diff --git a/src/backend.c b/src/backend.c
index 7463391..bff2917 100644
--- a/src/backend.c
+++ b/src/backend.c
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 #define BACKEND_LIBRARY_PARAM "load"
 
 f2b_backend_t *
-f2b_backend_create(f2b_config_section_t *config) {
+f2b_backend_create(f2b_config_section_t *config, const char *id) {
   f2b_config_param_t *param = NULL;
   f2b_backend_t *backend = NULL;
   int flags = RTLD_NOW | RTLD_LOCAL;
@@ -21,39 +21,54 @@ f2b_backend_create(f2b_config_section_t *config) {
 
   if ((backend->h = dlopen(param->value, flags)) == NULL)
      goto cleanup;
-  if ((*(void **) (&backend->init)   = dlsym(backend->h, "init"))   == NULL)
+  if ((*(void **) (&backend->create)  = dlsym(backend->h, "create"))  == NULL)
     goto cleanup;
-  if ((*(void **) (&backend->ready)  = dlsym(backend->h, "ready"))  == NULL)
+  if ((*(void **) (&backend->config)  = dlsym(backend->h, "config"))  == NULL)
     goto cleanup;
-  if ((*(void **) (&backend->ban)    = dlsym(backend->h, "ban"))    == NULL)
+  if ((*(void **) (&backend->ready)   = dlsym(backend->h, "ready"))   == NULL)
     goto cleanup;
-  if ((*(void **) (&backend->unban)  = dlsym(backend->h, "unban"))  == NULL)
+  if ((*(void **) (&backend->start)   = dlsym(backend->h, "start"))   == NULL)
     goto cleanup;
-  if ((*(void **) (&backend->exists) = dlsym(backend->h, "exists")) == NULL)
+  if ((*(void **) (&backend->stop)    = dlsym(backend->h, "stop"))    == NULL)
+    goto cleanup;
+  if ((*(void **) (&backend->ping)    = dlsym(backend->h, "ping"))    == NULL)
+    goto cleanup;
+  if ((*(void **) (&backend->ban)     = dlsym(backend->h, "ban"))     == NULL)
+    goto cleanup;
+  if ((*(void **) (&backend->unban)   = dlsym(backend->h, "unban"))   == NULL)
+    goto cleanup;
+  if ((*(void **) (&backend->exists)  = dlsym(backend->h, "exists"))  == NULL)
+    goto cleanup;
+  if ((*(void **) (&backend->destroy) = dlsym(backend->h, "destroy")) == NULL)
     goto cleanup;
 
-  if (backend->ready)
-    return backend;
+  if ((backend->cfg = backend->create(id)) == NULL) {
+    f2b_log_msg(log_error, "backend create config failed");
+    goto cleanup;
+  }
 
   /* try init */
   for (; param != NULL; param = param->next) {
     if (strcmp(param->name, BACKEND_LIBRARY_PARAM) == 0)
       continue;
-    if (!backend->init(param->name, param->value)) {
-      f2b_log_msg(log_warn, "param pair not accepted by backend '%s': %s=%s",
-        config->name, param->name, param->value);
-    }
+    if (backend->config(backend->cfg, param->name, param->value))
+      continue;
+    f2b_log_msg(log_warn, "param pair not accepted by backend '%s': %s=%s",
+      config->name, param->name, param->value);
   }
 
-  if (backend->ready)
+  if (backend->ready(backend->cfg))
     return backend;
 
   /* still not ready */
   f2b_log_msg(log_error, "backend '%s' not fully configured", config->name);
 
   cleanup:
-  if (backend->h)
+  if (backend->h) {
+    if (backend->cfg && backend->destroy)
+      backend->destroy(backend->cfg);
     dlclose(backend->h);
+  }
   free(backend);
   return NULL;
 }
@@ -61,6 +76,7 @@ f2b_backend_create(f2b_config_section_t *config) {
 void
 f2b_backend_destroy(f2b_backend_t *backend) {
   assert(backend != NULL);
+  backend->destroy(backend->cfg);
   dlclose(backend->h);
   free(backend);
 }
diff --git a/src/backend.h b/src/backend.h
index 3edbb11..a767072 100644
--- a/src/backend.h
+++ b/src/backend.h
@@ -6,14 +6,20 @@
 
 typedef struct f2b_backend_t {
   void *h;
-  bool (*init)  (const char *key, const char *value);
-  bool (*ready) (void);
-  bool (*ban)   (const char *ip);
-  bool (*unban) (const char *ip);
-  bool (*exists)(const char *ip);
+  void *cfg;
+  void *(*create)  (const char *id);
+  bool  (*config)  (void *cfg, const char *key, const char *value);
+  bool  (*ready)   (void *cfg);
+  bool  (*start)   (void *cfg);
+  bool  (*stop)    (void *cfg);
+  bool  (*ping)    (void *cfg);
+  bool  (*ban)     (void *cfg, const char *ip);
+  bool  (*unban)   (void *cfg, const char *ip);
+  bool  (*exists)  (void *cfg, const char *ip);
+  void  (*destroy) (void *cfg);
 } f2b_backend_t;
 
-f2b_backend_t * f2b_backend_create (f2b_config_section_t *config);
+f2b_backend_t * f2b_backend_create (f2b_config_section_t *config, const char *id);
 void            f2b_backend_destroy(f2b_backend_t *backend);
 
 #endif /* BACKEND_H_ */