diff --git a/app/models/todo.js b/app/models/todo.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fc480331d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/models/todo.js
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+var mongoose = require('mongoose');
+
+module.exports = mongoose.model('Todo', {
+	text : String,
+	done : Boolean
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/routes.js b/app/routes.js
index e69de29bb..a06bd30f6 100644
--- a/app/routes.js
+++ b/app/routes.js
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+var Todo = require('./models/todo');
+
+module.exports = function(app) {
+
+	// api ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+	// get all todos
+	app.get('/api/todos', function(req, res) {
+
+		// use mongoose to get all todos in the database
+		Todo.find(function(err, todos) {
+
+			// if there is an error retrieving, send the error. nothing after res.send(err) will execute
+			if (err)
+				res.send(err)
+
+			res.json(todos); // return all todos in JSON format
+		});
+	});
+
+	// create todo and send back all todos after creation
+	app.post('/api/todos', function(req, res) {
+
+		// create a todo, information comes from AJAX request from Angular
+		Todo.create({
+			text : req.body.text,
+			done : false
+		}, function(err, todo) {
+			if (err)
+				res.send(err);
+
+			// get and return all the todos after you create another
+			Todo.find(function(err, todos) {
+				if (err)
+					res.send(err)
+				res.json(todos);
+			});
+		});
+
+	});
+
+	// delete a todo
+	app.delete('/api/todos/:todo_id', function(req, res) {
+		Todo.remove({
+			_id : req.params.todo_id
+		}, function(err, todo) {
+			if (err)
+				res.send(err);
+
+			// get and return all the todos after you create another
+			Todo.find(function(err, todos) {
+				if (err)
+					res.send(err)
+				res.json(todos);
+			});
+		});
+	});
+
+	// application -------------------------------------------------------------
+	app.get('*', function(req, res) {
+		res.sendfile('./public/index.html'); // load the single view file (angular will handle the page changes on the front-end)
+	});
+};
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/server.js b/server.js
index 50d47def0..9f8736fac 100644
--- a/server.js
+++ b/server.js
@@ -2,11 +2,8 @@
 var express  = require('express');
 var app      = express(); 								// create our app w/ express
 var mongoose = require('mongoose'); 					// mongoose for mongodb
-
-var port = process.env.PORT || 8080;
-
-// load the database config
-var database = require('./config/database');
+var port  	 = process.env.PORT || 8080; 				// set the port
+var database = require('./config/database'); 			// load the database config
 
 // configuration ===============================================================
 mongoose.connect(database.url); 	// connect to mongoDB database on modulus.io
@@ -18,71 +15,8 @@ app.configure(function() {
 	app.use(express.methodOverride()); 						// simulate DELETE and PUT
 });
 
-// define model ================================================================
-var Todo = mongoose.model('Todo', {
-	text : String,
-	done : Boolean
-});
-
 // routes ======================================================================
-
-	// api ---------------------------------------------------------------------
-	// get all todos
-	app.get('/api/todos', function(req, res) {
-
-		// use mongoose to get all todos in the database
-		Todo.find(function(err, todos) {
-
-			// if there is an error retrieving, send the error. nothing after res.send(err) will execute
-			if (err)
-				res.send(err)
-
-			res.json(todos); // return all todos in JSON format
-		});
-	});
-
-	// create todo and send back all todos after creation
-	app.post('/api/todos', function(req, res) {
-
-		// create a todo, information comes from AJAX request from Angular
-		Todo.create({
-			text : req.body.text,
-			done : false
-		}, function(err, todo) {
-			if (err)
-				res.send(err);
-
-			// get and return all the todos after you create another
-			Todo.find(function(err, todos) {
-				if (err)
-					res.send(err)
-				res.json(todos);
-			});
-		});
-
-	});
-
-	// delete a todo
-	app.delete('/api/todos/:todo_id', function(req, res) {
-		Todo.remove({
-			_id : req.params.todo_id
-		}, function(err, todo) {
-			if (err)
-				res.send(err);
-
-			// get and return all the todos after you create another
-			Todo.find(function(err, todos) {
-				if (err)
-					res.send(err)
-				res.json(todos);
-			});
-		});
-	});
-
-	// application -------------------------------------------------------------
-	app.get('*', function(req, res) {
-		res.sendfile('./public/index.html'); // load the single view file (angular will handle the page changes on the front-end)
-	});
+require('./app/routes.js')(app);
 
 // listen (start app with node server.js) ======================================
 app.listen(port);