diff --git a/helix-container/src/main.rs b/helix-container/src/main.rs
index c9e57eba6..ebe7ea2fe 100644
--- a/helix-container/src/main.rs
+++ b/helix-container/src/main.rs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ use helixdb::helix_gateway::{
     gateway::{GatewayOpts, HelixGateway},
     router::router::{HandlerFn, HandlerSubmission},
 };
+use helixdb::helix_transport::tokio_transport::TokioTransport;
 use helixdb::helix_runtime::tokio_runtime::TokioRuntime;
 use inventory;
 use std::{collections::HashMap, sync::Arc};
@@ -72,7 +73,7 @@ async fn main() {
 
     println!("Routes: {:?}", routes.keys());
     // create gateway
-    let gateway = HelixGateway::new(
+    let gateway = HelixGateway::<TokioRuntime, TokioTransport>::new(
         &format!("0.0.0.0:{}", port),
         graph,
         GatewayOpts::DEFAULT_POOL_SIZE,
@@ -81,8 +82,8 @@ async fn main() {
     ).await;
     // start server
     println!("Starting server...");
-    let a = gateway.connection_handler.accept_conns().await.unwrap();
-    let b = a.await.unwrap();
+    let handle = gateway.connection_handler.accept_conns().await.unwrap();
+    handle.await;
 
 }
 
diff --git a/helixdb/src/helix_gateway/connection/connection.rs b/helixdb/src/helix_gateway/connection/connection.rs
index b2e0c1e6e..a9e8b5410 100644
--- a/helixdb/src/helix_gateway/connection/connection.rs
+++ b/helixdb/src/helix_gateway/connection/connection.rs
@@ -7,15 +7,15 @@ use std::{
     collections::HashMap,
     sync::{Arc, Mutex},
 };
-use tokio::net::TcpListener;
+use crate::helix_transport::Transport;
 use crate::helix_runtime::AsyncRuntime;
 
 use crate::helix_gateway::{router::router::HelixRouter, thread_pool::thread_pool::ThreadPool};
 
-pub struct ConnectionHandler<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static> {
+pub struct ConnectionHandler<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static, T: Transport> {
     pub address: String,
     pub active_connections: Arc<Mutex<HashMap<String, ClientConnection>>>,
-    pub thread_pool: ThreadPool<R>,
+    pub thread_pool: ThreadPool<R, T>,
     pub runtime: R,
 }
 
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ pub struct ClientConnection {
     pub addr: SocketAddr,
 }
 
-impl<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static> ConnectionHandler<R> {
+impl<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static, T: Transport> ConnectionHandler<R, T> {
     pub fn new(
         address: &str,
         graph: Arc<HelixGraphEngine>,
@@ -36,37 +36,33 @@ impl<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static> ConnectionHandler<R> {
         Ok(Self {
             address: address.to_string(),
             active_connections: Arc::new(Mutex::new(HashMap::new())),
-            thread_pool: ThreadPool::new(size, graph, Arc::new(router), runtime.clone())?,
+            thread_pool: ThreadPool::<R, T>::new(size, graph, Arc::new(router), runtime.clone())?,
             runtime,
         })
     }
 
     pub async fn accept_conns(&self) -> Result<<R as AsyncRuntime>::JoinHandle<()>, GraphError> {
-        // Create a new TcpListener for each accept_conns call
-        let listener = TcpListener::bind(&self.address).await.map_err(|e| {
-            eprintln!("Failed to bind to address {}: {}", self.address, e);
-            GraphError::GraphConnectionError("Failed to bind to address".to_string(), e)
-        })?;
+        // Bind transport listener
+        let listener = T::bind(&self.address)
+            .await
+            .map_err(|e| {
+                eprintln!("Failed to bind to address {}: {}", self.address, e);
+                GraphError::GraphConnectionError("Failed to bind to address".to_string(), e)
+            })?;
 
         // Log binding success to stderr since stdout might be buffered
 
         let active_connections = Arc::clone(&self.active_connections);
         let thread_pool_sender = self.thread_pool.sender.clone();
-        let address = self.address.clone();
 
 
         let runtime = self.runtime.clone();
         let handle = runtime.spawn(async move {
 
             loop {
-                match listener.accept().await {
+                match T::accept(&listener).await {
                     Ok((stream, addr)) => {
 
-                        // Configure TCP stream
-                        if let Err(e) = stream.set_nodelay(true) {
-                            eprintln!("Failed to set TCP_NODELAY: {}", e);
-                        }
-
                         // Create a client connection record
                         let client_id = Uuid::new_v4().to_string();
                         let client = ClientConnection {
diff --git a/helixdb/src/helix_gateway/gateway.rs b/helixdb/src/helix_gateway/gateway.rs
index f33abb89c..afd243933 100644
--- a/helixdb/src/helix_gateway/gateway.rs
+++ b/helixdb/src/helix_gateway/gateway.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 use std::{collections::HashMap, sync::Arc};
 
 use super::connection::connection::ConnectionHandler;
+use crate::helix_transport::Transport;
 use crate::helix_runtime::AsyncRuntime;
 use crate::helix_engine::graph_core::graph_core::HelixGraphEngine;
 use super::router::router::{HandlerFn, HelixRouter};
@@ -11,21 +12,21 @@ impl GatewayOpts {
     pub const DEFAULT_POOL_SIZE: usize = 1024;
 }
 
-pub struct HelixGateway<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static> {
-    pub connection_handler: ConnectionHandler<R>,
+pub struct HelixGateway<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static, T: Transport> {
+    pub connection_handler: ConnectionHandler<R, T>,
     pub runtime: R,
 }
 
-impl<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static> HelixGateway<R> {
+impl<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static, T: Transport> HelixGateway<R, T> {
     pub async fn new(
         address: &str,
         graph: Arc<HelixGraphEngine>,
         size: usize,
         routes: Option<HashMap<(String, String), HandlerFn>>,
         runtime: R,
-    ) -> HelixGateway<R> {
+    ) -> HelixGateway<R, T> {
         let router = HelixRouter::new(routes);
-        let connection_handler = ConnectionHandler::new(address, graph, size, router, runtime.clone()).unwrap();
+        let connection_handler = ConnectionHandler::<R, T>::new(address, graph, size, router, runtime.clone()).unwrap();
         println!("Gateway created");
         HelixGateway { connection_handler, runtime }
     }
diff --git a/helixdb/src/helix_gateway/thread_pool/thread_pool.rs b/helixdb/src/helix_gateway/thread_pool/thread_pool.rs
index ec7b419da..6ef858329 100644
--- a/helixdb/src/helix_gateway/thread_pool/thread_pool.rs
+++ b/helixdb/src/helix_gateway/thread_pool/thread_pool.rs
@@ -10,22 +10,23 @@ use crate::protocol::response::Response;
 
 extern crate tokio;
 
-use tokio::net::TcpStream;
+use crate::helix_transport::Transport;
 
-pub struct Worker<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static> {
+pub struct Worker<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static, T: Transport> {
     pub id: usize,
     pub handle: <R as AsyncRuntime>::JoinHandle<()>,
     pub runtime: R,
+    _marker: std::marker::PhantomData<T>,
 }
 
-impl<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static> Worker<R> {
+impl<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static, T: Transport> Worker<R, T> {
     fn new(
         id: usize,
         graph_access: Arc<HelixGraphEngine>,
         router: Arc<HelixRouter>,
-        rx: Receiver<TcpStream>,
+        rx: Receiver<T::Stream>,
         runtime: R,
-    ) -> Worker<R> {
+    ) -> Worker<R, T> {
         let handle = runtime.spawn(async move {
             loop {
                 let mut conn = match rx.recv_async().await {
@@ -68,31 +69,31 @@ impl<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static> Worker<R> {
             }
         });
 
-        Worker { id, handle, runtime }
+        Worker { id, handle, runtime, _marker: std::marker::PhantomData }
     }
 }
 
-pub struct ThreadPool<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static> {
-    pub sender: Sender<TcpStream>,
+pub struct ThreadPool<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static, T: Transport> {
+    pub sender: Sender<T::Stream>,
     pub num_unused_workers: Mutex<usize>,
     pub num_used_workers: Mutex<usize>,
-    pub workers: Vec<Worker<R>>,
+    pub workers: Vec<Worker<R, T>>,
     pub runtime: R,
 }
-impl<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static> ThreadPool<R> {
+impl<R: AsyncRuntime + Clone + Send + Sync + 'static, T: Transport> ThreadPool<R, T> {
     pub fn new(
         size: usize,
         graph: Arc<HelixGraphEngine>,
         router: Arc<HelixRouter>,
         runtime: R,
-    ) -> Result<ThreadPool<R>, RouterError> {
+    ) -> Result<ThreadPool<R, T>, RouterError> {
         assert!(
             size > 0,
             "Expected number of threads in thread pool to be more than 0, got {}",
             size
         );
 
-        let (tx, rx) = flume::unbounded::<TcpStream>();
+        let (tx, rx) = flume::unbounded::<T::Stream>();
         let mut workers = Vec::with_capacity(size);
         for id in 0..size {
             workers.push(Worker::new(id, Arc::clone(&graph), Arc::clone(&router), rx.clone(), runtime.clone()));
diff --git a/helixdb/src/helix_runtime/mod.rs b/helixdb/src/helix_runtime/mod.rs
index 8481fea41..6885b9be6 100644
--- a/helixdb/src/helix_runtime/mod.rs
+++ b/helixdb/src/helix_runtime/mod.rs
@@ -8,7 +8,9 @@ use std::pin::Pin;
 /// Production code uses a Tokio-backed implementation while tests can
 /// provide deterministic schedulers by implementing this trait.
 pub trait AsyncRuntime {
-    type JoinHandle<T>: Future<Output = T> + Send + 'static;
+    type JoinHandle<T>: Future<Output = T> + Send + 'static
+    where
+        T: Send + 'static;
 
     /// Spawn a future onto the runtime.
     fn spawn<F, T>(&self, fut: F) -> Self::JoinHandle<T>
diff --git a/helixdb/src/helix_runtime/tokio_runtime.rs b/helixdb/src/helix_runtime/tokio_runtime.rs
index 8e2a3175d..b993040f0 100644
--- a/helixdb/src/helix_runtime/tokio_runtime.rs
+++ b/helixdb/src/helix_runtime/tokio_runtime.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 use super::AsyncRuntime;
 use std::future::Future;
 use std::pin::Pin;
+use std::task::{Context, Poll};
 use std::time::Duration;
 
 /// Tokio based implementation of [`AsyncRuntime`].
@@ -8,17 +9,35 @@ use std::time::Duration;
 pub struct TokioRuntime;
 
 impl AsyncRuntime for TokioRuntime {
-    type JoinHandle<T> = tokio::task::JoinHandle<T>;
+    type JoinHandle<T> = TokioJoinHandle<T>
+    where
+        T: Send + 'static;
 
     fn spawn<F, T>(&self, fut: F) -> Self::JoinHandle<T>
     where
         F: Future<Output = T> + Send + 'static,
         T: Send + 'static,
     {
-        tokio::spawn(fut)
+        TokioJoinHandle(tokio::spawn(fut))
     }
 
     fn sleep(&self, dur: Duration) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = ()> + Send>> {
         Box::pin(tokio::time::sleep(dur))
     }
 }
+
+/// Wrapper around Tokio's [`JoinHandle`] that unwraps the result.
+pub struct TokioJoinHandle<T>(tokio::task::JoinHandle<T>);
+
+impl<T> Future for TokioJoinHandle<T> {
+    type Output = T;
+
+    fn poll(self: Pin<&mut Self>, cx: &mut Context<'_>) -> Poll<Self::Output> {
+        let inner = unsafe { self.map_unchecked_mut(|s| &mut s.0) };
+        match inner.poll(cx) {
+            Poll::Ready(Ok(val)) => Poll::Ready(val),
+            Poll::Ready(Err(err)) => panic!("Join error: {}", err),
+            Poll::Pending => Poll::Pending,
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/helixdb/src/helix_transport/mod.rs b/helixdb/src/helix_transport/mod.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f8dee31ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/helixdb/src/helix_transport/mod.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+pub mod tokio_transport;
+
+use std::future::Future;
+use std::net::SocketAddr;
+use std::pin::Pin;
+use tokio::io::{AsyncRead, AsyncWrite};
+
+/// Abstraction over network transport for HelixDB.
+///
+/// The transport trait allows the gateway to be decoupled from a
+/// concrete networking stack so that simulation tests can provide a
+/// deterministic in-memory transport.
+pub trait Transport {
+    type Listener: Send + Sync + 'static;
+    type Stream: AsyncRead + AsyncWrite + Unpin + Send + 'static;
+
+    /// Bind a listener to the provided address.
+    fn bind<'a>(addr: &'a str) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = std::io::Result<Self::Listener>> + Send + 'a>>;
+
+    /// Accept the next incoming connection from a listener.
+    fn accept<'a>(listener: &'a Self::Listener) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = std::io::Result<(Self::Stream, SocketAddr)>> + Send + 'a>>;
+
+    /// Connect to a remote address returning a stream.
+    fn connect<'a>(addr: &'a str) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = std::io::Result<Self::Stream>> + Send + 'a>>;
+}
diff --git a/helixdb/src/helix_transport/tokio_transport.rs b/helixdb/src/helix_transport/tokio_transport.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..248229692
--- /dev/null
+++ b/helixdb/src/helix_transport/tokio_transport.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+use super::Transport;
+use std::future::Future;
+use std::net::SocketAddr;
+use std::pin::Pin;
+use tokio::io::{AsyncRead, AsyncWrite};
+use tokio::net::{TcpListener, TcpStream};
+
+/// Tokio based transport implementation using TCP sockets.
+#[derive(Clone, Default)]
+pub struct TokioTransport;
+
+impl Transport for TokioTransport {
+    type Listener = TcpListener;
+    type Stream = TcpStream;
+
+    fn bind<'a>(addr: &'a str) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = std::io::Result<Self::Listener>> + Send + 'a>> {
+        Box::pin(async move { TcpListener::bind(addr).await })
+    }
+
+    fn accept<'a>(listener: &'a Self::Listener) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = std::io::Result<(Self::Stream, SocketAddr)>> + Send + 'a>> {
+        Box::pin(async move { listener.accept().await })
+    }
+
+    fn connect<'a>(addr: &'a str) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = std::io::Result<Self::Stream>> + Send + 'a>> {
+        Box::pin(async move { TcpStream::connect(addr).await })
+    }
+}
diff --git a/helixdb/src/lib.rs b/helixdb/src/lib.rs
index 728101eec..eea321429 100644
--- a/helixdb/src/lib.rs
+++ b/helixdb/src/lib.rs
@@ -6,3 +6,4 @@ pub mod helixc;
 pub mod ingestion_engine;
 pub mod protocol;
 pub mod helix_runtime;
+pub mod helix_transport;