diff --git a/services/backup/src/constants.rs b/services/backup/src/constants.rs
index c55e2e1b1..fd04940a5 100644
--- a/services/backup/src/constants.rs
+++ b/services/backup/src/constants.rs
@@ -1,15 +1,34 @@
 // Assorted constants
 
 pub const MPSC_CHANNEL_BUFFER_CAPACITY: usize = 1;
 
 // Configuration defaults
 
 pub const DEFAULT_GRPC_SERVER_PORT: u64 = 50051;
 pub const DEFAULT_LOCALSTACK_URL: &str = "http://localhost:4566";
 pub const DEFAULT_BLOB_SERVICE_URL: &str = "http://localhost:50053";
 
 // Environment variable names
 
 pub const SANDBOX_ENV_VAR: &str = "COMM_SERVICES_SANDBOX";
 pub const LOG_LEVEL_ENV_VAR: &str =
   tracing_subscriber::filter::EnvFilter::DEFAULT_ENV;
+
+// DynamoDB constants
+
+pub const BACKUP_TABLE_NAME: &str = "backup-service-backup";
+pub const BACKUP_TABLE_FIELD_USER_ID: &str = "userID";
+pub const BACKUP_TABLE_FIELD_BACKUP_ID: &str = "backupID";
+pub const BACKUP_TABLE_FIELD_CREATED: &str = "created";
+pub const BACKUP_TABLE_FIELD_RECOVERY_DATA: &str = "recoveryData";
+pub const BACKUP_TABLE_FIELD_COMPACTION_HOLDER: &str = "compactionHolder";
+pub const BACKUP_TABLE_FIELD_ATTACHMENT_HOLDERS: &str = "attachmentHolders";
+pub const BACKUP_TABLE_INDEX_USERID_CREATED: &str = "userID-created-index";
+
+pub const LOG_TABLE_NAME: &str = "backup-service-log";
+pub const LOG_TABLE_FIELD_BACKUP_ID: &str = "backupID";
+pub const LOG_TABLE_FIELD_LOG_ID: &str = "logID";
+pub const LOG_TABLE_FIELD_PERSISTED_IN_BLOB: &str = "persistedInBlob";
+pub const LOG_TABLE_FIELD_VALUE: &str = "value";
+pub const LOG_TABLE_FIELD_ATTACHMENT_HOLDERS: &str = "attachmentHolders";
+pub const LOG_TABLE_FIELD_DATA_HASH: &str = "dataHash";
diff --git a/services/backup/src/database.rs b/services/backup/src/database.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2b2ca551e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/backup/src/database.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+use chrono::{DateTime, Utc};
+use std::sync::Arc;
+
+#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct BackupItem {
+  pub user_id: String,
+  pub backup_id: String,
+  pub created: DateTime<Utc>,
+  pub recovery_data: String,
+  pub compaction_holder: String,
+  pub attachment_holders: String,
+}
+
+#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct LogItem {
+  pub backup_id: String,
+  pub log_id: String,
+  pub persisted_in_blob: bool,
+  pub value: String,
+  pub attachment_holders: String,
+  pub data_hash: String,
+}
+
+#[derive(Clone)]
+pub struct DatabaseClient {
+  client: Arc<aws_sdk_dynamodb::Client>,
+}
+
+impl DatabaseClient {
+  pub fn new(aws_config: &aws_types::SdkConfig) -> Self {
+    DatabaseClient {
+      client: Arc::new(aws_sdk_dynamodb::Client::new(aws_config)),
+    }
+  }
+
+  // backup item
+  pub async fn put_backup_item(
+    &self,
+    backup_item: BackupItem,
+  ) -> Result<(), Error> {
+    unimplemented!()
+  }
+
+  pub async fn find_backup_item(
+    &self,
+    user_id: &str,
+    backup_id: &str,
+  ) -> Result<Option<BackupItem>, Error> {
+    unimplemented!()
+  }
+
+  pub async fn find_last_backup_item(
+    &self,
+    user_id: &str,
+  ) -> Result<Option<BackupItem>, Error> {
+    unimplemented!()
+  }
+
+  pub async fn remove_backup_item(&self, backup_id: &str) -> Result<(), Error> {
+    unimplemented!()
+  }
+
+  // log item
+  pub async fn put_log_item(&self, log_item: LogItem) -> Result<(), Error> {
+    unimplemented!()
+  }
+
+  pub async fn find_log_item(
+    &self,
+    backup_id: &str,
+    log_id: &str,
+  ) -> Result<Option<LogItem>, Error> {
+    unimplemented!()
+  }
+
+  pub async fn find_log_items_for_backup(
+    &self,
+    backup_id: &str,
+  ) -> Result<Vec<LogItem>, Error> {
+    unimplemented!()
+  }
+
+  pub async fn remove_log_item(&self, log_id: &str) -> Result<(), Error> {
+    unimplemented!()
+  }
+}
+
+// TODO: Replace this with dedicated DB error
+type Error = anyhow::Error;
diff --git a/services/backup/src/main.rs b/services/backup/src/main.rs
index a397a3a6c..80f8d7c11 100644
--- a/services/backup/src/main.rs
+++ b/services/backup/src/main.rs
@@ -1,47 +1,48 @@
 use anyhow::Result;
 use std::net::SocketAddr;
 use tonic::transport::Server;
 use tracing::{info, Level};
 use tracing_subscriber::EnvFilter;
 
 use crate::service::{BackupServiceServer, MyBackupService};
 
 pub mod blob;
 pub mod config;
 pub mod constants;
+pub mod database;
 pub mod service;
 
 // re-export this to be available as crate::CONFIG
 pub use config::CONFIG;
 
 fn configure_logging() -> Result<()> {
   let filter = EnvFilter::builder()
     .with_default_directive(Level::INFO.into())
     .with_env_var(constants::LOG_LEVEL_ENV_VAR)
     .from_env_lossy();
 
   let subscriber = tracing_subscriber::fmt().with_env_filter(filter).finish();
   tracing::subscriber::set_global_default(subscriber)?;
   Ok(())
 }
 
 async fn run_grpc_server() -> Result<()> {
   let addr: SocketAddr = format!("[::]:{}", CONFIG.listening_port).parse()?;
   let backup_service = MyBackupService::default();
 
   info!("Starting gRPC server listening at {}", addr.to_string());
   Server::builder()
     .add_service(BackupServiceServer::new(backup_service))
     .serve(addr)
     .await?;
 
   Ok(())
 }
 
 #[tokio::main]
 async fn main() -> Result<()> {
   config::parse_cmdline_args();
   configure_logging()?;
 
   run_grpc_server().await
 }