diff --git a/.flake8 b/.flake8
index 48e1d856..ba05051a 100644
--- a/.flake8
+++ b/.flake8
@@ -4,9 +4,10 @@
 # W: style warnings
 # C: complexity
 # F401: module imported but unused
+# F403: import *
 # F811: redefinition of unused `name` from line `N`
 # F841: local variable assigned but never used
-ignore = E, C, W, F401, F811, F841
+ignore = E, C, W, F401, F403, F811, F841
 
 exclude =
     .cache,
diff --git a/jupyterhub/apihandlers/base.py b/jupyterhub/apihandlers/base.py
index a07e71bc..72c21702 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/apihandlers/base.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/apihandlers/base.py
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ class APIHandler(BaseHandler):
             self.log.warning("Blocking API request with no referer")
             return False
         
-        host_path = url_path_join(host, self.hub.server.base_url)
+        host_path = url_path_join(host, self.hub.base_url)
         referer_path = referer.split('://', 1)[-1]
         if not (referer_path + '/').startswith(host_path):
             self.log.warning("Blocking Cross Origin API request.  Referer: %s, Host: %s",
diff --git a/jupyterhub/apihandlers/proxy.py b/jupyterhub/apihandlers/proxy.py
index a2b705f3..177f855d 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/apihandlers/proxy.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/apihandlers/proxy.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 # Distributed under the terms of the Modified BSD License.
 
 import json
+from urllib.parse import urlparse
 
 from tornado import gen, web
 
@@ -21,7 +22,7 @@ class ProxyAPIHandler(APIHandler):
         This is the same as fetching the routing table directly from the proxy,
         but without clients needing to maintain separate
         """
-        routes = yield self.proxy.get_routes()
+        routes = yield self.proxy.get_all_routes()
         self.write(json.dumps(routes))
     
     @admin_only
@@ -48,17 +49,11 @@ class ProxyAPIHandler(APIHandler):
         if not isinstance(model, dict):
             raise web.HTTPError(400, "Request body must be JSON dict")
         
-        server = self.proxy.api_server
-        if 'ip' in model:
-            server.ip = model['ip']
-        if 'port' in model:
-            server.port = model['port']
-        if 'protocol' in model:
-            server.proto = model['protocol']
+        if 'api_url' in model:
+            self.proxy.api_url = model['api_url']
         if 'auth_token' in model:
             self.proxy.auth_token = model['auth_token']
-        self.db.commit()
-        self.log.info("Updated proxy at %s", server.bind_url)
+        self.log.info("Updated proxy at %s", self.proxy)
         yield self.proxy.check_routes(self.users, self.services)
         
 
diff --git a/jupyterhub/apihandlers/users.py b/jupyterhub/apihandlers/users.py
index 78af7c97..4433dde1 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/apihandlers/users.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/apihandlers/users.py
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ class UserCreateNamedServerAPIHandler(APIHandler):
     def post(self, name):
         user = self.find_user(name)
         if user is None:
-            raise HTTPError(404, "No such user %r" % name)
+            raise web.HTTPError(404, "No such user %r" % name)
         if user.running:
             # include notify, so that a server that died is noticed immediately
             state = yield user.spawner.poll_and_notify()
diff --git a/jupyterhub/app.py b/jupyterhub/app.py
index b6b89293..62f74b4b 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/app.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/app.py
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ from sqlalchemy.orm import scoped_session
 
 import tornado.httpserver
 import tornado.options
-from tornado.httpclient import HTTPError
 from tornado.ioloop import IOLoop, PeriodicCallback
 from tornado.log import app_log, access_log, gen_log
 from tornado import gen, web
@@ -54,6 +53,7 @@ from .user import User, UserDict
 from .oauth.store import make_provider
 from ._data import DATA_FILES_PATH
 from .log import CoroutineLogFormatter, log_request
+from .proxy import Proxy, ConfigurableHTTPProxy
 from .traitlets import URLPrefix, Command
 from .utils import (
     url_path_join,
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ from .utils import (
 # classes for config
 from .auth import Authenticator, PAMAuthenticator
 from .spawner import Spawner, LocalProcessSpawner
+from .objects import Hub
 
 # For faking stats
 from .emptyclass import EmptyClass
@@ -140,7 +141,6 @@ class NewToken(Application):
         hub = JupyterHub(parent=self)
         hub.load_config_file(hub.config_file)
         hub.init_db()
-        hub.hub = hub.db.query(orm.Hub).first()
         hub.init_users()
         user = orm.User.find(hub.db, self.name)
         if user is None:
@@ -349,45 +349,45 @@ class JupyterHub(Application):
         help="Supply extra arguments that will be passed to Jinja environment."
     ).tag(config=True)
 
-    proxy_cmd = Command('configurable-http-proxy',
-        help="""The command to start the http proxy.
+    proxy_class = Type(ConfigurableHTTPProxy, Proxy,
+                       help="""Select the Proxy API implementation."""
+                       ).tag(config=True)
 
-        Only override if configurable-http-proxy is not on your PATH
-        """
+    proxy_cmd = Command([], config=True,
+        help="DEPRECATED. Use ConfigurableHTTPProxy.command",
     ).tag(config=True)
+    
     debug_proxy = Bool(False,
-        help="show debug output in configurable-http-proxy"
+        help="DEPRECATED: Use ConfigurableHTTPProxy.debug",
     ).tag(config=True)
     proxy_auth_token = Unicode(
-        help="""The Proxy Auth token.
-
-        Loaded from the CONFIGPROXY_AUTH_TOKEN env variable by default.
-        """
+        help="DEPRECATED: Use ConfigurableHTTPProxy.auth_token"
     ).tag(config=True)
 
-    @default('proxy_auth_token')
-    def _proxy_auth_token_default(self):
-        token = os.environ.get('CONFIGPROXY_AUTH_TOKEN', None)
-        if not token:
-            self.log.warning('\n'.join([
-                "",
-                "Generating CONFIGPROXY_AUTH_TOKEN. Restarting the Hub will require restarting the proxy.",
-                "Set CONFIGPROXY_AUTH_TOKEN env or JupyterHub.proxy_auth_token config to avoid this message.",
-                "",
-            ]))
-            token = orm.new_token()
-        return token
+    _proxy_config_map = {
+        'proxy_cmd': 'command',
+        'debug_proxy': 'debug',
+        'proxy_auth_token': 'auth_token',
+    }
+    @observe(*_proxy_config_map)
+    def _deprecated_proxy_config(self, change):
+        dest = self._proxy_config_map[change.name]
+        self.log.warning("JupyterHub.%s is deprecated in JupyterHub 0.8, use ConfigurableHTTPProxy.%s", change.name, dest)
+        self.config.ConfigurableHTTPProxy[dest] = change.new
 
-    proxy_api_ip = Unicode('127.0.0.1',
-        help="The ip for the proxy API handlers"
+    proxy_api_ip = Unicode(
+        help="DEPRECATED: Use ConfigurableHTTPProxy.api_url"
     ).tag(config=True)
     proxy_api_port = Integer(
-        help="The port for the proxy API handlers"
+        help="DEPRECATED: Use ConfigurableHTTPProxy.api_url"
     ).tag(config=True)
-
-    @default('proxy_api_port')
-    def _proxy_api_port_default(self):
-        return self.port + 1
+    @observe('proxy_api_port', 'proxy_api_ip')
+    def _deprecated_proxy_api(self, change):
+        self.log.warning("JupyterHub.%s is deprecated in JupyterHub 0.8, use ConfigurableHTTPProxy.api_url", change.name)
+        self.config.ConfigurableHTTPProxy.api_url = 'http://{}:{}'.format(
+            self.proxy_api_ip or '127.0.0.1',
+            self.proxy_api_port or self.port + 1,
+        )
 
     hub_port = Integer(8081,
         help="The port for this process"
@@ -682,10 +682,6 @@ class JupyterHub(Application):
     def init_ports(self):
         if self.hub_port == self.port:
             raise TraitError("The hub and proxy cannot both listen on port %i" % self.port)
-        if self.hub_port == self.proxy_api_port:
-            raise TraitError("The hub and proxy API cannot both listen on port %i" % self.hub_port)
-        if self.proxy_api_port == self.port:
-            raise TraitError("The proxy's public and API ports cannot both be %i" % self.port)
 
     @staticmethod
     def add_url_prefix(prefix, handlers):
@@ -805,36 +801,6 @@ class JupyterHub(Application):
             self._local.db = scoped_session(self.session_factory)()
         return self._local.db
 
-    @property
-    def hub(self):
-        if not getattr(self._local, 'hub', None):
-            q = self.db.query(orm.Hub)
-            assert q.count() <= 1
-            self._local.hub = q.first()
-            if self.subdomain_host and self._local.hub:
-                self._local.hub.host = self.subdomain_host
-        return self._local.hub
-
-    @hub.setter
-    def hub(self, hub):
-        self._local.hub = hub
-        if hub and self.subdomain_host:
-            hub.host = self.subdomain_host
-
-    @property
-    def proxy(self):
-        if not getattr(self._local, 'proxy', None):
-            q = self.db.query(orm.Proxy)
-            assert q.count() <= 1
-            p = self._local.proxy = q.first()
-            if p:
-                p.auth_token = self.proxy_auth_token
-        return self._local.proxy
-
-    @proxy.setter
-    def proxy(self, proxy):
-        self._local.proxy = proxy
-
     def init_db(self):
         """Create the database connection"""
         self.log.debug("Connecting to db: %s", self.db_url)
@@ -861,28 +827,14 @@ class JupyterHub(Application):
 
     def init_hub(self):
         """Load the Hub config into the database"""
-        self.hub = self.db.query(orm.Hub).first()
-        if self.hub is None:
-            self.hub = orm.Hub(
-                server=orm.Server(
-                    ip=self.hub_ip,
-                    port=self.hub_port,
-                    base_url=self.hub_prefix,
-                    cookie_name='jupyter-hub-token',
-                )
-            )
-            self.db.add(self.hub)
-        else:
-            server = self.hub.server
-            server.ip = self.hub_ip
-            server.port = self.hub_port
-            server.base_url = self.hub_prefix
-        if self.subdomain_host:
-            if not self.subdomain_host:
-                raise ValueError("Must specify subdomain_host when using subdomains."
-                " This should be the public domain[:port] of the Hub.")
-
-        self.db.commit()
+        self.hub = Hub(
+            ip=self.hub_ip,
+            port=self.hub_port,
+            base_url=self.hub_prefix,
+            cookie_name='jupyter-hub-token',
+            public_host=self.subdomain_host,
+        )
+        print(self.hub)
 
     @gen.coroutine
     def init_users(self):
@@ -1182,124 +1134,28 @@ class JupyterHub(Application):
         )
 
     def init_proxy(self):
-        """Load the Proxy config into the database"""
-        self.proxy = self.db.query(orm.Proxy).first()
-        if self.proxy is None:
-            self.proxy = orm.Proxy(
-                public_server=orm.Server(),
-                api_server=orm.Server(),
-            )
-            self.db.add(self.proxy)
-            self.db.commit()
-        self.proxy.auth_token = self.proxy_auth_token  # not persisted
-        self.proxy.log = self.log
-        self.proxy.public_server.ip = self.ip
-        self.proxy.public_server.port = self.port
-        self.proxy.public_server.base_url = self.base_url
-        self.proxy.api_server.ip = self.proxy_api_ip
-        self.proxy.api_server.port = self.proxy_api_port
-        self.proxy.api_server.base_url = '/api/routes/'
-        self.db.commit()
-
-    @gen.coroutine
-    def start_proxy(self):
-        """Actually start the configurable-http-proxy"""
-        # check for proxy
-        if self.proxy.public_server.is_up() or self.proxy.api_server.is_up():
-            # check for *authenticated* access to the proxy (auth token can change)
-            try:
-                routes = yield self.proxy.get_routes()
-            except (HTTPError, OSError, socket.error) as e:
-                if isinstance(e, HTTPError) and e.code == 403:
-                    msg = "Did CONFIGPROXY_AUTH_TOKEN change?"
-                else:
-                    msg = "Is something else using %s?" % self.proxy.public_server.bind_url
-                self.log.error("Proxy appears to be running at %s, but I can't access it (%s)\n%s",
-                    self.proxy.public_server.bind_url, e, msg)
-                self.exit(1)
-                return
-            else:
-                self.log.info("Proxy already running at: %s", self.proxy.public_server.bind_url)
-                yield self.proxy.check_routes(self.users, self._service_map, routes)
-            self.proxy_process = None
-            return
-
-        env = os.environ.copy()
-        env['CONFIGPROXY_AUTH_TOKEN'] = self.proxy.auth_token
-        cmd = self.proxy_cmd + [
-            '--ip', self.proxy.public_server.ip,
-            '--port', str(self.proxy.public_server.port),
-            '--api-ip', self.proxy.api_server.ip,
-            '--api-port', str(self.proxy.api_server.port),
-            '--default-target', self.hub.server.host,
-            '--error-target', url_path_join(self.hub.server.url, 'error'),
-        ]
-        if self.subdomain_host:
-            cmd.append('--host-routing')
-        if self.debug_proxy:
-            cmd.extend(['--log-level', 'debug'])
-        if self.ssl_key:
-            cmd.extend(['--ssl-key', self.ssl_key])
-        if self.ssl_cert:
-            cmd.extend(['--ssl-cert', self.ssl_cert])
-        if self.statsd_host:
-            cmd.extend([
-                '--statsd-host', self.statsd_host,
-                '--statsd-port', str(self.statsd_port),
-                '--statsd-prefix', self.statsd_prefix + '.chp'
-            ])
-        # Warn if SSL is not used
-        if ' --ssl' not in ' '.join(cmd):
-            self.log.warning("Running JupyterHub without SSL."
-                "  I hope there is SSL termination happening somewhere else...")
-        self.log.info("Starting proxy @ %s", self.proxy.public_server.bind_url)
-        self.log.debug("Proxy cmd: %s", cmd)
-        try:
-            self.proxy_process = Popen(cmd, env=env, start_new_session=True)
-        except FileNotFoundError as e:
-            self.log.error(
-                "Failed to find proxy %r\n"
-                "The proxy can be installed with `npm install -g configurable-http-proxy`"
-                % self.proxy_cmd
-            )
-            self.exit(1)
-
-        def _check():
-            status = self.proxy_process.poll()
-            if status is not None:
-                e = RuntimeError("Proxy failed to start with exit code %i" % status)
-                # py2-compatible `raise e from None`
-                e.__cause__ = None
-                raise e
-
-        for server in (self.proxy.public_server, self.proxy.api_server):
-            for i in range(10):
-                _check()
-                try:
-                    yield server.wait_up(1)
-                except TimeoutError:
-                    continue
-                else:
-                    break
-            yield server.wait_up(1)
-        self.log.debug("Proxy started and appears to be up")
-
-    @gen.coroutine
-    def check_proxy(self):
-        if self.proxy_process.poll() is None:
-            return
-        self.log.error("Proxy stopped with exit code %r",
-            'unknown' if self.proxy_process is None else self.proxy_process.poll()
+        """Load the Proxy config"""
+        # FIXME: handle deprecated config here
+        public_url = 'http{s}://{ip}:{port}{base_url}'.format(
+            s='s' if self.ssl_cert else '',
+            ip=self.ip,
+            port=self.port,
+            base_url=self.base_url,
+        )
+        self.proxy = self.proxy_class(
+            db=self.db,
+            public_url=public_url,
+            parent=self,
+            app=self,
+            log=self.log,
+            hub=self.hub,
+            ssl_cert=self.ssl_cert,
+            ssl_key=self.ssl_key,
         )
-        yield self.start_proxy()
-        self.log.info("Setting up routes on new proxy")
-        yield self.proxy.add_all_users(self.users)
-        yield self.proxy.add_all_services(self.services)
-        self.log.info("New proxy back up, and good to go")
 
     def init_tornado_settings(self):
         """Set up the tornado settings dict."""
-        base_url = self.hub.server.base_url
+        base_url = self.hub.base_url
         jinja_options = dict(
             autoescape=True,
         )
@@ -1337,7 +1193,7 @@ class JupyterHub(Application):
             login_url=login_url,
             logout_url=logout_url,
             static_path=os.path.join(self.data_files_path, 'static'),
-            static_url_prefix=url_path_join(self.hub.server.base_url, 'static/'),
+            static_url_prefix=url_path_join(self.hub.base_url, 'static/'),
             static_handler_class=CacheControlStaticFilesHandler,
             template_path=self.template_paths,
             jinja2_env=jinja_env,
@@ -1422,13 +1278,8 @@ class JupyterHub(Application):
 
         # clean up proxy while single-user servers are shutting down
         if self.cleanup_proxy:
-            if self.proxy_process:
-                self.log.info("Cleaning up proxy[%i]...", self.proxy_process.pid)
-                if self.proxy_process.poll() is None:
-                    try:
-                        self.proxy_process.terminate()
-                    except Exception as e:
-                        self.log.error("Failed to terminate proxy process: %s", e)
+            if self.proxy.should_start:
+                yield gen.maybe_future(self.proxy.stop())
             else:
                 self.log.info("I didn't start the proxy, I can't clean it up")
         else:
@@ -1484,26 +1335,30 @@ class JupyterHub(Application):
     @gen.coroutine
     def update_last_activity(self):
         """Update User.last_activity timestamps from the proxy"""
-        routes = yield self.proxy.get_routes()
+        routes = yield self.proxy.get_all_routes()
         users_count = 0
         active_users_count = 0
         for prefix, route in routes.items():
-            if 'user' not in route:
+            route_data = route['data']
+            if 'user' not in route_data:
                 # not a user route, ignore it
                 continue
-            user = orm.User.find(self.db, route['user'])
+            users_count += 1
+            if 'last_activity' not in route_data:
+                # no last activity data (possibly proxy other than CHP)
+                continue
+            user = orm.User.find(self.db, route_data['user'])
             if user is None:
                 self.log.warning("Found no user for route: %s", route)
                 continue
             try:
-                dt = datetime.strptime(route['last_activity'], ISO8601_ms)
+                dt = datetime.strptime(route_data['last_activity'], ISO8601_ms)
             except Exception:
-                dt = datetime.strptime(route['last_activity'], ISO8601_s)
+                dt = datetime.strptime(route_data['last_activity'], ISO8601_s)
             user.last_activity = max(user.last_activity, dt)
             # FIXME: Make this configurable duration. 30 minutes for now!
             if (datetime.now() - user.last_activity).total_seconds() < 30 * 60:
                 active_users_count += 1
-            users_count += 1
         self.statsd.gauge('users.running', users_count)
         self.statsd.gauge('users.active', active_users_count)
 
@@ -1530,17 +1385,20 @@ class JupyterHub(Application):
         try:
             self.http_server.listen(self.hub_port, address=self.hub_ip)
         except Exception:
-            self.log.error("Failed to bind hub to %s", self.hub.server.bind_url)
+            self.log.error("Failed to bind hub to %s", self.hub.bind_url)
             raise
         else:
-            self.log.info("Hub API listening on %s", self.hub.server.bind_url)
+            self.log.info("Hub API listening on %s", self.hub.bind_url)
 
         # start the proxy
-        try:
-            yield self.start_proxy()
-        except Exception as e:
-            self.log.critical("Failed to start proxy", exc_info=True)
-            self.exit(1)
+        if self.proxy.should_start:
+            try:
+                yield self.proxy.start()
+            except Exception as e:
+                self.log.critical("Failed to start proxy", exc_info=True)
+                self.exit(1)
+        else:
+            self.log.info("Not starting proxy")
 
         # start the service(s)
         for service_name, service in self._service_map.items():
@@ -1574,12 +1432,6 @@ class JupyterHub(Application):
         loop.add_callback(self.proxy.add_all_users, self.users)
         loop.add_callback(self.proxy.add_all_services, self._service_map)
 
-        if self.proxy_process:
-            # only check / restart the proxy if we started it in the first place.
-            # this means a restarted Hub cannot restart a Proxy that its
-            # predecessor started.
-            pc = PeriodicCallback(self.check_proxy, 1e3 * self.proxy_check_interval)
-            pc.start()
 
         if self.service_check_interval and any(s.url for s in self._service_map.values()):
             pc = PeriodicCallback(self.check_services_health, 1e3 * self.service_check_interval)
@@ -1589,7 +1441,7 @@ class JupyterHub(Application):
             pc = PeriodicCallback(self.update_last_activity, 1e3 * self.last_activity_interval)
             pc.start()
 
-        self.log.info("JupyterHub is now running at %s", self.proxy.public_server.url)
+        self.log.info("JupyterHub is now running at %s", self.proxy.public_url)
         # register cleanup on both TERM and INT
         atexit.register(self.atexit)
         self.init_signal()
diff --git a/jupyterhub/dbutil.py b/jupyterhub/dbutil.py
index e2ee2b8e..f104eadd 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/dbutil.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/dbutil.py
@@ -89,5 +89,4 @@ def _alembic(*args):
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
-    import sys
     _alembic(*sys.argv[1:])
diff --git a/jupyterhub/handlers/base.py b/jupyterhub/handlers/base.py
index 97c3255a..7288d2bf 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/handlers/base.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/handlers/base.py
@@ -17,8 +17,9 @@ from tornado.web import RequestHandler
 from tornado import gen, web
 
 from .. import orm
-from ..user import User
+from ..objects import Server
 from ..spawner import LocalProcessSpawner
+from ..user import User
 from ..utils import url_path_join
 
 # pattern for the authentication token header
@@ -103,7 +104,7 @@ class BaseHandler(RequestHandler):
     @property
     def csp_report_uri(self):
         return self.settings.get('csp_report_uri',
-            url_path_join(self.hub.server.base_url, 'security/csp-report')
+            url_path_join(self.hub.base_url, 'security/csp-report')
         )
 
     @property
@@ -184,7 +185,7 @@ class BaseHandler(RequestHandler):
             max_age_days=self.cookie_max_age_days,
         )
         def clear():
-            self.clear_cookie(cookie_name, path=self.hub.server.base_url)
+            self.clear_cookie(cookie_name, path=self.hub.base_url)
 
         if cookie_id is None:
             if self.get_cookie(cookie_name):
@@ -208,7 +209,7 @@ class BaseHandler(RequestHandler):
 
     def get_current_user_cookie(self):
         """get_current_user from a cookie token"""
-        return self._user_for_cookie(self.hub.server.cookie_name)
+        return self._user_for_cookie(self.hub.cookie_name)
 
     def get_current_user(self):
         """get current username"""
@@ -245,9 +246,7 @@ class BaseHandler(RequestHandler):
         kwargs = {}
         if self.subdomain_host:
             kwargs['domain'] = self.domain
-        if user and user.server:
-            self.clear_cookie(user.server.cookie_name, path=user.server.base_url, **kwargs)
-        self.clear_cookie(self.hub.server.cookie_name, path=self.hub.server.base_url, **kwargs)
+        self.clear_cookie(self.hub.cookie_name, path=self.hub.base_url, **kwargs)
         self.clear_cookie('jupyterhub-services', path=url_path_join(self.base_url, 'services'))
 
     def _set_user_cookie(self, user, server):
@@ -436,7 +435,7 @@ class BaseHandler(RequestHandler):
     def template_namespace(self):
         user = self.get_current_user()
         return dict(
-            base_url=self.hub.server.base_url,
+            base_url=self.hub.base_url,
             prefix=self.base_url,
             user=user,
             login_url=self.settings['login_url'],
@@ -502,7 +501,7 @@ class PrefixRedirectHandler(BaseHandler):
         else:
             path = self.request.path
         self.redirect(url_path_join(
-            self.hub.server.base_url, path,
+            self.hub.base_url, path,
         ), permanent=False)
 
 
@@ -528,12 +527,12 @@ class UserSpawnHandler(BaseHandler):
             port = host_info.port
             if not port:
                 port = 443 if host_info.scheme == 'https' else 80
-            if port != self.proxy.public_server.port and port == self.hub.server.port:
+            if port != Server.from_url(self.proxy.public_url).port and port == self.hub.port:
                 self.log.warning("""
                     Detected possible direct connection to Hub's private ip: %s, bypassing proxy.
                     This will result in a redirect loop.
                     Make sure to connect to the proxied public URL %s
-                    """, self.request.full_url(), self.proxy.public_server.url)
+                    """, self.request.full_url(), self.proxy.public_url)
 
             # logged in as correct user, spawn the server
             if current_user.spawner:
@@ -548,14 +547,14 @@ class UserSpawnHandler(BaseHandler):
                 status = yield current_user.spawner.poll()
                 if status is not None:
                     if current_user.spawner.options_form:
-                        self.redirect(url_concat(url_path_join(self.hub.server.base_url, 'spawn'),
+                        self.redirect(url_concat(url_path_join(self.hub.base_url, 'spawn'),
                                                  {'next': self.request.uri}))
                         return
                     else:
                         yield self.spawn_single_user(current_user)
             # set login cookie anew
             self.set_login_cookie(current_user)
-            without_prefix = self.request.uri[len(self.hub.server.base_url):]
+            without_prefix = self.request.uri[len(self.hub.base_url):]
             target = url_path_join(self.base_url, without_prefix)
             if self.subdomain_host:
                 target = current_user.host + target
diff --git a/jupyterhub/handlers/login.py b/jupyterhub/handlers/login.py
index 7ea257a0..d7aff8c0 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/handlers/login.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/handlers/login.py
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ class LoginHandler(BaseHandler):
                 if user.running:
                     next_url = user.url
                 else:
-                    next_url = self.hub.server.base_url
+                    next_url = self.hub.base_url
             # set new login cookie
             # because single-user cookie may have been cleared or incorrect
             self.set_login_cookie(self.get_current_user())
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ class LoginHandler(BaseHandler):
             next_url = self.get_argument('next', default='')
             if not next_url.startswith('/'):
                 next_url = ''
-            next_url = next_url or self.hub.server.base_url
+            next_url = next_url or self.hub.base_url
             self.redirect(next_url)
             self.log.info("User logged in: %s", username)
         else:
diff --git a/jupyterhub/handlers/pages.py b/jupyterhub/handlers/pages.py
index 3e857943..dbd3a434 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/handlers/pages.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/handlers/pages.py
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ class RootHandler(BaseHandler):
             # The next request will be handled by UserSpawnHandler,
             # ultimately redirecting to the logged-in user's server.
             without_prefix = next_url[len(self.base_url):]
-            next_url = url_path_join(self.hub.server.base_url, without_prefix)
+            next_url = url_path_join(self.hub.base_url, without_prefix)
             self.log.warning("Redirecting %s to %s. For sharing public links, use /user-redirect/",
                 self.request.uri, next_url,
             )
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ class RootHandler(BaseHandler):
                 self.log.debug("User is running: %s", url)
                 self.set_login_cookie(user) # set cookie
             else:
-                url = url_path_join(self.hub.server.base_url, 'home')
+                url = url_path_join(self.hub.base_url, 'home')
                 self.log.debug("User is not running: %s", url)
         else:
             url = self.settings['login_url']
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ class ProxyErrorHandler(BaseHandler):
         status_message = responses.get(status_code, 'Unknown HTTP Error')
         # build template namespace
         
-        hub_home = url_path_join(self.hub.server.base_url, 'home')
+        hub_home = url_path_join(self.hub.base_url, 'home')
         message_html = ''
         if status_code == 503:
             message_html = ' '.join([
diff --git a/jupyterhub/objects.py b/jupyterhub/objects.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b4019aaf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/jupyterhub/objects.py
@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+"""Some general objects for use in JupyterHub"""
+
+# Copyright (c) Jupyter Development Team.
+# Distributed under the terms of the Modified BSD License.
+
+from urllib.parse import urlparse
+
+from tornado import gen
+
+from traitlets import (
+    HasTraits, Instance, Integer, Unicode,
+    default, observe,
+)
+from . import orm
+from .utils import (
+    url_path_join, can_connect, wait_for_server,
+    wait_for_http_server, random_port,
+)
+
+class Server(HasTraits):
+    """An object representing an HTTP endpoint.
+
+    *Some* of these reside in the database (user servers),
+    but others (Hub, proxy) are in-memory only.
+    """
+    orm_server = Instance(orm.Server, allow_none=True)
+
+    ip = Unicode()
+    proto = Unicode('http')
+    port = Integer()
+    base_url = Unicode('/')
+    cookie_name = Unicode('')
+
+    @classmethod
+    def from_url(cls, url):
+        """Create a Server from a given URL"""
+        urlinfo = urlparse(url)
+        proto = urlinfo.scheme
+        ip = urlinfo.hostname or ''
+        port = urlinfo.port
+        if not port:
+            if proto == 'https':
+                port = 443
+            else:
+                port = 80
+        return cls(proto=proto, ip=ip, port=port, base_url=urlinfo.path)
+
+    @default('port')
+    def _default_port(self):
+        return random_port()
+
+    @observe('orm_server')
+    def _orm_server_changed(self, change):
+        """When we get an orm_server, get attributes from there."""
+        obj = change.new
+        self.proto = obj.proto
+        self.ip = obj.ip
+        self.port = obj.port
+        self.base_url = obj.base_url
+        self.cookie_name = obj.cookie_name
+
+    # setter to pass through to the database
+    @observe('ip', 'proto', 'port', 'base_url', 'cookie_name')
+    def _change(self, change):
+        if self.orm_server:
+            setattr(self.orm_server, change.name, change.new)
+
+    @property
+    def host(self):
+        ip = self.ip
+        if ip in {'', '0.0.0.0'}:
+            # when listening on all interfaces, connect to localhost
+            ip = '127.0.0.1'
+        return "{proto}://{ip}:{port}".format(
+            proto=self.proto,
+            ip=ip,
+            port=self.port,
+        )
+
+    @property
+    def url(self):
+        return "{host}{uri}".format(
+            host=self.host,
+            uri=self.base_url,
+        )
+
+    @property
+    def bind_url(self):
+        """representation of URL used for binding
+
+        Never used in APIs, only logging,
+        since it can be non-connectable value, such as '', meaning all interfaces.
+        """
+        if self.ip in {'', '0.0.0.0'}:
+            return self.url.replace('127.0.0.1', self.ip or '*', 1)
+        return self.url
+
+    @gen.coroutine
+    def wait_up(self, timeout=10, http=False):
+        """Wait for this server to come up"""
+        if http:
+            yield wait_for_http_server(self.url, timeout=timeout)
+        else:
+            yield wait_for_server(self.ip or '127.0.0.1', self.port, timeout=timeout)
+
+    def is_up(self):
+        """Is the server accepting connections?"""
+        return can_connect(self.ip or '127.0.0.1', self.port)
+
+
+class Hub(Server):
+    """Bring it all together at the hub.
+
+    The Hub is a server, plus its API path suffix
+
+    the api_url is the full URL plus the api_path suffix on the end
+    of the server base_url.
+    """
+
+    @property
+    def server(self):
+        """backward-compat"""
+        return self
+    public_host = Unicode()
+
+    @property
+    def api_url(self):
+        """return the full API url (with proto://host...)"""
+        return url_path_join(self.url, 'api')
+
+    def __repr__(self):
+        return "<%s %s:%s>" % (
+            self.__class__.__name__, self.server.ip, self.server.port,
+        )
diff --git a/jupyterhub/orm.py b/jupyterhub/orm.py
index d6a0ada4..7ddc4f91 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/orm.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/orm.py
@@ -79,251 +79,6 @@ class Server(Base):
     def __repr__(self):
         return "<Server(%s:%s)>" % (self.ip, self.port)
 
-    @property
-    def host(self):
-        ip = self.ip
-        if ip in {'', '0.0.0.0'}:
-            # when listening on all interfaces, connect to localhost
-            ip = '127.0.0.1'
-        return "{proto}://{ip}:{port}".format(
-            proto=self.proto,
-            ip=ip,
-            port=self.port,
-        )
-
-    @property
-    def url(self):
-        return "{host}{uri}".format(
-            host=self.host,
-            uri=self.base_url,
-        )
-
-    @property
-    def bind_url(self):
-        """representation of URL used for binding
-
-        Never used in APIs, only logging,
-        since it can be non-connectable value, such as '', meaning all interfaces.
-        """
-        if self.ip in {'', '0.0.0.0'}:
-            return self.url.replace('127.0.0.1', self.ip or '*', 1)
-        return self.url
-
-    @gen.coroutine
-    def wait_up(self, timeout=10, http=False):
-        """Wait for this server to come up"""
-        if http:
-            yield wait_for_http_server(self.url, timeout=timeout)
-        else:
-            yield wait_for_server(self.ip or '127.0.0.1', self.port, timeout=timeout)
-
-    def is_up(self):
-        """Is the server accepting connections?"""
-        return can_connect(self.ip or '127.0.0.1', self.port)
-
-
-class Proxy(Base):
-    """A configurable-http-proxy instance.
-
-    A proxy consists of the API server info and the public-facing server info,
-    plus an auth token for configuring the proxy table.
-    """
-    __tablename__ = 'proxies'
-    id = Column(Integer, primary_key=True)
-    auth_token = None
-    _public_server_id = Column(Integer, ForeignKey('servers.id'))
-    public_server = relationship(Server, primaryjoin=_public_server_id == Server.id)
-    _api_server_id = Column(Integer, ForeignKey('servers.id'))
-    api_server = relationship(Server, primaryjoin=_api_server_id == Server.id)
-
-    def __repr__(self):
-        if self.public_server:
-            return "<%s %s:%s>" % (
-                self.__class__.__name__, self.public_server.ip, self.public_server.port,
-            )
-        else:
-            return "<%s [unconfigured]>" % self.__class__.__name__
-
-    def api_request(self, path, method='GET', body=None, client=None):
-        """Make an authenticated API request of the proxy"""
-        client = client or AsyncHTTPClient()
-        url = url_path_join(self.api_server.url, path)
-
-        if isinstance(body, dict):
-            body = json.dumps(body)
-        self.log.debug("Fetching %s %s", method, url)
-        req = HTTPRequest(url,
-            method=method,
-            headers={'Authorization': 'token {}'.format(self.auth_token)},
-            body=body,
-        )
-
-        return client.fetch(req)
-
-    @gen.coroutine
-    def add_service(self, service, client=None):
-        """Add a service's server to the proxy table."""
-        if not service.server:
-            raise RuntimeError(
-                "Service %s does not have an http endpoint to add to the proxy.", service.name)
-
-        self.log.info("Adding service %s to proxy %s => %s",
-            service.name, service.proxy_path, service.server.host,
-        )
-
-        yield self.api_request(service.proxy_path,
-            method='POST',
-            body=dict(
-                target=service.server.host,
-                service=service.name,
-            ),
-            client=client,
-        )
-
-    @gen.coroutine
-    def delete_service(self, service, client=None):
-        """Remove a service's server from the proxy table."""
-        self.log.info("Removing service %s from proxy", service.name)
-        yield self.api_request(service.proxy_path,
-            method='DELETE',
-            client=client,
-        )
-
-    # FIX-ME
-    # we need to add a reference to a specific server
-    @gen.coroutine
-    def add_user(self, user, client=None):
-        """Add a user's server to the proxy table."""
-        self.log.info("Adding user %s to proxy %s => %s",
-            user.name, user.proxy_path, user.server.host,
-        )
-
-        if user.spawn_pending:
-            raise RuntimeError(
-                "User %s's spawn is pending, shouldn't be added to the proxy yet!", user.name)
-
-        yield self.api_request(user.proxy_path,
-            method='POST',
-            body=dict(
-                target=user.server.host,
-                user=user.name,
-            ),
-            client=client,
-        )
-
-    @gen.coroutine
-    def delete_user(self, user, client=None):
-        """Remove a user's server from the proxy table."""
-        self.log.info("Removing user %s from proxy", user.name)
-        yield self.api_request(user.proxy_path,
-            method='DELETE',
-            client=client,
-        )
-
-    @gen.coroutine
-    def add_all_services(self, service_dict):
-        """Update the proxy table from the database.
-
-        Used when loading up a new proxy.
-        """
-        db = inspect(self).session
-        futures = []
-        for orm_service in db.query(Service):
-            service = service_dict[orm_service.name]
-            if service.server:
-                futures.append(self.add_service(service))
-        # wait after submitting them all
-        for f in futures:
-            yield f
-
-    @gen.coroutine
-    def add_all_users(self, user_dict):
-        """Update the proxy table from the database.
-
-        Used when loading up a new proxy.
-        """
-        db = inspect(self).session
-        futures = []
-        for orm_user in db.query(User):
-            user = user_dict[orm_user]
-            if user.running:
-                futures.append(self.add_user(user))
-        # wait after submitting them all
-        for f in futures:
-            yield f
-
-    @gen.coroutine
-    def get_routes(self, client=None):
-        """Fetch the proxy's routes"""
-        resp = yield self.api_request('', client=client)
-        return json.loads(resp.body.decode('utf8', 'replace'))
-
-    # FIX-ME
-    # we need to add a reference to a specific server
-    @gen.coroutine
-    def check_routes(self, user_dict, service_dict, routes=None):
-        """Check that all users are properly routed on the proxy"""
-        if not routes:
-            routes = yield self.get_routes()
-
-        user_routes = { r['user'] for r in routes.values() if 'user' in r }
-        futures = []
-        db = inspect(self).session
-        for orm_user in db.query(User):
-            user = user_dict[orm_user]
-            if user.running:
-                if user.name not in user_routes:
-                    self.log.warning("Adding missing route for %s (%s)", user.name, user.server)
-                    futures.append(self.add_user(user))
-            else:
-                # User not running, make sure it's not in the table
-                if user.name in user_routes:
-                    self.log.warning("Removing route for not running %s", user.name)
-                    futures.append(self.delete_user(user))
-
-        # check service routes
-        service_routes = { r['service'] for r in routes.values() if 'service' in r }
-        for orm_service in db.query(Service).filter(Service.server != None):
-            service = service_dict[orm_service.name]
-            if service.server is None:
-                # This should never be True, but seems to be on rare occasion.
-                # catch filter bug, either in sqlalchemy or my understanding of its behavior
-                self.log.error("Service %s has no server, but wasn't filtered out.", service)
-                continue
-            if service.name not in service_routes:
-                self.log.warning("Adding missing route for %s (%s)", service.name, service.server)
-                futures.append(self.add_service(service))
-        for f in futures:
-            yield f
-
-
-class Hub(Base):
-    """Bring it all together at the hub.
-
-    The Hub is a server, plus its API path suffix
-
-    the api_url is the full URL plus the api_path suffix on the end
-    of the server base_url.
-    """
-    __tablename__ = 'hubs'
-    id = Column(Integer, primary_key=True)
-    _server_id = Column(Integer, ForeignKey('servers.id'))
-    server = relationship(Server, primaryjoin=_server_id == Server.id)
-    host = ''
-
-    @property
-    def api_url(self):
-        """return the full API url (with proto://host...)"""
-        return url_path_join(self.server.url, 'api')
-
-    def __repr__(self):
-        if self.server:
-            return "<%s %s:%s>" % (
-                self.__class__.__name__, self.server.ip, self.server.port,
-            )
-        else:
-            return "<%s [unconfigured]>" % self.__class__.__name__
-
 
 # user:group many:many mapping table
 user_group_map = Table('user_group_map', Base.metadata,
@@ -393,23 +148,14 @@ class User(Base):
     # group mapping
     groups = relationship('Group', secondary='user_group_map', back_populates='users')
 
-    @property
-    def server(self):
-        """Returns the first element of servers.
-        Returns None if the list is empty.
-        """
-        if len(self.servers) == 0:
-            return None
-        else:
-            return self.servers[0]
-
     def __repr__(self):
-        if self.server:
+        if self.servers:
+            server = self.servers[0]
             return "<{cls}({name}@{ip}:{port})>".format(
                 cls=self.__class__.__name__,
                 name=self.name,
-                ip=self.server.ip,
-                port=self.server.port,
+                ip=server.ip,
+                port=server.port,
             )
         else:
             return "<{cls}({name} [unconfigured])>".format(
diff --git a/jupyterhub/proxy.py b/jupyterhub/proxy.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..48d4f1b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/jupyterhub/proxy.py
@@ -0,0 +1,416 @@
+"""API for JupyterHub's proxy."""
+
+# Copyright (c) IPython Development Team.
+# Distributed under the terms of the Modified BSD License.
+
+import json
+import os
+from subprocess import Popen
+import time
+
+from tornado import gen
+from tornado.httpclient import AsyncHTTPClient, HTTPRequest
+from tornado.ioloop import PeriodicCallback
+
+
+from traitlets import (
+    Any, Bool, Instance, Integer, Unicode,
+    default,
+)
+from jupyterhub.traitlets import Command
+
+from traitlets.config import LoggingConfigurable
+from .objects import Server
+from .orm import Service, User
+from . import utils
+from .utils import url_path_join
+
+
+class Proxy(LoggingConfigurable):
+    """Base class for configurable proxies that JupyterHub can use."""
+
+    db = Any()
+    app = Any()
+    hub = Any()
+    public_url = Unicode()
+    ssl_key = Unicode()
+    ssl_cert = Unicode()
+
+    should_start = Bool(True, config=True,
+                        help="""Should the Hub start the proxy.
+
+        If True, the Hub will start the proxy and stop it.
+        Set to False if the proxy is managed externally,
+        such as by systemd, docker, or another service manager.
+        """)
+
+    def start(self):
+        """Start the proxy.
+
+        Will be called during startup if should_start is True.
+        """
+
+    def stop(self):
+        """Stop the proxy.
+
+        Will be called during teardown if should_start is True.
+        """
+
+    @gen.coroutine
+    def add_route(self, routespec, target, data):
+        """Add a route to the proxy.
+
+        Args:
+            routespec (str): A specification for which this route will be matched.
+                Could be either a url_prefix or a fqdn.
+            target (str): A URL that will be the target of this route.
+            data (dict): A JSONable dict that will be associated with this route, and will
+                be returned when retrieving information about this route.
+
+        Will raise an appropriate Exception (FIXME: find what?) if the route could
+        not be added.
+
+        The proxy implementation should also have a way to associate the fact that a
+        route came from JupyterHub.
+        """
+        pass
+
+    @gen.coroutine
+    def delete_route(self, routespec):
+        """Delete a route with a given routespec if it exists."""
+        pass
+
+    @gen.coroutine
+    def get_route(self, routespec):
+        """Return the route info for a given routespec.
+
+        Args:
+            routespec (str): The route specification that was used to add this routespec
+
+        Returns:
+            result (dict): with the following keys:
+                `routespec`: The normalized route specification passed in to add_route
+                `target`: The target for this route
+                `data`: The arbitrary data that was passed in by JupyterHub when adding this
+                        route.
+            None: if there are no routes matching the given routespec
+        """
+        pass
+
+    @gen.coroutine
+    def get_all_routes(self):
+        """Fetch and return all the routes associated by JupyterHub from the
+        proxy.
+
+        Should return a dictionary of routes, where the keys are
+        routespecs and each value is the dict that would be returned by
+        `get_route(routespec)`.
+        """
+        pass
+
+    # Most basic implementers must only implement above methods
+
+    @gen.coroutine
+    def add_service(self, service, client=None):
+        """Add a service's server to the proxy table."""
+        if not service.server:
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                "Service %s does not have an http endpoint to add to the proxy.", service.name)
+
+        self.log.info("Adding service %s to proxy %s => %s",
+                      service.name, service.proxy_path, service.server.host,
+                      )
+
+        yield self.add_route(
+            service.proxy_path,
+            service.server.host,
+            {'service': service.name}
+        )
+
+    @gen.coroutine
+    def delete_service(self, service, client=None):
+        """Remove a service's server from the proxy table."""
+        self.log.info("Removing service %s from proxy", service.name)
+        yield self.delete_route(service.proxy_path)
+
+    @gen.coroutine
+    def add_user(self, user, client=None):
+        """Add a user's server to the proxy table."""
+        self.log.info("Adding user %s to proxy %s => %s",
+                      user.name, user.proxy_path, user.server.host,
+                      )
+
+        if user.spawn_pending:
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                "User %s's spawn is pending, shouldn't be added to the proxy yet!", user.name)
+
+        yield self.add_route(
+            user.proxy_path,
+            user.server.host,
+            {'user': user.name}
+        )
+
+    @gen.coroutine
+    def delete_user(self, user):
+        """Remove a user's server from the proxy table."""
+        self.log.info("Removing user %s from proxy", user.name)
+        yield self.delete_route(user.proxy_path)
+
+    @gen.coroutine
+    def add_all_services(self, service_dict):
+        """Update the proxy table from the database.
+
+        Used when loading up a new proxy.
+        """
+        db = self.db
+        futures = []
+        for orm_service in db.query(Service):
+            service = service_dict[orm_service.name]
+            if service.server:
+                futures.append(self.add_service(service))
+        # wait after submitting them all
+        for f in futures:
+            yield f
+
+    @gen.coroutine
+    def add_all_users(self, user_dict):
+        """Update the proxy table from the database.
+
+        Used when loading up a new proxy.
+        """
+        db = self.db
+        futures = []
+        for orm_user in db.query(User):
+            user = user_dict[orm_user]
+            if user.running:
+                futures.append(self.add_user(user))
+        # wait after submitting them all
+        for f in futures:
+            yield f
+
+    @gen.coroutine
+    def check_routes(self, user_dict, service_dict, routes=None):
+        """Check that all users are properly routed on the proxy."""
+        if not routes:
+            routes = yield self.get_all_routes()
+
+        user_routes = {r['data']['user'] for r in routes.values() if 'user' in r['data']}
+        futures = []
+        db = self.db
+        for orm_user in db.query(User):
+            user = user_dict[orm_user]
+            if user.running:
+                if user.name not in user_routes:
+                    self.log.warning(
+                        "Adding missing route for %s (%s)", user.name, user.server)
+                    futures.append(self.add_user(user))
+            else:
+                # User not running, make sure it's not in the table
+                if user.name in user_routes:
+                    self.log.warning(
+                        "Removing route for not running %s", user.name)
+                    futures.append(self.delete_user(user))
+
+        # check service routes
+        service_routes = {r['data']['service']
+                          for r in routes.values() if 'service' in r['data']}
+        for orm_service in db.query(Service).filter(
+                Service.server is not None):
+            service = service_dict[orm_service.name]
+            if service.server is None:
+                # This should never be True, but seems to be on rare occasion.
+                # catch filter bug, either in sqlalchemy or my understanding of
+                # its behavior
+                self.log.error(
+                    "Service %s has no server, but wasn't filtered out.", service)
+                continue
+            if service.name not in service_routes:
+                self.log.warning("Adding missing route for %s (%s)",
+                                 service.name, service.server)
+                futures.append(self.add_service(service))
+        for f in futures:
+            yield f
+
+    @gen.coroutine
+    def restore_routes(self):
+        self.log.info("Setting up routes on new proxy")
+        yield self.add_all_users(self.app.users)
+        yield self.add_all_services(self.app.services)
+        self.log.info("New proxy back up, and good to go")
+
+
+class ConfigurableHTTPProxy(Proxy):
+    """Proxy implementation for the default configurable-http-proxy."""
+
+    proxy_process = Any()
+    client = Instance(AsyncHTTPClient, ())
+
+    debug = Bool(False, help="Add debug-level logging to the Proxy", config=True)
+    auth_token = Unicode(
+        help="""The Proxy Auth token.
+
+        Loaded from the CONFIGPROXY_AUTH_TOKEN env variable by default.
+        """,
+    ).tag(config=True)
+    check_running_interval = Integer(5, config=True)
+
+    @default('auth_token')
+    def _auth_token_default(self):
+        token = os.environ.get('CONFIGPROXY_AUTH_TOKEN', None)
+        if not token:
+            self.log.warning('\n'.join([
+                "",
+                "Generating CONFIGPROXY_AUTH_TOKEN. Restarting the Hub will require restarting the proxy.",
+                "Set CONFIGPROXY_AUTH_TOKEN env or JupyterHub.proxy_auth_token config to avoid this message.",
+                "",
+            ]))
+            token = utils.new_token()
+        return token
+
+    api_url = Unicode('http://127.0.0.1:8001', config=True,
+                      help="""The ip (or hostname) of the proxy's API endpoint"""
+                      )
+    command = Command('configurable-http-proxy', config=True,
+                      help="""The command to start the proxy"""
+                      )
+
+    @gen.coroutine
+    def start(self):
+        public_server = Server.from_url(self.public_url)
+        api_server = Server.from_url(self.api_url)
+        env = os.environ.copy()
+        env['CONFIGPROXY_AUTH_TOKEN'] = self.auth_token
+        cmd = self.command + [
+            '--ip', public_server.ip,
+            '--port', str(public_server.port),
+            '--api-ip', api_server.ip,
+            '--api-port', str(api_server.port),
+            '--default-target', self.hub.host,
+            '--error-target', url_path_join(self.hub.url, 'error'),
+        ]
+        if self.app.subdomain_host:
+            cmd.append('--host-routing')
+        if self.debug:
+            cmd.extend(['--log-level', 'debug'])
+        if self.ssl_key:
+            cmd.extend(['--ssl-key', self.ssl_key])
+        if self.ssl_cert:
+            cmd.extend(['--ssl-cert', self.ssl_cert])
+        if self.app.statsd_host:
+            cmd.extend([
+                '--statsd-host', self.app.statsd_host,
+                '--statsd-port', str(self.app.statsd_port),
+                '--statsd-prefix', self.app.statsd_prefix + '.chp'
+            ])
+        # Warn if SSL is not used
+        if ' --ssl' not in ' '.join(cmd):
+            self.log.warning("Running JupyterHub without SSL."
+                             "  I hope there is SSL termination happening somewhere else...")
+        self.log.info("Starting proxy @ %s", public_server.bind_url)
+        self.log.debug("Proxy cmd: %s", cmd)
+        try:
+            self.proxy_process = Popen(cmd, env=env, start_new_session=True)
+        except FileNotFoundError as e:
+            self.log.error(
+                "Failed to find proxy %r\n"
+                "The proxy can be installed with `npm install -g configurable-http-proxy`"
+                % self.cmd
+            )
+            self.exit(1)
+
+        def _check_process():
+            status = self.proxy_process.poll()
+            if status is not None:
+                e = RuntimeError(
+                    "Proxy failed to start with exit code %i" % status)
+                # py2-compatible `raise e from None`
+                e.__cause__ = None
+                raise e
+
+        for server in (public_server, api_server):
+            for i in range(10):
+                _check_process()
+                try:
+                    yield server.wait_up(1)
+                except TimeoutError:
+                    continue
+                else:
+                    break
+            yield server.wait_up(1)
+        time.sleep(1)
+        _check_process()
+        self.log.debug("Proxy started and appears to be up")
+        pc = PeriodicCallback(self.check_running, 1e3 * self.check_running_interval)
+        pc.start()
+
+    def stop(self):
+        self.log.info("Cleaning up proxy[%i]...", self.proxy_process.pid)
+        if self.proxy_process.poll() is None:
+            try:
+                self.proxy_process.terminate()
+            except Exception as e:
+                self.log.error("Failed to terminate proxy process: %s", e)
+
+    @gen.coroutine
+    def check_running(self):
+        """Check if the proxy is still running"""
+        if self.proxy_process.poll() is None:
+            return
+        self.log.error("Proxy stopped with exit code %r",
+                       'unknown' if self.proxy_process is None else self.proxy_process.poll()
+                       )
+        yield self.start()
+        yield self.restore_routes()
+
+    def api_request(self, path, method='GET', body=None, client=None):
+        """Make an authenticated API request of the proxy."""
+        client = client or AsyncHTTPClient()
+        url = url_path_join(self.api_url, 'api/routes', path)
+
+        if isinstance(body, dict):
+            body = json.dumps(body)
+        self.log.debug("Proxy: Fetching %s %s", method, url)
+        req = HTTPRequest(url,
+                          method=method,
+                          headers={'Authorization': 'token {}'.format(
+                              self.auth_token)},
+                          body=body,
+                          )
+
+        return client.fetch(req)
+
+    def add_route(self, routespec, target, data=None):
+        body = data or {}
+        body['target'] = target
+        return self.api_request(routespec,
+                                method='POST',
+                                body=body,
+                                )
+
+    def delete_route(self, routespec):
+        return self.api_request(routespec, method='DELETE')
+
+    def _reformat_routespec(self, routespec, chp_data):
+        """Reformat CHP data format to JupyterHub's proxy API."""
+        target = chp_data.pop('target')
+        return {
+            'routespec': routespec,
+            'target': target,
+            'data': chp_data,
+        }
+
+    @gen.coroutine
+    def get_route(self, routespec):
+        chp_data = yield self.api_request(routespec, method='DELETE')
+        return self._reformat_routespec(routespec, chp_data)
+
+    @gen.coroutine
+    def get_all_routes(self, client=None):
+        """Fetch the proxy's routes."""
+        resp = yield self.api_request('', client=client)
+        chp_routes = json.loads(resp.body.decode('utf8', 'replace'))
+        all_routes = {}
+        for routespec, chp_data in chp_routes.items():
+            all_routes[routespec] = self._reformat_routespec(
+                routespec, chp_data)
+        return all_routes
diff --git a/jupyterhub/services/service.py b/jupyterhub/services/service.py
index 916f8e15..1e5479a6 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/services/service.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/services/service.py
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ from traitlets import (
 from traitlets.config import LoggingConfigurable
 
 from .. import orm
+from ..objects import Server
 from ..traitlets import Command
 from ..spawner import LocalProcessSpawner, set_user_setuid
 from ..utils import url_path_join
@@ -60,7 +61,7 @@ class _MockUser(HasTraits):
     name = Unicode()
     server = Instance(orm.Server, allow_none=True)
     state = Dict()
-    service = Instance(__module__ + '.Service')
+    service = Instance(__name__ + '.Service')
     host = Unicode()
 
     @property
@@ -221,7 +222,10 @@ class Service(LoggingConfigurable):
 
     @property
     def server(self):
-        return self.orm.server
+        if self.orm.server:
+            return Server(orm_server=self.orm.server)
+        else:
+            return None
 
     @property
     def prefix(self):
diff --git a/jupyterhub/singleuser.py b/jupyterhub/singleuser.py
index 14df66f2..a77fc4ac 100755
--- a/jupyterhub/singleuser.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/singleuser.py
@@ -228,12 +228,6 @@ class SingleUserNotebookApp(NotebookApp):
             value = value + '/'
         return value
 
-    @default('cookie_name')
-    def _cookie_name_default(self):
-        if os.environ.get('JUPYTERHUB_SERVICE_NAME'):
-            # if I'm a service, use the services cookie name
-            return 'jupyterhub-services'
-
     @default('port')
     def _port_default(self):
         if os.environ.get('JUPYTERHUB_SERVICE_URL'):
diff --git a/jupyterhub/spawner.py b/jupyterhub/spawner.py
index 4b2bfb3c..5515e493 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/spawner.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/spawner.py
@@ -431,7 +431,7 @@ class Spawner(LoggingConfigurable):
             env['JUPYTERHUB_ADMIN_ACCESS'] = '1'
         # OAuth settings
         env['JUPYTERHUB_CLIENT_ID'] = self.oauth_client_id
-        env['JUPYTERHUB_HOST'] = self.hub.host
+        env['JUPYTERHUB_HOST'] = self.hub.public_host
         env['JUPYTERHUB_OAUTH_CALLBACK_URL'] = \
             url_path_join(self.user.url, 'oauth_callback')
 
@@ -496,8 +496,8 @@ class Spawner(LoggingConfigurable):
         args = [
             '--user="%s"' % self.user.name,
             '--base-url="%s"' % self.user.server.base_url,
-            '--hub-host="%s"' % self.hub.host,
-            '--hub-prefix="%s"' % self.hub.server.base_url,
+            '--hub-host="%s"' % self.hub.public_host,
+            '--hub-prefix="%s"' % self.hub.base_url,
             '--hub-api-url="%s"' % self.hub.api_url,
         ]
         if self.ip:
diff --git a/jupyterhub/tests/conftest.py b/jupyterhub/tests/conftest.py
index b214ac3d..66377426 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/tests/conftest.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ from subprocess import TimeoutExpired
 import time
 from unittest import mock
 from pytest import fixture, raises
-from tornado import ioloop
+from tornado import ioloop, gen
 
 from .. import orm
 from ..utils import random_port
@@ -32,11 +32,7 @@ def db():
             name=getuser(),
         )
         user.servers.append(orm.Server())
-        hub = orm.Hub(
-            server=orm.Server(),
-        )
         _db.add(user)
-        _db.add(hub)
         _db.commit()
     return _db
 
@@ -85,10 +81,14 @@ def _mockservice(request, app, url=False):
     with mock.patch.object(jupyterhub.services.service, '_ServiceSpawner', MockServiceSpawner):
         app.services = [spec]
         app.init_services()
-        app.io_loop.add_callback(app.proxy.add_all_services, app._service_map)
         assert name in app._service_map
         service = app._service_map[name]
-        app.io_loop.add_callback(service.start)
+        @gen.coroutine
+        def start():
+            # wait for proxy to be updated before starting the service
+            yield app.proxy.add_all_services(app._service_map)
+            service.start()
+        app.io_loop.add_callback(start)
         def cleanup():
             service.stop()
             app.services[:] = []
@@ -100,6 +100,8 @@ def _mockservice(request, app, url=False):
         # ensure process finishes starting
         with raises(TimeoutExpired):
             service.proc.wait(1)
+        if url:
+            ioloop.IOLoop().run_sync(service.server.wait_up)
     return service
 
 
diff --git a/jupyterhub/tests/mocking.py b/jupyterhub/tests/mocking.py
index 9045357a..f8e4628a 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/tests/mocking.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/tests/mocking.py
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import os
 import sys
 from tempfile import NamedTemporaryFile
 import threading
-
 from unittest import mock
 
 import requests
@@ -18,6 +17,7 @@ from traitlets import default
 from ..app import JupyterHub
 from ..auth import PAMAuthenticator
 from .. import orm
+from ..objects import Server
 from ..spawner import LocalProcessSpawner
 from ..singleuser import SingleUserNotebookApp
 from ..utils import random_port, url_path_join
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ class MockHub(JupyterHub):
             self.db.add(user)
             self.db.commit()
             yield super(MockHub, self).start()
-            yield self.hub.server.wait_up(http=True)
+            yield self.hub.wait_up(http=True)
             self.io_loop.add_callback(evt.set)
         
         def _start():
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ def public_host(app):
     if app.subdomain_host:
         return app.subdomain_host
     else:
-        return app.proxy.public_server.host
+        return Server.from_url(app.proxy.public_url).host
 
 
 def public_url(app, user_or_service=None, path=''):
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ def public_url(app, user_or_service=None, path=''):
         prefix = user_or_service.server.base_url
     else:
         host = public_host(app)
-        prefix = app.proxy.public_server.base_url
+        prefix = Server.from_url(app.proxy.public_url).base_url
     if path:
         return host + url_path_join(prefix, path)
     else:
@@ -246,7 +246,8 @@ class StubSingleUserSpawner(MockSpawner):
     _thread = None
     @gen.coroutine
     def start(self):
-        self.user.server.port = random_port()
+        ip = self.user.server.ip
+        port = self.user.server.port = random_port()
         env = self.get_env()
         args = self.get_args()
         evt = threading.Event()
@@ -267,6 +268,7 @@ class StubSingleUserSpawner(MockSpawner):
         self._thread.start()
         ready = evt.wait(timeout=3)
         assert ready
+        return (ip, port)
     
     @gen.coroutine
     def stop(self):
diff --git a/jupyterhub/tests/test_api.py b/jupyterhub/tests/test_api.py
index 512f81d6..0f0d1a64 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/tests/test_api.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/tests/test_api.py
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ def auth_header(db, name):
 @check_db_locks
 def api_request(app, *api_path, **kwargs):
     """Make an API request"""
-    base_url = app.hub.server.url
+    base_url = app.hub.url
     headers = kwargs.setdefault('headers', {})
 
     if 'Authorization' not in headers:
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ def api_request(app, *api_path, **kwargs):
     f = getattr(requests, method)
     resp = f(url, **kwargs)
     assert "frame-ancestors 'self'" in resp.headers['Content-Security-Policy']
-    assert ujoin(app.hub.server.base_url, "security/csp-report") in resp.headers['Content-Security-Policy']
+    assert ujoin(app.hub.base_url, "security/csp-report") in resp.headers['Content-Security-Policy']
     assert 'http' not in resp.headers['Content-Security-Policy']
     return resp
 
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ def test_auth_api(app):
 
 
 def test_referer_check(app, io_loop):
-    url = ujoin(public_host(app), app.hub.server.base_url)
+    url = ujoin(public_host(app), app.hub.base_url)
     host = urlparse(url).netloc
     user = find_user(app.db, 'admin')
     if user is None:
@@ -779,7 +779,7 @@ def test_get_service(app, mockservice_url):
 
 
 def test_root_api(app):
-    base_url = app.hub.server.url
+    base_url = app.hub.url
     url = ujoin(base_url, 'api')
     r = requests.get(url)
     r.raise_for_status()
diff --git a/jupyterhub/tests/test_orm.py b/jupyterhub/tests/test_orm.py
index 531e3523..d873cef2 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/tests/test_orm.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/tests/test_orm.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import pytest
 from tornado import gen
 
 from .. import orm
+from .. import objects
 from ..user import User
 from .mocking import MockSpawner
 
@@ -20,6 +21,9 @@ def test_server(db):
     assert server.proto == 'http'
     assert isinstance(server.port, int)
     assert isinstance(server.cookie_name, str)
+
+    # test wrapper
+    server = objects.Server(orm_server=server)
     assert server.host == 'http://127.0.0.1:%i' % server.port
     assert server.url == server.host + '/'
     assert server.bind_url == 'http://*:%i/' % server.port
@@ -28,45 +32,10 @@ def test_server(db):
     assert server.url == server.host + '/'
 
 
-def test_proxy(db):
-    proxy = orm.Proxy(
-        auth_token='abc-123',
-        public_server=orm.Server(
-            ip='192.168.1.1',
-            port=8000,
-        ),
-        api_server=orm.Server(
-            ip='127.0.0.1',
-            port=8001,
-        ),
-    )
-    db.add(proxy)
-    db.commit()
-    assert proxy.public_server.ip == '192.168.1.1'
-    assert proxy.api_server.ip == '127.0.0.1'
-    assert proxy.auth_token == 'abc-123'
-
-
-def test_hub(db):
-    hub = orm.Hub(
-        server=orm.Server(
-            ip = '1.2.3.4',
-            port = 1234,
-            base_url='/hubtest/',
-        ),
-        
-    )
-    db.add(hub)
-    db.commit()
-    assert hub.server.ip == '1.2.3.4'
-    assert hub.server.port == 1234
-    assert hub.api_url == 'http://1.2.3.4:1234/hubtest/api'
-
-
 def test_user(db):
-    user = orm.User(name='kaylee',
+    user = User(orm.User(name='kaylee',
         state={'pid': 4234},
-    )
+    ))
     server = orm.Server()
     user.servers.append(server)
     db.add(user)
diff --git a/jupyterhub/tests/test_pages.py b/jupyterhub/tests/test_pages.py
index 0f0d3b3c..72f4b34e 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/tests/test_pages.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/tests/test_pages.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ from .test_api import api_request
 
 def get_page(path, app, hub=True, **kw):
     if hub:
-        prefix = app.hub.server.base_url
+        prefix = app.hub.base_url
     else:
         prefix = app.base_url
     base_url = ujoin(public_host(app), prefix)
@@ -24,11 +24,11 @@ def get_page(path, app, hub=True, **kw):
     return requests.get(ujoin(base_url, path), **kw)
 
 def test_root_no_auth(app, io_loop):
-    print(app.hub.server.is_up())
-    routes = io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_routes)
+    print(app.hub.is_up())
+    routes = io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_all_routes)
     print(routes)
     print(app.hub.server)
-    url = ujoin(public_host(app), app.hub.server.base_url)
+    url = ujoin(public_host(app), app.hub.base_url)
     print(url)
     r = requests.get(url)
     r.raise_for_status()
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ def test_spawn_page(app):
 
 def test_spawn_form(app, io_loop):
     with mock.patch.dict(app.users.settings, {'spawner_class': FormSpawner}):
-        base_url = ujoin(public_host(app), app.hub.server.base_url)
+        base_url = ujoin(public_host(app), app.hub.base_url)
         cookies = app.login_user('jones')
         orm_u = orm.User.find(app.db, 'jones')
         u = app.users[orm_u]
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ def test_spawn_form(app, io_loop):
 
 def test_spawn_form_with_file(app, io_loop):
     with mock.patch.dict(app.users.settings, {'spawner_class': FormSpawner}):
-        base_url = ujoin(public_host(app), app.hub.server.base_url)
+        base_url = ujoin(public_host(app), app.hub.base_url)
         cookies = app.login_user('jones')
         orm_u = orm.User.find(app.db, 'jones')
         u = app.users[orm_u]
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ def test_user_redirect(app):
     assert path == ujoin(app.base_url, '/hub/login')
     query = urlparse(r.url).query
     assert query == urlencode({
-        'next': ujoin(app.hub.server.base_url, '/user-redirect/tree/top/')
+        'next': ujoin(app.hub.base_url, '/user-redirect/tree/top/')
     })
 
     r = get_page('/user-redirect/notebooks/test.ipynb', app, cookies=cookies)
@@ -320,7 +320,7 @@ def test_login_no_whitelist_adds_user(app):
 
 
 def test_static_files(app):
-    base_url = ujoin(public_host(app), app.hub.server.base_url)
+    base_url = ujoin(public_host(app), app.hub.base_url)
     r = requests.get(ujoin(base_url, 'logo'))
     r.raise_for_status()
     assert r.headers['content-type'] == 'image/png'
diff --git a/jupyterhub/tests/test_proxy.py b/jupyterhub/tests/test_proxy.py
index f3cd60fa..befb0291 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/tests/test_proxy.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/tests/test_proxy.py
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ from queue import Queue
 from subprocess import Popen
 from urllib.parse import urlparse, unquote
 
+from traitlets.config import Config
+
 import pytest
 
 from .. import orm
@@ -19,12 +21,12 @@ def test_external_proxy(request, io_loop):
     auth_token = 'secret!'
     proxy_ip = '127.0.0.1'
     proxy_port = 54321
+    cfg = Config()
+    cfg.ConfigurableHTTPProxy.auth_token = auth_token
+    cfg.ConfigurableHTTPProxy.api_url = 'http://%s:%i' % (proxy_ip, proxy_port)
+    cfg.ConfigurableHTTPProxy.should_start = False
 
-    app = MockHub.instance(
-        proxy_api_ip=proxy_ip,
-        proxy_api_port=proxy_port,
-        proxy_auth_token=auth_token,
-    )
+    app = MockHub.instance(config=cfg)
 
     def fin():
         MockHub.clear_instance()
@@ -35,7 +37,8 @@ def test_external_proxy(request, io_loop):
     # configures and starts proxy process
     env = os.environ.copy()
     env['CONFIGPROXY_AUTH_TOKEN'] = auth_token
-    cmd = app.proxy_cmd + [
+    cmd = [
+        'configurable-http-proxy',
         '--ip', app.ip,
         '--port', str(app.port),
         '--api-ip', proxy_ip,
@@ -57,10 +60,10 @@ def test_external_proxy(request, io_loop):
     wait_for_proxy()
 
     app.start([])
-    assert app.proxy_process is None
+    assert app.proxy.proxy_process is None
 
     # test if api service has a root route '/'
-    routes = io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_routes)
+    routes = io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_all_routes)
     assert list(routes.keys()) == ['/']
     
     # add user to the db and start a single user server
@@ -70,7 +73,7 @@ def test_external_proxy(request, io_loop):
     r = api_request(app, 'users', name, 'server', method='post')
     r.raise_for_status()
     
-    routes = io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_routes)
+    routes = io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_all_routes)
     # sets the desired path result
     user_path = unquote(ujoin(app.base_url, 'user/river'))
     if app.subdomain_host:
@@ -83,7 +86,8 @@ def test_external_proxy(request, io_loop):
     proxy = Popen(cmd, env=env)
     wait_for_proxy()
 
-    routes = io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_routes)
+    routes = io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_all_routes)
+
     assert list(routes.keys()) == ['/']
     
     # poke the server to update the proxy
@@ -91,7 +95,7 @@ def test_external_proxy(request, io_loop):
     r.raise_for_status()
 
     # check that the routes are correct
-    routes = io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_routes)
+    routes = io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_all_routes)
     assert sorted(routes.keys()) == ['/', user_path]
 
     # teardown the proxy, and start a new one with different auth and port
@@ -99,10 +103,10 @@ def test_external_proxy(request, io_loop):
     new_auth_token = 'different!'
     env['CONFIGPROXY_AUTH_TOKEN'] = new_auth_token
     proxy_port = 55432
-    cmd = app.proxy_cmd + [
+    cmd = ['configurable-http-proxy',
         '--ip', app.ip,
         '--port', str(app.port),
-        '--api-ip', app.proxy_api_ip,
+        '--api-ip', proxy_ip,
         '--api-port', str(proxy_port),
         '--default-target', 'http://%s:%i' % (app.hub_ip, app.hub_port),
     ]
@@ -112,14 +116,13 @@ def test_external_proxy(request, io_loop):
     wait_for_proxy()
 
     # tell the hub where the new proxy is
+    new_api_url = 'http://{}:{}'.format(proxy_ip, proxy_port)
     r = api_request(app, 'proxy', method='patch', data=json.dumps({
-        'port': proxy_port,
-        'protocol': 'http',
-        'ip': app.ip,
+        'api_url': new_api_url,
         'auth_token': new_auth_token,
     }))
     r.raise_for_status()
-    assert app.proxy.api_server.port == proxy_port
+    assert app.proxy.api_url == new_api_url
 
     # get updated auth token from main thread
     def get_app_proxy_token():
@@ -131,7 +134,7 @@ def test_external_proxy(request, io_loop):
     app.proxy.auth_token = new_auth_token
 
     # check that the routes are correct
-    routes = io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_routes)
+    routes = io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_all_routes)
     assert sorted(routes.keys()) == ['/', user_path]
 
 
@@ -152,18 +155,18 @@ def test_check_routes(app, io_loop, username, endpoints):
 
     # check a valid route exists for user
     test_user = app.users[username]
-    before = sorted(io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_routes))
+    before = sorted(io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_all_routes))
     assert unquote(test_user.proxy_path) in before
 
     # check if a route is removed when user deleted
     io_loop.run_sync(lambda: app.proxy.check_routes(app.users, app._service_map))
     io_loop.run_sync(lambda: proxy.delete_user(test_user))
-    during = sorted(io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_routes))
+    during = sorted(io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_all_routes))
     assert unquote(test_user.proxy_path) not in during
 
     # check if a route exists for user
     io_loop.run_sync(lambda: app.proxy.check_routes(app.users, app._service_map))
-    after = sorted(io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_routes))
+    after = sorted(io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_all_routes))
     assert unquote(test_user.proxy_path) in after
 
     # check that before and after state are the same
diff --git a/jupyterhub/tests/test_services.py b/jupyterhub/tests/test_services.py
index 337f2cc3..f039c0df 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/tests/test_services.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/tests/test_services.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ def external_service(app, name='mockservice'):
     env = {
         'JUPYTERHUB_API_TOKEN': hexlify(os.urandom(5)),
         'JUPYTERHUB_SERVICE_NAME': name,
-        'JUPYTERHUB_API_URL': url_path_join(app.hub.server.url, 'api/'),
+        'JUPYTERHUB_API_URL': url_path_join(app.hub.url, 'api/'),
         'JUPYTERHUB_SERVICE_URL': 'http://127.0.0.1:%i' % random_port(),
     }
     proc = Popen(mockservice_cmd, env=env)
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ def test_managed_service(mockservice):
 def test_proxy_service(app, mockservice_url, io_loop):
     service = mockservice_url
     name = service.name
-    io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_routes)
+    io_loop.run_sync(app.proxy.get_all_routes)
     url = public_url(app, service) + '/foo'
     r = requests.get(url, allow_redirects=False)
     path = '/services/{}/foo'.format(name)
diff --git a/jupyterhub/tests/test_spawner.py b/jupyterhub/tests/test_spawner.py
index c22539bc..6ca5581d 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/tests/test_spawner.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/tests/test_spawner.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import requests
 from tornado import gen
 
 from ..user import User
+from ..objects import Hub
 from .. import spawner as spawnermod
 from ..spawner import LocalProcessSpawner
 from .. import orm
@@ -43,8 +44,8 @@ def setup():
 
 def new_spawner(db, **kwargs):
     kwargs.setdefault('cmd', [sys.executable, '-c', _echo_sleep])
+    kwargs.setdefault('hub', Hub())
     kwargs.setdefault('user', User(db.query(orm.User).first(), {}))
-    kwargs.setdefault('hub', db.query(orm.Hub).first())
     kwargs.setdefault('notebook_dir', os.getcwd())
     kwargs.setdefault('default_url', '/user/{username}/lab')
     kwargs.setdefault('INTERRUPT_TIMEOUT', 1)
diff --git a/jupyterhub/user.py b/jupyterhub/user.py
index c0727d31..347230d7 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/user.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/user.py
@@ -9,9 +9,10 @@ from sqlalchemy import inspect
 from tornado import gen
 from tornado.log import app_log
 
-from .utils import url_path_join, default_server_name, new_token
+from .utils import url_path_join, default_server_name
 
 from . import orm
+from .objects import Server
 from traitlets import HasTraits, Any, Dict, observe, default
 from .spawner import LocalProcessSpawner
 
@@ -111,23 +112,20 @@ class User(HasTraits):
     def spawner_class(self):
         return self.settings.get('spawner_class', LocalProcessSpawner)
 
-    def __init__(self, orm_user, settings, **kwargs):
+    def __init__(self, orm_user, settings=None, **kwargs):
         self.orm_user = orm_user
-        self.settings = settings
+        self.settings = settings or {}
         super().__init__(**kwargs)
 
-        hub = self.db.query(orm.Hub).first()
-        
         self.allow_named_servers = self.settings.get('allow_named_servers', False)
 
-        self.cookie_name = '%s-%s' % (hub.server.cookie_name, quote(self.name, safe=''))
         self.base_url = url_path_join(
             self.settings.get('base_url', '/'), 'user', self.escaped_name)
 
         self.spawner = self.spawner_class(
             user=self,
             db=self.db,
-            hub=hub,
+            hub=self.settings.get('hub'),
             authenticator=self.authenticator,
             config=self.settings.get('config'),
         )
@@ -157,6 +155,13 @@ class User(HasTraits):
         if self.server is None:
             return False
         return True
+    
+    @property
+    def server(self):
+        if len(self.servers) == 0:
+            return None
+        else:
+            return Server(orm_server=self.servers[0])
 
     @property
     def escaped_name(self):
@@ -223,18 +228,17 @@ class User(HasTraits):
             server_name = ''
             base_url = self.base_url
 
-        server = orm.Server(
-            name = server_name,
-            cookie_name=self.cookie_name,
+        orm_server = orm.Server(
+            name=server_name,
             base_url=base_url,
         )
-        self.servers.append(server)
-        db.add(self)
-        db.commit()
+        self.servers.append(orm_server)
 
         api_token = self.new_api_token()
         db.commit()
 
+        server = Server(orm_server=orm_server)
+
         spawner = self.spawner
         # Passing server_name to the spawner
         spawner.server_name = server_name
@@ -278,7 +282,7 @@ class User(HasTraits):
             ip_port = yield gen.with_timeout(timedelta(seconds=spawner.start_timeout), f)
             if ip_port:
                 # get ip, port info from return value of start()
-                self.server.ip, self.server.port = ip_port
+                server.ip, server.port = ip_port
             else:
                 # prior to 0.7, spawners had to store this info in user.server themselves.
                 # Handle < 0.7 behavior with a warning, assuming info was stored in db by the Spawner.
@@ -316,14 +320,14 @@ class User(HasTraits):
         db.commit()
         self.waiting_for_response = True
         try:
-            yield self.server.wait_up(http=True, timeout=spawner.http_timeout)
+            yield server.wait_up(http=True, timeout=spawner.http_timeout)
         except Exception as e:
             if isinstance(e, TimeoutError):
                 self.log.warning(
                     "{user}'s server never showed up at {url} "
                     "after {http_timeout} seconds. Giving up".format(
                         user=self.name,
-                        url=self.server.url,
+                        url=server.url,
                         http_timeout=spawner.http_timeout,
                     )
                 )
@@ -331,7 +335,7 @@ class User(HasTraits):
             else:
                 e.reason = 'error'
                 self.log.error("Unhandled error waiting for {user}'s server to show up at {url}: {error}".format(
-                    user=self.name, url=self.server.url, error=e,
+                    user=self.name, url=server.url, error=e,
                 ))
             try:
                 yield self.stop()
diff --git a/jupyterhub/utils.py b/jupyterhub/utils.py
index 82b58151..1c68bdfb 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/utils.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/utils.py
@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@ def can_connect(ip, port):
 
     Return True if we can connect, False otherwise.
     """
+    if ip in {'', '0.0.0.0'}:
+        ip = '127.0.0.1'
     try:
         socket.create_connection((ip, port))
     except socket.error as e:
@@ -50,6 +52,8 @@ def can_connect(ip, port):
 @gen.coroutine
 def wait_for_server(ip, port, timeout=10):
     """Wait for any server to show up at ip:port."""
+    if ip in {'', '0.0.0.0'}:
+        ip = '127.0.0.1'
     loop = ioloop.IOLoop.current()
     tic = loop.time()
     while loop.time() - tic < timeout: