diff --git a/lib/core/engine.js b/lib/core/engine.js
index c167b5f8c..f31d770d6 100644
--- a/lib/core/engine.js
+++ b/lib/core/engine.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 const async = require('async');
 
 const utils = require('../utils/utils');
+const IPC = require('./ipc');
 
 class Engine {
   constructor(options) {
@@ -182,7 +183,8 @@ class Engine {
       compiler.compile_contracts(contractFiles, cb);
     });
 
-    this.registerModule('solidity', {useIpc: options.useIpc});
+    this.ipc = new IPC({logger: this.logger});
+    this.registerModule('solidity', {useIpc: options.useIpc, ipc: this.ipc});
     this.registerModule('vyper');
     this.registerModule('profiler');
     this.registerModule('deploytracker');
diff --git a/lib/core/ipc.js b/lib/core/ipc.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..efc3b9778
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/core/ipc.js
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+let fs = require('./fs.js');
+let ipc = require('node-ipc');
+
+class IPC {
+
+  constructor(options) {
+    this.logger = options.logger;
+    this.socketPath = options.socketPath || fs.dappPath(".embark/embark.ipc");
+    ipc.config.silent = true;
+  }
+
+  connect(done) {
+    function connecting(socket) {
+      ipc.of['embark'].on('connect',function() {
+        done();
+      });
+    }
+
+    ipc.connectTo('embark', this.socketPath, connecting);
+  }
+
+  serve() {
+    ipc.serve(this.socketPath, () => {})
+    ipc.server.start()
+
+    this.logger.info(`pid ${process.pid} listening on ${this.socketPath}`);
+  }
+
+  on(action, done) {
+    ipc.server.on('message', function(data, socket) {
+      if (data.action !== action) {
+        return;
+      }
+      done(data.message, socket);
+    });
+  }
+
+  reply(client, action, data) {
+    ipc.server.emit(client, 'message', {action: action, message: data});
+  }
+
+  once(action, cb) {
+    ipc.of['embark'].once('message', function(msg) {
+      if (msg.action !== action) {
+        return;
+      }
+      cb(msg.message);
+    });
+  }
+
+  request(action, data) {
+    ipc.of['embark'].emit('message', {action: action, message: data});
+  }
+
+}
+
+module.exports = IPC;
diff --git a/lib/modules/solidity/index.js b/lib/modules/solidity/index.js
index 3bfc75835..d7b533575 100644
--- a/lib/modules/solidity/index.js
+++ b/lib/modules/solidity/index.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ class Solidity {
   constructor(embark, options) {
     this.logger = embark.logger;
     this.events = embark.events;
+    this.ipc = options.ipc;
     this.contractDirectories = embark.config.contractDirectories;
     this.solcAlreadyLoaded = false;
     this.solcW = null;
@@ -49,7 +50,7 @@ class Solidity {
         if (self.solcAlreadyLoaded) {
           return callback();
         }
-        self.solcW = new SolcW({logger: self.logger, events: self.events, useIpc: self.useIpc});
+        self.solcW = new SolcW({logger: self.logger, events: self.events, useIpc: self.useIpc, ipc: self.ipc});
 
         self.logger.info(__("loading solc compiler") + "..");
         self.solcW.load_compiler(function (err) {
diff --git a/lib/modules/solidity/solcW.js b/lib/modules/solidity/solcW.js
index 2be126f03..2e77e01c9 100644
--- a/lib/modules/solidity/solcW.js
+++ b/lib/modules/solidity/solcW.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ class SolcW {
     this.logger = options.logger;
     this.events = options.events;
     this.useIpc = options.useIpc;
+    this.ipc = options.ipc;
     this.compilerLoaded = false;
     this.solcProcess = null;
   }
@@ -18,20 +19,9 @@ class SolcW {
   load_compiler(done) {
     const self = this;
     if (self.useIpc) {
-      // try to connect, if it can't then continue
       self.compilerLoaded = true;
 
-      ipc.config.silent = true;
-
-      function connecting(socket) {
-        ipc.of['embark'].on('connect',function() {
-          done();
-        });
-      }
-
-      ipc.connectTo('embark', fs.dappPath(".embark/embark.ipc"), connecting);
-
-      return;
+      return self.ipc.connect(done);
     }
     if (this.compilerLoaded) {
       return done();
@@ -48,26 +38,12 @@ class SolcW {
       done();
     });
 
-    ipc.config.silent = true;
-
-    function _connecting() {
-      ipc.server.on(
-        'message',
-        function(data, socket) {
-          if (data.action != 'compile') {
-            return;
-          }
-
-          self.compile(data.message, (result) => {
-            ipc.server.emit(socket, 'message', {action: 'compilation', message: result});
-          });
-        }
-      );
-    }
-
-    ipc.serve(fs.dappPath(".embark/embark.ipc"), _connecting)
-    ipc.server.start()
-    this.logger.info(`pid ${process.pid} listening on ${fs.dappPath(".embark/embark.ipc")}`);
+    this.ipc.serve();
+    this.ipc.on('compile', (data, client) => {
+      self.compile(data, (result) => {
+        self.ipc.reply(client, 'compilation', result);
+      });
+    });
 
     this.events.request("version:get:solc", function(solcVersion) {
       if (solcVersion === currentSolcVersion) {
@@ -93,11 +69,11 @@ class SolcW {
     let a = new Date();
 
     if (this.useIpc) {
-      ipc.of['embark'].once('message', function(msg) {
-        done(msg.message);
+      this.ipc.once('compilation', (data) => {
+        done(data);
       });
 
-      ipc.of['embark'].emit('message', {action: 'compile', message: jsonObj});
+      this.ipc.request('compile', jsonObj);
       return;
     }