diff --git a/contracts/Forum.sol b/contracts/Forum.sol
index 0fc71f3..693514b 100644
--- a/contracts/Forum.sol
+++ b/contracts/Forum.sol
@@ -2,10 +2,13 @@ pragma solidity ^0.4.23;
 
 contract Forum {
 
-    //----------------------------------------AUTHENTICATION----------------------------------------
+    //----------------------------------------USER----------------------------------------
     struct User {
         string username;    // TODO: set an upper bound instead of arbitrary string
-        // TODO: orbitDBAddress;
+        string orbitMainDB;     // TODO: set an upper bound instead of arbitrary string
+        string orbitTopicsDB;
+        string orbitPostsDB;
+
         uint[] topicIDs;    // IDs of the topics the user created
         uint[] postIDs;    // IDs of the posts the user created
         bool signedUp;    // Helper variable for hasUserSignedUp()
@@ -17,10 +20,10 @@ contract Forum {
     event UserSignedUp(string username, address userAddress);
     event UsernameUpdated(string newName, string oldName,address userAddress);
 
-    function signUp(string username) public returns (bool) {
+    function signUp(string username, string orbitMainDB, string orbitTopicsDB, string orbitPostsDB) public returns (bool) {
         require (!hasUserSignedUp(msg.sender), "User has already signed up.");
         require(!isUserNameTaken(username), "Username is already taken.");
-        users[msg.sender] = User(username, new uint[](0), new uint[](0), true);
+        users[msg.sender] = User(username, orbitMainDB, orbitTopicsDB, orbitPostsDB, new uint[](0), new uint[](0), true);
         userAddresses[username] = msg.sender;
         emit UserSignedUp(username, msg.sender);
         return true;
@@ -55,7 +58,17 @@ contract Forum {
         return false;
     }
 
+    function getOrbitMainDB(address userAddress) public view returns (string) {
+        return users[userAddress].orbitMainDB;
+    }
 
+    function getOrbitTopicsDB(address userAddress) public view returns (string) {
+        return users[userAddress].orbitTopicsDB;
+    }
+
+    function getOrbitPostsDB(address userAddress) public view returns (string) {
+        return users[userAddress].orbitPostsDB;
+    }
     //----------------------------------------POSTING----------------------------------------
     struct Topic {
         uint topicID;
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 0de2376..f0f3b4c 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@
     "drizzle-react": "^1.1.1",
     "drizzle-react-components": "^1.1.0",
     "eth-block-tracker-es5": "^2.3.2",
+    "ipfs":"^0.28.2",
+    "orbit-db":"^0.19.7",
     "prop-types": "^15.6.1",
     "react": "^16.3.2",
     "react-dom": "^16.3.2",
diff --git a/src/containers/LoadingContainer.js b/src/containers/LoadingContainer.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..71720db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/containers/LoadingContainer.js
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+import { drizzleConnect } from 'drizzle-react'
+import React, { Children, Component } from 'react'
+import PropTypes from 'prop-types'
+
+import ipfs_logo from './../resources/ipfs_logo.png';
+
+/*
+ * Create component.
+ */
+
+class LoadingContainer extends Component {
+    render() {
+        if (this.props.web3.status === 'failed')
+        {
+            if (this.props.errorComp) {
+                return this.props.errorComp
+            }
+
+            return(
+                <main className="container loading-screen">
+                    <div className="pure-g">
+                        <div className="pure-u-1-1">
+                            <h1>⚠️</h1>
+                            <p>This browser has no connection to the Ethereum network. Please use the Chrome/FireFox extension MetaMask, or dedicated Ethereum browsers Mist or Parity.</p>
+                        </div>
+                    </div>
+                </main>
+            )
+        }
+
+        if (this.props.web3.status === 'initialized' && Object.keys(this.props.accounts).length === 0)
+        {
+            return(
+                <main className="container loading-screen">
+                    <div className="pure-g">
+                        <div className="pure-u-1-1">
+                            <h1>🦊</h1>
+                            <p><strong>We can't find any Ethereum accounts!</strong> Please check and make sure Metamask or you browser are pointed at the correct network and your account is unlocked.</p>
+                        </div>
+                    </div>
+                </main>
+            )
+        }
+
+        if (!this.props.orbitDB.initialized)
+        {
+            return(
+                <main className="container loading-screen">
+                    <div className="pure-g">
+                        <div className="pure-u-1-1">
+                            <img src={ipfs_logo} alt="ipfs_logo" height="50"/>
+                            <p><strong>Initializing IPFS...</strong></p>
+                        </div>
+                    </div>
+                </main>
+            )
+        }
+
+        if (this.props.drizzleStatus.initialized)
+            return Children.only(this.props.children);
+
+        if (this.props.loadingComp)
+            return this.props.loadingComp;
+
+
+        return(
+            <main className="container loading-screen">
+                <div className="pure-g">
+                    <div className="pure-u-1-1">
+                        <h1>⚙️</h1>
+                        <p>Loading dapp...</p>
+                    </div>
+                </div>
+            </main>
+        )
+    }
+}
+
+LoadingContainer.contextTypes = {
+    drizzle: PropTypes.object
+};
+
+/*
+ * Export connected component.
+ */
+
+const mapStateToProps = state => {
+    return {
+        accounts: state.accounts,
+        drizzleStatus: state.drizzleStatus,
+        web3: state.web3,
+        orbitDB: state.orbitDB
+    }
+};
+
+export default drizzleConnect(LoadingContainer, mapStateToProps)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/containers/UsernameFormContainer.js b/src/containers/UsernameFormContainer.js
index 9b9d59d..bf5cdfa 100644
--- a/src/containers/UsernameFormContainer.js
+++ b/src/containers/UsernameFormContainer.js
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 import { drizzleConnect } from 'drizzle-react'
 import React, { Component } from 'react'
+
+import { createDatabases } from './../util/orbit'
+
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types'
 
 const contract = "Forum";
@@ -17,12 +20,15 @@ class UsernameFormContainer extends Component {
         this.state = {usernameInput:''};
     }
 
-    handleSubmit() {
-        this.setState({usernameInput:''});
+    async handleSubmit() {
         if(this.props.user.hasSignedUp)
            this.contracts[contract].methods[updateUsernameMethod].cacheSend(...[this.state.usernameInput]);
         else
-           this.contracts[contract].methods[signUpMethod].cacheSend(...[this.state.usernameInput]);
+        {
+            const orbitdb = await createDatabases();
+            this.contracts[contract].methods[signUpMethod].cacheSend(...[this.state.usernameInput, orbitdb.mainDB, orbitdb.topicsDB, orbitdb.postsDB]);
+        }
+
     }
 
 
diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index 7877e8d..92cb377 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -7,10 +7,10 @@ import { DrizzleProvider } from 'drizzle-react'
 // Layouts
 import App from './App'
 import HomeContainer from './layouts/home/HomeContainer'
-import { LoadingContainer } from 'drizzle-react-components'
+import LoadingContainer  from './containers/LoadingContainer'
 
 import store from './store'
-import drizzleOptions from './drizzleOptions'
+import drizzleOptions from './util/drizzleOptions'
 
 import './css/index.css'
 
diff --git a/src/reducer.js b/src/reducer.js
index d49b26d..bf815d1 100644
--- a/src/reducer.js
+++ b/src/reducer.js
@@ -2,10 +2,12 @@ import { combineReducers } from 'redux'
 import { routerReducer } from 'react-router-redux'
 import { drizzleReducers } from 'drizzle'
 import userReducer from "./userReducer";
+import orbitReducer from "./util/orbitReducer";
 
 const reducer = combineReducers({
     routing: routerReducer,
     user: userReducer,
+    orbitDB: orbitReducer,
     ...drizzleReducers
 });
 
diff --git a/src/resources/ipfs_logo.png b/src/resources/ipfs_logo.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2aa68e8
Binary files /dev/null and b/src/resources/ipfs_logo.png differ
diff --git a/src/store.js b/src/store.js
index bc333fe..e06624c 100644
--- a/src/store.js
+++ b/src/store.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import reducer from './reducer'
 import rootSaga from './rootSaga'
 import createSagaMiddleware from 'redux-saga'
 import { generateContractsInitialState } from 'drizzle'
-import drizzleOptions from './drizzleOptions'
+import drizzleOptions from './util/drizzleOptions'
 
 // Redux DevTools
 const composeEnhancers = window.__REDUX_DEVTOOLS_EXTENSION_COMPOSE__ || compose;
diff --git a/src/drizzleOptions.js b/src/util/drizzleOptions.js
similarity index 79%
rename from src/drizzleOptions.js
rename to src/util/drizzleOptions.js
index 88e4204..249fbc7 100644
--- a/src/drizzleOptions.js
+++ b/src/util/drizzleOptions.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import Forum from './build/contracts/Forum.json'
+import Forum from './../build/contracts/Forum.json'
 
 const drizzleOptions = {
     web3: {
diff --git a/src/util/orbit.js b/src/util/orbit.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9d9d571
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util/orbit.js
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import IPFS from 'ipfs';
+import OrbitDB from 'orbit-db';
+
+import store from './../store';
+
+// OrbitDB uses Pubsub which is an experimental feature
+// and need to be turned on manually.
+// Note that these options need to be passed to IPFS in
+// all examples in this document even if not specified so.
+const ipfsOptions = {
+    EXPERIMENTAL: {
+        pubsub: true
+    },
+};
+
+// Create IPFS instance
+const ipfs = new IPFS(ipfsOptions);
+
+ipfs.on('ready', async () => {
+    store.dispatch({type: "IPFS_READY"});
+});
+
+
+async function createDatabases() {
+    const orbitdb = new OrbitDB(ipfs);
+    const topicsDB = await orbitdb.keyvalue('topics');
+    const postsDB = await orbitdb.keyvalue('posts');
+    console.log("OrbitDBs created successfully!");
+    return {mainDB: orbitdb.id, topicsDB: topicsDB.address.toString(), postsDB: postsDB.address.toString()};    //TODO: regex in the latter two
+}
+
+export { createDatabases }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/util/orbitReducer.js b/src/util/orbitReducer.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dd6bbbb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util/orbitReducer.js
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+const initialState = {
+    initialized: false,
+    databasesReady: false
+};
+
+const orbitReducer = (state = initialState, action) => {
+    switch (action.type) {
+        case 'IPFS_READY':
+            return {
+                initialized: true
+            };
+        case 'DATABASES_CREATED':
+            return {
+                databasesReady: true
+            };
+        default:
+            return state
+    }
+};
+
+export default orbitReducer