diff --git a/api.py b/api.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ccd63e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api.py
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+import re
+
+from packaging import version
+
+
+class EjabberdApi:
+    """
+    class to interact with the ejabberd rest/ xmlrpc api
+    """
+    def __init__(self, url, login=None, api: str = "rpc"):
+        # api variables
+        self._login = login
+        self._url = url
+
+        if api == "rpc":
+            self.cmd = self._rpc
+        else:
+            import requests
+
+            self.session = requests.Session()
+            self.cmd = self._rest
+
+    @property
+    def _auth(self) -> (str, None):
+        if self._login is not None:
+            return f"{self._login['user']}@{self._login['server']}", self._login['password']
+        return None
+
+    @property
+    def verstring(self):
+        if self._login is not None:
+            ver_str = re.compile('([1-9][0-9.]*)')
+            status = self.cmd('status', {})
+
+            # matches
+            tmp = ver_str.findall(status)[0]
+
+            # return parsed version string
+            return version.parse(tmp)
+
+        return None
+
+    def _rest(self, command: str, data) -> dict:
+        # add authentication header to the session obj
+        if self.session.auth is None:
+            self.session.auth = self._auth
+
+        # post
+        r = self.session.post('/'.join([self._url, command]), json=data)
+
+        # proceed if response is ok
+        if r.ok:
+            return r.json()
+
+        return {}
+
+    def _rpc(self, command: str, data):
+        from xmlrpc import client
+
+        with client.ServerProxy(self._url) as server:
+            fn = getattr(server, command)
+            try:
+                if self._login is not None:
+                    return fn(self._login, data)
+                return fn(data)
+
+            except:
+                # this needs to be more specific
+                return {}
diff --git a/influx.py b/influx.py
index 59728ac..d0569d4 100644
--- a/influx.py
+++ b/influx.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import time
 from influxdb import InfluxDBClient
 
 from config import Config
-from ejabberdrpc import EjabberdMetrics
+from metrics import EjabberdMetrics
 
 
 class Influx:
diff --git a/ejabberdrpc.py b/metrics.py
old mode 100755
new mode 100644
similarity index 86%
rename from ejabberdrpc.py
rename to metrics.py
index 6a34cd0..abc57db
--- a/ejabberdrpc.py
+++ b/metrics.py
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 import ipaddress
-import re
 
-from packaging import version
+from api import EjabberdApi
 
 # rfc6052: IPv6 Addressing of IPv4/IPv6 Translators
 nat64 = ipaddress.ip_network("64:ff9b::/96")
@@ -14,63 +13,13 @@ class EjabberdMetrics:
     class to fetch metrics per xmlrpc
     """
     def __init__(self, url, login=None, api="rpc", muc_host: str = 'conference'):
-        self._login = login
+        # init ejabberd api
+        self.api = EjabberdApi(url, login, api)
+        self._cmd = self.api.cmd
+
+        # variables
+        self._verstring = self.api.verstring
         self.muc_host = muc_host
-        if api == "rpc":
-            self.url = url
-            self._cmd = self._rpc
-        else:
-            import requests
-
-            self._url = url
-            self.session = requests.Session()
-            self._cmd = self._rest
-
-    @property
-    def _auth(self):
-        if self._login is not None:
-            return f"{self._login['user']}@{self._login['server']}", self._login['password']
-        return None
-
-    @property
-    def _verstring(self):
-        if self._login is not None:
-            ver_str = re.compile('([1-9][0-9.-]*)')
-            status = self._cmd('status', {})
-
-            # matches
-            tmp = ver_str.findall(status)[0]
-
-            # return parsed version string
-            return version.parse(tmp)
-
-        return None
-
-    def _rest(self, command: str, data) -> dict:
-        # add authentication header to the session obj
-        if self.session.auth is None:
-            self.session.auth = self._auth
-
-        # post
-        r = self.session.post('/'.join([self._url, command]), json=data)
-
-        # proceed if response is ok
-        if r.ok:
-            return r.json()
-
-        return {}
-
-    def _rpc(self, command: str, data):
-        from xmlrpc import client
-
-        with client.ServerProxy(self.url) as server:
-            fn = getattr(server, command)
-            try:
-                if self._login is not None:
-                    return fn(self._login, data)
-                return fn(data)
-            except:
-                return {}
 
     def _client(self, resource):
         clientmap = {
diff --git a/prometheus.py b/prometheus.py
old mode 100755
new mode 100644
index 4aab1b3..4441c87
--- a/prometheus.py
+++ b/prometheus.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, HTTPServer
 from socketserver import ThreadingMixIn
 
 from config import Config
-from ejabberdrpc import EjabberdMetrics
+from metrics import EjabberdMetrics
 
 
 class _ThreadingSimpleServer(ThreadingMixIn, HTTPServer):