diff --git a/backend/go/transcribe/transcript.go b/backend/go/transcribe/transcript.go
index 74833e4d..256be71f 100644
--- a/backend/go/transcribe/transcript.go
+++ b/backend/go/transcribe/transcript.go
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@ func audioToWav(src, dst string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func Transcript(model whisper.Model, audiopath, language string, threads uint) (schema.Result, error) {
-	res := schema.Result{}
+func Transcript(model whisper.Model, audiopath, language string, threads uint) (schema.TranscriptionResult, error) {
+	res := schema.TranscriptionResult{}
 
 	dir, err := os.MkdirTemp("", "whisper")
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/backend/go/transcribe/whisper.go b/backend/go/transcribe/whisper.go
index ac93be01..a9a62d24 100644
--- a/backend/go/transcribe/whisper.go
+++ b/backend/go/transcribe/whisper.go
@@ -21,6 +21,6 @@ func (sd *Whisper) Load(opts *pb.ModelOptions) error {
 	return err
 }
 
-func (sd *Whisper) AudioTranscription(opts *pb.TranscriptRequest) (schema.Result, error) {
+func (sd *Whisper) AudioTranscription(opts *pb.TranscriptRequest) (schema.TranscriptionResult, error) {
 	return Transcript(sd.whisper, opts.Dst, opts.Language, uint(opts.Threads))
 }
diff --git a/core/application.go b/core/application.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..54d3dedf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/application.go
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+package core
+
+import (
+	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/core/config"
+	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/core/services"
+	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/pkg/model"
+)
+
+// The purpose of this structure is to hold pointers to all initialized services, to make plumbing easy
+// Perhaps a proper DI system is worth it in the future, but for now keep things simple.
+type Application struct {
+
+	// Application-Level Config
+	ApplicationConfig *config.ApplicationConfig
+	// ApplicationState *ApplicationState
+
+	// Core Low-Level Services
+	BackendConfigLoader *config.BackendConfigLoader
+	ModelLoader         *model.ModelLoader
+
+	// Backend Services
+	// EmbeddingsBackendService      *backend.EmbeddingsBackendService
+	// ImageGenerationBackendService *backend.ImageGenerationBackendService
+	// LLMBackendService             *backend.LLMBackendService
+	// TranscriptionBackendService *backend.TranscriptionBackendService
+	// TextToSpeechBackendService  *backend.TextToSpeechBackendService
+
+	// LocalAI System Services
+	BackendMonitorService *services.BackendMonitorService
+	GalleryService        *services.GalleryService
+	ListModelsService     *services.ListModelsService
+	LocalAIMetricsService *services.LocalAIMetricsService
+	// OpenAIService         *services.OpenAIService
+}
+
+// TODO [NEXT PR?]: Break up ApplicationConfig.
+// Migrate over stuff that is not set via config at all - especially runtime stuff
+type ApplicationState struct {
+}
diff --git a/core/backend/transcript.go b/core/backend/transcript.go
index 4c3859df..e620bebd 100644
--- a/core/backend/transcript.go
+++ b/core/backend/transcript.go
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import (
 	model "github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/pkg/model"
 )
 
-func ModelTranscription(audio, language string, ml *model.ModelLoader, backendConfig config.BackendConfig, appConfig *config.ApplicationConfig) (*schema.Result, error) {
+func ModelTranscription(audio, language string, ml *model.ModelLoader, backendConfig config.BackendConfig, appConfig *config.ApplicationConfig) (*schema.TranscriptionResult, error) {
 
 	opts := modelOpts(backendConfig, appConfig, []model.Option{
 		model.WithBackendString(model.WhisperBackend),
diff --git a/core/config/backend_config.go b/core/config/backend_config.go
index 0d7d0cbf..cb1b7c2a 100644
--- a/core/config/backend_config.go
+++ b/core/config/backend_config.go
@@ -1,23 +1,12 @@
 package config
 
 import (
-	"errors"
-	"fmt"
-	"io/fs"
 	"os"
-	"path/filepath"
-	"sort"
-	"strings"
-	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/core/schema"
 	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/pkg/downloader"
 	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/pkg/functions"
 	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/pkg/utils"
-	"github.com/rs/zerolog/log"
-	"gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
-
-	"github.com/charmbracelet/glamour"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -140,7 +129,7 @@ type LLMConfig struct {
 	EnforceEager         bool    `yaml:"enforce_eager"`          // vLLM
 	SwapSpace            int     `yaml:"swap_space"`             // vLLM
 	MaxModelLen          int     `yaml:"max_model_len"`          // vLLM
-	TensorParallelSize   int     `yaml:"tensor_parallel_size"`          // vLLM
+	TensorParallelSize   int     `yaml:"tensor_parallel_size"`   // vLLM
 	MMProj               string  `yaml:"mmproj"`
 
 	RopeScaling string `yaml:"rope_scaling"`
@@ -343,303 +332,3 @@ func (cfg *BackendConfig) SetDefaults(opts ...ConfigLoaderOption) {
 		cfg.Debug = &trueV
 	}
 }
-
-////// Config Loader ////////
-
-type BackendConfigLoader struct {
-	configs map[string]BackendConfig
-	sync.Mutex
-}
-
-type LoadOptions struct {
-	debug            bool
-	threads, ctxSize int
-	f16              bool
-}
-
-func LoadOptionDebug(debug bool) ConfigLoaderOption {
-	return func(o *LoadOptions) {
-		o.debug = debug
-	}
-}
-
-func LoadOptionThreads(threads int) ConfigLoaderOption {
-	return func(o *LoadOptions) {
-		o.threads = threads
-	}
-}
-
-func LoadOptionContextSize(ctxSize int) ConfigLoaderOption {
-	return func(o *LoadOptions) {
-		o.ctxSize = ctxSize
-	}
-}
-
-func LoadOptionF16(f16 bool) ConfigLoaderOption {
-	return func(o *LoadOptions) {
-		o.f16 = f16
-	}
-}
-
-type ConfigLoaderOption func(*LoadOptions)
-
-func (lo *LoadOptions) Apply(options ...ConfigLoaderOption) {
-	for _, l := range options {
-		l(lo)
-	}
-}
-
-// Load a config file for a model
-func (cl *BackendConfigLoader) LoadBackendConfigFileByName(modelName, modelPath string, opts ...ConfigLoaderOption) (*BackendConfig, error) {
-
-	// Load a config file if present after the model name
-	cfg := &BackendConfig{
-		PredictionOptions: schema.PredictionOptions{
-			Model: modelName,
-		},
-	}
-
-	cfgExisting, exists := cl.GetBackendConfig(modelName)
-	if exists {
-		cfg = &cfgExisting
-	} else {
-		// Try loading a model config file
-		modelConfig := filepath.Join(modelPath, modelName+".yaml")
-		if _, err := os.Stat(modelConfig); err == nil {
-			if err := cl.LoadBackendConfig(
-				modelConfig, opts...,
-			); err != nil {
-				return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed loading model config (%s) %s", modelConfig, err.Error())
-			}
-			cfgExisting, exists = cl.GetBackendConfig(modelName)
-			if exists {
-				cfg = &cfgExisting
-			}
-		}
-	}
-
-	cfg.SetDefaults(opts...)
-
-	return cfg, nil
-}
-
-func NewBackendConfigLoader() *BackendConfigLoader {
-	return &BackendConfigLoader{
-		configs: make(map[string]BackendConfig),
-	}
-}
-func ReadBackendConfigFile(file string, opts ...ConfigLoaderOption) ([]*BackendConfig, error) {
-	c := &[]*BackendConfig{}
-	f, err := os.ReadFile(file)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot read config file: %w", err)
-	}
-	if err := yaml.Unmarshal(f, c); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot unmarshal config file: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	for _, cc := range *c {
-		cc.SetDefaults(opts...)
-	}
-
-	return *c, nil
-}
-
-func ReadBackendConfig(file string, opts ...ConfigLoaderOption) (*BackendConfig, error) {
-	lo := &LoadOptions{}
-	lo.Apply(opts...)
-
-	c := &BackendConfig{}
-	f, err := os.ReadFile(file)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot read config file: %w", err)
-	}
-	if err := yaml.Unmarshal(f, c); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot unmarshal config file: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	c.SetDefaults(opts...)
-	return c, nil
-}
-
-func (cm *BackendConfigLoader) LoadBackendConfigFile(file string, opts ...ConfigLoaderOption) error {
-	cm.Lock()
-	defer cm.Unlock()
-	c, err := ReadBackendConfigFile(file, opts...)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("cannot load config file: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	for _, cc := range c {
-		cm.configs[cc.Name] = *cc
-	}
-	return nil
-}
-
-func (cl *BackendConfigLoader) LoadBackendConfig(file string, opts ...ConfigLoaderOption) error {
-	cl.Lock()
-	defer cl.Unlock()
-	c, err := ReadBackendConfig(file, opts...)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("cannot read config file: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	cl.configs[c.Name] = *c
-	return nil
-}
-
-func (cl *BackendConfigLoader) GetBackendConfig(m string) (BackendConfig, bool) {
-	cl.Lock()
-	defer cl.Unlock()
-	v, exists := cl.configs[m]
-	return v, exists
-}
-
-func (cl *BackendConfigLoader) GetAllBackendConfigs() []BackendConfig {
-	cl.Lock()
-	defer cl.Unlock()
-	var res []BackendConfig
-	for _, v := range cl.configs {
-		res = append(res, v)
-	}
-
-	sort.SliceStable(res, func(i, j int) bool {
-		return res[i].Name < res[j].Name
-	})
-
-	return res
-}
-
-func (cl *BackendConfigLoader) ListBackendConfigs() []string {
-	cl.Lock()
-	defer cl.Unlock()
-	var res []string
-	for k := range cl.configs {
-		res = append(res, k)
-	}
-	return res
-}
-
-// Preload prepare models if they are not local but url or huggingface repositories
-func (cl *BackendConfigLoader) Preload(modelPath string) error {
-	cl.Lock()
-	defer cl.Unlock()
-
-	status := func(fileName, current, total string, percent float64) {
-		utils.DisplayDownloadFunction(fileName, current, total, percent)
-	}
-
-	log.Info().Msgf("Preloading models from %s", modelPath)
-
-	renderMode := "dark"
-	if os.Getenv("COLOR") != "" {
-		renderMode = os.Getenv("COLOR")
-	}
-
-	glamText := func(t string) {
-		out, err := glamour.Render(t, renderMode)
-		if err == nil && os.Getenv("NO_COLOR") == "" {
-			fmt.Println(out)
-		} else {
-			fmt.Println(t)
-		}
-	}
-
-	for i, config := range cl.configs {
-
-		// Download files and verify their SHA
-		for i, file := range config.DownloadFiles {
-			log.Debug().Msgf("Checking %q exists and matches SHA", file.Filename)
-
-			if err := utils.VerifyPath(file.Filename, modelPath); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-			// Create file path
-			filePath := filepath.Join(modelPath, file.Filename)
-
-			if err := downloader.DownloadFile(file.URI, filePath, file.SHA256, i, len(config.DownloadFiles), status); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-		}
-
-		// If the model is an URL, expand it, and download the file
-		if config.IsModelURL() {
-			modelFileName := config.ModelFileName()
-			modelURL := downloader.ConvertURL(config.Model)
-			// check if file exists
-			if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(modelPath, modelFileName)); errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
-				err := downloader.DownloadFile(modelURL, filepath.Join(modelPath, modelFileName), "", 0, 0, status)
-				if err != nil {
-					return err
-				}
-			}
-
-			cc := cl.configs[i]
-			c := &cc
-			c.PredictionOptions.Model = modelFileName
-			cl.configs[i] = *c
-		}
-
-		if config.IsMMProjURL() {
-			modelFileName := config.MMProjFileName()
-			modelURL := downloader.ConvertURL(config.MMProj)
-			// check if file exists
-			if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(modelPath, modelFileName)); errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
-				err := downloader.DownloadFile(modelURL, filepath.Join(modelPath, modelFileName), "", 0, 0, status)
-				if err != nil {
-					return err
-				}
-			}
-
-			cc := cl.configs[i]
-			c := &cc
-			c.MMProj = modelFileName
-			cl.configs[i] = *c
-		}
-
-		if cl.configs[i].Name != "" {
-			glamText(fmt.Sprintf("**Model name**: _%s_", cl.configs[i].Name))
-		}
-		if cl.configs[i].Description != "" {
-			//glamText("**Description**")
-			glamText(cl.configs[i].Description)
-		}
-		if cl.configs[i].Usage != "" {
-			//glamText("**Usage**")
-			glamText(cl.configs[i].Usage)
-		}
-	}
-	return nil
-}
-
-// LoadBackendConfigsFromPath reads all the configurations of the models from a path
-// (non-recursive)
-func (cm *BackendConfigLoader) LoadBackendConfigsFromPath(path string, opts ...ConfigLoaderOption) error {
-	cm.Lock()
-	defer cm.Unlock()
-	entries, err := os.ReadDir(path)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	files := make([]fs.FileInfo, 0, len(entries))
-	for _, entry := range entries {
-		info, err := entry.Info()
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		files = append(files, info)
-	}
-	for _, file := range files {
-		// Skip templates, YAML and .keep files
-		if !strings.Contains(file.Name(), ".yaml") && !strings.Contains(file.Name(), ".yml") ||
-			strings.HasPrefix(file.Name(), ".") {
-			continue
-		}
-		c, err := ReadBackendConfig(filepath.Join(path, file.Name()), opts...)
-		if err == nil {
-			cm.configs[c.Name] = *c
-		}
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
diff --git a/core/config/backend_config_loader.go b/core/config/backend_config_loader.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..83b66740
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/config/backend_config_loader.go
@@ -0,0 +1,317 @@
+package config
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"io/fs"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"sort"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+
+	"github.com/charmbracelet/glamour"
+	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/core/schema"
+	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/pkg/downloader"
+	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/pkg/utils"
+	"github.com/rs/zerolog/log"
+	"gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
+)
+
+type BackendConfigLoader struct {
+	configs map[string]BackendConfig
+	sync.Mutex
+}
+
+type LoadOptions struct {
+	debug            bool
+	threads, ctxSize int
+	f16              bool
+}
+
+func LoadOptionDebug(debug bool) ConfigLoaderOption {
+	return func(o *LoadOptions) {
+		o.debug = debug
+	}
+}
+
+func LoadOptionThreads(threads int) ConfigLoaderOption {
+	return func(o *LoadOptions) {
+		o.threads = threads
+	}
+}
+
+func LoadOptionContextSize(ctxSize int) ConfigLoaderOption {
+	return func(o *LoadOptions) {
+		o.ctxSize = ctxSize
+	}
+}
+
+func LoadOptionF16(f16 bool) ConfigLoaderOption {
+	return func(o *LoadOptions) {
+		o.f16 = f16
+	}
+}
+
+type ConfigLoaderOption func(*LoadOptions)
+
+func (lo *LoadOptions) Apply(options ...ConfigLoaderOption) {
+	for _, l := range options {
+		l(lo)
+	}
+}
+
+// Load a config file for a model
+func (cl *BackendConfigLoader) LoadBackendConfigFileByName(modelName, modelPath string, opts ...ConfigLoaderOption) (*BackendConfig, error) {
+
+	// Load a config file if present after the model name
+	cfg := &BackendConfig{
+		PredictionOptions: schema.PredictionOptions{
+			Model: modelName,
+		},
+	}
+
+	cfgExisting, exists := cl.GetBackendConfig(modelName)
+	if exists {
+		cfg = &cfgExisting
+	} else {
+		// Try loading a model config file
+		modelConfig := filepath.Join(modelPath, modelName+".yaml")
+		if _, err := os.Stat(modelConfig); err == nil {
+			if err := cl.LoadBackendConfig(
+				modelConfig, opts...,
+			); err != nil {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed loading model config (%s) %s", modelConfig, err.Error())
+			}
+			cfgExisting, exists = cl.GetBackendConfig(modelName)
+			if exists {
+				cfg = &cfgExisting
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	cfg.SetDefaults(opts...)
+
+	return cfg, nil
+}
+
+func NewBackendConfigLoader() *BackendConfigLoader {
+	return &BackendConfigLoader{
+		configs: make(map[string]BackendConfig),
+	}
+}
+func ReadBackendConfigFile(file string, opts ...ConfigLoaderOption) ([]*BackendConfig, error) {
+	c := &[]*BackendConfig{}
+	f, err := os.ReadFile(file)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot read config file: %w", err)
+	}
+	if err := yaml.Unmarshal(f, c); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot unmarshal config file: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	for _, cc := range *c {
+		cc.SetDefaults(opts...)
+	}
+
+	return *c, nil
+}
+
+func ReadBackendConfig(file string, opts ...ConfigLoaderOption) (*BackendConfig, error) {
+	lo := &LoadOptions{}
+	lo.Apply(opts...)
+
+	c := &BackendConfig{}
+	f, err := os.ReadFile(file)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot read config file: %w", err)
+	}
+	if err := yaml.Unmarshal(f, c); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot unmarshal config file: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	c.SetDefaults(opts...)
+	return c, nil
+}
+
+func (cm *BackendConfigLoader) LoadBackendConfigFile(file string, opts ...ConfigLoaderOption) error {
+	cm.Lock()
+	defer cm.Unlock()
+	c, err := ReadBackendConfigFile(file, opts...)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("cannot load config file: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	for _, cc := range c {
+		cm.configs[cc.Name] = *cc
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (cl *BackendConfigLoader) LoadBackendConfig(file string, opts ...ConfigLoaderOption) error {
+	cl.Lock()
+	defer cl.Unlock()
+	c, err := ReadBackendConfig(file, opts...)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("cannot read config file: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	cl.configs[c.Name] = *c
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (cl *BackendConfigLoader) GetBackendConfig(m string) (BackendConfig, bool) {
+	cl.Lock()
+	defer cl.Unlock()
+	v, exists := cl.configs[m]
+	return v, exists
+}
+
+func (cl *BackendConfigLoader) GetAllBackendConfigs() []BackendConfig {
+	cl.Lock()
+	defer cl.Unlock()
+	var res []BackendConfig
+	for _, v := range cl.configs {
+		res = append(res, v)
+	}
+
+	sort.SliceStable(res, func(i, j int) bool {
+		return res[i].Name < res[j].Name
+	})
+
+	return res
+}
+
+func (cl *BackendConfigLoader) ListBackendConfigs() []string {
+	cl.Lock()
+	defer cl.Unlock()
+	var res []string
+	for k := range cl.configs {
+		res = append(res, k)
+	}
+	return res
+}
+
+// Preload prepare models if they are not local but url or huggingface repositories
+func (cl *BackendConfigLoader) Preload(modelPath string) error {
+	cl.Lock()
+	defer cl.Unlock()
+
+	status := func(fileName, current, total string, percent float64) {
+		utils.DisplayDownloadFunction(fileName, current, total, percent)
+	}
+
+	log.Info().Msgf("Preloading models from %s", modelPath)
+
+	renderMode := "dark"
+	if os.Getenv("COLOR") != "" {
+		renderMode = os.Getenv("COLOR")
+	}
+
+	glamText := func(t string) {
+		out, err := glamour.Render(t, renderMode)
+		if err == nil && os.Getenv("NO_COLOR") == "" {
+			fmt.Println(out)
+		} else {
+			fmt.Println(t)
+		}
+	}
+
+	for i, config := range cl.configs {
+
+		// Download files and verify their SHA
+		for i, file := range config.DownloadFiles {
+			log.Debug().Msgf("Checking %q exists and matches SHA", file.Filename)
+
+			if err := utils.VerifyPath(file.Filename, modelPath); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			// Create file path
+			filePath := filepath.Join(modelPath, file.Filename)
+
+			if err := downloader.DownloadFile(file.URI, filePath, file.SHA256, i, len(config.DownloadFiles), status); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+		}
+
+		// If the model is an URL, expand it, and download the file
+		if config.IsModelURL() {
+			modelFileName := config.ModelFileName()
+			modelURL := downloader.ConvertURL(config.Model)
+			// check if file exists
+			if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(modelPath, modelFileName)); errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
+				err := downloader.DownloadFile(modelURL, filepath.Join(modelPath, modelFileName), "", 0, 0, status)
+				if err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
+			}
+
+			cc := cl.configs[i]
+			c := &cc
+			c.PredictionOptions.Model = modelFileName
+			cl.configs[i] = *c
+		}
+
+		if config.IsMMProjURL() {
+			modelFileName := config.MMProjFileName()
+			modelURL := downloader.ConvertURL(config.MMProj)
+			// check if file exists
+			if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(modelPath, modelFileName)); errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
+				err := downloader.DownloadFile(modelURL, filepath.Join(modelPath, modelFileName), "", 0, 0, status)
+				if err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
+			}
+
+			cc := cl.configs[i]
+			c := &cc
+			c.MMProj = modelFileName
+			cl.configs[i] = *c
+		}
+
+		if cl.configs[i].Name != "" {
+			glamText(fmt.Sprintf("**Model name**: _%s_", cl.configs[i].Name))
+		}
+		if cl.configs[i].Description != "" {
+			//glamText("**Description**")
+			glamText(cl.configs[i].Description)
+		}
+		if cl.configs[i].Usage != "" {
+			//glamText("**Usage**")
+			glamText(cl.configs[i].Usage)
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// LoadBackendConfigsFromPath reads all the configurations of the models from a path
+// (non-recursive)
+func (cm *BackendConfigLoader) LoadBackendConfigsFromPath(path string, opts ...ConfigLoaderOption) error {
+	cm.Lock()
+	defer cm.Unlock()
+	entries, err := os.ReadDir(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	files := make([]fs.FileInfo, 0, len(entries))
+	for _, entry := range entries {
+		info, err := entry.Info()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		files = append(files, info)
+	}
+	for _, file := range files {
+		// Skip templates, YAML and .keep files
+		if !strings.Contains(file.Name(), ".yaml") && !strings.Contains(file.Name(), ".yml") ||
+			strings.HasPrefix(file.Name(), ".") {
+			continue
+		}
+		c, err := ReadBackendConfig(filepath.Join(path, file.Name()), opts...)
+		if err == nil {
+			cm.configs[c.Name] = *c
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/core/http/app.go b/core/http/app.go
index bd740410..080535a4 100644
--- a/core/http/app.go
+++ b/core/http/app.go
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
 package http
 
 import (
-	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
-	"os"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/pkg/utils"
@@ -124,20 +122,6 @@ func App(cl *config.BackendConfigLoader, ml *model.ModelLoader, appConfig *confi
 			return c.Next()
 		}
 
-		// Check for api_keys.json file
-		fileContent, err := os.ReadFile("api_keys.json")
-		if err == nil {
-			// Parse JSON content from the file
-			var fileKeys []string
-			err := json.Unmarshal(fileContent, &fileKeys)
-			if err != nil {
-				return c.Status(fiber.StatusInternalServerError).JSON(fiber.Map{"message": "Error parsing api_keys.json"})
-			}
-
-			// Add file keys to options.ApiKeys
-			appConfig.ApiKeys = append(appConfig.ApiKeys, fileKeys...)
-		}
-
 		if len(appConfig.ApiKeys) == 0 {
 			return c.Next()
 		}
@@ -174,13 +158,6 @@ func App(cl *config.BackendConfigLoader, ml *model.ModelLoader, appConfig *confi
 		app.Use(c)
 	}
 
-	// Make sure directories exists
-	os.MkdirAll(appConfig.ImageDir, 0750)
-	os.MkdirAll(appConfig.AudioDir, 0750)
-	os.MkdirAll(appConfig.UploadDir, 0750)
-	os.MkdirAll(appConfig.ConfigsDir, 0750)
-	os.MkdirAll(appConfig.ModelPath, 0750)
-
 	// Load config jsons
 	utils.LoadConfig(appConfig.UploadDir, openai.UploadedFilesFile, &openai.UploadedFiles)
 	utils.LoadConfig(appConfig.ConfigsDir, openai.AssistantsConfigFile, &openai.Assistants)
diff --git a/core/http/endpoints/localai/backend_monitor.go b/core/http/endpoints/localai/backend_monitor.go
index 8c7a664a..dac20388 100644
--- a/core/http/endpoints/localai/backend_monitor.go
+++ b/core/http/endpoints/localai/backend_monitor.go
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/gofiber/fiber/v2"
 )
 
-func BackendMonitorEndpoint(bm services.BackendMonitor) func(c *fiber.Ctx) error {
+func BackendMonitorEndpoint(bm *services.BackendMonitorService) func(c *fiber.Ctx) error {
 	return func(c *fiber.Ctx) error {
 
 		input := new(schema.BackendMonitorRequest)
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ func BackendMonitorEndpoint(bm services.BackendMonitor) func(c *fiber.Ctx) error
 	}
 }
 
-func BackendShutdownEndpoint(bm services.BackendMonitor) func(c *fiber.Ctx) error {
+func BackendShutdownEndpoint(bm *services.BackendMonitorService) func(c *fiber.Ctx) error {
 	return func(c *fiber.Ctx) error {
 		input := new(schema.BackendMonitorRequest)
 		// Get input data from the request body
diff --git a/core/http/endpoints/openai/list.go b/core/http/endpoints/openai/list.go
index 04e611a2..2caea96b 100644
--- a/core/http/endpoints/openai/list.go
+++ b/core/http/endpoints/openai/list.go
@@ -1,63 +1,23 @@
 package openai
 
 import (
-	"regexp"
-
-	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/core/config"
 	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/core/schema"
-	model "github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/pkg/model"
+	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/core/services"
 	"github.com/gofiber/fiber/v2"
 )
 
-func ListModelsEndpoint(cl *config.BackendConfigLoader, ml *model.ModelLoader) func(ctx *fiber.Ctx) error {
+func ListModelsEndpoint(lms *services.ListModelsService) func(ctx *fiber.Ctx) error {
 	return func(c *fiber.Ctx) error {
-		models, err := ml.ListModels()
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		var mm map[string]interface{} = map[string]interface{}{}
-
-		dataModels := []schema.OpenAIModel{}
-
-		var filterFn func(name string) bool
+		// If blank, no filter is applied.
 		filter := c.Query("filter")
 
-		// If filter is not specified, do not filter the list by model name
-		if filter == "" {
-			filterFn = func(_ string) bool { return true }
-		} else {
-			// If filter _IS_ specified, we compile it to a regex which is used to create the filterFn
-			rxp, err := regexp.Compile(filter)
-			if err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-			filterFn = func(name string) bool {
-				return rxp.MatchString(name)
-			}
-		}
-
 		// By default, exclude any loose files that are already referenced by a configuration file.
 		excludeConfigured := c.QueryBool("excludeConfigured", true)
 
-		// Start with the known configurations
-		for _, c := range cl.GetAllBackendConfigs() {
-			if excludeConfigured {
-				mm[c.Model] = nil
-			}
-
-			if filterFn(c.Name) {
-				dataModels = append(dataModels, schema.OpenAIModel{ID: c.Name, Object: "model"})
-			}
+		dataModels, err := lms.ListModels(filter, excludeConfigured)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
 		}
-
-		// Then iterate through the loose files:
-		for _, m := range models {
-			// And only adds them if they shouldn't be skipped.
-			if _, exists := mm[m]; !exists && filterFn(m) {
-				dataModels = append(dataModels, schema.OpenAIModel{ID: m, Object: "model"})
-			}
-		}
-
 		return c.JSON(struct {
 			Object string               `json:"object"`
 			Data   []schema.OpenAIModel `json:"data"`
diff --git a/core/http/routes/localai.go b/core/http/routes/localai.go
index 138babbe..a5099d60 100644
--- a/core/http/routes/localai.go
+++ b/core/http/routes/localai.go
@@ -52,9 +52,9 @@ func RegisterLocalAIRoutes(app *fiber.App,
 	app.Get("/metrics", auth, localai.LocalAIMetricsEndpoint())
 
 	// Experimental Backend Statistics Module
-	backendMonitor := services.NewBackendMonitor(cl, ml, appConfig) // Split out for now
-	app.Get("/backend/monitor", auth, localai.BackendMonitorEndpoint(backendMonitor))
-	app.Post("/backend/shutdown", auth, localai.BackendShutdownEndpoint(backendMonitor))
+	backendMonitorService := services.NewBackendMonitorService(ml, cl, appConfig) // Split out for now
+	app.Get("/backend/monitor", auth, localai.BackendMonitorEndpoint(backendMonitorService))
+	app.Post("/backend/shutdown", auth, localai.BackendShutdownEndpoint(backendMonitorService))
 
 	app.Get("/version", auth, func(c *fiber.Ctx) error {
 		return c.JSON(struct {
diff --git a/core/http/routes/openai.go b/core/http/routes/openai.go
index c51ccdcb..74f20175 100644
--- a/core/http/routes/openai.go
+++ b/core/http/routes/openai.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/core/config"
 	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/core/http/endpoints/localai"
 	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/core/http/endpoints/openai"
+	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/core/services"
 	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/pkg/model"
 	"github.com/gofiber/fiber/v2"
 )
@@ -81,6 +82,7 @@ func RegisterOpenAIRoutes(app *fiber.App,
 	}
 
 	// models
-	app.Get("/v1/models", auth, openai.ListModelsEndpoint(cl, ml))
-	app.Get("/models", auth, openai.ListModelsEndpoint(cl, ml))
+	tmpLMS := services.NewListModelsService(ml, cl, appConfig) // TODO: once createApplication() is fully in use, reference the central instance.
+	app.Get("/v1/models", auth, openai.ListModelsEndpoint(tmpLMS))
+	app.Get("/models", auth, openai.ListModelsEndpoint(tmpLMS))
 }
diff --git a/core/schema/whisper.go b/core/schema/transcription.go
similarity index 90%
rename from core/schema/whisper.go
rename to core/schema/transcription.go
index 41413c1f..fe1799fa 100644
--- a/core/schema/whisper.go
+++ b/core/schema/transcription.go
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ type Segment struct {
 	Tokens []int         `json:"tokens"`
 }
 
-type Result struct {
+type TranscriptionResult struct {
 	Segments []Segment `json:"segments"`
 	Text     string    `json:"text"`
 }
diff --git a/core/services/backend_monitor.go b/core/services/backend_monitor.go
index 979a67a3..4e993ed9 100644
--- a/core/services/backend_monitor.go
+++ b/core/services/backend_monitor.go
@@ -15,22 +15,22 @@ import (
 	gopsutil "github.com/shirou/gopsutil/v3/process"
 )
 
-type BackendMonitor struct {
-	configLoader *config.BackendConfigLoader
-	modelLoader  *model.ModelLoader
-	options      *config.ApplicationConfig // Taking options in case we need to inspect ExternalGRPCBackends, though that's out of scope for now, hence the name.
+type BackendMonitorService struct {
+	backendConfigLoader *config.BackendConfigLoader
+	modelLoader         *model.ModelLoader
+	options             *config.ApplicationConfig // Taking options in case we need to inspect ExternalGRPCBackends, though that's out of scope for now, hence the name.
 }
 
-func NewBackendMonitor(configLoader *config.BackendConfigLoader, modelLoader *model.ModelLoader, appConfig *config.ApplicationConfig) BackendMonitor {
-	return BackendMonitor{
-		configLoader: configLoader,
-		modelLoader:  modelLoader,
-		options:      appConfig,
+func NewBackendMonitorService(modelLoader *model.ModelLoader, configLoader *config.BackendConfigLoader, appConfig *config.ApplicationConfig) *BackendMonitorService {
+	return &BackendMonitorService{
+		modelLoader:         modelLoader,
+		backendConfigLoader: configLoader,
+		options:             appConfig,
 	}
 }
 
-func (bm BackendMonitor) getModelLoaderIDFromModelName(modelName string) (string, error) {
-	config, exists := bm.configLoader.GetBackendConfig(modelName)
+func (bms BackendMonitorService) getModelLoaderIDFromModelName(modelName string) (string, error) {
+	config, exists := bms.backendConfigLoader.GetBackendConfig(modelName)
 	var backendId string
 	if exists {
 		backendId = config.Model
@@ -46,8 +46,8 @@ func (bm BackendMonitor) getModelLoaderIDFromModelName(modelName string) (string
 	return backendId, nil
 }
 
-func (bm *BackendMonitor) SampleLocalBackendProcess(model string) (*schema.BackendMonitorResponse, error) {
-	config, exists := bm.configLoader.GetBackendConfig(model)
+func (bms *BackendMonitorService) SampleLocalBackendProcess(model string) (*schema.BackendMonitorResponse, error) {
+	config, exists := bms.backendConfigLoader.GetBackendConfig(model)
 	var backend string
 	if exists {
 		backend = config.Model
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ func (bm *BackendMonitor) SampleLocalBackendProcess(model string) (*schema.Backe
 		backend = fmt.Sprintf("%s.bin", backend)
 	}
 
-	pid, err := bm.modelLoader.GetGRPCPID(backend)
+	pid, err := bms.modelLoader.GetGRPCPID(backend)
 
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Error().Err(err).Str("model", model).Msg("failed to find GRPC pid")
@@ -101,12 +101,12 @@ func (bm *BackendMonitor) SampleLocalBackendProcess(model string) (*schema.Backe
 	}, nil
 }
 
-func (bm BackendMonitor) CheckAndSample(modelName string) (*proto.StatusResponse, error) {
-	backendId, err := bm.getModelLoaderIDFromModelName(modelName)
+func (bms BackendMonitorService) CheckAndSample(modelName string) (*proto.StatusResponse, error) {
+	backendId, err := bms.getModelLoaderIDFromModelName(modelName)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	modelAddr := bm.modelLoader.CheckIsLoaded(backendId)
+	modelAddr := bms.modelLoader.CheckIsLoaded(backendId)
 	if modelAddr == "" {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("backend %s is not currently loaded", backendId)
 	}
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ func (bm BackendMonitor) CheckAndSample(modelName string) (*proto.StatusResponse
 	status, rpcErr := modelAddr.GRPC(false, nil).Status(context.TODO())
 	if rpcErr != nil {
 		log.Warn().Msgf("backend %s experienced an error retrieving status info: %s", backendId, rpcErr.Error())
-		val, slbErr := bm.SampleLocalBackendProcess(backendId)
+		val, slbErr := bms.SampleLocalBackendProcess(backendId)
 		if slbErr != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("backend %s experienced an error retrieving status info via rpc: %s, then failed local node process sample: %s", backendId, rpcErr.Error(), slbErr.Error())
 		}
@@ -131,10 +131,10 @@ func (bm BackendMonitor) CheckAndSample(modelName string) (*proto.StatusResponse
 	return status, nil
 }
 
-func (bm BackendMonitor) ShutdownModel(modelName string) error {
-	backendId, err := bm.getModelLoaderIDFromModelName(modelName)
+func (bms BackendMonitorService) ShutdownModel(modelName string) error {
+	backendId, err := bms.getModelLoaderIDFromModelName(modelName)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	return bm.modelLoader.ShutdownModel(backendId)
+	return bms.modelLoader.ShutdownModel(backendId)
 }
diff --git a/core/services/list_models.go b/core/services/list_models.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a21e6faf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/services/list_models.go
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+package services
+
+import (
+	"regexp"
+
+	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/core/config"
+	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/core/schema"
+	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/pkg/model"
+)
+
+type ListModelsService struct {
+	bcl       *config.BackendConfigLoader
+	ml        *model.ModelLoader
+	appConfig *config.ApplicationConfig
+}
+
+func NewListModelsService(ml *model.ModelLoader, bcl *config.BackendConfigLoader, appConfig *config.ApplicationConfig) *ListModelsService {
+	return &ListModelsService{
+		bcl:       bcl,
+		ml:        ml,
+		appConfig: appConfig,
+	}
+}
+
+func (lms *ListModelsService) ListModels(filter string, excludeConfigured bool) ([]schema.OpenAIModel, error) {
+
+	models, err := lms.ml.ListModels()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	var mm map[string]interface{} = map[string]interface{}{}
+
+	dataModels := []schema.OpenAIModel{}
+
+	var filterFn func(name string) bool
+
+	// If filter is not specified, do not filter the list by model name
+	if filter == "" {
+		filterFn = func(_ string) bool { return true }
+	} else {
+		// If filter _IS_ specified, we compile it to a regex which is used to create the filterFn
+		rxp, err := regexp.Compile(filter)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		filterFn = func(name string) bool {
+			return rxp.MatchString(name)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Start with the known configurations
+	for _, c := range lms.bcl.GetAllBackendConfigs() {
+		if excludeConfigured {
+			mm[c.Model] = nil
+		}
+
+		if filterFn(c.Name) {
+			dataModels = append(dataModels, schema.OpenAIModel{ID: c.Name, Object: "model"})
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Then iterate through the loose files:
+	for _, m := range models {
+		// And only adds them if they shouldn't be skipped.
+		if _, exists := mm[m]; !exists && filterFn(m) {
+			dataModels = append(dataModels, schema.OpenAIModel{ID: m, Object: "model"})
+		}
+	}
+
+	return dataModels, nil
+}
diff --git a/core/startup/startup.go b/core/startup/startup.go
index e5660f4c..672aee15 100644
--- a/core/startup/startup.go
+++ b/core/startup/startup.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 
+	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/core"
 	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/core/config"
 	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/core/services"
 	"github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/internal"
@@ -133,3 +134,33 @@ func Startup(opts ...config.AppOption) (*config.BackendConfigLoader, *model.Mode
 	log.Info().Msg("core/startup process completed!")
 	return cl, ml, options, nil
 }
+
+// In Lieu of a proper DI framework, this function wires up the Application manually.
+// This is in core/startup rather than core/state.go to keep package references clean!
+func createApplication(appConfig *config.ApplicationConfig) *core.Application {
+	app := &core.Application{
+		ApplicationConfig:   appConfig,
+		BackendConfigLoader: config.NewBackendConfigLoader(),
+		ModelLoader:         model.NewModelLoader(appConfig.ModelPath),
+	}
+
+	var err error
+
+	// app.EmbeddingsBackendService = backend.NewEmbeddingsBackendService(app.ModelLoader, app.BackendConfigLoader, app.ApplicationConfig)
+	// app.ImageGenerationBackendService = backend.NewImageGenerationBackendService(app.ModelLoader, app.BackendConfigLoader, app.ApplicationConfig)
+	// app.LLMBackendService = backend.NewLLMBackendService(app.ModelLoader, app.BackendConfigLoader, app.ApplicationConfig)
+	// app.TranscriptionBackendService = backend.NewTranscriptionBackendService(app.ModelLoader, app.BackendConfigLoader, app.ApplicationConfig)
+	// app.TextToSpeechBackendService = backend.NewTextToSpeechBackendService(app.ModelLoader, app.BackendConfigLoader, app.ApplicationConfig)
+
+	app.BackendMonitorService = services.NewBackendMonitorService(app.ModelLoader, app.BackendConfigLoader, app.ApplicationConfig)
+	app.GalleryService = services.NewGalleryService(app.ApplicationConfig.ModelPath)
+	app.ListModelsService = services.NewListModelsService(app.ModelLoader, app.BackendConfigLoader, app.ApplicationConfig)
+	// app.OpenAIService = services.NewOpenAIService(app.ModelLoader, app.BackendConfigLoader, app.ApplicationConfig, app.LLMBackendService)
+
+	app.LocalAIMetricsService, err = services.NewLocalAIMetricsService()
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Error().Err(err).Msg("encountered an error initializing metrics service, startup will continue but metrics will not be tracked.")
+	}
+
+	return app
+}
diff --git a/pkg/grpc/backend.go b/pkg/grpc/backend.go
index bef9e186..b5745db5 100644
--- a/pkg/grpc/backend.go
+++ b/pkg/grpc/backend.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ type Backend interface {
 	PredictStream(ctx context.Context, in *pb.PredictOptions, f func(s []byte), opts ...grpc.CallOption) error
 	GenerateImage(ctx context.Context, in *pb.GenerateImageRequest, opts ...grpc.CallOption) (*pb.Result, error)
 	TTS(ctx context.Context, in *pb.TTSRequest, opts ...grpc.CallOption) (*pb.Result, error)
-	AudioTranscription(ctx context.Context, in *pb.TranscriptRequest, opts ...grpc.CallOption) (*schema.Result, error)
+	AudioTranscription(ctx context.Context, in *pb.TranscriptRequest, opts ...grpc.CallOption) (*schema.TranscriptionResult, error)
 	TokenizeString(ctx context.Context, in *pb.PredictOptions, opts ...grpc.CallOption) (*pb.TokenizationResponse, error)
 	Status(ctx context.Context) (*pb.StatusResponse, error)
 
diff --git a/pkg/grpc/base/base.go b/pkg/grpc/base/base.go
index 0af5d94f..c0b4bc34 100644
--- a/pkg/grpc/base/base.go
+++ b/pkg/grpc/base/base.go
@@ -53,8 +53,8 @@ func (llm *Base) GenerateImage(*pb.GenerateImageRequest) error {
 	return fmt.Errorf("unimplemented")
 }
 
-func (llm *Base) AudioTranscription(*pb.TranscriptRequest) (schema.Result, error) {
-	return schema.Result{}, fmt.Errorf("unimplemented")
+func (llm *Base) AudioTranscription(*pb.TranscriptRequest) (schema.TranscriptionResult, error) {
+	return schema.TranscriptionResult{}, fmt.Errorf("unimplemented")
 }
 
 func (llm *Base) TTS(*pb.TTSRequest) error {
diff --git a/pkg/grpc/client.go b/pkg/grpc/client.go
index fc4a12fa..06ccc1b4 100644
--- a/pkg/grpc/client.go
+++ b/pkg/grpc/client.go
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ func (c *Client) TTS(ctx context.Context, in *pb.TTSRequest, opts ...grpc.CallOp
 	return client.TTS(ctx, in, opts...)
 }
 
-func (c *Client) AudioTranscription(ctx context.Context, in *pb.TranscriptRequest, opts ...grpc.CallOption) (*schema.Result, error) {
+func (c *Client) AudioTranscription(ctx context.Context, in *pb.TranscriptRequest, opts ...grpc.CallOption) (*schema.TranscriptionResult, error) {
 	if !c.parallel {
 		c.opMutex.Lock()
 		defer c.opMutex.Unlock()
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ func (c *Client) AudioTranscription(ctx context.Context, in *pb.TranscriptReques
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	tresult := &schema.Result{}
+	tresult := &schema.TranscriptionResult{}
 	for _, s := range res.Segments {
 		tks := []int{}
 		for _, t := range s.Tokens {
diff --git a/pkg/grpc/embed.go b/pkg/grpc/embed.go
index 694e83b0..d2038759 100644
--- a/pkg/grpc/embed.go
+++ b/pkg/grpc/embed.go
@@ -53,12 +53,12 @@ func (e *embedBackend) TTS(ctx context.Context, in *pb.TTSRequest, opts ...grpc.
 	return e.s.TTS(ctx, in)
 }
 
-func (e *embedBackend) AudioTranscription(ctx context.Context, in *pb.TranscriptRequest, opts ...grpc.CallOption) (*schema.Result, error) {
+func (e *embedBackend) AudioTranscription(ctx context.Context, in *pb.TranscriptRequest, opts ...grpc.CallOption) (*schema.TranscriptionResult, error) {
 	r, err := e.s.AudioTranscription(ctx, in)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	tr := &schema.Result{}
+	tr := &schema.TranscriptionResult{}
 	for _, s := range r.Segments {
 		var tks []int
 		for _, t := range s.Tokens {
diff --git a/pkg/grpc/interface.go b/pkg/grpc/interface.go
index 4d06544d..aa7a3fbc 100644
--- a/pkg/grpc/interface.go
+++ b/pkg/grpc/interface.go
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ type LLM interface {
 	Load(*pb.ModelOptions) error
 	Embeddings(*pb.PredictOptions) ([]float32, error)
 	GenerateImage(*pb.GenerateImageRequest) error
-	AudioTranscription(*pb.TranscriptRequest) (schema.Result, error)
+	AudioTranscription(*pb.TranscriptRequest) (schema.TranscriptionResult, error)
 	TTS(*pb.TTSRequest) error
 	TokenizeString(*pb.PredictOptions) (pb.TokenizationResponse, error)
 	Status() (pb.StatusResponse, error)
diff --git a/pkg/utils/base64.go b/pkg/utils/base64.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..977156e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/utils/base64.go
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+package utils
+
+import (
+	"encoding/base64"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+)
+
+var base64DownloadClient http.Client = http.Client{
+	Timeout: 30 * time.Second,
+}
+
+// this function check if the string is an URL, if it's an URL downloads the image in memory
+// encodes it in base64 and returns the base64 string
+
+// This may look weird down in pkg/utils while it is currently only used in core/config
+//
+//	but I believe it may be useful for MQTT as well in the near future, so I'm
+//	extracting it while I'm thinking of it.
+func GetImageURLAsBase64(s string) (string, error) {
+	if strings.HasPrefix(s, "http") {
+		// download the image
+		resp, err := base64DownloadClient.Get(s)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+		defer resp.Body.Close()
+
+		// read the image data into memory
+		data, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+
+		// encode the image data in base64
+		encoded := base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString(data)
+
+		// return the base64 string
+		return encoded, nil
+	}
+
+	// if the string instead is prefixed with "data:image/jpeg;base64,", drop it
+	if strings.HasPrefix(s, "data:image/jpeg;base64,") {
+		return strings.ReplaceAll(s, "data:image/jpeg;base64,", ""), nil
+	}
+	return "", fmt.Errorf("not valid string")
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/pkg/utils/base64_test.go b/pkg/utils/base64_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..28a09d17
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/utils/base64_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+package utils_test
+
+import (
+	. "github.com/go-skynet/LocalAI/pkg/utils"
+	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
+	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
+)
+
+var _ = Describe("utils/base64 tests", func() {
+	It("GetImageURLAsBase64 can strip data url prefixes", func() {
+		// This one doesn't actually _care_ that it's base64, so feed "bad" data in this test in order to catch a change in that behavior for informational purposes.
+		input := "data:image/jpeg;base64,FOO"
+		b64, err := GetImageURLAsBase64(input)
+		Expect(err).To(BeNil())
+		Expect(b64).To(Equal("FOO"))
+	})
+	It("GetImageURLAsBase64 returns an error for bogus data", func() {
+		input := "FOO"
+		b64, err := GetImageURLAsBase64(input)
+		Expect(b64).To(Equal(""))
+		Expect(err).ToNot(BeNil())
+		Expect(err).To(MatchError("not valid string"))
+	})
+	It("GetImageURLAsBase64 can actually download images and calculates something", func() {
+		// This test doesn't actually _check_ the results at this time, which is bad, but there wasn't a test at all before...
+		input := "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/29/Wargames.jpg"
+		b64, err := GetImageURLAsBase64(input)
+		Expect(err).To(BeNil())
+		Expect(b64).ToNot(BeNil())
+	})
+})