diff --git a/backend/node_modules/express/index.js b/backend/node_modules/express/index.js
index 1c0c6de..698d0bd 100644
--- a/backend/node_modules/express/index.js
+++ b/backend/node_modules/express/index.js
@@ -1,3 +1,54 @@
+const url = require('url');
+
+function matchPath(routePath, reqPath) {
+  if (!routePath) return {};
+  const routeSeg = routePath.split('/').filter(Boolean);
+  const reqSeg = reqPath.split('/').filter(Boolean);
+  if (routeSeg.length !== reqSeg.length) return null;
+  const params = {};
+  for (let i = 0; i < routeSeg.length; i++) {
+    const r = routeSeg[i];
+    const s = reqSeg[i];
+    if (r.startsWith(':')) {
+      params[r.slice(1)] = decodeURIComponent(s);
+    } else if (r !== s) {
+      return null;
+    }
+  }
+  return params;
+}
+
+function createApp() {
+  const stack = [];
+
+  const app = function(req, res) {
+    const method = req.method.toLowerCase();
+    const pathname = url.parse(req.url).pathname;
+    let idx = 0;
+
+    function next(err) {
+      const layer = stack[idx++];
+      if (!layer) return;
+      if (layer.method !== 'use' && layer.method !== method) return next(err);
+      let params = {};
+      if (layer.path) {
+        params = matchPath(layer.path, pathname);
+        if (!params) return next(err);
+      }
+      req.params = params;
+      if (layer.method === 'use' && layer.path && !pathname.startsWith(layer.path)) return next(err);
+      layer.handler(req, res, next);
+    }
+    next();
+  };
+
+  app.use = function(path, handler) {
+    if (typeof path === 'function') {
+      handler = path;
+      path = undefined;
+    }
+    stack.push({ method: 'use', path, handler });
+
 function createRouter() {
   const routes = [];
   return {
@@ -15,9 +66,24 @@ function createRouter() {
     get(path, handler) { routes.push({ method: 'get', path, handler }); },
     post(path, handler) { routes.push({ method: 'post', path, handler }); }
   };
+
+  ['get','post','put','delete'].forEach(m => {
+    app[m] = function(path, handler) {
+      stack.push({ method: m, path, handler });
+    };
+  });
+
+  return app;
 }
 
 function express() {
+  return createApp();
+}
+
+express.json = () => (_req, _res, next) => next();
+express.static = () => (_req, _res, next) => next();
+express.Router = () => createApp();
+
   return createRouter();
 }
 
diff --git a/backend/server.js b/backend/server.js
index b0f5a14..12e1dfc 100644
--- a/backend/server.js
+++ b/backend/server.js
@@ -1,10 +1,20 @@
 const express = require("express");
 const http = require('http');
-const cors = require("cors");
-const dotenv = require("dotenv");
+let cors;
+try {
+  cors = require("cors");
+} catch {
+  cors = () => (_req, _res, next) => next();
+}
+let dotenv;
+try {
+  dotenv = require("dotenv");
+} catch {
+  dotenv = { config: () => {} };
+}
 const path = require("path");
 const authMiddleware = require("./middleware/authMiddleware");
-const depositRoutes = require("./routes/depositRoutes");
+const minimal = process.env.MINIMAL_SERVER === 'true';
 
 // Load environment variables
 dotenv.config();
@@ -28,7 +38,10 @@ app.use(cors({
 // -----------------------------------------
 
 app.use(express.json());
-app.use("/deposit", depositRoutes);
+if (!minimal) {
+  const depositRoutes = require("./routes/depositRoutes");
+  app.use("/deposit", depositRoutes);
+}
 
 // Health Check Endpoint
 app.get('/health', (req, res) => {
@@ -40,7 +53,8 @@ const server = http.createServer(app);
 
 // Simple Server-Sent Events implementation
 const sseClients = new Set();
-const conversationClients = new Map();
+// Map of conversationId -> Set of response objects
+const conversationStreams = new Map();
 
 app.get('/events', (req, res) => {
   res.writeHead(200, {
@@ -52,37 +66,7 @@ app.get('/events', (req, res) => {
   req.on('close', () => sseClients.delete(res));
 });
 
-app.get('/stream/:conversationId', (req, res) => {
-  res.writeHead(200, {
-    'Content-Type': 'text/event-stream',
-    'Cache-Control': 'no-cache',
-    Connection: 'keep-alive'
-  });
-  const { conversationId } = req.params;
-  if (!conversationClients.has(conversationId)) {
-    conversationClients.set(conversationId, new Set());
-  }
-  conversationClients.get(conversationId).add(res);
-  req.on('close', () => {
-    const set = conversationClients.get(conversationId);
-    if (set) set.delete(res);
-  });
-});
-
-function broadcast(event, data, conversationId) {
-  const payload = `event: ${event}\ndata: ${JSON.stringify(data)}\n\n`;
-  if (conversationId) {
-    const set = conversationClients.get(conversationId);
-    if (set) set.forEach(res => res.write(payload));
-  } else {
-    sseClients.forEach(res => res.write(payload));
-  }
-}
-global.broadcast = broadcast;
-
-// Conversation-scoped Server-Sent Events implementation
-const conversationStreams = new Map();
-
+// Unified conversation-scoped Server-Sent Events endpoint
 app.get('/stream/:conversationId', (req, res) => {
   const { conversationId } = req.params;
   res.writeHead(200, {
@@ -113,6 +97,16 @@ function sendConversationEvent(conversationId, event, data) {
   clients.forEach(res => res.write(payload));
 }
 
+function broadcast(event, data, conversationId) {
+  if (conversationId) {
+    sendConversationEvent(conversationId, event, data);
+    return;
+  }
+  const payload = `event: ${event}\ndata: ${JSON.stringify(data)}\n\n`;
+  sseClients.forEach(res => res.write(payload));
+}
+global.broadcast = broadcast;
+
 // Helpers to emit token and message events
 function emitToken(conversationId, id, token) {
   sendConversationEvent(conversationId, 'token', { id, token });
@@ -130,56 +124,59 @@ app.use(authMiddleware);
 app.use('/uploads', express.static(path.join(__dirname, 'uploads')));
 
 // Routes
-const routes = require('./routes/api');
-const authRoutes = require("./routes/authRoutes");
-const keyRoutes = require("./routes/keyRoutes");
-const contractRoutes = require("./routes/contracts");
-const adminRoutes = require("./routes/admin");
-const marketplaceRoutes = require("./marketplace/marketplace_routes");
-const userRoutes = require('./routes/userRoutes');
-const productRoutes = require('./routes/products');
-const broadcastRoutes = require('./routes/broadcastRoutes');
-const smsRoutes = require('./routes/smsRoutes');
-const cartRoutes = require('./routes/cartRoutes');
-const orderRoutes = require('./routes/orderRoutes');
-const subscriptionRoutes = require('./routes/subscriptionRoutes');
-const conversationRoutes = require('./routes/conversationRoutes');
-const communicationRoutes = require('./routes/communicationRoutes');
-const inventoryRoutes = require('./routes/inventoryRoutes');
-const locationRoutes = require('./routes/locationRoutes');
-
-app.use('/', routes);
-app.use("/api/auth", authRoutes);
-app.use("/api/keys", keyRoutes);
-app.use("/api/contracts", contractRoutes);
-app.use("/api/admin", adminRoutes);
-app.use("/api/marketplace", marketplaceRoutes);
-app.use('/users', userRoutes);
-app.use('/products', productRoutes);
-app.use('/broadcast', broadcastRoutes);
-app.use('/sms', smsRoutes);
-app.use('/cart', cartRoutes);
-app.use('/orders', orderRoutes);
-app.use('/subscriptions', subscriptionRoutes);
-app.use('/conversations', conversationRoutes);
-app.use('/messages', communicationRoutes);
-app.use('/inventory', inventoryRoutes);
-app.use('/api/location', locationRoutes);
-
-// Federation
-const federationRoutes = require('./federation/federationRoutes');
-const trendsRoutes = require('./trends/trendsRoutes');
-
-app.use('/federation', federationRoutes);
-app.use('/trends', trendsRoutes);
-
-// Optionally run federation sync job on boot
-const runFederationSync = require('./federation/federationSyncJob');
+let runFederationSync;
+if (!minimal) {
+  const routes = require('./routes/api');
+  const authRoutes = require("./routes/authRoutes");
+  const keyRoutes = require("./routes/keyRoutes");
+  const contractRoutes = require("./routes/contracts");
+  const adminRoutes = require("./routes/admin");
+  const marketplaceRoutes = require("./marketplace/marketplace_routes");
+  const userRoutes = require('./routes/userRoutes');
+  const productRoutes = require('./routes/products');
+  const broadcastRoutes = require('./routes/broadcastRoutes');
+  const smsRoutes = require('./routes/smsRoutes');
+  const cartRoutes = require('./routes/cartRoutes');
+  const orderRoutes = require('./routes/orderRoutes');
+  const subscriptionRoutes = require('./routes/subscriptionRoutes');
+  const conversationRoutes = require('./routes/conversationRoutes');
+  const communicationRoutes = require('./routes/communicationRoutes');
+  const inventoryRoutes = require('./routes/inventoryRoutes');
+  const locationRoutes = require('./routes/locationRoutes');
+
+  app.use('/', routes);
+  app.use("/api/auth", authRoutes);
+  app.use("/api/keys", keyRoutes);
+  app.use("/api/contracts", contractRoutes);
+  app.use("/api/admin", adminRoutes);
+  app.use("/api/marketplace", marketplaceRoutes);
+  app.use('/users', userRoutes);
+  app.use('/products', productRoutes);
+  app.use('/broadcast', broadcastRoutes);
+  app.use('/sms', smsRoutes);
+  app.use('/cart', cartRoutes);
+  app.use('/orders', orderRoutes);
+  app.use('/subscriptions', subscriptionRoutes);
+  app.use('/conversations', conversationRoutes);
+  app.use('/messages', communicationRoutes);
+  app.use('/inventory', inventoryRoutes);
+  app.use('/api/location', locationRoutes);
+
+  // Federation
+  const federationRoutes = require('./federation/federationRoutes');
+  const trendsRoutes = require('./trends/trendsRoutes');
+
+  app.use('/federation', federationRoutes);
+  app.use('/trends', trendsRoutes);
+
+  // Optionally run federation sync job on boot
+  runFederationSync = require('./federation/federationSyncJob');
+}
 
 const PORT = process.env.PORT || 5000;
 if (require.main === module) {
   server.listen(PORT, () => console.log(`Server running on port ${PORT}`));
-  runFederationSync(); // kicks off first run
+  if (runFederationSync) runFederationSync(); // kicks off first run when available
 }
 
 module.exports = { app, server };