diff --git a/src/Database/Database.php b/src/Database/Database.php
index 1533b7674a..501d65fe76 100644
--- a/src/Database/Database.php
+++ b/src/Database/Database.php
@@ -21,29 +21,29 @@ use Psr\Log\LoggerInterface;
  */
 class Database
 {
-	private $connected = false;
+	protected $connected = false;
 
 	/**
 	 * @var ConfigCache
 	 */
-	private $configCache;
+	protected $configCache;
 	/**
 	 * @var Profiler
 	 */
-	private $profiler;
+	protected $profiler;
 	/**
 	 * @var LoggerInterface
 	 */
-	private $logger;
-	private $server_info    = '';
+	protected $logger;
+	protected $server_info    = '';
 	/** @var PDO|mysqli */
-	private $connection;
-	private $driver;
+	protected $connection;
+	protected $driver;
 	private $error          = false;
 	private $errorno        = 0;
 	private $affected_rows  = 0;
-	private $in_transaction = false;
-	private $in_retrial     = false;
+	protected $in_transaction = false;
+	protected $in_retrial     = false;
 	private $relation       = [];
 
 	public function __construct(ConfigCache $configCache, Profiler $profiler, LoggerInterface $logger, array $server = [])
@@ -1070,7 +1070,7 @@ class Database
 		return true;
 	}
 
-	private function performCommit()
+	protected function performCommit()
 	{
 		switch ($this->driver) {
 			case 'pdo':
diff --git a/tests/DatabaseTest.php b/tests/DatabaseTest.php
index 98f79e351b..3c3f835eb6 100644
--- a/tests/DatabaseTest.php
+++ b/tests/DatabaseTest.php
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 namespace Friendica\Test;
 
-use PDO;
+use Friendica\Test\Util\Database\StaticDatabase;
 use PHPUnit\DbUnit\DataSet\YamlDataSet;
 use PHPUnit\DbUnit\TestCaseTrait;
 use PHPUnit_Extensions_Database_DB_IDatabaseConnection;
@@ -17,12 +17,6 @@ abstract class DatabaseTest extends MockedTest
 {
 	use TestCaseTrait;
 
-	// only instantiate pdo once for test clean-up/fixture load
-	static private $pdo = null;
-
-	// only instantiate PHPUnit_Extensions_Database_DB_IDatabaseConnection once per test
-	private $conn = null;
-
 	/**
 	 * Get database connection.
 	 *
@@ -36,38 +30,7 @@ abstract class DatabaseTest extends MockedTest
 	 */
 	protected function getConnection()
 	{
-		$server = $_SERVER;
-
-		if ($this->conn === null) {
-			if (self::$pdo == null) {
-
-				if (!empty($server['MYSQL_HOST'])
-				    && !empty($server['MYSQL_USERNAME'] || !empty($server['MYSQL_USER']))
-				    && $server['MYSQL_PASSWORD'] !== false
-				    && !empty($server['MYSQL_DATABASE'])) {
-
-					$connect = "mysql:host=" . $server['MYSQL_HOST'] . ";dbname=" . $server['MYSQL_DATABASE'];
-
-					if (!empty($server['MYSQL_PORT'])) {
-						$connect .= ";port=" . $server['MYSQL_PORT'];
-					}
-
-					if (!empty($server['MYSQL_USERNAME'])) {
-						$db_user = $server['MYSQL_USERNAME'];
-					} else {
-						$db_user = $server['MYSQL_USER'];
-					}
-
-					$db_pass = (string)$server['MYSQL_PASSWORD'];
-
-					self::$pdo = @new PDO($connect, $db_user, $db_pass);
-					self::$pdo->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_EMULATE_PREPARES, false);
-				}
-			}
-			$this->conn = $this->createDefaultDBConnection(self::$pdo, getenv('MYSQL_DATABASE'));
-		}
-
-		return $this->conn;
+		return $this->createDefaultDBConnection(StaticDatabase::getGlobConnection(), getenv('MYSQL_DATABASE'));
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/tests/Util/Database/ExtendedPDO.php b/tests/Util/Database/ExtendedPDO.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6bb0251c55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Util/Database/ExtendedPDO.php
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Friendica\Test\Util\Database;
+
+use PDO;
+use PDOException;
+
+/**
+ * This class extends native PDO one but allow nested transactions
+ * by using the SQL statements `SAVEPOINT', 'RELEASE SAVEPOINT' AND 'ROLLBACK SAVEPOINT'
+ */
+class ExtendedPDO extends PDO
+{
+	/**
+	 * @var array Database drivers that support SAVEPOINT * statements.
+	 */
+	protected static $_supportedDrivers = array("pgsql", "mysql");
+
+	/**
+	 * @var int the current transaction depth
+	 */
+	protected $_transactionDepth = 0;
+
+	/**
+	 * @return int
+	 */
+	public function getTransactionDepth()
+	{
+		return $this->_transactionDepth;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Test if database driver support savepoints
+	 *
+	 * @return bool
+	 */
+	protected function hasSavepoint()
+	{
+		return in_array($this->getAttribute(PDO::ATTR_DRIVER_NAME),
+			self::$_supportedDrivers);
+	}
+
+
+	/**
+	 * Start transaction
+	 *
+	 * @return bool|void
+	 */
+	public function beginTransaction()
+	{
+		if($this->_transactionDepth == 0 || !$this->hasSavepoint()) {
+			parent::beginTransaction();
+		} else {
+			$this->exec("SAVEPOINT LEVEL{$this->_transactionDepth}");
+		}
+
+		$this->_transactionDepth++;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Commit current transaction
+	 *
+	 * @return bool|void
+	 */
+	public function commit()
+	{
+		$this->_transactionDepth--;
+
+		if($this->_transactionDepth == 0 || !$this->hasSavepoint()) {
+			parent::commit();
+		} else {
+			$this->exec("RELEASE SAVEPOINT LEVEL{$this->_transactionDepth}");
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Rollback current transaction,
+	 *
+	 * @throws PDOException if there is no transaction started
+	 * @return bool|void
+	 */
+	public function rollBack()
+	{
+
+		if ($this->_transactionDepth == 0) {
+			throw new PDOException('Rollback error : There is no transaction started');
+		}
+
+		$this->_transactionDepth--;
+
+		if($this->_transactionDepth == 0 || !$this->hasSavepoint()) {
+			parent::rollBack();
+		} else {
+			$this->exec("ROLLBACK TO SAVEPOINT LEVEL{$this->_transactionDepth}");
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/tests/Util/Database/StaticDatabase.php b/tests/Util/Database/StaticDatabase.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6f9bdbe8b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Util/Database/StaticDatabase.php
@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Friendica\Test\Util\Database;
+
+use Friendica\Database\Database;
+use PDO;
+use PDOException;
+
+class StaticDatabase extends Database
+{
+	/**
+	 * @var ExtendedPDO
+	 */
+	private static $staticConnection;
+
+	/**
+	 * Override the behaviour of connect, due there is just one, static connection at all
+	 *
+	 * @return bool|void
+	 */
+	public function connect()
+	{
+		if (!is_null($this->connection) && $this->connected()) {
+			return true;
+		}
+
+		if (!isset(self::$staticConnection)) {
+
+			$port       = 0;
+			$serveraddr = trim($this->configCache->get('database', 'hostname'));
+			$serverdata = explode(':', $serveraddr);
+			$server     = $serverdata[0];
+			if (count($serverdata) > 1) {
+				$port = trim($serverdata[1]);
+			}
+			$server  = trim($server);
+			$user    = trim($this->configCache->get('database', 'username'));
+			$pass    = trim($this->configCache->get('database', 'password'));
+			$db      = trim($this->configCache->get('database', 'database'));
+			$charset = trim($this->configCache->get('database', 'charset'));
+
+			if (!(strlen($server) && strlen($user))) {
+				return false;
+			}
+
+			$connect = "mysql:host=" . $server . ";dbname=" . $db;
+
+			if ($port > 0) {
+				$connect .= ";port=" . $port;
+			}
+
+			if ($charset) {
+				$connect .= ";charset=" . $charset;
+			}
+
+
+			try {
+				self::$staticConnection = @new ExtendedPDO($connect, $user, $pass);
+				self::$staticConnection->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_EMULATE_PREPARES, false);
+			} catch (PDOException $e) {
+				/// @TODO At least log exception, don't ignore it!
+			}
+		}
+
+		$this->driver = 'pdo';
+		$this->connection = self::$staticConnection;
+		$this->connected = true;
+
+		return $this->connected;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Override the transaction since there are now hierachical transactions possible
+	 *
+	 * @return bool
+	 */
+	public function transaction()
+	{
+		if (!$this->connection->inTransaction() && !$this->connection->beginTransaction()) {
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		$this->in_transaction = true;
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @brief Does a commit
+	 *
+	 * @return boolean Was the command executed successfully?
+	 */
+	public function commit()
+	{
+		if (!$this->performCommit()) {
+			return false;
+		}
+		$this->in_transaction = false;
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @return ExtendedPDO
+	 */
+	public static function getGlobConnection()
+	{
+		return self::$staticConnection;
+	}
+
+	public static function statCommit()
+	{
+		if (isset(self::$staticConnection)) {
+			while (self::$staticConnection->getTransactionDepth() > 0) {
+				self::$staticConnection->commit();
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	public static function statRollback()
+	{
+		if (isset(self::$staticConnection)) {
+			while (self::$staticConnection->getTransactionDepth() > 0) {
+				self::$staticConnection->rollBack();
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/tests/include/ApiTest.php b/tests/include/ApiTest.php
index 351973d479..15da515277 100644
--- a/tests/include/ApiTest.php
+++ b/tests/include/ApiTest.php
@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@ use Friendica\Core\Config;
 use Friendica\Core\PConfig;
 use Friendica\Core\Protocol;
 use Friendica\Core\System;
+use Friendica\Database\Database;
 use Friendica\Network\HTTPException;
+use Friendica\Test\Util\Database\StaticDatabase;
 use Monolog\Handler\TestHandler;
 
 require_once __DIR__ . '/../../include/api.php';
@@ -47,13 +49,16 @@ class ApiTest extends DatabaseTest
 	 */
 	public function setUp()
 	{
-		parent::setUp();
+		StaticDatabase::statRollback();
 
 		$dice = new Dice();
 		$dice = $dice->addRules(include __DIR__ . '/../../static/dependencies.config.php');
+		$dice = $dice->addRule(Database::class, ['instanceOf' => StaticDatabase::class, 'shared' => true]);
 		BaseObject::setDependencyInjection($dice);
 		$this->app = BaseObject::getApp();
 
+		parent::setUp();
+
 		$this->app->argc = 1;
 		$this->app->argv = ['home'];
 
@@ -99,6 +104,11 @@ class ApiTest extends DatabaseTest
 		Config::set('system', 'theme', 'system_theme');
 	}
 
+	protected function tearDown()
+	{
+		StaticDatabase::statRollback();
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Assert that an user array contains expected keys.
 	 * @param array $user User array