diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index 2a3ed0d42d..3465629005 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -673,6 +673,7 @@ libvirt_setuid_rpc_client_la_SOURCES = \
util/virbitmap.c \
util/virbuffer.c \
util/vircgroup.c \
+ util/vircgroupbackend.c \
util/vircommand.c \
util/virconf.c \
util/virdbus.c \
diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 09f0017bee..33aacd204c 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -1576,6 +1576,9 @@ virCgroupSetOwner;
virCgroupSupportsCpuBW;
virCgroupTerminateMachine;
+# util/vircgroupbackend.h
+virCgroupBackendGetAll;
+virCgroupBackendRegister;
# util/virclosecallbacks.h
virCloseCallbacksGet;
diff --git a/src/util/Makefile.inc.am b/src/util/Makefile.inc.am
index a22265606c..1b236ca62b 100644
--- a/src/util/Makefile.inc.am
+++ b/src/util/Makefile.inc.am
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ UTIL_SOURCES = \
util/virperf.h \
util/vircgroup.c \
util/vircgroup.h util/vircgrouppriv.h \
+ util/vircgroupbackend.c \
+ util/vircgroupbackend.h \
util/virclosecallbacks.c \
util/virclosecallbacks.h \
util/vircommand.c \
diff --git a/src/util/vircgroupbackend.c b/src/util/vircgroupbackend.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e014bfc0e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util/vircgroupbackend.c
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+/*
+ * vircgroupbackend.c: methods for cgroups backend
+ *
+ * Copyright (C) 2018 Red Hat, Inc.
+ *
+ * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+ * version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License along with this library. If not, see
+ * .
+ */
+#include
+
+#include "vircgroupbackend.h"
+#include "virerror.h"
+#include "virthread.h"
+
+#define VIR_FROM_THIS VIR_FROM_CGROUP
+
+VIR_ENUM_DECL(virCgroupBackend);
+VIR_ENUM_IMPL(virCgroupBackend, VIR_CGROUP_BACKEND_TYPE_LAST,
+ "cgroup V1");
+
+static virOnceControl virCgroupBackendOnce = VIR_ONCE_CONTROL_INITIALIZER;
+static virCgroupBackendPtr virCgroupBackends[VIR_CGROUP_BACKEND_TYPE_LAST] = { 0 };
+
+void
+virCgroupBackendRegister(virCgroupBackendPtr backend)
+{
+ if (virCgroupBackends[backend->type]) {
+ virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+ _("Cgroup backend '%s' already registered."),
+ virCgroupBackendTypeToString(backend->type));
+ return;
+ }
+
+ virCgroupBackends[backend->type] = backend;
+}
+
+
+static void
+virCgroupBackendOnceInit(void)
+{
+}
+
+
+virCgroupBackendPtr *
+virCgroupBackendGetAll(void)
+{
+ if (virOnce(&virCgroupBackendOnce, virCgroupBackendOnceInit) < 0) {
+ virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR, "%s",
+ _("Failed to initialize cgroup backend."));
+ return NULL;
+ }
+ return virCgroupBackends;
+}
diff --git a/src/util/vircgroupbackend.h b/src/util/vircgroupbackend.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..db052485a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util/vircgroupbackend.h
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+/*
+ * vircgroupbackend.h: methods for cgroups backend
+ *
+ * Copyright (C) 2018 Red Hat, Inc.
+ *
+ * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+ * version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
+ * Lesser General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+ * License along with this library. If not, see
+ * .
+ */
+
+#ifndef __VIR_CGROUP_BACKEND_H__
+# define __VIR_CGROUP_BACKEND_H__
+
+# include "internal.h"
+
+# include "vircgroup.h"
+
+
+typedef enum {
+ VIR_CGROUP_BACKEND_TYPE_V1 = 0,
+ VIR_CGROUP_BACKEND_TYPE_LAST,
+} virCgroupBackendType;
+
+struct _virCgroupBackend {
+ virCgroupBackendType type;
+};
+typedef struct _virCgroupBackend virCgroupBackend;
+typedef virCgroupBackend *virCgroupBackendPtr;
+
+void
+virCgroupBackendRegister(virCgroupBackendPtr backend);
+
+virCgroupBackendPtr *
+virCgroupBackendGetAll(void);
+
+#endif /* __VIR_CGROUP_BACKEND_H__ */