diff --git a/desktop/app/src/electron/initializeElectron.tsx b/desktop/app/src/electron/initializeElectron.tsx
index 4d3291961..1d3e9d3c7 100644
--- a/desktop/app/src/electron/initializeElectron.tsx
+++ b/desktop/app/src/electron/initializeElectron.tsx
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ import {
 import type {RenderHost} from 'flipper-ui-core';
 import fs from 'fs';
 import {setupMenuBar} from './setupMenuBar';
-import os from 'os';
 import {FlipperServer, FlipperServerConfig} from 'flipper-common';
 
 declare global {
@@ -36,15 +35,6 @@ declare global {
   }
 }
 
-if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development' && os.platform() === 'darwin') {
-  // By default Node.JS has its internal certificate storage and doesn't use
-  // the system store. Because of this, it's impossible to access ondemand / devserver
-  // which are signed using some internal self-issued FB certificates. These certificates
-  // are automatically installed to MacOS system store on FB machines, so here we're using
-  // this "mac-ca" library to load them into Node.JS.
-  global.electronRequire('mac-ca');
-}
-
 export function initializeElectron(
   flipperServer: FlipperServer,
   flipperServerConfig: FlipperServerConfig,
diff --git a/desktop/flipper-common/src/server-types.tsx b/desktop/flipper-common/src/server-types.tsx
index 55052508b..7a86bc953 100644
--- a/desktop/flipper-common/src/server-types.tsx
+++ b/desktop/flipper-common/src/server-types.tsx
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ export type FlipperServerCommands = {
   'keychain-unset': (service: string) => Promise<void>;
 };
 
-type ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES =
+export type ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES =
   | 'NODE_ENV'
   | 'DEV_SERVER_URL'
   | 'CONFIG'
diff --git a/desktop/flipper-server/package.json b/desktop/flipper-server/package.json
index 776fae76e..f44ddf3f0 100644
--- a/desktop/flipper-server/package.json
+++ b/desktop/flipper-server/package.json
@@ -12,8 +12,11 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "chalk": "^4.1.2",
     "express": "^4.15.2",
+    "flipper-common": "0.0.0",
     "flipper-pkg-lib": "0.0.0",
+    "flipper-server-core": "0.0.0",
     "fs-extra": "^9.0.0",
+    "mac-ca": "^1.0.6",
     "p-filter": "^2.1.0",
     "socket.io": "^4.3.1"
   },
diff --git a/desktop/flipper-server/src/index.tsx b/desktop/flipper-server/src/index.tsx
index dba7e8b0b..a4f2879de 100644
--- a/desktop/flipper-server/src/index.tsx
+++ b/desktop/flipper-server/src/index.tsx
@@ -11,9 +11,35 @@
 // needs to be come independently runnable, prebundled, distributed, etc!
 // in future require conditionally
 import {startWebServerDev} from './startWebServerDev';
+import {startFlipperServer} from './startFlipperServer';
+import {startBaseServer} from './startBaseServer';
 import chalk from 'chalk';
+import path from 'path';
 
-startWebServerDev().catch((e) => {
-  console.error(chalk.red('Server error: '), e);
-  process.exit(1);
-});
+const PORT = 52342;
+const rootDir = path.resolve(__dirname, '..', '..');
+const staticDir = path.join(rootDir, 'static');
+
+async function start() {
+  const {app, server, socket} = await startBaseServer({
+    port: PORT,
+    staticDir,
+    entry: 'index.web.dev.html',
+  });
+
+  return Promise.all([
+    startFlipperServer(rootDir, staticDir),
+    startWebServerDev(app, server, socket, rootDir),
+  ]);
+}
+
+start()
+  .then(() => {
+    console.log(
+      `Flipper DEV server started at http://localhost:${PORT}/index.web.dev.html`,
+    );
+  })
+  .catch((e) => {
+    console.error(chalk.red('Server error: '), e);
+    process.exit(1);
+  });
diff --git a/desktop/flipper-server/src/startBaseServer.tsx b/desktop/flipper-server/src/startBaseServer.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9cd23da30
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/flipper-server/src/startBaseServer.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) Facebook, Inc. and its affiliates.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
+ *
+ * @format
+ */
+
+import chalk from 'chalk';
+import express, {Express} from 'express';
+import http from 'http';
+import path from 'path';
+import fs from 'fs-extra';
+import socketio from 'socket.io';
+import {hostname} from 'os';
+
+type Config = {
+  port: number;
+  staticDir: string;
+  entry: string;
+};
+
+export async function startBaseServer(config: Config): Promise<{
+  app: Express;
+  server: http.Server;
+  socket: socketio.Server;
+}> {
+  checkDevServer();
+  const {app, server} = await startAssetServer(config);
+  const socket = addWebsocket(server);
+  return {
+    app,
+    server,
+    socket,
+  };
+}
+
+function startAssetServer(
+  config: Config,
+): Promise<{app: Express; server: http.Server}> {
+  const app = express();
+
+  app.use((_req, res, next) => {
+    res.header('Cache-Control', 'private, no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate');
+    res.header('Expires', '-1');
+    res.header('Pragma', 'no-cache');
+    next();
+  });
+
+  app.get('/', (_req, res) => {
+    fs.readFile(path.join(config.staticDir, config.entry), (_err, content) => {
+      res.end(content);
+    });
+  });
+
+  app.use(express.static(config.staticDir));
+
+  const server = http.createServer(app);
+
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    server.listen(config.port, 'localhost', () => resolve({app, server}));
+  });
+}
+
+function addWebsocket(server: http.Server) {
+  const io = new socketio.Server(server); // 3.1.0 socket.io doesn't have type definitions
+
+  io.on('connection', (client) => {
+    console.log(chalk.green(`Client connected ${client.id}`));
+  });
+
+  return io;
+}
+
+function looksLikeDevServer(): boolean {
+  const hn = hostname();
+  if (/^devvm.*\.facebook\.com$/.test(hn)) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  if (hn.endsWith('.od.fbinfra.net')) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+
+function checkDevServer() {
+  if (looksLikeDevServer()) {
+    console.log(
+      chalk.red(
+        `✖ It looks like you're trying to start Flipper on your OnDemand or DevServer, which is not supported. Please run this in a local checkout on your laptop or desktop instead.`,
+      ),
+    );
+  }
+}
diff --git a/desktop/flipper-server/src/startFlipperServer.tsx b/desktop/flipper-server/src/startFlipperServer.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..863306650
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/flipper-server/src/startFlipperServer.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) Facebook, Inc. and its affiliates.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
+ *
+ * @format
+ */
+
+import os from 'os';
+import {
+  FlipperServerImpl,
+  getGatekeepers,
+  loadLauncherSettings,
+  loadProcessConfig,
+  loadSettings,
+} from 'flipper-server-core';
+import {
+  ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES,
+  isTest,
+  Logger,
+  setLoggerInstance,
+} from 'flipper-common';
+import path from 'path';
+import fs from 'fs';
+
+export async function startFlipperServer(rootDir: string, staticDir: string) {
+  if (os.platform() === 'darwin') {
+    // By default Node.JS has its internal certificate storage and doesn't use
+    // the system store. Because of this, it's impossible to access ondemand / devserver
+    // which are signed using some internal self-issued FB certificates. These certificates
+    // are automatically installed to MacOS system store on FB machines, so here we're using
+    // this "mac-ca" library to load them into Node.JS.
+    require('mac-ca');
+  }
+
+  const execPath = process.execPath;
+  const appPath = rootDir;
+  const isProduction =
+    process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'development' && process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'test';
+  const env = process.env;
+  let desktopPath = path.resolve(os.homedir(), 'Desktop');
+
+  // eslint-disable-next-line node/no-sync
+  if (!fs.existsSync(desktopPath)) {
+    console.warn('Failed to find desktop path, falling back to homedir');
+    desktopPath = os.homedir();
+  }
+
+  const logger = createLogger();
+  setLoggerInstance(logger);
+
+  let keytar: any = undefined;
+  try {
+    if (!isTest()) {
+      keytar = require(path.join(
+        staticDir,
+        'native-modules',
+        `keytar-${process.platform}.node`,
+      ));
+    }
+  } catch (e) {
+    console.error('Failed to load keytar:', e);
+  }
+
+  const envVars: Partial<Record<ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES, string | undefined>> =
+    Object.fromEntries(
+      ([] as ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES[]).map((v) => [v, process.env[v]] as const),
+    );
+  const flipperServer = new FlipperServerImpl(
+    {
+      env: envVars,
+      gatekeepers: getGatekeepers(),
+      isProduction,
+      paths: {
+        appPath,
+        homePath: os.homedir(),
+        execPath,
+        staticPath: staticDir,
+        tempPath: os.tmpdir(),
+        desktopPath: desktopPath,
+      },
+      launcherSettings: await loadLauncherSettings(),
+      processConfig: loadProcessConfig(env),
+      settings: await loadSettings(),
+      validWebSocketOrigins: ['localhost:', 'http://localhost:'],
+    },
+    logger,
+    keytar,
+  );
+
+  await flipperServer.connect();
+}
+
+function createLogger(): Logger {
+  return {
+    track(..._args: [any, any, any?, any?]) {
+      // TODO: only if verbose console.debug(...args);
+      // console.warn('(skipper track)', args);
+    },
+    trackTimeSince(..._args: [any, any, any?]) {
+      // TODO: only if verbose console.debug(...args);
+      // console.warn('(skipped trackTimeSince)', args);
+    },
+    debug(..._args: any[]) {
+      // TODO: only if verbose console.debug(...args);
+    },
+    error(...args: any[]) {
+      console.error(...args);
+      console.warn('(skipped error reporting)');
+    },
+    warn(...args: any[]) {
+      console.warn(...args);
+      console.warn('(skipped error reporting)');
+    },
+    info(...args: any[]) {
+      console.info(...args);
+    },
+  };
+}
diff --git a/desktop/flipper-server/src/startWebServerDev.tsx b/desktop/flipper-server/src/startWebServerDev.tsx
index 2cde4311a..a4ca52c96 100644
--- a/desktop/flipper-server/src/startWebServerDev.tsx
+++ b/desktop/flipper-server/src/startWebServerDev.tsx
@@ -7,9 +7,8 @@
  * @format
  */
 
-import {hostname} from 'os';
 import chalk from 'chalk';
-import express, {Express} from 'express';
+import {Express} from 'express';
 import http from 'http';
 import path from 'path';
 import fs from 'fs-extra';
@@ -18,15 +17,6 @@ import {getWatchFolders} from 'flipper-pkg-lib';
 import Metro from 'metro';
 import pFilter from 'p-filter';
 
-const PORT = 52342;
-const rootDir = path.resolve(__dirname, '..', '..');
-const staticDir = path.join(rootDir, 'static');
-const babelTransformationsDir = path.resolve(
-  rootDir,
-  'babel-transformer',
-  'src',
-);
-
 const uiSourceDirs = [
   'flipper-ui-browser',
   'flipper-ui-core',
@@ -35,79 +25,22 @@ const uiSourceDirs = [
 ];
 
 // This file is heavily inspired by scripts/start-dev-server.ts!
-export async function startWebServerDev() {
-  checkDevServer();
+export async function startWebServerDev(
+  app: Express,
+  server: http.Server,
+  socket: socketio.Server,
+  rootDir: string,
+) {
   //   await prepareDefaultPlugins(
   //     process.env.FLIPPER_RELEASE_CHANNEL === 'insiders',
   //   );
   //   await ensurePluginFoldersWatchable();
-  const {app, server} = await startAssetServer(PORT);
-  const socket = await addWebsocket(server);
-  await startMetroServer(app, server, socket);
+  await startMetroServer(app, server, socket, rootDir);
   //   await compileMain();
   //   if (dotenv && dotenv.parsed) {
   //     console.log('✅  Loaded env vars from .env file: ', dotenv.parsed);
   //   }
   //   shutdownElectron = launchElectron(port);
-  console.log(
-    `Flipper DEV server started at http://localhost:${PORT}/index.web.dev.html`,
-  );
-}
-
-function looksLikeDevServer(): boolean {
-  const hn = hostname();
-  if (/^devvm.*\.facebook\.com$/.test(hn)) {
-    return true;
-  }
-  if (hn.endsWith('.od.fbinfra.net')) {
-    return true;
-  }
-  return false;
-}
-
-function checkDevServer() {
-  if (looksLikeDevServer()) {
-    console.log(
-      chalk.red(
-        `✖ It looks like you're trying to start Flipper on your OnDemand or DevServer, which is not supported. Please run this in a local checkout on your laptop or desktop instead.`,
-      ),
-    );
-  }
-}
-
-function startAssetServer(
-  port: number,
-): Promise<{app: Express; server: http.Server}> {
-  const app = express();
-
-  app.use((_req, res, next) => {
-    res.header('Cache-Control', 'private, no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate');
-    res.header('Expires', '-1');
-    res.header('Pragma', 'no-cache');
-    next();
-  });
-
-  app.get('/', (_req, res) => {
-    fs.readFile(path.join(staticDir, 'index.web.dev.html'), (_err, content) => {
-      res.end(content);
-    });
-  });
-
-  app.use(express.static(staticDir));
-
-  const server = http.createServer(app);
-
-  return new Promise((resolve) => {
-    server.listen(port, 'localhost', () => resolve({app, server}));
-  });
-}
-
-async function addWebsocket(server: http.Server) {
-  const io = new socketio.Server(server); // 3.1.0 socket.io doesn't have type definitions
-
-  io.on('connection', (client) => {
-    console.log(chalk.green(`Client connected ${client.id}`));
-  });
 
   // Refresh the app on changes.
   // When Fast Refresh enabled, reloads are performed by HMRClient, so don't need to watch manually here.
@@ -115,14 +48,20 @@ async function addWebsocket(server: http.Server) {
   //     await startWatchChanges(io);
   //   }
 
-  return io;
+  console.log('DEV webserver started.');
 }
 
 async function startMetroServer(
   app: Express,
   server: http.Server,
   socket: socketio.Server,
+  rootDir: string,
 ) {
+  const babelTransformationsDir = path.resolve(
+    rootDir,
+    'babel-transformer',
+    'src',
+  );
   const watchFolders = await dedupeFolders(
     (
       await Promise.all(
diff --git a/desktop/flipper-server/tsconfig.json b/desktop/flipper-server/tsconfig.json
index 69d14c891..6233f9519 100644
--- a/desktop/flipper-server/tsconfig.json
+++ b/desktop/flipper-server/tsconfig.json
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@
     "rootDir": "src"
   },
   "references": [
+    {
+      "path": "../flipper-common"
+    },
     {
       "path": "../flipper-server-core"
     },