diff --git a/backend/src/main.cpp b/backend/src/main.cpp
index 4fe2dbd..ddc550c 100644
--- a/backend/src/main.cpp
+++ b/backend/src/main.cpp
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+#include "tcp.hpp"
+#include <print>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <sys/select.h>
 #include <sys/socket.h>
@@ -7,6 +9,15 @@
 
 int main(void)
 {
-    printf("hello\n");
+    auto x = mst::TcpListener::bind("0.0.0.0", PORT);
+    if (!x) {
+        std::println("{}", x.error());
+        return 1;
+    }
+    std::println("starting");
+    auto listener = x.value();
+    {
+        auto x = listener.loop();
+    }
     return 0;
 }
diff --git a/backend/src/server.cpp b/backend/src/server.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/backend/src/server.hpp b/backend/src/server.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6f70f09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/server.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+#pragma once
diff --git a/backend/src/tcp.cpp b/backend/src/tcp.cpp
index 596e4b7..74f1123 100644
--- a/backend/src/tcp.cpp
+++ b/backend/src/tcp.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #include "tcp.h"
 #include <arpa/inet.h>
+#include <cstdlib>
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <expected>
 #include <format>
@@ -15,6 +16,29 @@
 #include <unistd.h>
 
 namespace mst {
+
+auto event::make_listener_event(int fd) -> Event*
+{
+    auto ev = (Event*)malloc(sizeof(Event));
+
+    ev->variant = Listener;
+    ev->data.listener_fd = fd;
+
+    return ev;
+}
+
+auto event::make_connection_event(TcpConnection connection) -> Event*
+{
+    auto ev = (Event*)malloc(sizeof(Event));
+    auto ptr = (TcpConnection*)std::malloc(sizeof(TcpConnection));
+    *ptr = connection;
+
+    ev->variant = Connection;
+    ev->data.connection = ptr;
+
+    return ev;
+}
+
 auto errno_shim(std::string_view message) -> std::string
 {
     auto x = strerror(errno);
@@ -62,24 +86,61 @@ auto TcpListener::bind(const std::string& host, uint16_t port)
         return std::unexpected(errno_shim("could not listen"));
     }
 
-    auto epoll_fd = ::epoll_create(0);
+    auto epoll_fd = ::epoll_create1(0);
 
-    auto events_accepted = epoll_event { .events = EPOLLIN, .data = { } };
-    if (::epoll_ctl(epoll_fd, EPOLL_CTL_ADD, socket_fd, &events_accepted) < 0) {
+    auto context = event::make_listener_event(socket_fd);
+
+    auto event = epoll_event { .events = EPOLLIN, .data = { .ptr = context } };
+    if (::epoll_ctl(epoll_fd, EPOLL_CTL_ADD, socket_fd, &event) < 0) {
         return std::unexpected(errno_shim("could not connect to epoll"));
     }
 
-    return TcpListener(socket_fd, epoll_fd, address);
+    return TcpListener(epoll_fd, address);
 }
 
-auto TcpListener::accept() -> Result<TcpConnection>
+auto TcpListener::start() -> Result<void>
 {
-    socklen_t size = sizeof(address);
-    int socket = ::accept(this->listener_fd, (struct sockaddr*)&address, &size);
-    if (socket < 0) {
-        return std::unexpected(errno_shim("could not accept"));
+    epoll_event events[128] = { };
+    while (true) {
+
+        auto events_len = ::epoll_wait(this->epoll_fd, events, 128, -1);
+        if (events_len < 0) {
+            return std::unexpected(errno_shim("could not poll"));
+        }
+        for (int i = 0; i < events_len; ++i) {
+            auto event = (event::Event*)events[i].data.ptr;
+
+            switch (event->variant) {
+                case event::Listener: {
+                    socklen_t size = sizeof(address);
+                    int client = ::accept(
+                        events[0].data.fd, (struct sockaddr*)&address, &size);
+                    if (client < 0) {
+                        return std::unexpected(errno_shim("could not accept"));
+                    }
+
+                    auto context = event::make_connection_event(
+                        TcpConnection(*this, client));
+
+                    auto poll_event = epoll_event { .events = EPOLLIN,
+                        .data = { .ptr = context } };
+
+                    if (::epoll_ctl(
+                            epoll_fd, EPOLL_CTL_ADD, client, &poll_event)
+                        < 0) {
+                        return std::unexpected(
+                            errno_shim("could not add connection to epoll"));
+                    }
+
+                    break;
+                }
+                case event::Connection: {
+                    event->data.connection.wake();
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+        }
     }
-    return TcpConnection(*this, socket);
 }
 
 }
diff --git a/backend/src/tcp.h b/backend/src/tcp.h
index 7252ab2..30b6538 100644
--- a/backend/src/tcp.h
+++ b/backend/src/tcp.h
@@ -4,11 +4,29 @@
 #include <expected>
 #include <netinet/in.h>
 #include <string>
-#include <vector>
+#include <unistd.h>
 
 namespace mst {
+
 template <typename T> using Result = std::expected<T, std::string>;
 
+class TcpConnection;
+
+namespace event {
+    enum Variant { Listener, Connection };
+    typedef union {
+        int listener_fd;
+        TcpConnection* connection;
+    } Data;
+    struct Event {
+        Variant variant;
+        Data data;
+    };
+
+    auto make_listener_event(int fd) -> Event*;
+    auto make_connection_event(TcpConnection connection) -> Event*;
+}
+
 class TcpListener;
 
 class TcpConnection {
@@ -20,6 +38,7 @@ public:
 
 private:
     int fd;
+    event::Event event;
 };
 
 class TcpListener {
@@ -27,16 +46,13 @@ class TcpListener {
 public:
     static auto bind(const std::string& host, uint16_t port)
         -> Result<TcpListener>;
-    auto accept() -> Result<TcpConnection>;
+    auto start() -> Result<void>;
 
 private:
-    TcpListener(int listener_fd, int epoll_fd, sockaddr_in address)
-        : listener_fd(listener_fd)
-        , epoll_fd(epoll_fd)
+    TcpListener(int epoll_fd, sockaddr_in address)
+        : epoll_fd(epoll_fd)
         , address(address) { };
-    int listener_fd;
     int epoll_fd;
     sockaddr_in address;
-    std::vector<int> epoll_fds;
 };
 }