diff --git a/pillar_tool/main.py b/pillar_tool/main.py
index 2cabaad..d6aaeff 100644
--- a/pillar_tool/main.py
+++ b/pillar_tool/main.py
@@ -1,21 +1,14 @@
-# load config so everything else can work
+from pillar_tool.schemas import HealthCheckError
 from pillar_tool.util import load_config, config
-from pillar_tool.util.validation import validate_and_split_path_and_domain_name
-
 load_config()
 
-from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler
-
-from pillar_tool.db.base_model import as_dict
 from pillar_tool.middleware.logging import request_logging_middleware
-from pillar_tool.schemas import HostCreateParams
 
 from starlette.middleware.base import BaseHTTPMiddleware
 
 from pillar_tool.db.database import get_connection
-from pillar_tool.db.queries.auth_queries import create_user
-from pillar_tool.db.queries.host_queries import *
 
+from pillar_tool.db.queries.auth_queries import create_user
 
 from fastapi import FastAPI
 from starlette.middleware.authentication import AuthenticationMiddleware
@@ -27,6 +20,8 @@ from pillar_tool.middleware.basicauth_backend import BasicAuthBackend
 from pillar_tool.middleware.db_connection import db_connection_middleware
 from pillar_tool.db.database import run_db_migrations
 
+# import all the routers
+from pillar_tool.routers.host import router as host_router
 
 # run any pending migrations
 run_db_migrations()
@@ -59,6 +54,7 @@ def on_db_error(request: Request, exc: Exception):
 
 def on_general_error(request: Request, exc: Exception):
     print("wtf?")
+
     response = PlainTextResponse(str(exc), status_code=500)
     return response
 
@@ -68,17 +64,27 @@ app.add_middleware(BaseHTTPMiddleware, dispatch=db_connection_middleware)
 app.add_middleware(BaseHTTPMiddleware, dispatch=request_logging_middleware)
 app.exception_handler(Exception)(on_general_error)
 
+# Setup the api router
+app.include_router(host_router)
 
 @app.get("/")
 async def root():
     return {"message": "Hello World"}
 
+
 @app.get("/health")
 async def health():
-    # TODO: improve health check
-    return {"message": "Healthy"}
+    # Check database connection
+    try:
+        db = get_connection()
+        db.execute("SELECT 1")
+        db.close()
+    except Exception as e:
+        return HealthCheckError(500, f"Database connection error:\n{e}").response()
 
+    return HealthCheckSuccess().response()
 
+"""
 @app.get("/pillar/{host}")
 async def pillar_get(req: Request, host: str):
     print(req.headers)
@@ -96,19 +102,59 @@ async def pillar_set(request: Request, host: str, value: str):
         }
     })
 
+
+# TODO: list, create update and delete hosts
 @app.get("/hosts")
 async def host_list(request: Request):
     all_hosts = list_all_hosts(request.state.db)
-    return JSONResponse([x.name for x in all_hosts if x.parent_id is None])
+    return JSONResponse([x.name for x in all_hosts if not x.is_hostgroup])
 
+
+# TODO: list, create, update and delete hostgroups
 @app.get("/hostgroups")
 async def hostgroup_list(request: Request):
     all_hosts = list_all_hosts(request.state.db)
-    return JSONResponse([x.name for x in all_hosts if x.parent_id is not None])
+    return JSONResponse([x.name for x in all_hosts if x.is_hostgroup])
 
 
+# TODO: list, create, update and delete states
+# TODO: list, create, update and delete environments
+
+# TODO: top files generated on a per host basis
 @app.get("/top/{fqdn}")
-async def host_top(request: Request, fqdn: str):
+async def host_top(req: Request, fqdn: str):
+    db: Session = req.state.db
+
+    if not validate_fqdn(fqdn):
+        return JSONResponse(status_code=400, content={
+            'message': f"Invalid FQDN: {fqdn}"
+        })
+
+    environment_stmt = select(Environment)
+    result = db.execute(environment_stmt).fetchall()
+
+    if len(result) == 0:
+        return JSONResponse(status_code=400, content={
+            'message': "There are no environments defined"
+        })
+
+    environments: list[Environment] = list(map(lambda x: x[0], result))
+    
+
+    stmt_host = select(Host).where(Host.name == fqdn)
+    result = db.execute(stmt_host).fetchall()
+    if len(result) < 1:
+        return JSONResponse(status_code=404, content={
+            'message': f"No such Host is known: {fqdn}"
+        })
+
+    # this should be enforced by the database
+    assert len(result) == 1
+
+    host: Host = result[0][0]
+
+    stmt_top = select(Environment, Host, State).where(Environment).join
     # TODO: implement
     return JSONResponse({})
 
+"""
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/pillar_tool/ptcli.py b/pillar_tool/ptcli.py
index f5daea8..edc3e1f 100644
--- a/pillar_tool/ptcli.py
+++ b/pillar_tool/ptcli.py
@@ -3,9 +3,10 @@ import base64
 import click
 
 import requests
-from click import Context
 
+from pillar_tool.schemas import HostCreateParams
 from pillar_tool.util import config, load_config, Config
+from pillar_tool.util.validation import split_and_validate_path, validate_fqdn
 
 cfg: Config | None = None
 base_url: str | None = None
@@ -39,6 +40,14 @@ def pillar():
 def host():
     pass
 
+@main.group("hostgroup")
+def hostgroup():
+    pass
+
+@main.group("environment")
+def environment():
+    pass
+
 @main.group("query")
 def query():
     pass
@@ -55,7 +64,7 @@ def pillar_list():
 def host_list():
     click.echo("Listing known hosts...")
     try:
-        response = requests.get(f"{base_url}/hosts", headers=auth_header)
+        response = requests.get(f"{base_url}/host", headers=auth_header)
         response.raise_for_status()
 
         print(response.json())
@@ -68,16 +77,48 @@ def host_list():
 def host_create(fqdn: str, parent: str | None):
     click.echo("Creating host...")
     try:
-        response = requests.post(f"{base_url}/host/{fqdn}", json={'parent': parent}, headers=auth_header)
+        params = HostCreateParams(
+            parent=parent
+        )
+        response = requests.post(f"{base_url}/host/{fqdn}", json=params.model_dump(), headers=auth_header)
         response.raise_for_status()
     except requests.exceptions.HTTPError as e:
         raise click.ClickException(f"Failed to create host:\n{e}")
 
-
     click.echo(f"Host '{fqdn}' created!")
 
 
 @host.command("delete")
-@click.argument("full_path")
-def host_delete(full_path: str):
-    click.confirm(f"Are you sure you want to delete")
\ No newline at end of file
+@click.argument("fqdn")
+def host_delete(fqdn: str):
+    if not validate_fqdn(fqdn):
+        click.echo("Invalid FQDN")
+        return
+
+    if click.confirm(f"Are you sure you want to delete '{fqdn}'?"):
+        click.echo("Deleting host...")
+
+        try:
+            response = requests.delete(f'{base_url}/host/{fqdn}', headers=auth_header)
+            response.raise_for_status()
+        except requests.exceptions.HTTPError as e:
+            raise click.ClickException(f"Failed to delete host:\n{e}")
+
+
+@hostgroup.command("list")
+def hostgroup_list():
+    click.echo("Listing known hostgroups...")
+    click.echo("TODO: implement")
+
+
+@hostgroup.command("create")
+@click.argument("path")
+def hostgroup_create(path: str):
+    click.echo("TODO: implement")
+
+
+@hostgroup.command("delete")
+@click.argument("path")
+def hostgroup_delete(path: str):
+    click.echo("TODO: implement")
+
diff --git a/pillar_tool/routers/host.py b/pillar_tool/routers/host.py
index ab66bf4..6dd31e9 100644
--- a/pillar_tool/routers/host.py
+++ b/pillar_tool/routers/host.py
@@ -23,11 +23,47 @@ router = APIRouter(
 def hosts_get(req: Request):
     db: Session = req.state.db
 
+    result = db.execute(select(Host)).fetchall()
+    hosts: list[Host] = list(map(lambda x: x[0], result))
+
+    return JSONResponse(status_code=200, content=list(map(lambda x: x.name, hosts)))
+
+
 
 @router.get("/{fqdn}")
 def host_get(req: Request, fqdn: str):
     db: Session = req.state.db
 
+    if not validate_fqdn(fqdn):
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Provided host is not an FQDN")
+
+    host_stmt = select(Host).where(Host.name == fqdn)
+    result = db.execute(host_stmt).fetchall()
+
+    if len(result) != 1:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail=f"No such host found (length of result was {len(result)})")
+
+    host: Host = result[0][0]
+
+    last_parent = host
+    path = []
+    parent_stmt = select(Host).where(Host.id == bindparam('parent_id'))
+    while host.parent_id is not None:
+        result = db.execute(parent_stmt, { 'parent_id': last_parent.parent_id }).fetchall()
+
+        # Note: this assertion should be enforced by the database
+        assert len(result) == 1
+
+        parent = result[0][0]
+        path.append(parent)
+        last_parent = parent
+
+    path.reverse()
+    return JSONResponse(status_code=200, content={
+        "host": host.name,
+        "path": '/'.join(map(lambda x: x.name, path))
+    })
+
 
 @router.post("/{fqdn}")
 async def host_add(request: Request, fqdn: str, params: HostCreateParams):
diff --git a/pillar_tool/schemas.py b/pillar_tool/schemas.py
index f441260..a3b115e 100644
--- a/pillar_tool/schemas.py
+++ b/pillar_tool/schemas.py
@@ -1,7 +1,45 @@
 from pydantic import BaseModel
+from starlette.responses import JSONResponse
 
+
+# Error returns
+class ErrorDetails(BaseModel):
+    status: str
+    message: str
+
+class ErrorReturn(BaseModel):
+    status_code: int
+    content: ErrorDetails
+
+    def response(self):
+        return JSONResponse(self.model_dump())
+
+class HealthCheckError(ErrorReturn):
+    def __init__(self, code: int, reason: str):
+        super().__init__(**{
+            'status_code': code,
+            'content': ErrorDetails(
+                status="error",
+                message=f"Host is not healthy: {reason}"
+            )
+        })
+
+class HealthCheckSuccess(ErrorReturn):
+    def __init__(self):
+        super().__init__(**{
+            'status_code': 200,
+            'content': ErrorDetails(
+                status='ok',
+                message='API is healthy'
+            )
+        })
+
+
+# Host operations
 class HostCreateParams(BaseModel):
     parent: str | None
 
+# Hostgroup operations
 class HostgroupCreateParams(BaseModel):
-    parent: str | None
\ No newline at end of file
+    parent: str | None
+