diff --git a/js/main.js b/js/main.js
index 629cc68..e929d8a 100644
--- a/js/main.js
+++ b/js/main.js
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+// use this when making changes so that there is no need to parse the page
+var bookmarkList;
+
 $(document).ready(function () {
 	calcBackground();
 	loadBookmarks();
@@ -14,7 +17,7 @@ $(document).ready(function () {
 		var combo = $("#newBookmarkGroup");
 		var data = getList();
 		for (var i = 0; i < data.length; i++) {
-			combo.append($("<option></option>").attr({ "value": i }).text(data[i].title));
+			combo.append($("<option>").attr({ "value": i }).text(data[i].title));
 		}
 
 
@@ -36,27 +39,88 @@ function importBookmarks() {
 		var newData = $.parseJSON($("#importText").val());
 	} catch (err) {
 		console.error("Import failed: " + err.message);
-		window.alert("Failed to import");
+		window.alert("Invalid Format");
 		return;
 	}
 
-	setList(newData);
+	if (verifyBookmarks(newData)) {
+		setList(newData);
 
-	$(".bookmarkGroup").remove();
-	loadBookmarks();
-	$("#importExportModal").modal("hide");
+		$("#importExportModal").modal("hide");
+	} else {
+		window.alert("Invalid Format");
+	}
 }
 
 function loadBookmarks() {
-	var groups = getList();
+	$("#cardList").empty();
+	var openDBRequest = window.indexedDB.open("bookmarks");
 
-	if (groups != null) {
-		for (var i = 0; i < groups.length; i++) {
-			var item = groups[i];
-			buildCard(item.title, item.bookmarks);
+	openDBRequest.onsuccess = function (dbEvt) {
+		console.log("Opened database");
+		db = dbEvt.target.result;
+		bookmarkList = [];
+
+		db.transaction(["groupIndexes"], "readonly")
+			.objectStore("groupIndexes")
+			.getAll()
+			.onsuccess = function (indexEvt) {
+				var indexes = indexEvt.target.result;
+
+				// use a placholder because getting the group info is async
+				// and groups could finish loading in a different order
+				var cardList = $("#cardList");
+				for (var i = 0; i < indexes.length; i++) {
+					var placeholder = $("<div>").attr("id", "group-" + i).appendTo(cardList);
+					buildGroup(indexes[i], placeholder);
+				}
+
+				db.close();
+			}
+		;
+	}
+
+	openDBRequest.onerror = function (e) { console.log(e); }
+
+	openDBRequest.onupgradeneeded = function (e) {
+		// the database doesn't exist
+		console.log("Creating database");
+		db = e.target.result;
+
+		var data = window.localStorage.getItem("bookmarks");
+		if (data != null) {
+			console.log("Importing data from old version");
+			data = JSON.parse(data);
+			db.close();
+			setList(data);
+			window.localStorage.removeItem("bookmarks");
+		} else {
+			var groupStore = initDB(db);
+
+			// add example bookmarks
+			var exBookmarks = db.createObjectStore("Examples");
+			exBookmarks.createIndex("name", "name", { unique: false });
+			exBookmarks.createIndex("address", "address", { unique: false });
+			groupStore.add({ "title": "Examples", "groupIndex": 0 });
+
+			exBookmarks.add({ "name": "Github", "address": "https://github.com/" }, 0);
+			exBookmarks.add({ "name": "This project on Github", "address": "https://github.com/NeilBrommer/NewTabPage" }, 1);
+			exBookmarks.add({ "name": "Hacker News", "address": "https://news.ycombinator.com/" }, 2);
+			exBookmarks.add({ "name": "reddit", "address": "https://www.reddit.com/" }, 3);
 		}
-	} else {
-		$("#aboutModal").modal("show");
+	}
+}
+
+function buildGroup(groupInfo, placeholder) {
+	var groupTransaction = db.transaction([groupInfo.title], "readonly");
+	var groupStore = groupTransaction.objectStore(groupInfo.title);
+	var groupRequest = groupStore.getAll();
+	groupRequest.onsuccess = function (e) {
+		var bookmarks = e.target.result;
+
+		bookmarkList[groupInfo.groupIndex] = { "title": groupInfo.title, "bookmarks": bookmarks };
+
+		buildCard(groupInfo.title, bookmarks).appendTo(placeholder);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -85,7 +149,7 @@ function buildCard(title, itemList) {
 		cardList.append(link);
 	}
 
-	$("#cardList").append(card);
+	return card;
 }
 
 function selectGroupChanged(value) {
@@ -129,19 +193,92 @@ function setBackground(num, dark) {
 		$(".btn-dark").removeClass("btn-dark").addClass("btn-light");
 }
 
-function getList() {
-	return $.parseJSON(window.localStorage.getItem("bookmarks"));
-}
-
 function getListString() {
-	return window.localStorage.getItem("bookmarks");
+	return JSON.stringify(bookmarkList, null, 4);
 }
 
-function setList(list) {
-	if (typeof list == "string") {
-		window.localStorage.setItem("bookmarks", list);
-	} else {
-		var stringified = JSON.stringify(list, null, 4);
-		window.localStorage.setItem("bookmarks", stringified);
+function setList(data) {
+	// empty the DB and fill it with the new data
+	bookmarkList = data;
+
+	try {
+		indexedDB.deleteDatabase("bookmarks");
+	} catch (err) {
+		// it's OK if the DB doesn't exist
+		if (err.name != "NotFoundError") {
+			console.error(err);
+			return;
+		}
+	}
+	var openDBRequest = window.indexedDB.open("bookmarks", 1);
+
+	openDBRequest.onsuccess = function (e) {
+		db.close();
+		loadBookmarks();
+	}
+
+	openDBRequest.onerror = function (err) { console.error(err); }
+
+	openDBRequest.onupgradeneeded = function (e) {
+		console.log("filling db");
+		db = e.target.result;
+
+		var groupStore = initDB(db);
+
+		// create the object stores
+		for (var i = 0; i < data.length; i++) {
+			addGroup(data[i], groupStore, i);
+		}
 	}
 }
+
+function initDB(db) {
+	// use a table to keep track of the order of groups
+	var groupStore = db.createObjectStore("groupIndexes", { keyPath: "title" });
+	groupStore.createIndex("title", "groupName", { unique: true });
+	groupStore.createIndex("groupIndex", "groupIndex", { unique: true });
+	return groupStore;
+}
+
+function addGroup(group, groupStore, index) {
+	var objStore = db.createObjectStore(group.title);
+	objStore.createIndex("name", "name", { unique: false });
+	objStore.createIndex("address", "address", { unique: false });
+	groupStore.add({ "title": group.title, "groupIndex": index });
+
+	var bookmarks = group.bookmarks;
+	for (var i = 0; i < bookmarks.length; i++) {
+		var bkmk = bookmarks[i];
+		objStore.add({ "name": bkmk.name, "address": bkmk.address }, i);
+	}
+}
+
+function verifyBookmarks(bookmarks) {
+	if (!Array.isArray(bookmarks))
+		return false;
+
+	for (var i = 0; i < bookmarks.length; i++) {
+		var item = bookmarks[i];
+
+		if (item == null || typeof item != "object")
+			return false;
+
+		if (item.title == null || typeof item.title != "string")
+			return false;
+
+		for (var j = 0; j < item.bookmarks.length; j++) {
+			var bkmk = item.bookmarks[j];
+
+			if (bkmk == null || typeof bkmk != "object")
+				return false;
+
+			if (bkmk.name == null || typeof bkmk.name != "string")
+				return false;
+
+			if (bkmk.address == null || typeof bkmk.address != "string")
+				return false;
+		}
+	}
+
+	return true;
+}