diff --git a/test/core/both/test-files.js b/test/core/both/test-files.js
index 18f7c88b34..6f46b1a38e 100644
--- a/test/core/both/test-files.js
+++ b/test/core/both/test-files.js
@@ -4,14 +4,18 @@
 const test = require('interface-ipfs-core')
 const IPFS = require('../../../src/core')
 
+// let factory
+
 const common = {
   setup: function (cb) {
+    // TODO change to factory
     const ipfs = new IPFS(require('../../utils/repo-path'))
     ipfs.load(() => {
       cb(null, ipfs)
     })
   },
   teardown: function (cb) {
+    // factory.teardown
     cb()
   }
 }
diff --git a/test/core/both/test-object.js b/test/core/both/test-object.js
index f5daa46cc6..4ce9e4fd0e 100644
--- a/test/core/both/test-object.js
+++ b/test/core/both/test-object.js
@@ -3,18 +3,17 @@
 'use strict'
 
 const test = require('interface-ipfs-core')
+const IPFSFactory = require('../../utils/factory')
 
-const IPFS = require('../../../src/core')
+let factory
 
 const common = {
   setup: function (cb) {
-    const ipfs = new IPFS(require('../../utils/repo-path'))
-    ipfs.load(() => {
-      cb(null, ipfs)
-    })
+    factory = new IPFSFactory()
+    cb(null, factory)
   },
   teardown: function (cb) {
-    cb()
+    factory.dismantle(cb)
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/test/utils/factory/default-config.json b/test/utils/factory/default-config.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..20e1d1b753
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/utils/factory/default-config.json
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+{
+  "Identity": {
+    "PeerID": "",
+    "PrivKey": ""
+  },
+  "Datastore": {
+    "Type": "",
+    "Path": "",
+    "StorageMax": "",
+    "StorageGCWatermark": 0,
+    "GCPeriod": "",
+    "Params": null,
+    "NoSync": false
+  },
+  "Addresses": {
+    "Swarm": [
+      "/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/0"
+    ],
+    "API": "/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/0",
+    "Gateway": "/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/0"
+  },
+  "Mounts": {
+    "IPFS": "/ipfs",
+    "IPNS": "/ipns",
+    "FuseAllowOther": false
+  },
+  "Version": {
+    "Current": "jsipfs-dev",
+    "Check": "error",
+    "CheckDate": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+    "CheckPeriod": "172800000000000",
+    "AutoUpdate": "minor"
+  },
+  "Discovery": {
+    "MDNS": {
+      "Enabled": true,
+      "Interval": 10
+    }
+  },
+  "Ipns": {
+    "RepublishPeriod": "",
+    "RecordLifetime": "",
+    "ResolveCacheSize": 128
+  },
+  "Bootstrap": [],
+  "Tour": {
+    "Last": ""
+  },
+  "Gateway": {
+    "HTTPHeaders": null,
+    "RootRedirect": "",
+    "Writable": false
+  },
+  "SupernodeRouting": {
+    "Servers": []
+  },
+  "API": {
+    "HTTPHeaders": null
+  },
+  "Swarm": {
+    "AddrFilters": null
+  },
+  "Log": {
+    "MaxSizeMB": 250,
+    "MaxBackups": 1,
+    "MaxAgeDays": 0
+  }
+}
diff --git a/test/utils/factory/index.js b/test/utils/factory/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..502369e40d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/utils/factory/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+'use strict'
+
+const fs = require('fs')
+const path = require('path')
+const PeerId = require('peer-id')
+const isNode = require('detect-node')
+const IPFSRepo = require('ipfs-repo')
+const cleanRepo = require('../clean')
+const IPFS = require('../../../src/core')
+const series = require('run-series')
+
+module.exports = Factory
+
+function Factory () {
+  if (!(this instanceof Factory)) {
+    return new Factory()
+  }
+
+  const nodes = []
+
+  /* yields a new started node */
+  this.spawnNode = (repoPath, config, callback) => {
+    if (typeof repoPath === 'function') {
+      callback = repoPath
+      repoPath = undefined
+    }
+    if (typeof config === 'function') {
+      callback = config
+      config = undefined
+    }
+
+    if (!repoPath) {
+      repoPath = '/tmp/.ipfs-' + Math.random()
+                                 .toString()
+                                 .substring(2, 8)
+    }
+
+    if (!config) {
+      const defaultConfigPath = path.join(__dirname, 'default-config.json')
+      config = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(defaultConfigPath).toString())
+      const pId = PeerId.create().toJSON()
+      config.Identity.PeerID = pId.id
+      config.Identity.PrivKey = pId.privKey
+    }
+
+    // set up the repo
+    let store
+    let teardown
+
+    if (isNode) {
+      store = require('fs-blob-store')
+      teardown = (done) => {
+        cleanRepo(repoPath)
+        done()
+      }
+    } else {
+      const idb = window.indexedDB ||
+              window.mozIndexedDB ||
+              window.webkitIndexedDB ||
+              window.msIndexedDB
+      store = require('idb-plus-blob-store')
+      teardown = (done) => {
+        idb.deleteDatabase(repoPath)
+        idb.deleteDatabase(repoPath + '/blocks')
+        done()
+      }
+    }
+
+    const repo = new IPFSRepo(repoPath, { stores: store })
+    repo.teardown = teardown
+
+    // create the IPFS node
+    const ipfs = new IPFS(repo)
+    ipfs.init({ emptyRepo: true }, (err) => {
+      if (err) {
+        return callback(err)
+      }
+      repo.config.set(config, launchNode)
+    })
+
+    function launchNode () {
+      ipfs.load((err) => {
+        if (err) {
+          return callback(err)
+        }
+
+        ipfs.goOnline((err) => {
+          if (err) {
+            return callback(err)
+          }
+
+          nodes.push({
+            repo: repo,
+            ipfs: ipfs
+          })
+
+          callback(null, ipfs)
+        })
+      })
+    }
+  }
+
+  this.dismantle = function (callback) {
+    series(nodes.map((node) => {
+      return node.ipfs.goOffline
+    }), clean)
+
+    function clean (err) {
+      if (err) {
+        return callback(err)
+      }
+      series(
+        nodes.map((node) => {
+          return node.repo.teardown
+        }),
+        callback
+      )
+    }
+  }
+}