diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index dd710a45..5ea8ad39 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ Expected: June 2021
 
 ### New features
 
+* New utility: clixon_util_validate for stand-alone application that validates or commits datastores
 * Restconf native HTTP/2 support using nghttp2
   * Enable using: `--with-restconf=native --enable-nghttp2`
   * FCGI/nginx not affected only for `--with-restconf=native`
diff --git a/util/Makefile.in b/util/Makefile.in
index 6528f195..dd437e58 100644
--- a/util/Makefile.in
+++ b/util/Makefile.in
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ APPSRC   += clixon_util_path.c
 APPSRC   += clixon_util_datastore.c
 APPSRC   += clixon_util_regexp.c
 APPSRC   += clixon_util_socket.c
+APPSRC   += clixon_util_validate.c
 APPSRC   += clixon_netconf_ssh_callhome.c
 APPSRC   += clixon_netconf_ssh_callhome_client.c
 ifdef with_restconf
@@ -138,6 +139,9 @@ clixon_util_regexp: clixon_util_regexp.c $(LIBDEPS)
 clixon_util_socket: clixon_util_socket.c $(LIBDEPS)
 	$(CC) $(INCLUDES) $(CPPFLAGS) @CFLAGS@ $(LDFLAGS) $^ $(LIBS) -o $@
 
+clixon_util_validate: clixon_util_validate.c $(LIBDEPS) 
+	$(CC) $(INCLUDES) $(CPPFLAGS) @CFLAGS@ $(LDFLAGS) $^ $(LIBS) -l clixon_backend -o $@
+
 ifdef with_restconf
 clixon_util_stream: clixon_util_stream.c $(LIBDEPS)
 	$(CC) $(INCLUDES) $(CPPFLAGS) @CFLAGS@ $(LDFLAGS) $^ $(LIBS) -lcurl -o $@
diff --git a/util/clixon_util_validate.c b/util/clixon_util_validate.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a64465fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/clixon_util_validate.c
@@ -0,0 +1,246 @@
+/*
+ *
+  ***** BEGIN LICENSE BLOCK *****
+ 
+  Copyright (C) 2009-2016 Olof Hagsand and Benny Holmgren
+  Copyright (C) 2017-2019 Olof Hagsand
+  Copyright (C) 2020-2021 Olof Hagsand and Rubicon Communications, LLC(Netgate)
+
+  This file is part of CLIXON.
+
+  Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+  you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+  Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+  distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+  WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+  See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+  limitations under the License.
+
+  Alternatively, the contents of this file may be used under the terms of
+  the GNU General Public License Version 3 or later (the "GPL"),
+  in which case the provisions of the GPL are applicable instead
+  of those above. If you wish to allow use of your version of this file only
+  under the terms of the GPL, and not to allow others to
+  use your version of this file under the terms of Apache License version 2, 
+  indicate your decision by deleting the provisions above and replace them with
+  the  notice and other provisions required by the GPL. If you do not delete
+  the provisions above, a recipient may use your version of this file under
+  the terms of any one of the Apache License version 2 or the GPL.
+
+  ***** END LICENSE BLOCK *****
+
+  * Utility to validate and/or commit as a single utility, to be used in eg shell scripts
+  * Does much of what backend_main.c does, only less so
+  * Example:
+  * 1) validate foo_db using a tmp dbdir
+  * ./clixon_util_validate -f /usr/local/etc/example.xml -d foo -o  CLICON_XMLDB_DIR=/tmp
+ */
+
+#ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
+#include "clixon_config.h" /* generated by config & autoconf */
+#endif
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <limits.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+#include <syslog.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#include <sys/time.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+
+/* cligen */
+#include <cligen/cligen.h>
+
+/* clixon */
+#include "clixon/clixon.h"
+
+/* For validate and commit commands. */
+#include "clixon/clixon_backend.h"
+
+/* Command line options passed to getopt(3) */
+#define UTIL_COMMIT_OPTS "hD:f:cd:o:"
+
+static int
+usage(char *argv0)
+{
+    fprintf(stderr, "Tool to validate a database\nusage:%s [options]\n"
+	    "where options are\n"
+            "\t-h \t\tHelp\n"
+    	    "\t-D <level> \tDebug\n"
+    	    "\t-f <file>\tClixon config file\n"
+	    "\t-d <file>\tDatabase name (if not candidate, must be in XMLDBDIR)\n"
+	    "\t-c \t\tValidate + commit, otherwise only validate\n"
+	    "\t-o \"<option>=<value>\"\tGive configuration option overriding config file (see clixon-config.yang)\n",
+	    argv0);
+    exit(0);
+}
+
+int
+main(int    argc,
+     char **argv)
+{
+    int           retval = -1;
+    int           c;
+    yang_stmt    *yspec = NULL;
+    int           commit = 0;
+    char         *database = NULL;
+    clicon_handle h;
+    int           dbg = 0;
+    char         *dir;
+    char         *str;
+    int           ret;
+    cbuf         *cb = NULL;
+
+    /* In the startup, logs to stderr & debug flag set later */
+    clicon_log_init(__FILE__, LOG_INFO, CLICON_LOG_STDERR); 
+
+    /* Initialize clixon handle */
+    if ((h = clicon_handle_init()) == NULL)
+	goto done;
+    /*
+     * Command-line options for help, debug, and config-file
+     */
+    optind = 1;
+    opterr = 0;
+    while ((c = getopt(argc, argv, UTIL_COMMIT_OPTS)) != -1)
+	switch (c) {
+	case 'h':
+	    usage(argv[0]);
+	    break;
+    	case 'D':
+	    if (sscanf(optarg, "%d", &dbg) != 1)
+		usage(argv[0]);
+	    break;
+	case 'f': /* config file */
+	    if (!strlen(optarg))
+		usage(argv[0]);
+	    clicon_option_str_set(h, "CLICON_CONFIGFILE", optarg);
+	    break;
+	case 'c': /* commit (otherwise only validate) */
+	case 'd': /* candidate database (if not candidate) */
+	case 'o': /* Configuration option */
+	    break; /* see next getopt */
+	default:
+	    usage(argv[0]);
+	    break;
+	}
+    clicon_debug_init(dbg, NULL);
+    /* Find and read configfile */
+    if (clicon_options_main(h) < 0)
+	goto done;
+    /* Initialize plugin module by creating a handle holding plugin and callback lists */
+    if (clixon_plugin_module_init(h) < 0)
+	goto done;
+    /* Now run through the operational args */
+    opterr = 1;
+    optind = 1;
+    while ((c = getopt(argc, argv, UTIL_COMMIT_OPTS)) != -1)
+	switch (c) {
+	case 'h' : /* help */
+	case 'D' : /* debug */
+	case 'f': /* config file */
+	    break;
+	case 'c': /* commit (otherwise only validate) */
+	    commit++;
+	    break;
+	case 'd': /* candidate database (if not candidate) */
+	    database = optarg;
+	    break;
+	case 'o':{ /* Configuration option */
+	    char          *val;
+	    if ((val = index(optarg, '=')) == NULL)
+		usage(argv[0]);
+	    *val++ = '\0';
+	    if (clicon_option_add(h, optarg, val) < 0)
+		goto done;
+	    break;
+	}
+	default:
+	    usage(argv[0]);
+	    break;
+	}
+
+    /* Set default namespace according to CLICON_NAMESPACE_NETCONF_DEFAULT */
+    xml_nsctx_namespace_netconf_default(h);
+    
+    /* Add (hardcoded) netconf features in case ietf-netconf loaded here
+     * Otherwise it is loaded in netconf_module_load below
+     */
+    if (netconf_module_features(h) < 0)
+	goto done;
+
+    /* Create top-level yang spec and store as option */
+    if ((yspec = yspec_new()) == NULL)
+	goto done;
+    clicon_dbspec_yang_set(h, yspec);	    
+    /* Load backend plugins before yangs are loaded (eg extension callbacks) */
+    if ((dir = clicon_backend_dir(h)) != NULL &&
+	clixon_plugins_load(h, CLIXON_PLUGIN_INIT, dir,
+			    clicon_option_str(h, "CLICON_BACKEND_REGEXP")) < 0)
+	goto done;
+    /* Load Yang modules
+     * 1. Load a yang module as a specific absolute filename */
+    if ((str = clicon_yang_main_file(h)) != NULL)
+	if (yang_spec_parse_file(h, str, yspec) < 0)
+	    goto done;
+    /* 2. Load a (single) main module */
+    if ((str = clicon_yang_module_main(h)) != NULL)
+	if (yang_spec_parse_module(h, str, clicon_yang_module_revision(h),
+				   yspec) < 0)
+	    goto done;
+    /* 3. Load all modules in a directory (will not overwrite file loaded ^) */
+    if ((str = clicon_yang_main_dir(h)) != NULL)
+	if (yang_spec_load_dir(h, str, yspec) < 0)
+	    goto done;
+    /* Load clixon lib yang module */
+    if (yang_spec_parse_module(h, "clixon-lib", NULL, yspec) < 0)
+	goto done;
+    /* Load yang module library, RFC7895 */
+    if (yang_modules_init(h) < 0)
+	goto done;
+    /* Add generic yang specs, used by netconf client and as internal protocol 
+     */
+    if (netconf_module_load(h) < 0)
+	goto done;
+    /* Load yang restconf module */
+    if (yang_spec_parse_module(h, "ietf-restconf", NULL, yspec)< 0)
+	goto done;
+    /* Load yang YANG module state */
+    if (clicon_option_bool(h, "CLICON_XMLDB_MODSTATE") &&
+	yang_spec_parse_module(h, "ietf-yang-library", NULL, yspec)< 0)
+	goto done;
+    /* Here all modules are loaded */
+    if (database == NULL)
+	database = "candidate";
+    if ((cb = cbuf_new()) == NULL){
+	clicon_err(OE_UNIX, errno, "cbuf_new");
+	goto done;
+    }
+    if (commit){
+	if ((ret = candidate_commit(h, database, cb)) < 0)
+	    goto done;
+    }
+    else{
+	if ((ret = candidate_validate(h, database, cb)) < 0)
+	    goto done;
+    }
+    if (ret == 0){
+	clicon_err(OE_DB, 0, " Failed: %s", cbuf_get(cb));
+	goto done;
+    }
+    fprintf(stdout, "OK\n");
+    retval = 0;
+ done:
+    if (cb)
+	cbuf_free(cb);
+    return retval;
+}
+