diff --git a/src/store/updates.rs b/src/store/updates.rs
index 124644e6f..521bb359e 100644
--- a/src/store/updates.rs
+++ b/src/store/updates.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+use std::convert::TryInto;
+use rkv::Value;
 use crate::update::Update;
 
 #[derive(Copy, Clone)]
@@ -6,18 +8,46 @@ pub struct Updates {
 }
 
 impl Updates {
+    // TODO we should use the MDB_LAST op but
+    //      it is not exposed by the rkv library
+    fn last_update_id<'a, T: rkv::Readable>(
+        &self,
+        reader: &'a T,
+    ) -> Result<Option<(u64, Option<Value<'a>>)>, rkv::StoreError>
+    {
+        let mut last = None;
+        let iter = self.updates.iter_start(reader)?;
+        for result in iter {
+            let (key, data) = result?;
+            last = Some((key, data));
+        }
+
+        let (last_key, last_data) = match last {
+            Some(entry) => entry,
+            None => return Ok(None),
+        };
+
+        let array = last_key.try_into().unwrap();
+        let number = u64::from_be_bytes(array);
+
+        Ok(Some((number, last_data)))
+    }
+
     pub fn push_back(
         &self,
         writer: &mut rkv::Writer,
         update: &Update,
     ) -> Result<u64, rkv::StoreError>
     {
-        // let update = rmp_serde::to_vec_named(&addition)?;
+        let last_update_id = self.last_update_id(writer)?;
+        let last_update_id = last_update_id.map_or(0, |(n, _)| n + 1);
+        let last_update_id_bytes = last_update_id.to_be_bytes();
 
-        // WARN could not retrieve the last key/data entry of a tree...
-        // self.updates.get(writer, )?;
+        let update = rmp_serde::to_vec_named(&update).unwrap();
+        let blob = Value::Blob(&update);
+        self.updates.put(writer, last_update_id_bytes, &blob)?;
 
-        unimplemented!()
+        Ok(last_update_id)
     }
 
     pub fn pop_back(
@@ -25,6 +55,18 @@ impl Updates {
         writer: &mut rkv::Writer,
     ) -> Result<Option<(u64, Update)>, rkv::StoreError>
     {
-        unimplemented!()
+        let (last_id, last_data) = match self.last_update_id(writer)? {
+            Some(entry) => entry,
+            None => return Ok(None),
+        };
+
+        match last_data {
+            Some(Value::Blob(bytes)) => {
+                let update = rmp_serde::from_read_ref(&bytes).unwrap();
+                Ok(Some((last_id, update)))
+            },
+            Some(value) => panic!("invalid type {:?}", value),
+            None => Ok(None),
+        }
     }
 }