diff --git a/app.js b/app.js
index 8ab74cf957..8732c4aee4 100644
--- a/app.js
+++ b/app.js
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ global.modules = modules;
     config['ROOT_DIRECTORY'] = __dirname;
 
 	modules.templates.init();
-	modules.webserver.init();
+	// modules.webserver.init();
 	modules.websockets.init();
 	
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index f51de29b2c..62729ea37c 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@
       "connect": "2.7.6",
       "emailjs": "0.3.4",
       "cookie": "0.0.6",
-      "connect-redis": "1.4.5"
+      "connect-redis": "1.4.5",
+      "path": "0.4.9"
     },
   "devDependencies": {},
   "optionalDependencies": {},
diff --git a/public/templates/login.tpl b/public/templates/login.tpl
index b73f8749b7..e9a96e7862 100644
--- a/public/templates/login.tpl
+++ b/public/templates/login.tpl
@@ -25,13 +25,11 @@
 
 	ajaxify.register_events(['user.login']);
 	socket.on('user.login', function(data) {
-		console.log(data);
 		if (data.status === 0) {
 			jQuery('#error').show(50);
 			jQuery('#error p').html(data.message);
 		} else {
-			jQuery('#error').hide(50);
-			ajaxify.go('/');
+			document.location.href = '/';
 		}
 	});
 }());
diff --git a/src/topics.js b/src/topics.js
index 2fdf66bfc3..cd06162091 100644
--- a/src/topics.js
+++ b/src/topics.js
@@ -95,8 +95,8 @@ var	RDB = require('./redis.js'),
 	}
 
 
-	Topics.post = function(title, content, category) {
-		if (global.uid === null) {
+	Topics.post = function(uid, title, content, category) {
+		if (uid === 0) {
 			global.socket.emit('event:alert', {
 				title: 'Thank you for posting',
 				message: 'Since you are unregistered, your post is awaiting approval. Click here to register now.',
@@ -111,8 +111,8 @@ var	RDB = require('./redis.js'),
 
 		RDB.incr('global:next_topic_id', function(tid) {
 			// Global Topics
-			if (global.uid == null) global.uid = 0;
-			if (global.uid !== null) {
+			if (uid == null) uid = 0;
+			if (uid !== null) {
 				RDB.lpush('topics:tid', tid);	
 			} else {
 				// need to add some unique key sent by client so we can update this with the real uid later
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ var	RDB = require('./redis.js'),
 
 			// Topic Info
 			RDB.set('tid:' + tid + ':title', title);
-			RDB.set('tid:' + tid + ':uid', global.uid);
+			RDB.set('tid:' + tid + ':uid', uid);
 			RDB.set('tid:' + tid + ':slug', slug);
 			RDB.set('tid:' + tid + ':timestamp', new Date().getTime());
 			RDB.incr('tid:' + tid + ':postcount');
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ var	RDB = require('./redis.js'),
 
 
 			// User Details - move this out later
-			RDB.lpush('uid:' + global.uid + ':topics', tid);
+			RDB.lpush('uid:' + uid + ':topics', tid);
 
 
 			global.socket.emit('event:alert', {
diff --git a/src/user.js b/src/user.js
index 7075519cb9..7b03bc4767 100644
--- a/src/user.js
+++ b/src/user.js
@@ -33,25 +33,17 @@ var	config = require('../config.js'),
 
 					global.uid = uid;
 
-					global.socket.emit('event:alert', {
-						title: 'Welcome ' + user.username,
-						message: 'You have successfully logged in.',
-						type: 'notify',
-						timeout: 2000
-					});
-
 					return global.socket.emit('user.login', {'status': 1, 'message': 'Logged in!'});
 				}
 			});
 		});
 	};
 
-	User.logout = function(callback) {
-		RDB.get('uid:' + global.uid + ':session', function(sessionID) {
-			if (sessionID) {
+	User.logout = function(sessionID, callback) {
+		User.get_uid_by_session(sessionID, function(uid) {
+			if (uid) {
 				RDB.del('sess:' + sessionID + ':uid');
-				RDB.del('uid:' + global.uid + ':session');
-				global.uid = null;
+				RDB.del('uid:' + uid + ':session');
 				callback(true);
 			} else callback(false);
 		});
@@ -236,32 +228,37 @@ var	config = require('../config.js'),
 					},
 					keys = [];
 
-				for(var a in active) {
-					keys.push('sess:' + active[a].split(':')[1] + ':uid');
-				}
+				if (active.length > 0) {
+					for(var a in active) {
+						keys.push('sess:' + active[a].split(':')[1] + ':uid');
+					}
 
-				RDB.mget(keys, function(uids) {
-					for(var u in uids) {
-						if (uids[u] !== null) {
-							if (returnObj.uids.indexOf(uids[u]) === -1) {
-								returnObj.users++;
-								returnObj.uids.push(uids[u]);
+					RDB.mget(keys, function(uids) {
+						for(var u in uids) {
+							if (uids[u] !== null) {
+								if (returnObj.uids.indexOf(uids[u]) === -1) {
+									returnObj.users++;
+									returnObj.uids.push(uids[u]);
+								}
+							} else {
+								returnObj.anon++;
 							}
-						} else {
-							returnObj.anon++;
 						}
-					}
 
-					if (callback === undefined) {
-						global.socket.emit('api:user.active.get', returnObj)
-					} else {
-						callback(returnObj);
-					}
-				});
+						if (callback === undefined) {
+							io.sockets.emit('api:user.active.get', returnObj)
+						} else {
+							callback(returnObj);
+						}
+					});
+				} else {
+					io.sockets.emit('api:user.active.get', returnObj)
+				}
 			});
 		},
 		register: function(sessionID) {
-			RDB.set('active:' + sessionID, 60*10);	// Active state persists for 10 minutes
+			RDB.set('active:' + sessionID, '', 60*10);	// Active state persists for 10 minutes
+			this.get();
 		}
 	}
 }(exports));
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/webserver.js b/src/webserver.js
index 45bce265c8..128f47b920 100644
--- a/src/webserver.js
+++ b/src/webserver.js
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 var express = require('express'),
 	WebServer = express(),
 	server = require('http').createServer(WebServer),
-	RedisStore = require('connect-redis')(express);
+	RedisStore = require('connect-redis')(express),
+	path = require('path'),
     config = require('../config.js');
 
 (function(app) {
@@ -26,8 +27,10 @@ var express = require('express'),
 
 	// Middlewares
 	app.use(express.favicon());	// 2 args: string path and object options (i.e. expire time etc)
+	app.use(express.static(path.join(__dirname, '../', 'public')));
 	app.use(express.bodyParser());	// Puts POST vars in request.body
 	app.use(express.cookieParser());	// If you want to parse cookies (res.cookies)
+	app.use(express.compress());
 	app.use(express.session({
 		store: new RedisStore({
 			ttl: 60*60*24*14
@@ -36,20 +39,34 @@ var express = require('express'),
 		key: 'express.sid'
 	}));
 	app.use(function(req, res, next) {
-		if (global.uid === undefined) {
-			console.log('info: [Auth] First load, retrieving uid...');
-			global.modules.user.get_uid_by_session(req.sessionID, function(uid) {
-				global.uid = uid;
-				if (global.uid !== null) console.log('info: [Auth] uid ' + global.uid + ' found. Welcome back.');
-				else console.log('info: [Auth] No login session found.');
-			});
-
-			// (Re-)register the session as active
-			global.modules.user.active.register(req.sessionID);
-		} else {
-			console.log('info: [Auth] Ping from uid ' + global.uid);
+		// Don't bother with session handling for API requests
+		if (!/^\/api\//.test(req.url)) {
+			if (req.session.uid === undefined) {
+				console.log('info: [Auth] First load, retrieving uid...');
+				global.modules.user.get_uid_by_session(req.sessionID, function(uid) {
+					if (uid !== null) {
+						req.session.uid = uid;
+
+						global.socket.emit('event:alert', {
+							title: 'Welcome ' + user.username,
+							message: 'You have successfully logged in.',
+							type: 'notify',
+							timeout: 2000
+						});
+					} else req.session.uid = 0;
+
+					if (req.session.uid) console.log('info: [Auth] uid ' + req.session.uid + ' found. Welcome back.');
+					else console.log('info: [Auth] No login session found.');
+				});
+			} else {
+				// console.log('SESSION: ' + req.sessionID);
+				// console.log('info: [Auth] Ping from uid ' + req.session.uid);
+			}
 		}
 
+		// (Re-)register the session as active
+		global.modules.user.active.register(req.sessionID);
+
 		next();
 	});
 	// Dunno wtf this does
@@ -64,7 +81,6 @@ var express = require('express'),
 	});
 
 
-
 	// need a proper way to combine these two routes together
 	app.get('/topics/:topic_id', function(req, res) {
 		global.modules.topics.generate_topic_body(function(topic_body) {
@@ -88,6 +104,7 @@ var express = require('express'),
 				break;
 			default :
 				res.send('{}');
+			break;
 		}
 	});
 
@@ -97,8 +114,11 @@ var express = require('express'),
 
 	app.get('/logout', function(req, res) {
 		console.log('info: [Auth] Session ' + res.sessionID + ' logout (uid: ' + global.uid + ')');
-		global.modules.user.logout(function(logout) {
-			if (logout === true) req.session.destroy();
+		global.modules.user.logout(req.sessionID, function(logout) {
+			if (logout === true) {
+				delete(req.session.uid);
+				req.session.destroy();
+			}
 		});
 
 		res.send(templates['header'] + templates['logout'] + templates['footer']);
@@ -124,13 +144,6 @@ var express = require('express'),
 	app.get('/403', function(req, res) {
 		res.send(templates['header'] + templates['403'] + templates['footer']);
 	});
-
-	module.exports.init = function() {
-		// todo move some of this stuff into config.json
-		app.configure(function() {
-			app.use(express.static(global.configuration.ROOT_DIRECTORY + '/public')); 
-		});
-	}
 }(WebServer));
 
 server.listen(config.port);
diff --git a/src/websockets.js b/src/websockets.js
index 122765b6bb..99d2559a96 100644
--- a/src/websockets.js
+++ b/src/websockets.js
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@ var	SocketIO = require('socket.io').listen(global.server),
 
 (function(io) {
 	var	modules = null,
-		sessionID;
+		sessionID,
+		uid;
 
 	global.io = io;
 	module.exports.init = function() {
@@ -27,7 +28,12 @@ var	SocketIO = require('socket.io').listen(global.server),
 
 		// Otherwise, continue unimpeded.
 		sessionID = handshakeData.sessionID;
-		accept(null, true);
+		global.modules.user.get_uid_by_session(sessionID, function(session_uid) {
+			if (session_uid) uid = session_uid;
+			else uid = 0;
+
+			accept(null, true);
+		});
 	});
 
 	io.sockets.on('connection', function(socket) {
@@ -80,7 +86,7 @@ var	SocketIO = require('socket.io').listen(global.server),
 		});
 
 		socket.on('api:topics.post', function(data) {
-			modules.topics.post(data.title, data.content);
+			modules.topics.post(uid, data.title, data.content);
 		});
 
 		socket.on('api:user.active.get', function() {