diff --git a/internal/node/node.go b/internal/node/node.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6efbff16b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/node/node.go
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+package node
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"log/slog"
+	"os"
+
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
+	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/internal/chain"
+	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/node"
+	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/node/engine"
+	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/node/engine/chainservice"
+	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/node/engine/store"
+	"github.com/tidwall/buntdb"
+
+	p2pms "github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/node/engine/messageservice/p2p-message-service"
+)
+
+func InitializeNode(pkString string, chainOpts chain.ChainOpts,
+	useDurableStore bool, durableStoreFolder string, msgPort int, logDestination *os.File, bootPeers []string,
+) (*node.Node, *store.Store, *p2pms.P2PMessageService, *chainservice.EthChainService, error) {
+	if pkString == "" {
+		panic("pk must be set")
+	}
+
+	pk := common.Hex2Bytes(pkString)
+	ourStore, err := store.NewStore(pk, useDurableStore, durableStoreFolder, buntdb.Config{})
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, nil, nil, err
+	}
+
+	slog.Info("Initializing message service on port " + fmt.Sprint(msgPort) + "...")
+	messageService := p2pms.NewMessageService("127.0.0.1", msgPort, *ourStore.GetAddress(), pk, bootPeers)
+
+	slog.Info("Initializing chain service and connecting to " + chainOpts.ChainUrl + "...")
+	ourChain, err := chain.InitializeEthChainService(chainOpts)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, nil, nil, err
+	}
+
+	node := node.New(
+		messageService,
+		ourChain,
+		ourStore,
+		&engine.PermissivePolicy{},
+	)
+
+	return &node, &ourStore, messageService, ourChain, nil
+}
diff --git a/internal/rpc/rpc.go b/internal/rpc/rpc.go
index 161940d6d..6bf476232 100644
--- a/internal/rpc/rpc.go
+++ b/internal/rpc/rpc.go
@@ -3,108 +3,33 @@ package rpc
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"log/slog"
-	"path/filepath"
 
-	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
-
-	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/crypto"
-	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/internal/chain"
-	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/internal/logging"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/node"
-	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/node/engine"
-	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/node/engine/chainservice"
-	p2pms "github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/node/engine/messageservice/p2p-message-service"
-	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/node/engine/store"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/rpc"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/rpc/transport"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/rpc/transport/nats"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/rpc/transport/ws"
-	"github.com/tidwall/buntdb"
 )
 
-func InitChainServiceAndRunRpcServer(pkString string, chainOpts chain.ChainOpts,
-	useDurableStore bool, durableStoreFolder string, useNats bool, msgPort int, rpcPort int,
-	bootPeers []string,
-) (*rpc.RpcServer, *node.Node, *p2pms.P2PMessageService, error) {
-	if pkString == "" {
-		panic("pk must be set")
-	}
-	pk := common.Hex2Bytes(pkString)
-
-	chainService, err := chain.InitializeEthChainService(chainOpts)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, nil, err
-	}
-
-	transportType := transport.Ws
-	if useNats {
-		transportType = transport.Nats
-	}
-
-	rpcServer, node, messageService, err := RunRpcServer(pk, chainService, useDurableStore, durableStoreFolder, msgPort, rpcPort, transportType, bootPeers)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, nil, err
-	}
-
-	slog.Info("Nitro as a Service listening", "rpc-port", rpcPort, "msg-port", msgPort, "transport", transportType, "address", node.Address.String())
-
-	return rpcServer, node, messageService, nil
-}
-
-func RunRpcServer(pk []byte, chainService chainservice.ChainService,
-	useDurableStore bool, durableStoreFolder string, msgPort int, rpcPort int, transportType transport.TransportType,
-	bootPeers []string,
-) (*rpc.RpcServer, *node.Node, *p2pms.P2PMessageService, error) {
-	me := crypto.GetAddressFromSecretKeyBytes(pk)
-	logger := logging.LoggerWithAddress(slog.Default(), me)
-	var ourStore store.Store
-	var err error
-
-	if useDurableStore {
-		dataFolder := filepath.Join(durableStoreFolder, me.String())
-		logger.Info("Initialising durable store", "dataFolder", dataFolder)
-
-		ourStore, err = store.NewDurableStore(pk, dataFolder, buntdb.Config{})
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, nil, nil, err
-		}
-
-	} else {
-		logger.Info("Initialising mem store...")
-		ourStore = store.NewMemStore(pk)
-	}
-
-	logger.Info("Initializing message service ", "port", msgPort)
-
-	messageService := p2pms.NewMessageService("127.0.0.1", msgPort, *ourStore.GetAddress(), pk, bootPeers)
-	node := node.New(
-		messageService,
-		chainService,
-		ourStore,
-		&engine.PermissivePolicy{})
-
+func InitializeRpcServer(node *node.Node, rpcPort int, useNats bool) (*rpc.RpcServer, error) {
 	var transport transport.Responder
+	var err error
 
-	switch transportType {
-	case "nats":
-
-		logger.Info("Initializing NATS RPC transport...")
+	if useNats {
+		slog.Info("Initializing NATS RPC transport...")
 		transport, err = nats.NewNatsTransportAsServer(rpcPort)
-	case "ws":
-		logger.Info("Initializing websocket RPC transport...")
-
+	} else {
+		slog.Info("Initializing websocket RPC transport...")
 		transport, err = ws.NewWebSocketTransportAsServer(fmt.Sprint(rpcPort))
-	default:
-		err = fmt.Errorf("unknown transport type %s", transportType)
 	}
-
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, nil, err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	rpcServer, err := rpc.NewRpcServer(&node, transport)
+	rpcServer, err := rpc.NewRpcServer(node, transport)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, nil, nil, err
+		return nil, err
 	}
-	return rpcServer, &node, messageService, nil
+
+	return rpcServer, nil
 }
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 251cc7f5a..0546bce92 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/internal/chain"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/internal/logging"
+	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/internal/node"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/internal/rpc"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2/altsrc"
@@ -177,7 +178,12 @@ func main() {
 
 			logging.SetupDefaultLogger(os.Stdout, slog.LevelDebug)
 
-			rpcServer, _, _, err := rpc.InitChainServiceAndRunRpcServer(pkString, chainOpts, useDurableStore, durableStoreFolder, useNats, msgPort, rpcPort, peerSlice)
+			node, _, _, _, err := node.InitializeNode(pkString, chainOpts, useDurableStore, durableStoreFolder, msgPort, os.Stdout, peerSlice)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+
+			rpcServer, err := rpc.InitializeRpcServer(node, rpcPort, useNats)
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
diff --git a/node/engine/store/durablestore.go b/node/engine/store/durablestore.go
index 9ccc8d073..8a268b0fe 100644
--- a/node/engine/store/durablestore.go
+++ b/node/engine/store/durablestore.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"strconv"
 
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
@@ -38,7 +39,11 @@ type DurableStore struct {
 // It will create the folder if it does not exist
 func NewDurableStore(key []byte, folder string, config buntdb.Config) (Store, error) {
 	ps := DurableStore{}
-	err := os.MkdirAll(folder, os.ModePerm)
+
+	me := crypto.GetAddressFromSecretKeyBytes(key)
+	dataFolder := filepath.Join(folder, me.String())
+
+	err := os.MkdirAll(dataFolder, os.ModePerm)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/node/engine/store/store.go b/node/engine/store/store.go
index 566f2f03f..1a7c28224 100644
--- a/node/engine/store/store.go
+++ b/node/engine/store/store.go
@@ -3,12 +3,16 @@ package store // import "github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/node/engine/store"
 
 import (
 	"io"
+	"log/slog"
+	"path/filepath"
 
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/channel"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/channel/consensus_channel"
+	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/crypto"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/payments"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/protocols"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/types"
+	"github.com/tidwall/buntdb"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -47,3 +51,24 @@ type ConsensusChannelStore interface {
 	SetConsensusChannel(*consensus_channel.ConsensusChannel) error
 	DestroyConsensusChannel(id types.Destination) error
 }
+
+func NewStore(pk []byte, useDurableStore bool, durableStoreFolder string, buntDbConfig buntdb.Config) (Store, error) {
+	var ourStore Store
+	var err error
+
+	if useDurableStore {
+		me := crypto.GetAddressFromSecretKeyBytes(pk)
+		dataFolder := filepath.Join(durableStoreFolder, me.String())
+
+		slog.Info("Initialising durable store...", "dataFolder", dataFolder)
+		ourStore, err = NewDurableStore(pk, dataFolder, buntdb.Config{})
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	} else {
+		slog.Info("Initialising mem store...")
+		ourStore = NewMemStore(pk)
+	}
+
+	return ourStore, nil
+}
diff --git a/node_test/rpc_test.go b/node_test/rpc_test.go
index d78852162..abe198701 100644
--- a/node_test/rpc_test.go
+++ b/node_test/rpc_test.go
@@ -18,8 +18,11 @@ import (
 	ta "github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/internal/testactors"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/internal/testdata"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/internal/testhelpers"
+	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/node"
+	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/node/engine"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/node/engine/chainservice"
 	p2pms "github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/node/engine/messageservice/p2p-message-service"
+	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/node/engine/store"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/node/query"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/protocols/directfund"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/protocols/virtualfund"
@@ -28,6 +31,7 @@ import (
 	natstrans "github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/rpc/transport/nats"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/rpc/transport/ws"
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/types"
+	"github.com/tidwall/buntdb"
 
 	"github.com/statechannels/go-nitro/crypto"
 )
@@ -393,10 +397,32 @@ func setupNitroNodeWithRPCClient(
 	connectionType transport.TransportType,
 	bootPeers []string,
 ) (rpc.RpcClientApi, *p2pms.P2PMessageService, func()) {
-	var err error
-
 	dataFolder, cleanupData := testhelpers.GenerateTempStoreFolder()
-	rpcServer, _, messageService, err := interRpc.RunRpcServer(pk, chain, true, dataFolder, msgPort, rpcPort, connectionType, bootPeers)
+	ourStore, err := store.NewStore(pk, true, dataFolder, buntdb.Config{})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	slog.Info("Initializing message service on port " + fmt.Sprint(msgPort) + "...")
+	messageService := p2pms.NewMessageService("127.0.0.1", msgPort, *ourStore.GetAddress(), pk, bootPeers)
+
+	node := node.New(
+		messageService,
+		chain,
+		ourStore,
+		&engine.PermissivePolicy{})
+
+	var useNats bool
+	switch connectionType {
+	case "nats":
+		useNats = true
+	case "ws":
+		useNats = false
+	default:
+		err = fmt.Errorf("unknown connection type %v", connectionType)
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	rpcServer, err := interRpc.InitializeRpcServer(&node, rpcPort, useNats)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}