diff --git a/src/apptask.js b/src/apptask.js
index d4c26e917..f34100119 100644
--- a/src/apptask.js
+++ b/src/apptask.js
@@ -3,9 +3,6 @@
 'use strict';
 
 exports = module.exports = {
-    initialize: initialize,
-    startTask: startTask,
-
     run: run,
 
     // exported for testing
@@ -30,7 +27,6 @@ var addons = require('./addons.js'),
     auditsource = require('./auditsource.js'),
     backups = require('./backups.js'),
     constants = require('./constants.js'),
-    database = require('./database.js'),
     DatabaseError = require('./databaseerror.js'),
     debug = require('debug')('box:apptask'),
     df = require('@sindresorhus/df'),
@@ -62,15 +58,6 @@ var COLLECTD_CONFIG_EJS = fs.readFileSync(__dirname + '/collectd.config.ejs', {
     LOGROTATE_CONFIG_EJS = fs.readFileSync(__dirname + '/logrotate.ejs', { encoding: 'utf8' }),
     CONFIGURE_LOGROTATE_CMD = path.join(__dirname, 'scripts/configurelogrotate.sh');
 
-function initialize(callback) {
-    assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
-
-    async.series([
-        database.initialize,
-        settings.initCache
-    ], callback);
-}
-
 function debugApp(app) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof app, 'object');
 
@@ -918,40 +905,6 @@ function handleRunCommand(app, progressCallback, callback) {
     return callback(null);
 }
 
-function startTask(appId, callback) {
-    assert.strictEqual(typeof appId, 'string');
-    assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
-
-    // determine what to do
-    apps.get(appId, function (error, app) {
-        if (error) return callback(error);
-
-        debugApp(app, 'startTask installationState: %s runState: %s', app.installationState, app.runState);
-
-        switch (app.installationState) {
-        case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_UNINSTALL: return uninstall(app, callback);
-        case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_CONFIGURE: return configure(app, callback);
-
-        case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_UPDATE: return update(app, callback);
-        case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_FORCE_UPDATE: return update(app, callback);
-
-        case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_INSTALL: return install(app, callback);
-        case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_CLONE: return install(app, callback);
-        case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_RESTORE: return install(app, callback);
-
-        case appdb.ISTATE_PENDING_BACKUP: return backup(app, callback);
-        case appdb.ISTATE_INSTALLED: return handleRunCommand(app, callback);
-
-        case appdb.ISTATE_ERROR:
-            debugApp(app, 'Internal error. apptask launched with error status.');
-            return callback(null);
-        default:
-            debugApp(app, 'apptask launched with invalid command');
-            return callback(new Error('Unknown command in apptask:' + app.installationState));
-        }
-    });
-}
-
 function run(appId, progressCallback, callback) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof appId, 'string');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof progressCallback, 'function');
@@ -980,29 +933,3 @@ function run(appId, progressCallback, callback) {
         }
     });
 }
-
-if (require.main === module) {
-    assert.strictEqual(process.argv.length, 3, 'Pass the appid as argument');
-
-    // add a separator for the log file
-    debug('------------------------------------------------------------');
-    debug('Apptask for %s', process.argv[2]);
-
-    process.on('SIGTERM', function () {
-        debug('taskmanager sent SIGTERM since it got a new task for this app');
-        process.exit(0);
-    });
-
-    initialize(function (error) {
-        if (error) throw error;
-
-        startTask(process.argv[2], function (error) {
-            if (error) debug('Apptask completed with error', error);
-
-            debug('Apptask completed for %s', process.argv[2]);
-            // https://nodejs.org/api/process.html are exit codes used by node. apps.js uses the value below
-            // to check apptask crashes
-            process.exit(error ? 50 : 0);
-        });
-    });
-}
diff --git a/src/test/apptask-test.js b/src/test/apptask-test.js
index 1a5c698d1..273651180 100644
--- a/src/test/apptask-test.js
+++ b/src/test/apptask-test.js
@@ -128,10 +128,6 @@ describe('apptask', function () {
         ], done);
     });
 
-    it('initializes succesfully', function (done) {
-        apptask.initialize(done);
-    });
-
     it('reserve port', function (done) {
         apptask._reserveHttpPort(APP, function (error) {
             expect(error).to.not.be.ok();