diff --git a/core/modules/commander.js b/core/modules/commander.js
index ad7f4b5b3..fe796fd7c 100644
--- a/core/modules/commander.js
+++ b/core/modules/commander.js
@@ -94,6 +94,13 @@ Commander.prototype.executeNextCommand = function() {
 				if(this.verbose) {
 					this.streams.output.write("Executing command: " + commandName + " " + params.join(" ") + "\n");
 				}
+				// Parse named parameters if required
+				if(command.info.namedParameters) {
+					params = this.extractNamedParameters(params,command.info.namedParameters);
+					if(typeof params === "string") {
+						return this.callback(params);
+					}
+				}
 				if(command.info.synchronous) {
 					// Synchronous command
 					c = new command.Command(params,this);
@@ -122,6 +129,31 @@ Commander.prototype.executeNextCommand = function() {
 	}
 };
 
+/*
+Given an array of parameter strings `params` in name:value format, and an array of mandatory parameter names in `mandatoryParameters`, returns a hashmap of values or a string if error
+*/
+Commander.prototype.extractNamedParameters = function(params,mandatoryParameters) {
+	var errors = [],
+		paramsByName = Object.create(null);
+	$tw.utils.each(params,function(param) {
+		var index = param.indexOf(":");
+		if(index < 1) {
+			errors.push("malformed named parameter: '" + param + "'");
+		}
+		paramsByName[param.slice(0,index)] = param.slice(index+1);
+	});
+	$tw.utils.each(mandatoryParameters,function(mandatoryParameter) {
+		if(!$tw.utils.hop(paramsByName,mandatoryParameter)) {
+			errors.push("missing mandatory parameter: '" + mandatoryParameter + "'");
+		}
+	});
+	if(errors.length > 0) {
+		return errors.join(" and\n");
+	} else {
+		return paramsByName;		
+	}
+};
+
 Commander.initCommands = function(moduleType) {
 	moduleType = moduleType || "command";
 	$tw.commands = {};
diff --git a/core/modules/commands/listen.js b/core/modules/commands/listen.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3cb04f681
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/modules/commands/listen.js
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+/*\
+title: $:/core/modules/commands/listen.js
+type: application/javascript
+module-type: command
+
+Listen for HTTP requests and serve tiddlers
+
+\*/
+(function(){
+
+/*jslint node: true, browser: true */
+/*global $tw: false */
+"use strict";
+
+var Server = require("$:/core/modules/server.js").Server;
+
+exports.info = {
+	name: "listen",
+	synchronous: true,
+	namedParameters: [] // Use named parameters, but none of them are mandatory
+};
+
+var Command = function(params,commander,callback) {
+	var self = this;
+	this.params = params;
+	this.commander = commander;
+	this.callback = callback;
+	this.knownParameters = ["port","host","rootTiddler","renderType","serveType","username","password","pathprefix","debugLevel"];
+};
+
+Command.prototype.execute = function() {
+	var self = this;
+	if(!$tw.boot.wikiTiddlersPath) {
+		$tw.utils.warning("Warning: Wiki folder '" + $tw.boot.wikiPath + "' does not exist or is missing a tiddlywiki.info file");
+	}
+	// Set up server
+	var variables = Object.create(null);
+	$tw.utils.each(this.knownParameters,function(name) {
+		if($tw.utils.hop(self.params,name)) {
+			variables[name] = self.params[name];
+		}
+	});
+	this.server = new Server({
+		wiki: this.commander.wiki,
+		variables: variables
+	});
+	var nodeServer = this.server.listen();
+	$tw.hooks.invokeHook("th-server-command-post-start",this.server,nodeServer);
+	return null;
+};
+
+exports.Command = Command;
+
+})();
diff --git a/core/modules/commands/server.js b/core/modules/commands/server.js
index 8e9a90c72..c6886596a 100644
--- a/core/modules/commands/server.js
+++ b/core/modules/commands/server.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ title: $:/core/modules/commands/server.js
 type: application/javascript
 module-type: command
 
-Serve tiddlers over http
+Deprecated legacy command for serving tiddlers
 
 \*/
 (function(){
@@ -12,194 +12,41 @@ Serve tiddlers over http
 /*global $tw: false */
 "use strict";
 
-if($tw.node) {
-	var util = require("util"),
-		fs = require("fs"),
-		url = require("url"),
-		path = require("path"),
-		http = require("http");
-}
+var Server = require("$:/core/modules/server.js").Server;
 
 exports.info = {
 	name: "server",
 	synchronous: true
 };
 
-/*
-A simple HTTP server with regexp-based routes
-*/
-function SimpleServer(options) {
-	this.routes = options.routes || [];
-	this.wiki = options.wiki;
-	this.variables = options.variables || {};
-}
-
-SimpleServer.prototype.set = function(obj) {
-	var self = this;
-	$tw.utils.each(obj,function(value,name) {
-		self.variables[name] = value;
-	});
-};
-
-SimpleServer.prototype.get = function(name) {
-	return this.variables[name];
-};
-
-SimpleServer.prototype.addRoute = function(route) {
-	this.routes.push(route);
-};
-
-SimpleServer.prototype.findMatchingRoute = function(request,state) {
-	var pathprefix = this.get("pathprefix") || "";
-	for(var t=0; t<this.routes.length; t++) {
-		var potentialRoute = this.routes[t],
-			pathRegExp = potentialRoute.path,
-			pathname = state.urlInfo.pathname,
-			match;
-		if(pathprefix) {
-			if(pathname.substr(0,pathprefix.length) === pathprefix) {
-				pathname = pathname.substr(pathprefix.length) || "/";
-				match = potentialRoute.path.exec(pathname);
-			} else {
-				match = false;
-			}
-		} else {
-			match = potentialRoute.path.exec(pathname);
-		}
-		if(match && request.method === potentialRoute.method) {
-			state.params = [];
-			for(var p=1; p<match.length; p++) {
-				state.params.push(match[p]);
-			}
-			return potentialRoute;
-		}
-	}
-	return null;
-};
-
-SimpleServer.prototype.checkCredentials = function(request,incomingUsername,incomingPassword) {
-	var header = request.headers.authorization || "",
-		token = header.split(/\s+/).pop() || "",
-		auth = $tw.utils.base64Decode(token),
-		parts = auth.split(/:/),
-		username = parts[0],
-		password = parts[1];
-	if(incomingUsername === username && incomingPassword === password) {
-		return "ALLOWED";
-	} else {
-		return "DENIED";
-	}
-};
-
-SimpleServer.prototype.requestHandler = function(request,response) {
-	// Compose the state object
-	var self = this;
-	var state = {};
-	state.wiki = self.wiki;
-	state.server = self;
-	state.urlInfo = url.parse(request.url);
-	// Optionally output debug info
-	if(self.get("debugLevel") !== "none") {
-		console.log("Request path:",JSON.stringify(state.urlInfo));
-		console.log("Request headers:",JSON.stringify(request.headers));
-	}
-	// Find the route that matches this path
-	var route = self.findMatchingRoute(request,state);
-	// Check for the username and password if we've got one
-	var username = self.get("username"),
-		password = self.get("password");
-	if(username && password) {
-		// Check they match
-		if(self.checkCredentials(request,username,password) !== "ALLOWED") {
-			var servername = state.wiki.getTiddlerText("$:/SiteTitle") || "TiddlyWiki5";
-			response.writeHead(401,"Authentication required",{
-				"WWW-Authenticate": 'Basic realm="Please provide your username and password to login to ' + servername + '"'
-			});
-			response.end();
-			return;
-		}
-	}
-	// Return a 404 if we didn't find a route
-	if(!route) {
-		response.writeHead(404);
-		response.end();
-		return;
-	}
-	// Set the encoding for the incoming request
-	// TODO: Presumably this would need tweaking if we supported PUTting binary tiddlers
-	request.setEncoding("utf8");
-	// Dispatch the appropriate method
-	switch(request.method) {
-		case "GET": // Intentional fall-through
-		case "DELETE":
-			route.handler(request,response,state);
-			break;
-		case "PUT":
-			var data = "";
-			request.on("data",function(chunk) {
-				data += chunk.toString();
-			});
-			request.on("end",function() {
-				state.data = data;
-				route.handler(request,response,state);
-			});
-			break;
-	}
-};
-	
-SimpleServer.prototype.listen = function(port,host) {
-	return http.createServer(this.requestHandler.bind(this)).listen(port,host);
-};
-
 var Command = function(params,commander,callback) {
 	var self = this;
 	this.params = params;
 	this.commander = commander;
 	this.callback = callback;
-	// Set up server
-	this.server = new SimpleServer({
-		wiki: this.commander.wiki
-	});
-	// Add route handlers
-	$tw.modules.forEachModuleOfType("serverroute", function(title,routeDefinition) {
-		// console.log("Loading server route " + title);
-		self.server.addRoute(routeDefinition);
-	});
 };
 
 Command.prototype.execute = function() {
 	if(!$tw.boot.wikiTiddlersPath) {
 		$tw.utils.warning("Warning: Wiki folder '" + $tw.boot.wikiPath + "' does not exist or is missing a tiddlywiki.info file");
 	}
-	var port = this.params[0] || "8080",
-		rootTiddler = this.params[1] || "$:/core/save/all",
-		renderType = this.params[2] || "text/plain",
-		serveType = this.params[3] || "text/html",
-		username = this.params[4],
-		password = this.params[5],
-		host = this.params[6] || "127.0.0.1",
-		pathprefix = this.params[7],
-		debugLevel = this.params[8] || "none";
-	if(parseInt(port,10).toString() !== port) {
-		port = process.env[port] || 8080;
-	}
-	this.server.set({
-		rootTiddler: rootTiddler,
-		renderType: renderType,
-		serveType: serveType,
-		username: username,
-		password: password,
-		pathprefix: pathprefix,
-		debugLevel: debugLevel
+	// Set up server
+	this.server = new Server({
+		wiki: this.commander.wiki,
+		variables: {
+			port: this.params[0],
+			host: this.params[6],
+			rootTiddler: this.params[1],
+			renderType: this.params[2],
+			serveType: this.params[3],
+			username: this.params[4],
+			password: this.params[5],
+			pathprefix: this.params[7],
+			debugLevel: this.params[8]
+		}
 	});
-	var nodeServer = this.server.listen(port,host);
-	$tw.utils.log("Serving on " + host + ":" + port,"brown/orange");
-	$tw.utils.log("(press ctrl-C to exit)","red");
-	// Warn if required plugins are missing
-	if(!$tw.wiki.getTiddler("$:/plugins/tiddlywiki/tiddlyweb") || !$tw.wiki.getTiddler("$:/plugins/tiddlywiki/filesystem")) {
-		$tw.utils.warning("Warning: Plugins required for client-server operation (\"tiddlywiki/filesystem\" and \"tiddlywiki/tiddlyweb\") are missing from tiddlywiki.info file");
-	}
-	$tw.hooks.invokeHook('th-server-command-post-start', this.server, nodeServer);
+	var nodeServer = this.server.listen();
+	$tw.hooks.invokeHook("th-server-command-post-start",this.server,nodeServer);
 	return null;
 };
 
diff --git a/core/modules/server.js b/core/modules/server.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bd73cf105
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/modules/server.js
@@ -0,0 +1,187 @@
+/*\
+title: $:/core/modules/server.js
+type: application/javascript
+module-type: library
+
+Serve tiddlers over http
+
+\*/
+(function(){
+
+/*jslint node: true, browser: true */
+/*global $tw: false */
+"use strict";
+
+if($tw.node) {
+	var util = require("util"),
+		fs = require("fs"),
+		url = require("url"),
+		path = require("path"),
+		http = require("http");
+}
+
+/*
+A simple HTTP server with regexp-based routes
+options: variables - optional hashmap of variables to set (a misnomer - they are really constant parameters)
+		 routes - optional array of routes to use
+		 wiki - reference to wiki object
+*/
+function Server(options) {
+	var self = this;
+	this.routes = options.routes || [];
+	this.wiki = options.wiki;
+	this.variables = $tw.utils.extend({},this.defaultVariables,options.variables);
+	// Add route handlers
+	$tw.modules.forEachModuleOfType("serverroute", function(title,routeDefinition) {
+		// console.log("Loading server route " + title);
+		self.addRoute(routeDefinition);
+	});
+}
+
+Server.prototype.defaultVariables = {
+	port: "8080",
+	host: "127.0.0.1",
+	rootTiddler: "$:/core/save/all",
+	renderType: "text/plain",
+	serveType: "text/html",
+	debugLevel: "none"
+};
+
+Server.prototype.set = function(obj) {
+	var self = this;
+	$tw.utils.each(obj,function(value,name) {
+		self.variables[name] = value;
+	});
+};
+
+Server.prototype.get = function(name) {
+	return this.variables[name];
+};
+
+Server.prototype.addRoute = function(route) {
+	this.routes.push(route);
+};
+
+Server.prototype.findMatchingRoute = function(request,state) {
+	var pathprefix = this.get("pathprefix") || "";
+	for(var t=0; t<this.routes.length; t++) {
+		var potentialRoute = this.routes[t],
+			pathRegExp = potentialRoute.path,
+			pathname = state.urlInfo.pathname,
+			match;
+		if(pathprefix) {
+			if(pathname.substr(0,pathprefix.length) === pathprefix) {
+				pathname = pathname.substr(pathprefix.length) || "/";
+				match = potentialRoute.path.exec(pathname);
+			} else {
+				match = false;
+			}
+		} else {
+			match = potentialRoute.path.exec(pathname);
+		}
+		if(match && request.method === potentialRoute.method) {
+			state.params = [];
+			for(var p=1; p<match.length; p++) {
+				state.params.push(match[p]);
+			}
+			return potentialRoute;
+		}
+	}
+	return null;
+};
+
+Server.prototype.checkCredentials = function(request,incomingUsername,incomingPassword) {
+	var header = request.headers.authorization || "",
+		token = header.split(/\s+/).pop() || "",
+		auth = $tw.utils.base64Decode(token),
+		parts = auth.split(/:/),
+		username = parts[0],
+		password = parts[1];
+	if(incomingUsername === username && incomingPassword === password) {
+		return "ALLOWED";
+	} else {
+		return "DENIED";
+	}
+};
+
+Server.prototype.requestHandler = function(request,response) {
+	// Compose the state object
+	var self = this;
+	var state = {};
+	state.wiki = self.wiki;
+	state.server = self;
+	state.urlInfo = url.parse(request.url);
+	// Optionally output debug info
+	if(self.get("debugLevel") !== "none") {
+		console.log("Request path:",JSON.stringify(state.urlInfo));
+		console.log("Request headers:",JSON.stringify(request.headers));
+	}
+	// Find the route that matches this path
+	var route = self.findMatchingRoute(request,state);
+	// Check for the username and password if we've got one
+	var username = self.get("username"),
+		password = self.get("password");
+	if(username && password) {
+		// Check they match
+		if(self.checkCredentials(request,username,password) !== "ALLOWED") {
+			var servername = state.wiki.getTiddlerText("$:/SiteTitle") || "TiddlyWiki5";
+			response.writeHead(401,"Authentication required",{
+				"WWW-Authenticate": 'Basic realm="Please provide your username and password to login to ' + servername + '"'
+			});
+			response.end();
+			return;
+		}
+	}
+	// Return a 404 if we didn't find a route
+	if(!route) {
+		response.writeHead(404);
+		response.end();
+		return;
+	}
+	// Set the encoding for the incoming request
+	// TODO: Presumably this would need tweaking if we supported PUTting binary tiddlers
+	request.setEncoding("utf8");
+	// Dispatch the appropriate method
+	switch(request.method) {
+		case "GET": // Intentional fall-through
+		case "DELETE":
+			route.handler(request,response,state);
+			break;
+		case "PUT":
+			var data = "";
+			request.on("data",function(chunk) {
+				data += chunk.toString();
+			});
+			request.on("end",function() {
+				state.data = data;
+				route.handler(request,response,state);
+			});
+			break;
+	}
+};
+
+/*
+Listen for requests
+port: optional port number (falls back to value of "port" variable)
+host: optional host address (falls back to value of "hist" variable)
+*/
+Server.prototype.listen = function(port,host) {
+	// Handle defaults for port and host
+	port = port || this.get("port");
+	host = host || this.get("host");
+	// Check for the port being a string and look it up as an environment variable
+	if(parseInt(port,10).toString() !== port) {
+		port = process.env[port] || 8080;
+	}
+	$tw.utils.log("Serving on " + host + ":" + port,"brown/orange");
+	$tw.utils.log("(press ctrl-C to exit)","red");
+	// Warn if required plugins are missing
+	if(!$tw.wiki.getTiddler("$:/plugins/tiddlywiki/tiddlyweb") || !$tw.wiki.getTiddler("$:/plugins/tiddlywiki/filesystem")) {
+		$tw.utils.warning("Warning: Plugins required for client-server operation (\"tiddlywiki/filesystem\" and \"tiddlywiki/tiddlyweb\") are missing from tiddlywiki.info file");
+	}
+	return http.createServer(this.requestHandler.bind(this)).listen(port,host);
+};
+
+exports.Server = Server;
+
+})();