b/configure.py
@@ -259,6 +259,11 @@ http = ['http/transformers.cc',
         'http/request_parser.rl',
         'http/api_docs.cc',
         ]
+
+api = ['api/api.cc',
+       'api/api-doc/storage_service.json',
+       'api/storage_service.cc',
+       ]
 defines = []
 libs = '-laio -lboost_program_options -lboost_system -lstdc++ -lm -lboost_unit_test_framework -lboost_thread -lcryptopp -lrt'
 hwloc_libs = '-lhwloc -lnuma -lpciaccess -lxml2 -lz'
@@ -370,7 +375,7 @@ urchin_core = (['database.cc',
 deps = {
     'libseastar.a' : core + libnet,
     'seastar.pc': [],
-    'seastar': ['main.cc'] + urchin_core,
+    'seastar': ['main.cc'] + http + api + urchin_core,
     'tests/test-reactor': ['tests/test-reactor.cc'] + core,
     'apps/httpd/httpd': ['apps/httpd/demo.json', 'apps/httpd/main.cc'] + http + libnet + core,
     'apps/memcached/memcached': ['apps/memcached/memcache.cc'] + memcache_base,
diff --git a/main.cc b/main.cc
index 902fb5c7f2..93d7ad881a 100644
--- a/main.cc
+++ b/main.cc
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@
 #include "core/distributed.hh"
 #include "thrift/server.hh"
 #include "transport/server.hh"
+#include "http/httpd.hh"
+#include "api/api.hh"
 
 namespace bpo = boost::program_options;
 
@@ -16,18 +18,21 @@ int main(int ac, char** av) {
     app.add_options()
         ("cql-port", bpo::value<uint16_t>()->default_value(9042), "CQL port")
         ("thrift-port", bpo::value<uint16_t>()->default_value(9160), "Thrift port")
+        ("api-port", bpo::value<uint16_t>()->default_value(10000), "Http Rest API port")
         ("datadir", bpo::value<std::string>()->default_value("/var/lib/cassandra/data"), "data directory");
 
     auto server = std::make_unique<distributed<thrift_server>>();
     distributed<database> db;
     distributed<cql3::query_processor> qp;
     service::storage_proxy proxy{db};
+    api::http_context ctx;
 
     return app.run(ac, av, [&] {
         auto&& config = app.configuration();
         uint16_t thrift_port = config["thrift-port"].as<uint16_t>();
         uint16_t cql_port = config["cql-port"].as<uint16_t>();
         sstring datadir = config["datadir"].as<std::string>();
+        uint16_t api_port = config["api-port"].as<uint16_t>();
 
         return db.start().then([datadir, &db] {
             engine().at_exit([&db] { return db.stop(); });
@@ -49,6 +54,14 @@ int main(int ac, char** av) {
             }).then([thrift_port] {
                 std::cout << "Thrift server listening on port " << thrift_port << " ...\n";
             });
+        }).then([&db, api_port, &ctx]{
+            ctx.http_server.start().then([api_port, &ctx] {
+                return set_server(ctx);
+            }).then([&ctx, api_port] {
+                ctx.http_server.listen(api_port);
+            }).then([api_port] {
+                std::cout << "Seastar HTTP server listening on port " << api_port << " ...\n";
+            });
         }).or_terminate();
     });
 }