diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
index e57c4e3..f1e4706 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@ jobs:
         with:
           go-version: '1.26'
 
+      - name: Install Rust
+        uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@stable
+
       - name: Install Odin ${{ env.ODIN_VERSION }}
         run: scripts/install_odin.sh
 
@@ -61,3 +64,18 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           cd infra
           go vet ./...
+
+      - name: Test Rust API
+        run: |
+          cd api
+          cargo test
+
+      - name: Lint Rust API
+        run: |
+          cd api
+          cargo clippy --all-targets -- -D warnings
+
+      - name: Format-check Rust API
+        run: |
+          cd api
+          cargo fmt --all --check
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 2d8ed01..0753ab7 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -6,3 +6,4 @@ build/
 resources/ai/sessions
 infra/Pulumi.*.yaml.backup
 infra/desi-explorer-infra
+api/target/
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index b388449..d2b56d9 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -1,26 +1,28 @@
 # AGENTS.md
 
-Odin + raylib interactive 3D universe map (DESI data), with Go + Pulumi infra and Gitea Actions CI. A clean `odin build` + `go test` is the verification step.
+Odin + raylib interactive 3D universe map (DESI data), a Rust + axum API, with Go + Pulumi infra and Gitea Actions CI. A clean `odin build` + `cargo test` + `go test` is the verification step.
 
 ## Commands (root Makefile)
 - Run: `make run` (`odin run src`); Build: `make build` (`odin build src -collection:lib=lib/local -out:bin/desi_explorer`)
 - Web: `make build-web` (Emscripten/WASM -> build/web); Debug: `make build-debug`
-- Test: `make test` (runs `odin test` for src/ and `go test` for infra/); Clean: `make clean`
+- Test: `make test` (runs `odin test` for src/, `go test` for infra/, and `cargo test` for api/); Clean: `make clean`
+- API: `make api-run` (`cargo run` in api/), `make api-test`, `make api-check` (`cargo fmt --check` + `clippy -D warnings`)
 - Setup: `make setup` (submodules + `go mod tidy` in infra/)
 - Infra: `make infra-preview`, `make infra-up`, `make infra-down`, `make infra-refresh` (Pulumi, `--cwd infra`)
 - Renovate: `make renovate-validate` (npx renovate-config-validator)
-- Format Odin with `odinfmt` (config `odinfmt.json`: tabs, width 80)
+- Format Odin with `odinfmt` (config `odinfmt.json`: tabs, width 80); format Rust with `cargo fmt`
 
 ## Layout
 - `src/main.odin` — entrypoint; loop is `update()` → `draw()`; resizable window with an orbital `Camera3D`; point cloud generated procedurally in `make_universe`.
 - `lib/` — third-party Odin deps (submodules / vendored libs). raylib is **not** here: it ships vendored with Odin and is imported as `vendor:raylib`. `lib/local/` is the default `-collection:lib` target and is currently empty.
+- `api/` — Rust + axum backend API that will serve DESI catalog data. `src/lib.rs` exposes `routes`/`models`/`config`; `src/main.rs` is the server entrypoint (binds `API_BIND_ADDR`, default `0.0.0.0:8080`). Crate name is `desi-explorer-api` (lib `desi_explorer_api`); Rust version pinned in `api/rust-toolchain.toml`.
 - `infra/` — Go + Pulumi (`runtime: go`) targeting the on-prem k3s cluster via the default kubeconfig, mirroring the `homelab` repo's pattern. Module name is `desi-explorer-infra`.
-- `.gitea/workflows/` — `ci.yml` (PR: install Odin, `odin test` + build, `go test`) and `release.yml` (tag `v*`: build native + WASM + publish a Gitea release).
+- `.gitea/workflows/` — `ci.yml` (PR: install Odin, Rust, `odin test` + build, `cargo test` + clippy, `go test`) and `release.yml` (tag `v*`: build native + WASM + publish a Gitea release).
 
 ## Conventions
 - Odin code lives in `src/`; external deps go in `lib/` and are wired via `-collection:lib=lib/local` (or a git submodule imported by relative path).
 - Everything is plain `make` — no Taskfile — so CI (Gitea Actions) can call `make` directly.
-- Keep the renderer (src/) and infra (infra/) logically separated; the root Makefile is the only place that ties them together.
+- Keep the renderer (src/), API (api/), and infra (infra/) logically separated; the root Makefile is the only place that ties them together.
 
 ## Gotchas
 - Odin version is pinned in `.gitea/workflows/*.yml` (`ODIN_VERSION`) and defaults in `scripts/install_odin.sh`; bump both together when tracking a new release.
@@ -32,4 +34,4 @@ Odin + raylib interactive 3D universe map (DESI data), with Go + Pulumi infra an
 Export session information to `resources/ai/sessions` at the end of every session — for both plans and builds. (Gitignored.)
 
 ## Gitignored
-`bin/`, `build/`, `*.bin`, `*.o`, `*.log`, `resources/ai/sessions`, `infra/Pulumi.*.yaml.backup`.
+`bin/`, `build/`, `*.bin`, `*.o`, `*.log`, `resources/ai/sessions`, `infra/Pulumi.*.yaml.backup`, `api/target/`.
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 9d139dc..ae8cca2 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -4,12 +4,14 @@
 # (infra/). Intended to be called directly by Gitea Actions CI.
 
 ODIN         ?= odin
+CARGO        ?= cargo
 BIN          ?= bin
 BINARY       := $(BIN)/desi_explorer
 ODIN_FLAGS   := -collection:lib=lib/local
 WASM_DEFINE  := RAYLIB_WASM_LIB=env.o
 
 .PHONY: help setup run build build-debug build-web test clean fmt \
+        api-run api-build api-test api-check api-fmt \
         infra-preview infra-up infra-down infra-refresh infra-static \
         renovate-validate
 
@@ -41,17 +43,36 @@ build-debug: ## Debug build -> bin/desi_explorer
 build-web: ## WebAssembly build -> build/web (needs emscripten)
 	@scripts/build_web.sh
 
-test: ## Run tests (Odin src/ + Go infra/)
+test: ## Run tests (Odin src/ + Go infra/ + Rust api/)
 	@mkdir -p lib/local
 	$(ODIN) test src $(ODIN_FLAGS)
 	@cd infra && go test ./...
+	@cd api && $(CARGO) test
 
 clean: ## Remove build artifacts
 	rm -rf $(BIN) build
+	@cd api && $(CARGO) clean
 
 fmt: ## Format Odin sources with odinfmt
 	odinfmt src
 
+## ---- API (Rust + axum) ---------------------------------------------------
+
+api-run: ## Run the API server (dev)
+	@cd api && $(CARGO) run
+
+api-build: ## Release build the API -> api/target/release/
+	@cd api && $(CARGO) build --release
+
+api-test: ## Run API unit/integration tests
+	@cd api && $(CARGO) test
+
+api-check: ## Typecheck + format-check + lint the API
+	@cd api && $(CARGO) fmt --all --check && $(CARGO) clippy --all-targets -- -D warnings
+
+api-fmt: ## Format Rust sources with rustfmt
+	@cd api && $(CARGO) fmt
+
 ## ---- Infrastructure (Go + Pulumi) ----------------------------------------
 
 infra-preview: ## Preview infra changes against the cluster
@@ -72,4 +93,4 @@ infra-static: ## Typecheck + vet the Go infra without Pulumi
 ## ---- Tooling -------------------------------------------------------------
 
 renovate-validate: ## Validate renovate.json
-	npx --yes renovate-config-validator
+	bunx --package renovate renovate-config-validator renovate.json --strict
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 91c01b3..f9b07ad 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -44,21 +44,23 @@ Early scaffolding. The application currently:
 ```
 src/       Odin source — the interactive 3D experience (entrypoint: src/main.odin)
 lib/       Third-party Odin dependencies (submodules / vendored libs)
+api/       Rust backend API (axum) for serving DESI catalog data
 infra/     Go + Pulumi infrastructure-as-code (deploys the experience to k8s)
 scripts/   Build helpers (Odin install, WASM build)
 .gitea/    Gitea Actions CI/CD workflows
 ```
 
-The renderer (`src/`) and the infrastructure (`infra/`) are kept in separate
-directories so their logic stays cleanly separated; both are orchestrated by the
-root `Makefile`.
+The renderer (`src/`), the API (`api/`), and the infrastructure (`infra/`) are
+kept in separate directories so their logic stays cleanly separated; all are
+orchestrated by the root `Makefile`.
 
 ## Building & Running
 
 Requires [Odin](https://odin-lang.org/docs/install) with the bundled raylib
 vendor bindings. The web build additionally requires [Emscripten](https://emscripten.org)
-(`emcc`). The infrastructure requires [Go](https://go.dev) and
-[Pulumi](https://www.pulumi.com).
+(`emcc`). The API requires [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org) (stable toolchain,
+pinned via `api/rust-toolchain.toml`). The infrastructure requires
+[Go](https://go.dev) and [Pulumi](https://www.pulumi.com).
 
 All project commands live in the root `Makefile` (`make help` lists them):
 
@@ -68,8 +70,11 @@ make run          # run the native app
 make build        # -> bin/desi_explorer
 make build-debug  # debug native build
 make build-web    # -> build/web (wasm + html)
-make test         # odin test + go test
+make test         # odin test + go test + cargo test
 make clean        # remove build artifacts
+make api-run      # run the Rust API server
+make api-test     # cargo test
+make api-check    # rustfmt check + clippy
 ```
 
 ## Dependency Updates (Renovate)
@@ -82,8 +87,9 @@ hour (`renovate` workflow in the `homelab` repo) with autodiscovery filtered to
 picked up automatically. Config for this repo lives in `renovate.json` and is
 validated with `make renovate-validate`.
 
-It manages three categories:
+It manages four categories:
 
 - **Infra dependencies** — `infra/go.mod` (`gomod` manager); minor/patch updates grouped into a single PR.
+- **API dependencies** — `api/Cargo.toml` (`cargo` manager); minor/patch updates grouped into a single PR.
 - **Submodules** — `lib/` submodules via `.gitmodules` (`git-submodules` manager).
 - **Workflow actions** — action versions in `.gitea/workflows/*.yml` (`github-actions` manager, which understands Gitea's `.gitea` layout).
diff --git a/api/.gitignore b/api/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f4537f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# Cargo build artifacts
+target/
diff --git a/api/Cargo.lock b/api/Cargo.lock
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..db8074b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/Cargo.lock
@@ -0,0 +1,686 @@
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+dependencies = [
+ "aho-corasick",
+ "memchr",
+ "regex-syntax",
+]
+
+[[package]]
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+ "syn 3.0.4",
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+ "itoa",
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+ "serde",
+ "serde_core",
+ "zmij",
+]
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+[[package]]
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+ "form_urlencoded",
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+ "serde",
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+ "errno",
+ "libc",
+]
+
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+ "libc",
+ "windows-sys",
+]
+
+[[package]]
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+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
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+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "unicode-ident",
+]
+
+[[package]]
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+version = "3.0.4"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
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+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "unicode-ident",
+]
+
+[[package]]
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+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
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+
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+ "cfg-if",
+]
+
+[[package]]
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+dependencies = [
+ "libc",
+ "mio",
+ "pin-project-lite",
+ "signal-hook-registry",
+ "socket2",
+ "tokio-macros",
+ "windows-sys",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "tokio-macros"
+version = "2.7.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
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+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn 3.0.4",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "tower"
+version = "0.5.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
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+dependencies = [
+ "futures-core",
+ "futures-util",
+ "pin-project-lite",
+ "sync_wrapper",
+ "tokio",
+ "tower-layer",
+ "tower-service",
+ "tracing",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "tower-http"
+version = "0.6.11"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
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+ "bitflags",
+ "bytes",
+ "http",
+ "http-body",
+ "pin-project-lite",
+ "tower-layer",
+ "tower-service",
+ "tracing",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "tower-layer"
+version = "0.3.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
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+
+[[package]]
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+checksum = "8df9b6e13f2d32c91b9bd719c00d1958837bc7dec474d94952798cc8e69eeec3"
+
+[[package]]
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+checksum = "63e71662fa4b2a2c3a26f570f037eb95bb1f85397f3cd8076caed2f026a6d100"
+dependencies = [
+ "log",
+ "pin-project-lite",
+ "tracing-attributes",
+ "tracing-core",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "tracing-attributes"
+version = "0.1.31"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
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+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn 2.0.119",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "tracing-core"
+version = "0.1.36"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "db97caf9d906fbde555dd62fa95ddba9eecfd14cb388e4f491a66d74cd5fb79a"
+dependencies = [
+ "once_cell",
+ "valuable",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "tracing-log"
+version = "0.2.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "ee855f1f400bd0e5c02d150ae5de3840039a3f54b025156404e34c23c03f47c3"
+dependencies = [
+ "log",
+ "once_cell",
+ "tracing-core",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "tracing-subscriber"
+version = "0.3.23"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
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+dependencies = [
+ "matchers",
+ "nu-ansi-term",
+ "once_cell",
+ "regex-automata",
+ "sharded-slab",
+ "smallvec",
+ "thread_local",
+ "tracing",
+ "tracing-core",
+ "tracing-log",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "unicode-ident"
+version = "1.0.24"
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+
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+
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+
+[[package]]
+name = "windows-sys"
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+checksum = "ae137229bcbd6cdf0f7b80a31df61766145077ddf49416a728b02cb3921ff3fc"
+dependencies = [
+ "windows-link",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "zmij"
+version = "1.0.23"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
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diff --git a/api/Cargo.toml b/api/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0a543ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+[package]
+name = "desi-explorer-api"
+version = "0.1.0"
+edition = "2021"
+description = "Backend API for DESI Explorer — serves DESI survey catalog data"
+
+[dependencies]
+axum = "0.8"
+tokio = { version = "1", features = ["macros", "rt-multi-thread", "signal"] }
+serde = { version = "1", features = ["derive"] }
+tracing = "0.1"
+tracing-subscriber = { version = "0.3", features = ["env-filter"] }
+tower-http = { version = "0.6", features = ["cors", "trace"] }
+anyhow = "1"
+
+[dev-dependencies]
+tower = { version = "0.5", features = ["util"] }
+serde_json = "1"
+
+[profile.release]
+lto = true
+strip = true
diff --git a/api/rust-toolchain.toml b/api/rust-toolchain.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..292fe49
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/rust-toolchain.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+[toolchain]
+channel = "stable"
diff --git a/api/src/config.rs b/api/src/config.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e168014
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/src/config.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+pub struct Config {
+    pub bind_addr: String,
+}
+
+impl Config {
+    pub fn from_env() -> anyhow::Result<Self> {
+        let bind_addr =
+            std::env::var("API_BIND_ADDR").unwrap_or_else(|_| "0.0.0.0:8080".to_string());
+
+        Ok(Self { bind_addr })
+    }
+}
diff --git a/api/src/lib.rs b/api/src/lib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b77fb25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/src/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+pub mod config;
+pub mod models;
+pub mod routes;
diff --git a/api/src/main.rs b/api/src/main.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fef0a0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/src/main.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+use desi_explorer_api::{config, routes};
+
+use tracing_subscriber::EnvFilter;
+
+#[tokio::main]
+async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+    tracing_subscriber::fmt()
+        .with_env_filter(
+            EnvFilter::try_from_default_env()
+                .unwrap_or_else(|_| EnvFilter::new("desi_explorer_api=info")),
+        )
+        .init();
+
+    let config = config::Config::from_env()?;
+    let app = routes::app();
+
+    let listener = tokio::net::TcpListener::bind(&config.bind_addr).await?;
+    tracing::info!("DESI Explorer API listening on {}", config.bind_addr);
+
+    axum::serve(listener, app)
+        .with_graceful_shutdown(shutdown_signal())
+        .await?;
+
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+async fn shutdown_signal() {
+    let _ = tokio::signal::ctrl_c().await;
+    tracing::info!("shutting down");
+}
diff --git a/api/src/models.rs b/api/src/models.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0090bcd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/src/models.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+use serde::Serialize;
+
+/// Catalog metadata for a DESI data release/survey.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize)]
+pub struct Catalog {
+    pub name: String,
+    pub release: String,
+    pub description: &'static str,
+    pub object_count: Option<u64>,
+}
+
+/// A single catalog object (galaxy / quasar / star) with its survey
+/// coordinates. `ra` and `dec` are in degrees; `redshift` is dimensionless.
+#[derive(Debug, Serialize)]
+pub struct CatalogObject {
+    pub id: String,
+    pub catalog: String,
+    pub object_type: String,
+    pub ra: f64,
+    pub dec: f64,
+    pub redshift: f64,
+}
diff --git a/api/src/routes/catalogs.rs b/api/src/routes/catalogs.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5e5d220
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/src/routes/catalogs.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+use axum::{
+    extract::Query,
+    http::StatusCode,
+    response::{IntoResponse, Response},
+    Json,
+};
+use serde::Deserialize;
+use std::sync::LazyLock;
+
+use crate::models::{Catalog, CatalogObject};
+
+/// Placeholder catalogs until real DESI EDR/DR1 ingestion lands.
+static CATALOGS: LazyLock<Vec<Catalog>> = LazyLock::new(|| {
+    vec![
+        Catalog {
+            name: "edr".to_string(),
+            release: "EDR".to_string(),
+            description: "DESI Early Data Release",
+            object_count: None,
+        },
+        Catalog {
+            name: "dr1".to_string(),
+            release: "DR1".to_string(),
+            description: "DESI Data Release 1",
+            object_count: None,
+        },
+    ]
+});
+
+pub async fn list_catalogs() -> Json<Vec<Catalog>> {
+    Json(CATALOGS.clone())
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
+pub struct ObjectQuery {
+    catalog: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    limit: Option<usize>,
+}
+
+/// Placeholder object query. Real implementation will page through the
+/// centralized DESI catalog store rather than return an empty result set.
+pub async fn list_objects(Query(query): Query<ObjectQuery>) -> Response {
+    let limit = query.limit.unwrap_or(100).min(10_000);
+
+    tracing::debug!(
+        %limit,
+        catalog = query.catalog.as_deref().unwrap_or("all"),
+        "querying catalog objects (placeholder)"
+    );
+
+    let objects: Vec<CatalogObject> = Vec::new();
+    (StatusCode::OK, Json(objects)).into_response()
+}
diff --git a/api/src/routes/health.rs b/api/src/routes/health.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8d49bb8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/src/routes/health.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+use axum::Json;
+use serde::Serialize;
+
+#[derive(Serialize)]
+pub struct Health {
+    pub status: &'static str,
+}
+
+pub async fn health() -> Json<Health> {
+    Json(Health { status: "ok" })
+}
diff --git a/api/src/routes/mod.rs b/api/src/routes/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2a7119f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/src/routes/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+pub mod catalogs;
+pub mod health;
+
+use axum::{routing::get, Router};
+
+/// Builds the application router. Kept separate from `main` so tests can
+/// construct it without binding a socket.
+pub fn app() -> Router {
+    Router::new()
+        .route("/health", get(health::health))
+        .route("/api/v1/catalogs", get(catalogs::list_catalogs))
+        .route("/api/v1/objects", get(catalogs::list_objects))
+}
diff --git a/api/tests/health.rs b/api/tests/health.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fa91a6a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/tests/health.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+use axum::body::{to_bytes, Body};
+use axum::http::{Request, StatusCode};
+use tower::ServiceExt;
+
+use desi_explorer_api::routes;
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn health_returns_ok() {
+    let app = routes::app();
+
+    let response = app
+        .oneshot(
+            Request::builder()
+                .uri("/health")
+                .body(Body::empty())
+                .unwrap(),
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    assert_eq!(response.status(), StatusCode::OK);
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn catalogs_is_nonempty() {
+    let app = routes::app();
+
+    let response = app
+        .oneshot(
+            Request::builder()
+                .uri("/api/v1/catalogs")
+                .body(Body::empty())
+                .unwrap(),
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    assert_eq!(response.status(), StatusCode::OK);
+
+    let body = to_bytes(response.into_body(), usize::MAX).await.unwrap();
+    let json: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_slice(&body).unwrap();
+    let catalogs = json.as_array().unwrap();
+    assert!(!catalogs.is_empty());
+}
diff --git a/bun.lock b/bun.lock
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f7cfde8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bun.lock
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+  "lockfileVersion": 2,
+  "configVersion": 1, 
+  "packages": {
+    "renovate-config-validator": ["renovate-config-validator@0.0.1-placeholder", "", {}, "sha512-m4CJJH+haatkFvNgMavpM8DrpppPhV8uGm/b//d0LdKVe7D+6aeYL1VLdy04Fm0kOBcVs71Rv5fQVDh2m4LJeA=="],
+  }
+}
diff --git a/renovate.json b/renovate.json
index 44ca450..bd26775 100644
--- a/renovate.json
+++ b/renovate.json
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   "$schema": "https://docs.renovatebot.com/renovate-schema.json",
   "extends": ["config:recommended"],
   "gitAuthor": "Renovate Bot <renovate@samoneal.io>",
-  "enabledManagers": ["gomod", "git-submodules", "github-actions"],
+  "enabledManagers": ["gomod", "cargo", "git-submodules", "github-actions"],
   "git-submodules": {
     "enabled": true
   },
@@ -13,6 +13,12 @@
       "matchManagers": ["gomod"],
       "matchUpdateTypes": ["minor", "patch"],
       "groupName": "infra go dependencies"
+    },
+    {
+      "description": "Group non-breaking API (Rust) updates into one PR",
+      "matchManagers": ["cargo"],
+      "matchUpdateTypes": ["minor", "patch"],
+      "groupName": "api rust dependencies"
     }
   ]
 }