diff --git a/include/proto/proto_http.h b/include/proto/proto_http.h
index d5a7306..50d5957 100644
--- a/include/proto/proto_http.h
+++ b/include/proto/proto_http.h
@@ -91,6 +91,10 @@
                               struct buffer *buf, struct http_msg *msg,
 			      struct proxy *other_end);
 
+void http_init_txn(struct session *s);
+void http_end_txn(struct session *s);
+void http_reset_txn(struct session *s);
+
 /* to be used when contents change in an HTTP message */
 #define http_msg_move_end(msg, bytes) do { \
 		unsigned int _bytes = (bytes);	\
diff --git a/src/client.c b/src/client.c
index 492cae7..866fc87 100644
--- a/src/client.c
+++ b/src/client.c
@@ -259,7 +259,6 @@
 		proxy_inc_fe_ctr(l, p);	/* note: cum_beconn will be increased once assigned */
 
 		txn = &s->txn;
-		txn->flags = 0;
 		/* Those variables will be checked and freed if non-NULL in
 		 * session.c:session_free(). It is important that they are
 		 * properly initialized.
@@ -272,36 +271,15 @@
 		txn->hdr_idx.v = NULL;
 		txn->hdr_idx.size = txn->hdr_idx.used = 0;
 
-		/* we always initialize the HTTP structure because we may use it later */
-		txn->status = -1;
-		txn->req.hdr_content_len = 0LL;
-		txn->rsp.hdr_content_len = 0LL;
-		txn->req.msg_state = HTTP_MSG_RQBEFORE; /* at the very beginning of the request */
-		txn->rsp.msg_state = HTTP_MSG_RPBEFORE; /* at the very beginning of the response */
-		txn->req.sol = txn->req.eol = NULL;
-		txn->req.som = txn->req.eoh = 0; /* relative to the buffer */
-		txn->rsp.sol = txn->rsp.eol = NULL;
-		txn->rsp.som = txn->rsp.eoh = 0; /* relative to the buffer */
-		txn->req.err_pos = txn->rsp.err_pos = -2; /* block buggy requests/responses */
-		chunk_reset(&txn->auth_hdr);
-		if (p->options2 & PR_O2_REQBUG_OK)
-			txn->req.err_pos = -1; /* let buggy requests pass */
-
 		if (p->mode == PR_MODE_HTTP) {
 			/* the captures are only used in HTTP frontends */
-			if (p->nb_req_cap > 0) {
-				if ((txn->req.cap = pool_alloc2(p->req_cap_pool)) == NULL)
+			if (p->nb_req_cap > 0 &&
+			    (txn->req.cap = pool_alloc2(p->req_cap_pool)) == NULL)
 					goto out_fail_reqcap;	/* no memory */
 
-				memset(txn->req.cap, 0, p->nb_req_cap*sizeof(char *));
-			}
-
-			if (p->nb_rsp_cap > 0) {
-				if ((txn->rsp.cap = pool_alloc2(p->rsp_cap_pool)) == NULL)
+			if (p->nb_rsp_cap > 0 &&
+			    (txn->rsp.cap = pool_alloc2(p->rsp_cap_pool)) == NULL)
 					goto out_fail_rspcap;	/* no memory */
-
-				memset(txn->rsp.cap, 0, p->nb_rsp_cap*sizeof(char *));
-			}
 		}
 
 		if (p->acl_requires & ACL_USE_L7_ANY) {
@@ -313,10 +291,11 @@
 
 			if ((txn->hdr_idx.v = pool_alloc2(p->hdr_idx_pool)) == NULL)
 				goto out_fail_idx; /* no memory */
-
-			hdr_idx_init(&txn->hdr_idx);
 		}
 
+		if (p->mode == PR_MODE_HTTP)
+			http_init_txn(s);
+
 		if ((p->mode == PR_MODE_TCP || p->mode == PR_MODE_HTTP)
 		    && (p->logfac1 >= 0 || p->logfac2 >= 0)) {
 			if (p->to_log) {
diff --git a/src/proto_http.c b/src/proto_http.c
index f61bfe6..c5bfc45 100644
--- a/src/proto_http.c
+++ b/src/proto_http.c
@@ -5018,6 +5018,87 @@
 	write(1, trash, len);
 }
 
+/*
+ * Initialize a new HTTP transaction for session <s>. It is assumed that all
+ * the required fields are properly allocated and that we only need to (re)init
+ * them. This should be used before processing any new request.
+ */
+void http_init_txn(struct session *s)
+{
+	struct http_txn *txn = &s->txn;
+	struct proxy *fe = s->fe;
+
+	txn->flags = 0;
+	txn->status = -1;
+
+	txn->req.sol = txn->req.eol = NULL;
+	txn->req.som = txn->req.eoh = 0; /* relative to the buffer */
+	txn->rsp.sol = txn->rsp.eol = NULL;
+	txn->rsp.som = txn->rsp.eoh = 0; /* relative to the buffer */
+	txn->req.hdr_content_len = 0LL;
+	txn->rsp.hdr_content_len = 0LL;
+	txn->req.msg_state = HTTP_MSG_RQBEFORE; /* at the very beginning of the request */
+	txn->rsp.msg_state = HTTP_MSG_RPBEFORE; /* at the very beginning of the response */
+	chunk_reset(&txn->auth_hdr);
+
+	txn->req.err_pos = txn->rsp.err_pos = -2; /* block buggy requests/responses */
+	if (fe->options2 & PR_O2_REQBUG_OK)
+		txn->req.err_pos = -1;            /* let buggy requests pass */
+
+	if (txn->req.cap)
+		memset(txn->req.cap, 0, fe->nb_req_cap * sizeof(void *));
+
+	if (txn->rsp.cap)
+		memset(txn->rsp.cap, 0, fe->nb_rsp_cap * sizeof(void *));
+
+	if (txn->hdr_idx.v)
+		hdr_idx_init(&txn->hdr_idx);
+}
+
+/* to be used at the end of a transaction */
+void http_end_txn(struct session *s)
+{
+	struct http_txn *txn = &s->txn;
+
+	/* these ones will have been dynamically allocated */
+	pool_free2(pool2_requri, txn->uri);
+	pool_free2(pool2_capture, txn->cli_cookie);
+	pool_free2(pool2_capture, txn->srv_cookie);
+	txn->uri = NULL;
+	txn->srv_cookie = NULL;
+	txn->cli_cookie = NULL;
+}
+
+/* to be used at the end of a transaction to prepare a new one */
+void http_reset_txn(struct session *s)
+{
+	http_end_txn(s);
+	http_init_txn(s);
+
+	s->be = s->fe;
+	s->req->analysers = s->listener->analysers;
+	s->logs.logwait = s->fe->to_log;
+	s->srv = s->prev_srv = s->srv_conn = NULL;
+	s->pend_pos = NULL;
+	s->conn_retries = s->be->conn_retries;
+
+	s->req->flags |= BF_READ_DONTWAIT; /* one read is usually enough */
+
+	s->req->rto = s->fe->timeout.client;
+	s->req->wto = s->be->timeout.server;
+	s->req->cto = s->be->timeout.connect;
+
+	s->rep->rto = s->be->timeout.server;
+	s->rep->wto = s->fe->timeout.client;
+	s->rep->cto = TICK_ETERNITY;
+
+	s->req->rex = TICK_ETERNITY;
+	s->req->wex = TICK_ETERNITY;
+	s->req->analyse_exp = TICK_ETERNITY;
+	s->rep->rex = TICK_ETERNITY;
+	s->rep->wex = TICK_ETERNITY;
+	s->rep->analyse_exp = TICK_ETERNITY;
+}
 
 /************************************************************************/
 /*        The code below is dedicated to ACL parsing and matching       */
diff --git a/src/session.c b/src/session.c
index b86526a..d310a48 100644
--- a/src/session.c
+++ b/src/session.c
@@ -97,9 +97,8 @@
 			pool_free2(fe->req_cap_pool, txn->req.cap);
 		}
 	}
-	pool_free2(pool2_requri, txn->uri);
-	pool_free2(pool2_capture, txn->cli_cookie);
-	pool_free2(pool2_capture, txn->srv_cookie);
+
+	http_end_txn(s);
 
 	list_for_each_entry_safe(bref, back, &s->back_refs, users) {
 		/* we have to unlink all watchers. We must not relink them if