diff --git a/src/services/config.js b/src/services/config.js
index ffa957e5b..8bc0723a7 100644
--- a/src/services/config.js
+++ b/src/services/config.js
@@ -8,14 +8,12 @@ const resourceDir = require('./resource_dir');
 
 const configSampleFilePath = path.resolve(resourceDir.RESOURCE_DIR, "config-sample.ini");
 
-const configFilePath = dataDir.TRILIUM_DATA_DIR + '/config.ini';
-
-if (!fs.existsSync(configFilePath)) {
+if (!fs.existsSync(dataDir.CONFIG_INI_PATH)) {
     const configSample = fs.readFileSync(configSampleFilePath).toString('utf8');
 
-    fs.writeFileSync(configFilePath, configSample);
+    fs.writeFileSync(dataDir.CONFIG_INI_PATH, configSample);
 }
 
-const config = ini.parse(fs.readFileSync(configFilePath, 'utf-8'));
+const config = ini.parse(fs.readFileSync(dataDir.CONFIG_INI_PATH, 'utf-8'));
 
-module.exports = config;
\ No newline at end of file
+module.exports = config;
diff --git a/src/services/data_dir.js b/src/services/data_dir.js
index f286faaf6..ea2f4b464 100644
--- a/src/services/data_dir.js
+++ b/src/services/data_dir.js
@@ -64,11 +64,13 @@ const DOCUMENT_PATH = TRILIUM_DATA_DIR + path.sep + "document.db";
 const BACKUP_DIR = TRILIUM_DATA_DIR + path.sep + "backup";
 const LOG_DIR = TRILIUM_DATA_DIR + path.sep + "log";
 const ANONYMIZED_DB_DIR = TRILIUM_DATA_DIR + path.sep + "anonymized-db";
+const CONFIG_INI_PATH = TRILIUM_DATA_DIR + '/config.ini';
 
 module.exports = {
     TRILIUM_DATA_DIR,
     DOCUMENT_PATH,
     BACKUP_DIR,
     LOG_DIR,
-    ANONYMIZED_DB_DIR
+    ANONYMIZED_DB_DIR,
+    CONFIG_INI_PATH
 };
diff --git a/src/services/port.js b/src/services/port.js
index 9d231c813..b730755c0 100644
--- a/src/services/port.js
+++ b/src/services/port.js
@@ -1,15 +1,27 @@
 const config = require('./config');
 const utils = require('./utils');
 const env = require('./env');
+const dataDir = require('./data_dir');
+
+function parseAndValidate(portStr, source) {
+    const portNum = parseInt(portStr);
+
+    if (!portNum || portNum < 0 || portNum >= 65536) {
+        console.log(`FATAL ERROR: Invalid port value "${portStr}" from ${source}, should be a number between 0 and 65536.`);
+        process.exit(-1);
+    }
+
+    return portNum;
+}
+
+let port;
 
 if (process.env.TRILIUM_PORT) {
-    module.exports = parseInt(process.env.TRILIUM_PORT);
-    return;
+    port = parseAndValidate(process.env.TRILIUM_PORT, "environment variable TRILIUM_PORT");
+} else if (utils.isElectron()) {
+    port = env.isDev() ? 37740 : 37840;
+} else {
+    port = parseAndValidate(config['Network']['port'] || '3000', "Network.port in " + dataDir.CONFIG_INI_PATH);
 }
 
-if (utils.isElectron()) {
-    module.exports = env.isDev() ? 37740 : 37840;
-}
-else {
-    module.exports = config['Network']['port'] || '3000';
-}
+module.exports = port;