diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/KeyValueStore.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/KeyValueStore.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..edd88a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/KeyValueStore.php
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * @file
+ * Definition of KeyValueStore.
+ */
+
+namespace Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore;
+
+use Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface;
+
+class KeyValueStore {
+
+  protected $storage;
+
+  public function __construct(StorageInterface $storage) {
+    $this->collection = $storage->getCollectionName();
+    $this->storage = $storage;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Returns data from the key/value store.
+   *
+   * @param $key
+   *   The key of the data to retrieve.
+   *
+   * @return
+   *   The value or FALSE on failure.
+   */
+  function get($key) {
+    return $this->storage->get($key);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Returns data from the key/value store when given an array of keys.
+   *
+   * @param $keys
+   *   An array of keys for the data to retrieve.
+   *
+   * @return
+   *   An array of the items successfully returned, indexed by key.
+   */
+  function getMultiple($keys) {
+    return $this->storage->getMultiple($keys);
+  }
+
+  function getAll() {
+    return $this->storage->getAll();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Stores data in the key/value store.
+   *
+   * @param $key
+   *   The key of the data to store.
+   * @param $value
+   *   The data to store.
+   */
+  function set($key, $value) {
+    return $this->storage->set($key, $value);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Stores data in the key/value store.
+   *
+   * @param $data
+   *   An array of key/value pairs.
+   */
+  function setMultiple($data) {
+    return $this->storage->setMultiple($data);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Deletes an item.
+   *
+   * @param $key
+   *    The key to delete.
+   */
+  function delete($key) {
+    return $this->storage->delete($key);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Deletes multiple items from the key/value store.
+   *
+   * @param $keys
+   *   An array of $keys to delete.
+   */
+  function deleteMultiple(array $keys) {
+    return $this->storage->deleteMultiple($keys);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/KeyValueStoreFactory.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/KeyValueStoreFactory.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a3251e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/KeyValueStoreFactory.php
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * @file
+ * Contains Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\KeyValueStoreFactory.
+ */
+
+namespace Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore;
+
+class KeyValueStoreFactory {
+
+  /**
+   * Mapping of collection names to key/value storage classes.
+   *
+   * An associative array whose keys are
+   * - collection names: The full $collection name being passed into
+   *   KeyValueStoreFactory::get().
+   * - collection base names: The basename (anything up to the first dot in a
+   *   $collection name).
+   * - 'default': The default/fallback key.
+   * which are used to determine the key/value store controller class to use for
+   * a given collection name.
+   *
+   * For example:
+   * @code
+   * array(
+   *   'cache.boot' => 'Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\MemcachedStorage',
+   *   'cache' => 'Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\RedisStorage',
+   *   'default' => 'Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\SqlStorage',
+   * )
+   * @endcode
+   *
+   * @var array
+   */
+  protected $storageInfo;
+
+  /**
+   * Instantiated key/value stores, keyed by collection name.
+   *
+   * @var array
+   */
+  protected $instances;
+
+  /**
+   * Constructs the key/value store factory.
+   *
+   * @param array $storage_info
+   *   An associative array declaring which storage class to use for which
+   *   collection.
+   */
+  public function __construct(array $storage_info) {
+    $this->storageInfo = $storage_info;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Returns the key/value store for a given collection.
+   *
+   * @param string $collection
+   *   The name of the key/value collection store instance to return.
+   * @param array $options
+   *   (optional) The options to pass to the key/value store. Only used on
+   *   initial instantiation.
+   *
+   * @return Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface
+   *   The key/value store instance.
+   */
+  public function get($collection, $options = array()) {
+    if (!isset($this->instances[$collection])) {
+      // Anything up to the first dot treated as the collection base.
+      if ($pos = strpos($collection, '.')) {
+        $collection_base = substr($collection, 0, $pos);
+      }
+      else {
+        $collection_base = $collection;
+      }
+
+      if (isset($this->storageInfo[$collection_base])) {
+        $class = $this->storageInfo[$collection_base];
+      }
+      else {
+        $class = $this->storageInfo['default'];
+      }
+      $this->instances[$collection] = new $class($collection, $options);
+    }
+    return $this->instances[$collection];
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/LICENSE.txt b/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/LICENSE.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..95959d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/LICENSE.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+Copyright (c) 2012 Mark Sonnabaum
+
+Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished
+to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+
+The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+
+THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
+THE SOFTWARE.
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/Storage/MemoryStorage.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/Storage/MemoryStorage.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6b33b77
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/Storage/MemoryStorage.php
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * @file
+ * Contains Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\MemoryStorage.
+ */
+
+namespace Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage;
+
+/**
+ * Defines a default key/value store implementation.
+ */
+class MemoryStorage implements StorageInterface {
+
+  /**
+   * @var string
+   */
+  protected $collection;
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::__construct().
+   */
+  public function __construct($collection, array $options) {
+    $this->collection = $collection;
+    $this->data = array();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::getCollectionName().
+   */
+  public function getCollectionName() {
+    return $this->collection;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::get().
+   */
+  function get($key) {
+    return isset($this->data[$key]) ? $this->data[$key] : FALSE;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::getMultiple().
+   */
+  public function getMultiple(array $keys) {
+    $results = array();
+    foreach ($keys as $key) {
+      $results[$key] = $this->data[$key];
+    }
+    return $results;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::getAll().
+   */
+  public function getAll() {
+    return $this->data;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::set().
+   */
+  public function set($key, $value) {
+    return $this->data[$key] = $value;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::setMultiple().
+   */
+  public function setMultiple(array $data) {
+    $this->data = $data + $this->data;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::delete().
+   */
+  public function delete($key) {
+    unset($this->data[$key]);
+    return TRUE;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::deleteMultiple().
+   */
+  public function deleteMultiple(array $keys) {
+    foreach ($keys as $key) {
+      unset($this->data[$key]);
+    }
+    return TRUE;
+  }
+}
+
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/Storage/SqlStorage.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/Storage/SqlStorage.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f39ad11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/Storage/SqlStorage.php
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * @file
+ * Contains Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\DatabaseBackend.
+ */
+
+namespace Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage;
+
+/**
+ * Defines a default key/value store implementation.
+ *
+ * This is Drupal's default key/value store implementation. It uses the database to store
+ * key/value data.
+ */
+class SqlStorage implements StorageInterface {
+
+  /**
+   * @var string
+   */
+  protected $collection;
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::__construct().
+   */
+  public function __construct($collection, array $options) {
+    $this->collection = $collection;
+    $this->table = isset($options['table']) ? $options['table'] : 'keyvalue';
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::getCollectionName().
+   */
+  public function getCollectionName() {
+    return $this->collection;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::get().
+   */
+  public function get($key) {
+    $keys = array($key);
+    $values = $this->getMultiple($keys);
+    return reset($values);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::getMultiple().
+   */
+  public function getMultiple(array $keys) {
+    try {
+      $result = db_query('SELECT name, value FROM {' . db_escape_table($this->table) . '} WHERE collection = :collection AND name IN (:keys)', array(
+        ':collection' => $this->collection,
+        ':keys' => $keys
+      ));
+      $values = array();
+
+      foreach ($result as $item) {
+        if ($item) {
+          $values[$item->name] = unserialize($item->value);
+        }
+      }
+      return $values;
+    }
+    catch (\Exception $e) {
+      // If the database is never going to be available, key/value requests should
+      // return FALSE in order to allow exception handling to occur.
+      return array();
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::getAll().
+   */
+  public function getAll() {
+    $result = db_query('SELECT name, value FROM {' . db_escape_table($this->table) . '} WHERE collection = :collection', array(':collection' => $this->collection));
+    $values = array();
+
+    foreach ($result as $item) {
+      if ($item) {
+        $values[$item->name] = unserialize($item->value);
+      }
+    }
+    return $values;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::set().
+   */
+  public function set($key, $value) {
+    db_merge($this->table)
+      ->key(array(
+        'collection' => $this->collection,
+        'name' => $key,
+      ))
+      ->fields(array('value' => serialize($value)))
+      ->execute();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::setMultiple().
+   */
+  public function setMultiple(array $data) {
+    foreach ($data as $key => $value) {
+      $this->set($key, $value);
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::delete().
+   */
+  public function delete($key) {
+    db_delete($this->table)
+      ->condition('collection', $this->collection)
+      ->condition('name', $key)
+      ->execute();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Implements Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface::deleteMultiple().
+   */
+  public function deleteMultiple(array $keys) {
+    // Delete in chunks when a large array is passed.
+    do {
+      db_delete($this->table)
+        ->condition('collection', $this->collection)
+        ->condition('name', array_splice($keys, 0, 1000), 'IN')
+        ->execute();
+    }
+    while (count($keys));
+  }
+}
+
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/Storage/StorageInterface.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/Storage/StorageInterface.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73e613d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Component/KeyValueStore/Storage/StorageInterface.php
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * @file
+ * Contains Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\StorageInterface.
+ */
+
+namespace Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage;
+
+/**
+ * Defines the interface for key/value store implementations.
+ */
+interface StorageInterface {
+  /**
+   * Constructs a new key/value collection.
+   *
+   * @param string $collection
+   *   The collection for which the object is created.
+   * @param array $options
+   *   An associative array of options for the key/value storage collection.
+   */
+  public function __construct($collection, array $options);
+
+  /**
+   * Returns the name of this collection.
+   *
+   * @return string
+   *   The name of this collection.
+   */
+  public function getCollectionName();
+
+  /**
+   * Returns the stored value for a given key.
+   *
+   * @param $key
+   *   The key of the data to retrieve.
+   *
+   * @return mixed
+   *   The stored value, or FALSE if no value exists.
+   */
+  public function get($key);
+
+  /**
+   * Returns the stored key/value pairs for a given set of keys.
+   *
+   * @param array $keys
+   *   A list of keys to retrieve.
+   *
+   * @return array
+   *   An associative array of items successfully returned, indexed by key.
+   *   @todo What's returned for non-existing keys?
+   */
+  public function getMultiple(array $keys);
+
+  /**
+   * Returns all stored key/value pairs in the collection.
+   *
+   * @return array
+   *   An associative array containing all stored items in the collection.
+   */
+  public function getAll();
+
+  /**
+   * Saves a value for a given key.
+   *
+   * @param string $key
+   *   The key of the data to store.
+   * @param mixed $value
+   *   The data to store.
+   */
+  public function set($key, $value);
+
+  /**
+   * Saves key/value pairs.
+   *
+   * @param array $data
+   *   An associative array of key/value pairs.
+   */
+  public function setMultiple(array $data);
+
+  /**
+   * Deletes an item from the key/value store.
+   *
+   * @param string $key
+   *   The item name to delete.
+   */
+  public function delete($key);
+
+  /**
+   * Deletes multiple items from the key/value store.
+   *
+   * @param array $keys
+   *   A list of item names to delete.
+   */
+  public function deleteMultiple(array $keys);
+
+}
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/DependencyInjection/ContainerBuilder.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/DependencyInjection/ContainerBuilder.php
index a82f5b6..ed49751 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/DependencyInjection/ContainerBuilder.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/DependencyInjection/ContainerBuilder.php
@@ -43,6 +43,18 @@ class ContainerBuilder extends BaseContainerBuilder {
     // Register the default language content.
     $this->register(LANGUAGE_TYPE_CONTENT, 'Drupal\\Core\\Language\\Language');
 
+    // Register the key/value store service.
+    // @todo Define and register the options for each storage... somehow.
+    $this->setParameter('keyvalue.storage.info', array(
+      'default' => 'Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\Storage\SqlStorage',
+    ));
+    $this->register('keyvaluestore.factory', 'Drupal\Component\KeyValueStore\KeyValueStoreFactory')
+      ->addArgument('%keyvalue.storage.info%');
+
+    // Register configuration object factory.
+    $this->register('config.factory', 'Drupal\Core\Config\ConfigFactory')
+      ->addArgument(new Reference('config.storage.dispatcher'));
+
     // Register configuration storage dispatcher.
     $this->setParameter('config.storage.info', array(
       'Drupal\Core\Config\DatabaseStorage' => array(
diff --git a/core/modules/system/system.install b/core/modules/system/system.install
index 96c02c3..16907f2 100644
--- a/core/modules/system/system.install
+++ b/core/modules/system/system.install
@@ -549,6 +549,37 @@ function system_schema() {
     'primary key' => array('name'),
   );
 
+  $schema['keyvalue'] = array(
+    'description' => 'Stores key/value pairs by collection.',
+    'fields' => array(
+      'collection' => array(
+        'description' => 'The name of the collection.',
+        'type' => 'varchar',
+        'length' => 255,
+        'not null' => TRUE,
+        'default' => '',
+      ),
+      'name' => array(
+        'description' => 'The name of the key.',
+        'type' => 'varchar',
+        'length' => 255,
+        'not null' => TRUE,
+        'default' => '',
+      ),
+      'value' => array(
+        'description' => 'The value of the variable.',
+        'type' => 'blob',
+        'not null' => TRUE,
+        'size' => 'big',
+      ),
+    ),
+    'primary key' => array('collection', 'name'),
+    'indexes' => array(
+      'collection' => array('collection'),
+      'name' => array('name'),
+    ),
+  );
+
   $schema['actions'] = array(
     'description' => 'Stores action information.',
     'fields' => array(