diff --git a/backend/app/alembic.ini b/backend/app/alembic.ini
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..2d4431e1801fb8e8daa308e6c693f37d7ad68faf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/alembic.ini
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+# A generic, single database configuration.
+
+[alembic]
+# path to migration scripts
+script_location = migrations
+
+# template used to generate migration files
+# file_template = %%(rev)s_%%(slug)s
+
+# sys.path path, will be prepended to sys.path if present.
+# defaults to the current working directory.
+prepend_sys_path = .
+
+# timezone to use when rendering the date within the migration file
+# as well as the filename.
+# If specified, requires the python-dateutil library that can be
+# installed by adding `alembic[tz]` to the pip requirements
+# string value is passed to dateutil.tz.gettz()
+# leave blank for localtime
+# timezone =
+
+# max length of characters to apply to the
+# "slug" field
+# truncate_slug_length = 40
+
+# set to 'true' to run the environment during
+# the 'revision' command, regardless of autogenerate
+# revision_environment = false
+
+# set to 'true' to allow .pyc and .pyo files without
+# a source .py file to be detected as revisions in the
+# versions/ directory
+# sourceless = false
+
+# version location specification; This defaults
+# to migrations/versions.  When using multiple version
+# directories, initial revisions must be specified with --version-path.
+# The path separator used here should be the separator specified by "version_path_separator"
+# version_locations = %(here)s/bar:%(here)s/bat:migrations/versions
+
+# version path separator; As mentioned above, this is the character used to split
+# version_locations. Valid values are:
+#
+# version_path_separator = :
+# version_path_separator = ;
+# version_path_separator = space
+version_path_separator = os  # default: use os.pathsep
+
+# the output encoding used when revision files
+# are written from script.py.mako
+# output_encoding = utf-8
+
+sqlalchemy.url = driver://user:pass@localhost/dbname
+
+
+[post_write_hooks]
+# post_write_hooks defines scripts or Python functions that are run
+# on newly generated revision scripts.  See the documentation for further
+# detail and examples
+
+# format using "black" - use the console_scripts runner, against the "black" entrypoint
+# hooks = black
+# black.type = console_scripts
+# black.entrypoint = black
+# black.options = -l 79 REVISION_SCRIPT_FILENAME
+
+# Logging configuration
+[loggers]
+keys = root,sqlalchemy,alembic
+
+[handlers]
+keys = console
+
+[formatters]
+keys = generic
+
+[logger_root]
+level = WARN
+handlers = console
+qualname =
+
+[logger_sqlalchemy]
+level = WARN
+handlers =
+qualname = sqlalchemy.engine
+
+[logger_alembic]
+level = INFO
+handlers =
+qualname = alembic
+
+[handler_console]
+class = StreamHandler
+args = (sys.stderr,)
+level = NOTSET
+formatter = generic
+
+[formatter_generic]
+format = %(levelname)-5.5s [%(name)s] %(message)s
+datefmt = %H:%M:%S
diff --git a/backend/app/migrations/README.md b/backend/app/migrations/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..ee88caf03606d19c0893f4966b785f6957c301e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/migrations/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+# DB migrations using alembic
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/backend/app/migrations/env.py b/backend/app/migrations/env.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b3cc278f01af21612c08abd82ef60c874783d36f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/migrations/env.py
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+from logging.config import fileConfig
+
+from sqlalchemy import engine_from_config
+from sqlalchemy import pool
+from sqlmodel import SQLModel
+
+from alembic import context
+
+from app.db import _build_database_url
+from app.db import engine
+
+config = context.config
+fileConfig(config.config_file_name)
+
+# Model / Schema imports
+from app.core.models import (
+    KeggOrthology, Eggnog, NcbiTaxonomy,
+    KeggOrthologyAnnotation, EggnogAnnotation, NcbiTaxonomyAnnotation,
+    Gene, Experiment, Catalog,
+    GeneCatalogLink, GeneEggnogAnnotationLink, GeneKeggOrthologyAnnotationLink, GeneNcbiTaxonomyLink
+)
+
+
+target_metadata = SQLModel.metadata
+
+def run_migrations_offline():
+    """Run migrations in 'offline' mode.
+
+    This configures the context with just a URL
+    and not an Engine, though an Engine is acceptable
+    here as well.  By skipping the Engine creation
+    we don't even need a DBAPI to be available.
+
+    Calls to context.execute() here emit the given string to the
+    script output.
+
+    """
+    url = _build_database_url()
+    context.configure(
+        url=url,
+        target_metadata=target_metadata,
+        literal_binds=True,
+        dialect_opts={"paramstyle": "named"},
+    )
+
+    with context.begin_transaction():
+        context.run_migrations()
+
+
+def run_migrations_online():
+    """Run migrations in 'online' mode.
+
+    In this scenario we need to create an Engine
+    and associate a connection with the context.
+
+    """
+    connectable = engine
+    print(connectable)
+
+    with connectable.connect() as connection:
+        context.configure(
+            connection=connection, target_metadata=target_metadata
+        )
+
+        with context.begin_transaction():
+            context.run_migrations()
+
+
+if context.is_offline_mode():
+    run_migrations_offline()
+else:
+    run_migrations_online()
diff --git a/backend/app/migrations/script.py.mako b/backend/app/migrations/script.py.mako
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e45068fc22af9c0a66c0df8e611179757d666d6f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/migrations/script.py.mako
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+"""${message}
+
+Revision ID: ${up_revision}
+Revises: ${down_revision | comma,n}
+Create Date: ${create_date}
+
+"""
+from alembic import op
+import sqlalchemy as sa
+import sqlmodel
+${imports if imports else ""}
+
+# revision identifiers, used by Alembic.
+revision = ${repr(up_revision)}
+down_revision = ${repr(down_revision)}
+branch_labels = ${repr(branch_labels)}
+depends_on = ${repr(depends_on)}
+
+
+def upgrade():
+    ${upgrades if upgrades else "pass"}
+
+
+def downgrade():
+    ${downgrades if downgrades else "pass"}