diff --git a/src/libeis-private.h b/src/libeis-private.h
index 7f68547..19d06ff 100644
--- a/src/libeis-private.h
+++ b/src/libeis-private.h
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@
 #include "util-list.h"
 #include "util-sources.h"
 
-struct eis_backend {
-	void (*destroy)(struct eis *eis);
+struct eis_backend_interface {
+	void (*destroy)(struct eis *eis, void *backend);
 };
 
 struct eis {
@@ -40,7 +40,8 @@ struct eis {
 	struct sink *sink;
 	struct list clients;
 
-	struct eis_backend backend;
+	struct eis_backend_interface backend_interface;
+	void *backend;
 	struct list event_queue;
 };
 
diff --git a/src/libeis-socket.c b/src/libeis-socket.c
index 68ab7c8..6186077 100644
--- a/src/libeis-socket.c
+++ b/src/libeis-socket.c
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
 #include "libeis-private.h"
 
 struct eis_socket {
-	struct eis base;
+	struct object object;
 	struct source *listener;
 	char *socketpath;
 };
@@ -45,60 +45,62 @@ struct eis_socket {
 static inline struct eis_socket *
 eis_socket(struct eis *eis)
 {
-	return container_of(eis, struct eis_socket, base);
+	return eis->backend;
 }
 
-static void
-socket_destroy(struct eis *eis)
+static inline void
+eis_socket_destroy(struct eis_socket *socket)
 {
-	struct eis_socket *socket = eis_socket(eis);
-
+	socket->listener = source_unref(socket->listener);
 	if (socket->socketpath) {
 		unlink(socket->socketpath);
 		free(socket->socketpath);
 	}
 }
 
-const struct eis_backend backend = {
-	.destroy = socket_destroy,
-};
+OBJECT_IMPLEMENT_CREATE(eis_socket);
+static
+OBJECT_IMPLEMENT_UNREF(eis_socket);
 
-_public_ struct eis *
-eis_socket_new_context(void *userdata)
+static
+OBJECT_IMPLEMENT_PARENT(eis_socket, eis);
+
+static void
+interface_socket_destroy(struct eis *eis, void *backend)
 {
-	struct eis_socket *ctx = xalloc(sizeof *ctx);
+	struct eis_socket *socket = backend;
+	eis_socket_unref(socket);
 
-	eis_init_object(&ctx->base, NULL);
-
-	ctx->base.userdata = userdata;
-	ctx->base.backend = backend;
-
-	return &ctx->base;
 }
 
+const struct eis_backend_interface interface = {
+	.destroy = interface_socket_destroy,
+};
+
 static void
 listener_dispatch(struct source *source, void *data)
 {
 	struct eis_socket *socket = data;
+	struct eis *eis = eis_socket_parent(socket);
 
-	log_debug(&socket->base, "New client connection waiting\n");
+	log_debug(eis, "New client connection waiting\n");
 	int fd = accept4(source_get_fd(source), NULL, NULL, SOCK_NONBLOCK|SOCK_CLOEXEC);
 	if (fd == -1)
 		return;
 
-	eis_client_new(&socket->base, fd);
+	eis_client_new(eis, fd);
 }
 
 _public_ int
 eis_socket_init(struct eis *eis, const char *socketpath)
 {
 	assert(eis);
+	assert(!eis->backend);
 	assert(socketpath);
 	assert(socketpath[0] != '\0');
 
-	int rc = eis_init(eis);
-	if (rc)
-		return -rc;
+	_cleanup_(eis_socket_cleanup) struct eis_socket *eis_socket =
+		eis_socket_create(&eis->object);
 
 	_cleanup_free_ char *path;
 	if (socketpath[0] == '/') {
@@ -127,9 +129,10 @@ eis_socket_init(struct eis *eis, const char *socketpath)
 	if (listen(sockfd, 2) == -1)
 		return -errno;
 
-	struct eis_socket *socket = eis_socket(eis);
-	source_add_autoclose(eis->sink, sockfd, listener_dispatch, socket);
-	socket->socketpath = steal(&path);
+	source_add_autoclose(eis->sink, sockfd, listener_dispatch, eis_socket);
+	eis_socket->socketpath = steal(&path);
+	eis->backend = steal(&eis_socket);
+	eis->backend_interface = interface;
 
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/src/libeis.c b/src/libeis.c
index e79b4a6..d5c0c55 100644
--- a/src/libeis.c
+++ b/src/libeis.c
@@ -145,12 +145,12 @@ static void
 eis_destroy(struct eis *eis)
 {
 	eis->logger = logger_unref(eis->logger);
-	if (eis->backend.destroy)
-		eis->backend.destroy(eis);
+	if (eis->backend_interface.destroy)
+		eis->backend_interface.destroy(eis, eis->backend);
 	sink_unref(eis->sink);
 }
 
-OBJECT_IMPLEMENT_INIT(eis);
+OBJECT_IMPLEMENT_CREATE(eis);
 _public_
 OBJECT_IMPLEMENT_REF(eis);
 _public_
@@ -160,9 +160,11 @@ _public_
 OBJECT_IMPLEMENT_SETTER(eis, userdata, void *);
 OBJECT_IMPLEMENT_GETTER(eis, userdata, void *);
 
-int
-eis_init(struct eis *eis)
+_public_ struct eis *
+eis_new(void *user_data)
 {
+	_cleanup_eis_ struct eis *eis = eis_create(NULL);
+
 	list_init(&eis->clients);
 	list_init(&eis->event_queue);
 
@@ -170,9 +172,9 @@ eis_init(struct eis *eis)
 	logger_set_priority(eis->logger, LOGGER_DEBUG);
 	eis->sink = sink_new();
 	if (!eis->sink)
-		return -EMFILE;
+		return NULL;
 
-	return 0;
+	return steal(&eis);
 }
 
 _public_ int
diff --git a/src/libeis.h b/src/libeis.h
index 973a621..7635048 100644
--- a/src/libeis.h
+++ b/src/libeis.h
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ enum eis_event_type {
  * Create a new libeis context with a refcount of 1.
  */
 struct eis *
-eis_new(void *userdata);
+eis_new(void *user_data);
 
 struct eis *
 eis_ref(struct eis *eis);
@@ -136,10 +136,6 @@ eis_portal_init(struct eis *ctx);
 int
 eis_dbus_init(struct eis *ctx);
 
-
-struct eis *
-eis_socket_new_context(void *userdata);
-
 /**
  * Initialize the context with a UNIX socket name.
  * If the path does not start with / it is relative to $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR.
diff --git a/tools/eis-socket-server.c b/tools/eis-socket-server.c
index 9c2785b..ab365a4 100644
--- a/tools/eis-socket-server.c
+++ b/tools/eis-socket-server.c
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ static void sighandler(int signal) {
 
 int main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
-	struct eis *eis = eis_socket_new_context(NULL);
+	struct eis *eis = eis_new(NULL);
 	assert(eis);
 
 	_cleanup_free_ char *socketpath = NULL;