diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 319d9d63e..dca31b269 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ set(LIBS sodium pthread stdc++fs)
 
 
 set(LIB llarp)
+set(SHARED_LIB ${LIB})
+set(STATIC_LIB ${LIB}-static)
 
 set(LIB_SRC
   llarp/address_info.cpp
@@ -52,9 +54,11 @@ include_directories(include)
 include_directories(${sodium_INCLUDE_DIR})
 
 
-add_library(${LIB} STATIC ${LIB_SRC})
+add_library(${STATIC_LIB} STATIC ${LIB_SRC})
+add_library(${SHARED_LIB} SHARED ${LIB_SRC})
+
 add_executable(${EXE} ${EXE_SRC})
-target_link_libraries(${EXE} ${LIB} ${LIBS})
+target_link_libraries(${EXE} ${STATIC_LIB} ${LIBS})
 
 add_executable(rcutil daemon/rcutil.cpp)
-target_link_libraries(rcutil ${LIB} ${LIBS})
+target_link_libraries(rcutil ${STATIC_LIB} ${LIBS})
diff --git a/daemon/main.cpp b/daemon/main.cpp
index f45e89618..62ac253b6 100644
--- a/daemon/main.cpp
+++ b/daemon/main.cpp
@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
+#include <llarp.h>
 #include <signal.h>
-#include <llarp.hpp>
 #include <memory>
 
-std::unique_ptr< llarp::Context > ctx;
+struct llarp_main *ctx = 0;
 
 void
 handle_signal(int sig)
 {
   if(ctx)
-    ctx->HandleSignal(sig);
+    llarp_main_signal(ctx, sig);
 }
 
 int
@@ -18,14 +18,9 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
   if(argc > 1)
     conffname = argv[1];
 
-  ctx.reset(new llarp::Context(std::cout));
-
-  signal(SIGINT, handle_signal);
-
-  if(!ctx->LoadConfig(conffname))
-    return 1;
-
-  auto exitcode = ctx->Run();
-  ctx->Close();
-  return exitcode;
+  if(llarp_main_init(&ctx, conffname))
+  {
+    signal(SIGINT, handle_signal);
+    return llarp_main_run(ctx);
+  }
 }
diff --git a/include/llarp.h b/include/llarp.h
index 688982ef3..4daadc5f7 100644
--- a/include/llarp.h
+++ b/include/llarp.h
@@ -6,4 +6,30 @@
 #include <llarp/nodedb.h>
 #include <llarp/router.h>
 #include <llarp/version.h>
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+/** llarp application context for C api */
+struct llarp_main;
+
+/** initialize application context and load config */
+bool
+llarp_main_init(struct llarp_main **ptr, const char *fname);
+
+/** handle signal for main context */
+void
+llarp_main_signal(struct llarp_main *ptr, int sig);
+
+/** run main context */
+int
+llarp_main_run(struct llarp_main *ptr);
+
+void
+llarp_main_free(struct llarp_main **ptr);
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
 #endif
diff --git a/llarp/context.cpp b/llarp/context.cpp
index 66cfc713d..d0f7b4f5a 100644
--- a/llarp/context.cpp
+++ b/llarp/context.cpp
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+#include <llarp.h>
 #include <signal.h>
 #include <llarp.hpp>
 #include "logger.hpp"
@@ -30,6 +31,8 @@ namespace llarp
       llarp_config_iter(config, &iter);
       return true;
     }
+    llarp_free_config(&config);
+    llarp::Error(__FILE__, "failed to load config file ", configfile);
     return false;
   }
 
@@ -201,3 +204,50 @@ namespace llarp
     return ReloadConfig();
   }
 }
+
+extern "C" {
+struct llarp_main
+{
+  std::unique_ptr< llarp::Context > ctx;
+};
+
+bool
+llarp_main_init(struct llarp_main **ptr, const char *fname)
+{
+  if(!fname)
+    return false;
+
+  llarp_main *m = new llarp_main;
+  m->ctx.reset(new llarp::Context(std::cout));
+  if(!m->ctx->LoadConfig(fname))
+  {
+    m->ctx->Close();
+    delete m;
+    return false;
+  }
+  *ptr = m;
+  return true;
+}
+
+void
+llarp_main_signal(struct llarp_main *ptr, int sig)
+{
+  ptr->ctx->HandleSignal(sig);
+}
+
+int
+llarp_main_run(struct llarp_main *ptr)
+{
+  auto code = ptr->ctx->Run();
+  ptr->ctx->Close();
+  return code;
+}
+
+void
+llarp_main_free(struct llarp_main **ptr)
+{
+  if(*ptr)
+    delete *ptr;
+  *ptr = nullptr;
+}
+}