diff --git a/src/main/php/web/Application.class.php b/src/main/php/web/Application.class.php
index ac746cd7..fb404239 100755
--- a/src/main/php/web/Application.class.php
+++ b/src/main/php/web/Application.class.php
@@ -38,6 +38,16 @@ public final function routing() {
     return $this->routing;    
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Initializes this application, being run once when the server starts.
+   * Empty in this default implementation, overwrite in subclasses.
+   *
+   * @return void
+   */
+  public function initialize() {
+    // Empty
+  }
+
   /**
    * Returns this application's routes, which are either a `Routing`
    * instance or a map of paths to routing targets.
diff --git a/src/main/php/xp/web/srv/Develop.class.php b/src/main/php/xp/web/srv/Develop.class.php
index fdc2dc0b..26a1d7d4 100755
--- a/src/main/php/xp/web/srv/Develop.class.php
+++ b/src/main/php/xp/web/srv/Develop.class.php
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@
 use lang\{ClassLoader, CommandLine, FileSystemClassLoader, Runtime, RuntimeOptions};
 use peer\Socket;
 use util\cmd\Console;
-use web\Logging;
+use web\{Application, Environment, Logging};
+use xp\web\Source;
 
 class Develop extends Server {
 
@@ -21,6 +22,9 @@ class Develop extends Server {
    * @param  string[] $logging
    */
   public function serve($source, $profile, $webroot, $docroot, $config, $args, $logging) {
+    $environment= new Environment($profile, $webroot, $docroot, $config, $args, $logging);
+    $application= (new Source($source, $environment))->application($args);
+    $application->initialize();
 
     // PHP doesn't start with a nonexistant document root
     if (!$docroot->exists()) {
@@ -60,9 +64,8 @@ public function serve($source, $profile, $webroot, $docroot, $config, $args, $lo
     putenv('WEB_LOG='.$logging);
 
     Console::writeLine("\e[33m@", nameof($this), "(HTTP @ `php ", implode(' ', $arguments), "`)\e[0m");
-    Console::writeLine("\e[1mServing {$profile}:", $source, $config, "\e[0m > ", Logging::of($logging)->target());
+    Console::writeLine("\e[1mServing {$profile}:", $application, $config, "\e[0m > ", $environment->logging()->target());
     Console::writeLine("\e[36m", str_repeat('═', 72), "\e[0m");
-    Console::writeLine();
 
     if ('WINDOWS' === $os->name()) {
       $nul= 'NUL';
diff --git a/src/main/php/xp/web/srv/Standalone.class.php b/src/main/php/xp/web/srv/Standalone.class.php
index a060127d..8d5a2349 100755
--- a/src/main/php/xp/web/srv/Standalone.class.php
+++ b/src/main/php/xp/web/srv/Standalone.class.php
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ public function __construct($address, $impl) {
   public function serve($source, $profile, $webroot, $docroot, $config, $args, $logging) {
     $environment= new Environment($profile, $webroot, $docroot, $config, $args, $logging);
     $application= (new Source($source, $environment))->application($args);
+    $application->initialize();
     $application->routing();
 
     $socket= new ServerSocket($this->host, $this->port);
diff --git a/src/test/php/web/unittest/ResponseTest.class.php b/src/test/php/web/unittest/ResponseTest.class.php
index 31dc5c56..20873dee 100755
--- a/src/test/php/web/unittest/ResponseTest.class.php
+++ b/src/test/php/web/unittest/ResponseTest.class.php
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ public function overwrite_cookie() {
     $res= new Response(new TestOutput());
     $res->cookie(new Cookie('theme', 'light'));
     $res->cookie(new Cookie('theme', 'dark'));
-    $this->assertEquals(['dark'], array_map(function($c) { return $c->value(); }, $res->cookies()));
+    Assert::equals(['dark'], array_map(function($c) { return $c->value(); }, $res->cookies()));
   }
 
   #[Test]
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ public function append_cookie() {
     $res= new Response(new TestOutput());
     $res->cookie(new Cookie('theme', 'light'));
     $res->cookie(new Cookie('theme', 'dark'), true);
-    $this->assertEquals(['light', 'dark'], array_map(function($c) { return $c->value(); }, $res->cookies()));
+    Assert::equals(['light', 'dark'], array_map(function($c) { return $c->value(); }, $res->cookies()));
   }
 
   #[Test]