diff --git a/api/api.py b/api/api.py
index 2ec4764b61f7e9c4606010a27d2758826484a822..a66cc36e912498cdd5dc09faa145562a39d22f79 100644
--- a/api/api.py
+++ b/api/api.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ from . import base
 from .jobs.jobs import Job
 from .jobs.handlers import JobsHandler, JobHandler
 from .dao.containerutil import FileReference, ContainerReference
+from . import encoder
 from . import root
 from . import util
 from . import config
@@ -106,7 +107,7 @@ class Config(base.RequestHandler):
 
         self.response.write(
             'config = ' +
-            json.dumps( self.get(), sort_keys=True, indent=4, separators=(',', ': '), default=util.custom_json_serializer,) +
+            json.dumps( self.get(), sort_keys=True, indent=4, separators=(',', ': '), default=encoder.custom_json_serializer,) +
             ';'
         )
 
@@ -261,20 +262,11 @@ routes = [
 ]
 
 
-def custom_json_serializer(obj):
-    if isinstance(obj, bson.objectid.ObjectId):
-        return str(obj)
-    elif isinstance(obj, datetime.datetime):
-        return pytz.timezone('UTC').localize(obj).isoformat()
-    elif isinstance(obj, Job):
-        return obj.map()
-    raise TypeError(repr(obj) + " is not JSON serializable")
-
 def dispatcher(router, request, response):
     try:
         rv = router.default_dispatcher(request, response)
         if rv is not None:
-            response.write(json.dumps(rv, default=custom_json_serializer))
+            response.write(json.dumps(rv, default=encoder.custom_json_serializer))
             response.headers['Content-Type'] = 'application/json; charset=utf-8'
     except webapp2.exc.HTTPException as e:
         util.send_json_http_exception(response, str(e), e.code)
diff --git a/api/encoder.py b/api/encoder.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e81cc46a332fb48490b597f721afb2bc8d0d8f87
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/encoder.py
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+import bson.objectid
+import datetime
+import json
+import pytz
+
+from .jobs.jobs import Job
+
+def custom_json_serializer(obj):
+    if isinstance(obj, bson.objectid.ObjectId):
+        return str(obj)
+    elif isinstance(obj, datetime.datetime):
+        return pytz.timezone('UTC').localize(obj).isoformat()
+    elif isinstance(obj, Job):
+        return obj.map()
+    raise TypeError(repr(obj) + " is not JSON serializable")
+
+
+def sse_pack(d):
+    """
+    Format a map with Server-Sent-Event-meaningful keys into a string for transport.
+
+    Happily borrowed from:      http://taoofmac.com/space/blog/2014/11/16/1940
+    For reading on web usage:   http://www.html5rocks.com/en/tutorials/eventsource/basics
+    For reading on the format:  https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Server-sent_events/Using_server-sent_events#Event_stream_format
+    """
+
+    buffer = ''
+
+    for k in ['retry', 'id', 'event', 'data']:
+        if k in d.keys():
+            buffer += '%s: %s\n' % (k, d[k])
+
+    return buffer + '\n'
+
+def json_sse_pack(d):
+    """
+    Variant of sse_pack that will json-encode your data blob.
+    """
+
+    d['data'] = json.dumps(d['data'], default=custom_json_serializer)
+
+    return sse_pack(d)
diff --git a/api/placer.py b/api/placer.py
index a6884084355b5ac4787a954443b6325ae3349643..25e7dc0de077fb285351430f4b07987f42776444 100644
--- a/api/placer.py
+++ b/api/placer.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import zipfile
 
 from . import base
 from . import config
+from . import encoder
 from . import files
 from .jobs import rules
 from . import tempdir as tempfile
@@ -355,7 +356,7 @@ class PackfilePlacer(Placer):
 
             # Report progress
             complete += 1
-            yield util.json_sse_pack({
+            yield encoder.json_sse_pack({
                 'event': 'progress',
                 'data': { 'done': complete, 'total': max, 'percent': (complete / float(max)) * 100 },
             })
@@ -470,7 +471,7 @@ class PackfilePlacer(Placer):
         }
 
         # Report result
-        yield util.json_sse_pack({
+        yield encoder.json_sse_pack({
             'event': 'result',
             'data': result,
         })
diff --git a/api/util.py b/api/util.py
index d01ed013f269dafcc1278219b8216321335fa00b..f1a9b5df291e7bd273b077766b4f17735cf3f994 100644
--- a/api/util.py
+++ b/api/util.py
@@ -198,29 +198,3 @@ def mkdir_p(path):
             pass
         else:
             raise
-
-def sse_pack(d):
-    """
-    Format a map with Server-Sent-Event-meaningful keys into a string for transport.
-
-    Happily borrowed from:      http://taoofmac.com/space/blog/2014/11/16/1940
-    For reading on web usage:   http://www.html5rocks.com/en/tutorials/eventsource/basics
-    For reading on the format:  https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Server-sent_events/Using_server-sent_events#Event_stream_format
-    """
-
-    buffer = ''
-
-    for k in ['retry', 'id', 'event', 'data']:
-        if k in d.keys():
-            buffer += '%s: %s\n' % (k, d[k])
-
-    return buffer + '\n'
-
-def json_sse_pack(d):
-    """
-    Variant of sse_pack that will json-encode your data blob.
-    """
-
-    d['data'] = json.dumps(d['data'], default=custom_json_serializer)
-
-    return sse_pack(d)