diff --git a/services/backup/CMakeLists.txt b/services/backup/CMakeLists.txt
--- a/services/backup/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/services/backup/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -23,14 +23,7 @@
 # FIND FILES
 file(GLOB DOUBLE_CONVERSION_SOURCES "./lib/double-conversion/double-conversion/*.cc")
 
-if ($ENV{COMM_TEST_SERVICES} MATCHES 1)
-  add_compile_definitions(COMM_TEST_SERVICES)
-endif()
-
 file(GLOB GENERATED_CODE "./_generated/*.cc")
-if ($ENV{COMM_SERVICES_DEV_MODE} MATCHES 1)
-  add_compile_definitions(COMM_SERVICES_DEV_MODE)
-endif()
 
 file(GLOB_RECURSE SOURCE_CODE "./src/*.cpp")
 
diff --git a/services/backup/src/AwsTools.cpp b/services/backup/src/AwsTools.cpp
--- a/services/backup/src/AwsTools.cpp
+++ b/services/backup/src/AwsTools.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 #include "AwsTools.h"
 #include "Constants.h"
+#include "Tools.h"
+
+#include <cstdlib>
 
 namespace comm {
 namespace network {
@@ -7,10 +10,10 @@
 std::unique_ptr<Aws::DynamoDB::DynamoDBClient> getDynamoDBClient() {
   Aws::Client::ClientConfiguration config;
   config.region = AWS_REGION;
-#ifdef COMM_SERVICES_DEV_MODE
-  config.endpointOverride = Aws::String("localstack:4566");
-  config.scheme = Aws::Http::Scheme::HTTP;
-#endif
+  if (isDevMode()) {
+    config.endpointOverride = Aws::String("localstack:4566");
+    config.scheme = Aws::Http::Scheme::HTTP;
+  }
   return std::make_unique<Aws::DynamoDB::DynamoDBClient>(config);
 }
 
diff --git a/services/backup/src/Constants.h b/services/backup/src/Constants.h
--- a/services/backup/src/Constants.h
+++ b/services/backup/src/Constants.h
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #pragma once
 
+#include "Tools.h"
+
 #include <string>
 
 namespace comm {
@@ -22,13 +24,9 @@
 
 const std::string AWS_REGION = "us-east-2";
 
-#ifdef COMM_TEST_SERVICES
-const std::string LOG_TABLE_NAME = "backup-service-log-test";
-const std::string BACKUP_TABLE_NAME = "backup-service-backup-test";
-#else
-const std::string LOG_TABLE_NAME = "backup-service-log";
-const std::string BACKUP_TABLE_NAME = "backup-service-backup";
-#endif
+const std::string LOG_TABLE_NAME = decorateTableName("backup-service-log");
+const std::string BACKUP_TABLE_NAME =
+    decorateTableName("backup-service-backup");
 
 // This has to be smaller than GRPC_CHUNK_SIZE_LIMIT because we need to
 // recognize if we may receive multiple chunks or just one. If it was larger
diff --git a/services/backup/src/Tools.h b/services/backup/src/Tools.h
--- a/services/backup/src/Tools.h
+++ b/services/backup/src/Tools.h
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@
 
 std::string generateRandomString(std::size_t length = 20);
 uint64_t getCurrentTimestamp();
+std::string decorateTableName(const std::string &baseName);
+bool isDevMode();
 
 } // namespace network
 } // namespace comm
diff --git a/services/backup/src/Tools.cpp b/services/backup/src/Tools.cpp
--- a/services/backup/src/Tools.cpp
+++ b/services/backup/src/Tools.cpp
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #include "Tools.h"
 
 #include <chrono>
+#include <cstdlib>
 #include <random>
 
 namespace comm {
@@ -24,5 +25,21 @@
       .count();
 }
 
+std::string decorateTableName(const std::string &baseName) {
+  if (std::string(
+          std::getenv("COMM_TEST_SERVICES") ? std::getenv("COMM_TEST_SERVICES")
+                                            : "") == "1") {
+    return baseName + "-test";
+  }
+  return baseName;
+}
+
+bool isDevMode() {
+  if (std::getenv("COMM_SERVICES_DEV_MODE") == nullptr) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  return std::string(std::getenv("COMM_SERVICES_DEV_MODE")) == "1";
+}
+
 } // namespace network
 } // namespace comm
diff --git a/services/blob/CMakeLists.txt b/services/blob/CMakeLists.txt
--- a/services/blob/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/services/blob/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -24,15 +24,7 @@
 # FIND FILES
 file(GLOB DOUBLE_CONVERSION_SOURCES "./lib/double-conversion/double-conversion/*.cc")
 
-
-if ($ENV{COMM_TEST_SERVICES} MATCHES 1)
-  add_compile_definitions(COMM_TEST_SERVICES)
-endif()
-
 file(GLOB GENERATED_CODE "./_generated/*.cc")
-if ($ENV{COMM_SERVICES_DEV_MODE} MATCHES 1)
-  add_compile_definitions(COMM_SERVICES_DEV_MODE)
-endif()
 
 file(GLOB SOURCE_CODE "./src/*.cpp" "./src/**/*.cpp")
 
diff --git a/services/blob/src/AwsTools.cpp b/services/blob/src/AwsTools.cpp
--- a/services/blob/src/AwsTools.cpp
+++ b/services/blob/src/AwsTools.cpp
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 
 #include <aws/s3/model/Bucket.h>
 
+#include <cstdlib>
+
 namespace comm {
 namespace network {
 
@@ -28,24 +30,25 @@
 std::unique_ptr<Aws::DynamoDB::DynamoDBClient> getDynamoDBClient() {
   Aws::Client::ClientConfiguration config;
   config.region = AWS_REGION;
-#ifdef COMM_SERVICES_DEV_MODE
-  config.endpointOverride = Aws::String("localstack:4566");
-  config.scheme = Aws::Http::Scheme::HTTP;
-#endif
+  if (isDevMode()) {
+    config.endpointOverride = Aws::String("localstack:4566");
+    config.scheme = Aws::Http::Scheme::HTTP;
+  }
   return std::make_unique<Aws::DynamoDB::DynamoDBClient>(config);
 }
 
 std::unique_ptr<Aws::S3::S3Client> getS3Client() {
   Aws::Client::ClientConfiguration config;
   config.region = AWS_REGION;
-#ifdef COMM_SERVICES_DEV_MODE
-  config.endpointOverride = Aws::String("localstack:4566");
-  config.scheme = Aws::Http::Scheme::HTTP;
-  return std::make_unique<Aws::S3::S3Client>(
-      config, Aws::Client::AWSAuthV4Signer::PayloadSigningPolicy::Never, false);
-#else
+  if (isDevMode()) {
+    config.endpointOverride = Aws::String("localstack:4566");
+    config.scheme = Aws::Http::Scheme::HTTP;
+    return std::make_unique<Aws::S3::S3Client>(
+        config,
+        Aws::Client::AWSAuthV4Signer::PayloadSigningPolicy::Never,
+        false);
+  }
   return std::make_unique<Aws::S3::S3Client>(config);
-#endif
 }
 
 } // namespace network
diff --git a/services/blob/src/Constants.h b/services/blob/src/Constants.h
--- a/services/blob/src/Constants.h
+++ b/services/blob/src/Constants.h
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #pragma once
 
+#include "Tools.h"
+
 #include <string>
 
 namespace comm {
@@ -25,13 +27,9 @@
 const std::string AWS_REGION = "us-east-2";
 const std::string BLOB_BUCKET_NAME = "commapp-blob";
 
-#ifdef COMM_TEST_SERVICES
-const std::string BLOB_TABLE_NAME = "blob-service-blob-test";
-const std::string REVERSE_INDEX_TABLE_NAME = "blob-service-reverse-index-test";
-#else
-const std::string BLOB_TABLE_NAME = "blob-service-blob";
-const std::string REVERSE_INDEX_TABLE_NAME = "blob-service-reverse-index";
-#endif
+const std::string BLOB_TABLE_NAME = decorateTableName("blob-service-blob");
+const std::string REVERSE_INDEX_TABLE_NAME =
+    decorateTableName("blob-service-reverse-index");
 
 } // namespace network
 } // namespace comm
diff --git a/services/blob/src/Tools.h b/services/blob/src/Tools.h
--- a/services/blob/src/Tools.h
+++ b/services/blob/src/Tools.h
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 #pragma once
 
-#include "Constants.h"
 #include "DatabaseEntitiesTools.h"
 #include "S3Path.h"
 
@@ -18,6 +17,10 @@
 
 uint64_t getCurrentTimestamp();
 
+std::string decorateTableName(const std::string &baseName);
+
+bool isDevMode();
+
 class invalid_argument_error : public std::runtime_error {
 public:
   invalid_argument_error(std::string errorMessage)
diff --git a/services/blob/src/Tools.cpp b/services/blob/src/Tools.cpp
--- a/services/blob/src/Tools.cpp
+++ b/services/blob/src/Tools.cpp
@@ -1,12 +1,14 @@
 #include "Tools.h"
 
 #include "AwsTools.h"
+#include "Constants.h"
 #include "DatabaseEntitiesTools.h"
 #include "DatabaseManager.h"
 
 #include <openssl/sha.h>
 
 #include <chrono>
+#include <cstdlib>
 #include <iomanip>
 #include <string>
 
@@ -72,5 +74,21 @@
       .count();
 }
 
+std::string decorateTableName(const std::string &baseName) {
+  if (std::string(
+          std::getenv("COMM_TEST_SERVICES") ? std::getenv("COMM_TEST_SERVICES")
+                                            : "") == "1") {
+    return baseName + "-test";
+  }
+  return baseName;
+}
+
+bool isDevMode() {
+  if (std::getenv("COMM_SERVICES_DEV_MODE") == nullptr) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  return std::string(std::getenv("COMM_SERVICES_DEV_MODE")) == "1";
+}
+
 } // namespace network
 } // namespace comm