diff --git a/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/GeoServerRESTManager.java b/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/GeoServerRESTManager.java
index 1d4fc32..9e3d191 100644
--- a/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/GeoServerRESTManager.java
+++ b/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/GeoServerRESTManager.java
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ package it.geosolutions.geoserver.rest;
 import it.geosolutions.geoserver.rest.manager.GeoServerRESTAbstractManager;
 import it.geosolutions.geoserver.rest.manager.GeoServerRESTDatastoreManager;
 
+import java.net.MalformedURLException;
 import java.net.URL;
 
 /**
@@ -39,6 +40,7 @@ import java.net.URL;
  * <li>get<i>Foo</i>Manager, full-fledged management of catalog objects.
  * </ul>
  * @author Oscar Fonts
+ * @author Carlo Cancellieri - carlo.cancellieri@geo-solutions.it
  */
 public class GeoServerRESTManager extends GeoServerRESTAbstractManager {
 	
@@ -55,8 +57,10 @@ public class GeoServerRESTManager extends GeoServerRESTAbstractManager {
 	 * @param restURL  GeoServer REST API endpoint
 	 * @param username GeoServer REST API authorized username
 	 * @param password GeoServer REST API password for the former username
+	 * @throws MalformedURLException {@link GeoServerRESTAbstractManager#GeoServerRESTAbstractManager(URL, String, String)}
+	 * @throws IllegalArgumentException {@link GeoServerRESTAbstractManager#GeoServerRESTAbstractManager(URL, String, String)}
 	 */
-	public GeoServerRESTManager(URL restURL, String username, String password) {
+	public GeoServerRESTManager(URL restURL, String username, String password) throws IllegalArgumentException, MalformedURLException {
 		super(restURL, username, password);
 		
 		// Internal publisher and reader, provide simple access methods.
diff --git a/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/HTTPUtils.java b/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/HTTPUtils.java
index db91b89..a08da22 100644
--- a/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/HTTPUtils.java
+++ b/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/HTTPUtils.java
@@ -455,16 +455,50 @@ public class HTTPUtils {
     }
 
     /**
-     * recursively remove ending slashes
-     * 
      * @param geoserverURL
-     * @return
+     * @return recursively remove ending slashes 
      */
     public static String decurtSlash(String geoserverURL) {
-        if (geoserverURL.endsWith("/")) {
+        if (geoserverURL!=null && geoserverURL.endsWith("/")) {
             geoserverURL = decurtSlash(geoserverURL.substring(0, geoserverURL.length() - 1));
         }
         return geoserverURL;
     }
+    
+    /**
+     * @param str a string array
+     * @return create a StringBuffer appending all the passed arguments
+     */
+    public static StringBuffer append(String ... str){
+        if (str==null){
+            return null;
+        }
+        
+        StringBuffer buf=new StringBuffer();
+        for (String s: str){
+            if (s!=null)
+                buf.append(s);
+        }
+        return buf;
+    }
+    
+    /**
+     * Wrapper for {@link #append(String...)}
+     * @param base base URL
+     * @param str strings to append
+     * @return the base URL with parameters attached
+     */
+    public static StringBuffer append(URL base, String ... str){
+        if (str==null){
+            return append(base.toString());
+        }
+        
+        StringBuffer buf=new StringBuffer(base.toString());
+        for (String s: str){
+            if (s!=null)
+                buf.append(s);
+        }
+        return buf;
+    }
 
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/manager/GeoServerRESTAbstractManager.java b/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/manager/GeoServerRESTAbstractManager.java
index 6fc3464..dffa489 100644
--- a/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/manager/GeoServerRESTAbstractManager.java
+++ b/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/manager/GeoServerRESTAbstractManager.java
@@ -24,32 +24,43 @@
  */
 package it.geosolutions.geoserver.rest.manager;
 
+import it.geosolutions.geoserver.rest.HTTPUtils;
+
+import java.net.MalformedURLException;
 import java.net.URL;
 
 /**
- * Abstract manager, common functionality and interface
- * for all GeoServerREST<i>Foo</i>Manager classes.
+ * Abstract manager, common functionality and interface for all
+ * GeoServerREST<i>Foo</i>Manager classes.
  * 
  * @author Oscar Fonts
+ * @author Carlo Cancellieri - carlo.cancellieri@geo-solutions.it
  */
 public abstract class GeoServerRESTAbstractManager {
-	
-	protected final URL restURL;
-	protected final String gsuser;
-	protected final String gspass;
-	
-	/**
-	 * Default constructor.
-	 * 
-	 * Indicates connection parameters to remote GeoServer instance.
-	 * 
-	 * @param restURL  GeoServer REST API endpoint
-	 * @param username GeoServer REST API authorized username
-	 * @param password GeoServer REST API password for the former username
-	 */
-	public GeoServerRESTAbstractManager(URL restURL, String username, String password) {		
-		this.restURL = restURL;
-		this.gsuser = username;
-		this.gspass = password;
-	}
+
+    protected final URL restURL;
+    protected final String gsuser;
+    protected final String gspass;
+
+    /**
+     * Default constructor.
+     * 
+     * Indicates connection parameters to remote GeoServer instance.
+     * 
+     * @param restURL GeoServer REST API endpoint
+     * @param username GeoServer REST API authorized username
+     * @param password GeoServer REST API password for the former username
+     * @throws MalformedURLException if restURL is malformed
+     */
+    public GeoServerRESTAbstractManager(URL restURL, String username, String password)
+        throws IllegalArgumentException, MalformedURLException {
+        if (restURL == null || username == null || password == null)
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Unable to create the manager using a null argument");
+
+        this.restURL = new URL(restURL.getProtocol(), restURL.getHost(), restURL.getPort(),
+                               HTTPUtils.decurtSlash(restURL.getPath()), null);
+        
+        this.gsuser = username;
+        this.gspass = password;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/manager/GeoServerRESTDatastoreManager.java b/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/manager/GeoServerRESTDatastoreManager.java
index 36572be..06390f8 100644
--- a/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/manager/GeoServerRESTDatastoreManager.java
+++ b/src/main/java/it/geosolutions/geoserver/rest/manager/GeoServerRESTDatastoreManager.java
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ package it.geosolutions.geoserver.rest.manager;
 import it.geosolutions.geoserver.rest.HTTPUtils;
 import it.geosolutions.geoserver.rest.encoder.datastore.GSAbstractDatastoreEncoder;
 
+import java.net.MalformedURLException;
 import java.net.URL;
 
 /**
@@ -36,57 +37,57 @@ import java.net.URL;
  * {@link GSAbstractDatastoreEncoder}.
  * 
  * @author Oscar Fonts
+ * @author Carlo Cancellieri - carlo.cancellieri@geo-solutions.it
  */
 public class GeoServerRESTDatastoreManager extends GeoServerRESTAbstractManager {
 
-	/**
-	 * Default constructor.
-	 * 
-	 * @param restURL  GeoServer REST API endpoint
-	 * @param username GeoServer REST API authorized username
-	 * @param password GeoServer REST API password for the former username
-	 */
-	public GeoServerRESTDatastoreManager(URL restURL, String username, String password) {
-		super(restURL, username, password);
-	}
-	
-	/**
-	 * Create a datastore.
-	 * 
-	 * @param workspace
-	 *            Name of the workspace to contain the datastore. This will also
-	 *            be the prefix of any layer names contained in the datastore.
-	 * @param datastore
-	 *            the set of parameters to be set to the datastore (including
-	 *            connection parameters).
-	 * @return <TT>true</TT> if the datastore has been successfully
-	 *         created, <TT>false</TT> otherwise
-	 */
+    /**
+     * Default constructor.
+     * 
+     * @param restURL GeoServer REST API endpoint
+     * @param username GeoServer REST API authorized username
+     * @param password GeoServer REST API password for the former username
+     * @throws MalformedURLException
+     * @throws IllegalArgumentException
+     */
+    public GeoServerRESTDatastoreManager(URL restURL, String username, String password)
+        throws IllegalArgumentException, MalformedURLException {
+        super(restURL, username, password);
+    }
 
-	public boolean create(String workspace, GSAbstractDatastoreEncoder datastore) {
-		String sUrl = restURL + "/rest/workspaces/" + workspace
-				+ "/datastores/";
-		String xml = datastore.toString();
-		String result = HTTPUtils.postXml(sUrl, xml, gsuser, gspass);
-		return result != null;
-	}
+    /**
+     * Create a datastore.
+     * 
+     * @param workspace Name of the workspace to contain the datastore. This
+     *            will also be the prefix of any layer names contained in the
+     *            datastore.
+     * @param datastore the set of parameters to be set to the datastore
+     *            (including connection parameters).
+     * @return <TT>true</TT> if the datastore has been successfully created,
+     *         <TT>false</TT> otherwise
+     */
 
-	/**
-	 * Update a datastore.
-	 * 
-	 * @param workspace
-	 *            Name of the workspace that contains the datastore.
-	 * @param datastore
-	 *            the set of parameters to be set to the datastore (including
-	 *            connection parameters).
-	 * @return <TT>true</TT> if the datastore has been successfully
-	 *         updated, <TT>false</TT> otherwise
-	 */
-	public boolean update(String workspace, GSAbstractDatastoreEncoder datastore) {
-		String sUrl = restURL + "/rest/workspaces/" + workspace
-				+ "/datastores/" + datastore.getName();
-		String xml = datastore.toString();
-		String result = HTTPUtils.putXml(sUrl, xml, gsuser, gspass);
-		return result != null;
-	}
+    public boolean create(String workspace, GSAbstractDatastoreEncoder datastore) {
+        String sUrl = HTTPUtils.append(restURL, "/rest/workspaces/", workspace, "/datastores/").toString();
+        String xml = datastore.toString();
+        String result = HTTPUtils.postXml(sUrl, xml, gsuser, gspass);
+        return result != null;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Update a datastore.
+     * 
+     * @param workspace Name of the workspace that contains the datastore.
+     * @param datastore the set of parameters to be set to the datastore
+     *            (including connection parameters).
+     * @return <TT>true</TT> if the datastore has been successfully updated,
+     *         <TT>false</TT> otherwise
+     */
+    public boolean update(String workspace, GSAbstractDatastoreEncoder datastore) {
+        String sUrl = HTTPUtils.append(restURL, "/rest/workspaces/", workspace, "/datastores/",
+                                       datastore.getName()).toString();
+        String xml = datastore.toString();
+        String result = HTTPUtils.putXml(sUrl, xml, gsuser, gspass);
+        return result != null;
+    }
 }