diff --git a/controller/jsonSerializer.go b/controller/jsonSerializer.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..008ba608
--- /dev/null
+++ b/controller/jsonSerializer.go
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2016 The Fission Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package controller
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+)
+
+type JsonSerializer struct {
+}
+
+func (j JsonSerializer) serialize(r resource) ([]byte, error) {
+	return json.Marshal(r)
+}
+
+func (j JsonSerializer) deserialize(buf []byte, r resource) error {
+	return json.Unmarshal(buf, r)
+}
diff --git a/controller/resourceStore.go b/controller/resourceStore.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..10409311
--- /dev/null
+++ b/controller/resourceStore.go
@@ -0,0 +1,191 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2016 The Fission Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package controller
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"github.com/coreos/etcd/client"
+	"github.com/satori/go.uuid"
+	"golang.org/x/net/context"
+	"reflect"
+)
+
+type (
+	resource interface {
+		key() string
+	}
+
+	serializer interface {
+		serialize(r resource) ([]byte, error)
+		deserialize(buf []byte, r resource) error
+	}
+
+	resourceStore struct {
+		*fileStore
+		client.KeysAPI
+		serializer
+	}
+)
+
+func makeResourceStore(fs *fileStore, ks client.KeysAPI, s serializer) *resourceStore {
+	return &resourceStore{fileStore: fs, KeysAPI: ks, serializer: s}
+}
+
+func getTypeName(r resource) (string, error) {
+	typ := reflect.TypeOf(r)
+	if typ.Kind().String() == "ptr" {
+		typ = typ.Elem()
+	}
+	typName := typ.Name()
+	if len(typName) == 0 {
+		return "", errors.New("Failed to get type")
+	}
+	return typName, nil
+}
+
+func getKey(r resource) (string, error) {
+	typName, err := getTypeName(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	rkey := r.key()
+	return (typName + "/" + rkey), nil
+}
+
+func (rs *resourceStore) create(r resource) error {
+	key, err := getKey(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	serialized, err := rs.serializer.serialize(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	_, err = rs.KeysAPI.Set(context.Background(), key, string(serialized),
+		&client.SetOptions{PrevExist: client.PrevNoExist})
+	return err
+}
+
+func (rs *resourceStore) read(rkey string, res resource) error {
+	typName, err := getTypeName(res)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	key := typName + "/" + rkey
+
+	resp, err := rs.KeysAPI.Get(context.Background(), key, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return rs.serializer.deserialize([]byte(resp.Node.Value), res)
+}
+
+func (rs *resourceStore) update(r resource) error {
+	key, err := getKey(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	serialized, err := rs.serializer.serialize(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	_, err = rs.KeysAPI.Set(context.Background(), key, string(serialized),
+		&client.SetOptions{PrevExist: client.PrevExist})
+	return err
+}
+
+func (rs *resourceStore) delete(typename, rkey string) error {
+	key := typename + "/" + rkey
+	_, err := rs.KeysAPI.Delete(context.Background(), key, nil) // ignore response
+	return err
+}
+
+func (rs *resourceStore) getAll(key string) ([]string, error) {
+	resp, err := rs.KeysAPI.Get(context.Background(), key, &client.GetOptions{Recursive: true})
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	res := make([]string, 0, len(resp.Node.Nodes))
+	for _, n := range resp.Node.Nodes {
+		res = append(res, n.Value)
+	}
+	return res, nil
+}
+
+func (rs *resourceStore) writeFile(parentKey string, contents []byte) (string, string, error) {
+	uid := uuid.NewV4().String()
+
+	err := rs.fileStore.write(uid, contents)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", "", err
+	}
+
+	resp, err := rs.KeysAPI.CreateInOrder(context.Background(), parentKey, uid, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		_ = rs.fileStore.delete(uid)
+		return "", "", err
+	}
+
+	return resp.Node.Key, uid, nil
+}
+
+func (rs *resourceStore) readFile(key string, uid *string) ([]byte, error) {
+	resp, err := rs.KeysAPI.Get(context.Background(), key, &client.GetOptions{Sort: true})
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	if uid == nil {
+		// get latest
+		n := resp.Node.Nodes
+		uid = &n[len(n)-1].Value
+	} else {
+		// validate uid is in the list
+		found := false
+		for _, u := range resp.Node.Nodes {
+			if *uid == u.Value {
+				found = true
+				break
+			}
+		}
+		if !found {
+			return nil, errors.New("Invalid UUID")
+		}
+	}
+
+	contents, err := rs.fileStore.read(*uid)
+	return contents, err
+}
+
+func (rs *resourceStore) deleteFile(key string, uid string) error {
+	resp, err := rs.KeysAPI.Get(context.Background(), key, &client.GetOptions{Sort: true})
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	for _, u := range resp.Node.Nodes {
+		if u.Value == uid {
+			err = rs.fileStore.delete(u.Value)
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	return errors.New("won't delete unreferenced file")
+}
diff --git a/controller/resourceStore_test.go b/controller/resourceStore_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cb2a1b1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/controller/resourceStore_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2016 The Fission Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package controller
+
+import (
+	//	"github.com/coreos/etcd/client"
+	"golang.org/x/net/context"
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"log"
+	"os"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+type TestResource struct {
+	A string
+	B int
+}
+
+func (tr TestResource) key() string {
+	return tr.A
+}
+
+func check(err error) {
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Panicf("err: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func assert(b bool, msg string) {
+	if !b {
+		log.Panic("assertion failed: " + msg)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestResourceStore(t *testing.T) {
+	// make a tmp dir
+	dir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "testFileStore")
+	check(err)
+	defer os.RemoveAll(dir)
+
+	fs := makeFileStore(dir)
+
+	// assume etcd is running, connect to it
+	ks := getEtcdKeyAPI([]string{"http://localhost:2379"})
+	s := JsonSerializer{}
+	rs := makeResourceStore(fs, ks, s)
+
+	tr := TestResource{A: "hello", B: 1}
+
+	// Delete the key first, in case of a panic'd previous test run; ignore errors
+	_ = rs.delete("TestResource", tr.key())
+
+	// Create
+	err = rs.create(tr)
+	check(err)
+	defer rs.delete("TestResource", tr.key())
+
+	// Etcd key /TestResource/hello should exist
+	_, err = ks.Get(context.Background(), "TestResource/hello", nil)
+	check(err)
+
+	// Read
+	tr1 := TestResource{}
+	err = rs.read(tr.key(), &tr1)
+	check(err)
+	assert(tr1 == tr, "retrieved value must equal created value")
+
+	// Update and Read
+	tr.B += 1
+	err = rs.update(tr)
+	check(err)
+	err = rs.read(tr.key(), &tr1)
+	check(err)
+	assert(tr1 == tr, "retrieved value must equal updated value")
+
+	// Get list
+	results, err := rs.getAll("TestResource")
+	check(err)
+	res := make([]TestResource, 0, 0)
+	for _, r := range results {
+		tmp := TestResource{}
+		err = s.deserialize([]byte(r), &tmp)
+		check(err)
+		res = append(res, tmp)
+	}
+	assert(res[0] == tr, "value from retrieved list must equal updated value")
+
+	// file tests
+	fileKey := "foo"
+	fileContents1 := []byte("hello")
+	fileContents2 := []byte("world")
+	key, uid1, err := rs.writeFile(fileKey, fileContents1)
+	check(err)
+	defer rs.deleteFile(fileKey, uid1)
+	log.Printf("key = %v, uid = %v", key, uid1)
+
+	// read latest
+	contents, err := rs.readFile(fileKey, nil)
+	check(err)
+	assert(string(contents) == string(fileContents1), "retrieved file contents must match written value")
+
+	// update-- same key new contents
+	_, uid2, err := rs.writeFile(fileKey, fileContents2)
+	check(err)
+	defer rs.deleteFile(fileKey, uid2)
+
+	// read latest
+	contents, err = rs.readFile(fileKey, nil)
+	check(err)
+	assert(string(contents) == string(fileContents2), "retrieved file contents must match updated value")
+
+	// read by uid
+	// 1
+	contents, err = rs.readFile(fileKey, &uid1)
+	check(err)
+	assert(string(contents) == string(fileContents1), "retrieved file contents must match updated value")
+
+	// 2
+	contents, err = rs.readFile(fileKey, &uid2)
+	check(err)
+	assert(string(contents) == string(fileContents2), "retrieved file contents must match updated value")
+}