diff --git a/libp2p-host/Cargo.toml b/libp2p-host/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..41348a5c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libp2p-host/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+[package]
+name = "libp2p-host"
+version = "0.1.0"
+authors = ["Parity Technologies <admin@parity.io>"]
+
+[dependencies]
+multiaddr = "0.2.0"
+futures = "0.1"
+tokio-io = "0.1"
+libp2p-transport = { path = "../libp2p-transport" }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/libp2p-host/src/lib.rs b/libp2p-host/src/lib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fd09b1f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libp2p-host/src/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+//! "Host" abstraction for transports, listener addresses, peer store.
+
+extern crate futures;
+extern crate libp2p_transport as transport;
+
+use futures::{Future, IntoFuture, BoxFuture};
+use transport::{ProtocolId, MultiAddr, Socket};
+
+/// Produces a future for each incoming `Socket`.
+pub trait Handler<S: Socket> {
+    type Future: IntoFuture<Item=(), Error=()>;
+
+    /// Handle the incoming socket, producing a future which should resolve 
+    /// when the handler is finished.
+    fn handle(&self, socket: S) -> Self::Future;
+    fn boxed(self) -> BoxHandler<S> where 
+        Self: Sized + Send + 'static, 
+        <Self::Future as IntoFuture>::Future: Send + 'static
+    {
+        BoxHandler(Box::new(move |socket|
+            self.handle(socket).into_future().boxed()
+        ))
+    }
+}
+
+impl<S: Socket, F, U> Handler<S> for F 
+    where F: Fn(S) -> U, U: IntoFuture<Item=(), Error=()>
+{
+    type Future = U;
+
+    fn handle(&self, socket: S) -> U { (self)(socket) }
+}
+
+/// A boxed handler.
+pub struct BoxHandler<S: Socket>(Box<Handler<S, Future=BoxFuture<(), ()>>>);
+
+impl<S: Socket> Handler<S> for BoxHandler<S> {
+    type Future = BoxFuture<(), ()>;
+
+    fn handle(&self, socket: S) -> Self::Future {
+        self.0.handle(socket)
+    }
+}
+
+/// Multiplexes sockets onto handlers by protocol-id.
+pub trait Mux: Sync {
+    /// The socket type this manages.
+    type Socket: Socket;
+
+    /// Attach an incoming socket.
+    fn push(&self, socket: Self::Socket);
+  
+    /// Set the socket handler for a given protocol id.
+    fn set_handler(&self, proto: ProtocolId, handler: BoxHandler<Self::Socket>);
+
+    /// Remove the socket handler for the given protocol id, returning the old handler if it existed.
+    fn remove_handler(&self, proto: &ProtocolId) -> Option<BoxHandler<Self::Socket>>;
+}
+
+/// Unimplemented. Maps peer IDs to connected addresses, protocols, and data.
+pub trait PeerStore {}
+  
+/// This is a common abstraction over the low-level bits of libp2p.
+///
+/// It handles connecting over, adding and removing transports,
+/// wraps an arbitrary event loop, and manages protocol IDs.
+pub trait Host {
+    type Socket: Socket;
+
+    /// Get a handle to the peer store.
+    fn peer_store(&self) -> &PeerStore;
+
+    /// Get a handle to the underlying muxer.
+    fn mux(&self) -> &Mux<Socket=Self::Socket>;
+
+    /// Set the socket handler for a given protocol id.
+    fn set_handler(&self, proto: ProtocolId, handler: BoxHandler<Self::Socket>) {
+        self.mux().set_handler(proto, handler);
+    }
+
+    /// Remove the socket handler for the given protocol id, returning the old handler if it existed.
+    fn remove_handler(&self, proto: &ProtocolId) -> Option<BoxHandler<Self::Socket>> {
+        self.mux().remove_handler(proto)
+    }
+
+    /// Addresses we're listening on.
+    fn listen_addrs(&self) -> Vec<MultiAddr>;
+}
\ No newline at end of file