diff --git a/amqtt/broker.py b/amqtt/broker.py
index 1a2916b..408e4d9 100644
--- a/amqtt/broker.py
+++ b/amqtt/broker.py
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ class Broker:
     """MQTT 3.1.1 compliant broker implementation.
 
     Args:
-        config: dictionary of configuration options (see [broker configuration](broker_config.md)).
+        config: `BrokerConfig` or dictionary of equivalent structure options (see [broker configuration](broker_config.md)).
         loop: asyncio loop. defaults to `asyncio.new_event_loop()`.
         plugin_namespace: plugin namespace to use when loading plugin entry_points. defaults to `amqtt.broker.plugins`.
 
@@ -724,7 +724,8 @@ class Broker:
         """Stop a running handler and detach if from the session."""
         try:
             await handler.stop()
-        except Exception:
+        # a failure in stopping a handler shouldn't cause the broker to fail
+        except asyncio.QueueEmpty:
             self.logger.exception("Failed to stop handler")
 
     async def _authenticate(self, session: Session, _: ListenerConfig) -> bool:
@@ -874,7 +875,8 @@ class Broker:
                         task.result()
                     except CancelledError:
                         self.logger.info(f"Task has been cancelled: {task}")
-                    except Exception:
+                    # if a task fails, don't want it to cause the broker to fail
+                    except Exception:  # pylint: disable=W0718
                         self.logger.exception(f"Task failed and will be skipped: {task}")
 
                 run_broadcast_task = asyncio.ensure_future(self._run_broadcast(running_tasks))
diff --git a/amqtt/client.py b/amqtt/client.py
index 26b565d..0264ee5 100644
--- a/amqtt/client.py
+++ b/amqtt/client.py
@@ -75,18 +75,15 @@ def mqtt_connected(func: _F) -> _F:
 
 
 class MQTTClient:
-    """MQTT client implementation.
-
-    MQTTClient instances provides API for connecting to a broker and send/receive
-     messages using the MQTT protocol.
+    """MQTT client implementation, providing an API for connecting to a broker and send/receive messages using the MQTT protocol.
 
     Args:
         client_id: MQTT client ID to use when connecting to the broker. If none,
             it will be generated randomly by `amqtt.utils.gen_client_id`
-        config: dictionary of configuration options (see [client configuration](client_config.md)).
+        config: `ClientConfig` or dictionary of equivalent structure options (see [client configuration](client_config.md)).
 
     Raises:
-        PluginImportError: if importing a plugin from configuration
+        PluginImportError: if importing a plugin from configuration fails
         PluginInitError: if initialization plugin fails
 
     """
@@ -159,7 +156,8 @@ class MQTTClient:
         except asyncio.CancelledError as e:
             msg = "Future or Task was cancelled"
             raise ConnectError(msg) from e
-        except Exception as e:
+        # no matter the failure mode, still try to reconnect
+        except Exception as e:  # pylint: disable=W0718
             self.logger.warning(f"Connection failed: {e!r}")
             if not self.config.get("auto_reconnect", False):
                 raise
@@ -233,7 +231,8 @@ class MQTTClient:
             except asyncio.CancelledError as e:
                 msg = "Future or Task was cancelled"
                 raise ConnectError(msg) from e
-            except Exception as e:
+            # no matter the failure mode, still try to reconnect
+            except Exception as e:  # pylint: disable=W0718
                 self.logger.warning(f"Reconnection attempt failed: {e!r}")
                 self.logger.debug("", exc_info=True)
                 if 0 <= reconnect_retries < nb_attempt:
diff --git a/amqtt/contexts.py b/amqtt/contexts.py
index 1b37153..afd5dc1 100644
--- a/amqtt/contexts.py
+++ b/amqtt/contexts.py
@@ -154,9 +154,9 @@ class BrokerConfig(Dictable):
     listeners: dict[Literal["default"] | str, ListenerConfig] = field(default_factory=default_listeners) # noqa: PYI051
     """Network of listeners used by the services. a 'default' named listener is required; if another listener
      does not set a value, the 'default' settings are applied. See
-     [ListenerConfig](#amqtt.contexts.ListenerConfig) for more information."""
+     [`ListenerConfig`](broker_config.md#amqtt.contexts.ListenerConfig) for more information."""
     sys_interval: int | None = None
-    """*Deprecated field to configure the `BrokerSysPlugin`. See [`BrokerSysPlugin`](#sys-topics)
+    """*Deprecated field to configure the `BrokerSysPlugin`. See [`BrokerSysPlugin`](../plugins/packaged_plugins.md#sys-topics)
     for recommended configuration.*"""
     timeout_disconnect_delay: int | None = 0
     """Client disconnect timeout without a keep-alive."""
@@ -164,17 +164,17 @@ class BrokerConfig(Dictable):
     """Seconds for an inactive session to be retained."""
     auth: dict[str, Any] | None = None
     """*Deprecated field used to config EntryPoint-loaded plugins. See
-    [`AnonymousAuthPlugin`](#anonymous-auth-plugin) and
-    [`FileAuthPlugin`](#password-file-auth-plugin) for recommended configuration.*"""
+    [`AnonymousAuthPlugin`](../plugins/packaged_plugins.md#anonymous-auth-plugin) and
+    [`FileAuthPlugin`](../plugins/packaged_plugins.md#password-file-auth-plugin) for recommended configuration.*"""
     topic_check: dict[str, Any] | None = None
     """*Deprecated field used to config EntryPoint-loaded plugins. See
-    [`TopicTabooPlugin`](#taboo-topic-plugin) and
-    [`TopicACLPlugin`](#acl-topic-plugin) for recommended configuration method.*"""
+    [`TopicTabooPlugin`](../plugins/packaged_plugins.md#taboo-topic-plugin) and
+    [`TopicACLPlugin`](../plugins/packaged_plugins.md#acl-topic-plugin) for recommended configuration method.*"""
     plugins: dict[str, Any] | list[str | dict[str,Any]] | None = field(default_factory=default_broker_plugins)
     """The dictionary has a key of the dotted-module path of a class derived from `BasePlugin`, `BaseAuthPlugin`
      or `BaseTopicPlugin`; the value is a dictionary of configuration options for that plugin. See
-     [Plugins](http://localhost:8000/custom_plugins/) for more information. `list[str | dict[str,Any]]` is not
-     recommended but available to support legacy use cases."""
+     [custom plugins](../plugins/custom_plugins.md) for more information. `list[str | dict[str,Any]]` is deprecated but available
+      to support legacy use cases."""
 
     def __post_init__(self) -> None:
         """Check config for errors and transform fields for easier use."""
@@ -327,16 +327,16 @@ class ClientConfig(Dictable):
     """Specify the topics and what flags should be set for messages published to them."""
     broker: ConnectionConfig | None = field(default_factory=ConnectionConfig)
     """Configuration for connecting to the broker. See
-     [ConnectionConfig](#amqtt.contexts.ConnectionConfig) for more information."""
+     [`ConnectionConfig`](client_config.md#amqtt.contexts.ConnectionConfig) for more information."""
     plugins: dict[str, Any] | list[dict[str, Any]] | None = field(default_factory=default_client_plugins)
     """The dictionary has a key of the dotted-module path of a class derived from `BasePlugin`; the value is
-     a dictionary of configuration options for that plugin. See [Plugins](http://localhost:8000/custom_plugins/)
-     for more information."""
+     a dictionary of configuration options for that plugin. See [custom plugins](../plugins/custom_plugins.md) for
+      more information. `list[str | dict[str,Any]]` is deprecated but available to support legacy use cases."""
     check_hostname: bool | None = True
     """If establishing a secure connection, should the hostname of the certificate be verified."""
     will: WillConfig | None = None
     """Message, topic and flags that should be sent to if the client disconnects. See
-    [WillConfig](#amqtt.contexts.WillConfig)"""
+    [`WillConfig`](client_config.md#amqtt.contexts.WillConfig) for more information."""
 
     def __post__init__(self) -> None:
         """Check config for errors and transform fields for easier use."""
diff --git a/amqtt/contrib/auth_db/plugin.py b/amqtt/contrib/auth_db/plugin.py
index d4fbe6b..51b665d 100644
--- a/amqtt/contrib/auth_db/plugin.py
+++ b/amqtt/contrib/auth_db/plugin.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ def default_hash_scheme() -> list[str]:
     return ["argon2", "bcrypt", "pbkdf2_sha256", "scrypt"]
 
 
-class UserAuthDBPlugin(BaseAuthPlugin, BaseTopicPlugin):
+class UserAuthDBPlugin(BaseAuthPlugin):
 
     def __init__(self, context: BrokerContext) -> None:
         super().__init__(context)
diff --git a/amqtt/contrib/http.py b/amqtt/contrib/http.py
index 2883401..22d03ff 100644
--- a/amqtt/contrib/http.py
+++ b/amqtt/contrib/http.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ from aiohttp import ClientResponse, ClientSession, FormData
 
 from amqtt.broker import BrokerContext
 from amqtt.contexts import Action
-from amqtt.plugins.base import BaseAuthPlugin, BaseTopicPlugin
+from amqtt.plugins.base import BaseAuthPlugin, BasePlugin, BaseTopicPlugin
 from amqtt.session import Session
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -48,7 +48,31 @@ HTTP_4xx_MIN = 400
 HTTP_4xx_MAX = 499
 
 
-class HttpAuthPlugin(BaseAuthPlugin, BaseTopicPlugin):
+@dataclass
+class HttpConfig:
+    """Configuration for the HTTP Auth & ACL Plugin."""
+
+    host: str
+    """hostname of the server for the auth & acl check"""
+    port: int
+    """port of the server for the auth & acl check"""
+    request_method: RequestMethod = RequestMethod.GET
+    """send the request as a GET, POST or PUT"""
+    params_mode: ParamsMode = ParamsMode.JSON  # see docs/plugins/http.md for additional details
+    """send the request with `JSON` or `FORM` data. *additional details below*"""
+    response_mode: ResponseMode = ResponseMode.JSON  # see docs/plugins/http.md for additional details
+    """expected response from the auth/acl server. `STATUS` (code), `JSON`, or `TEXT`. *additional details below*"""
+    with_tls: bool = False
+    """http or https"""
+    user_agent: str = "amqtt"
+    """the 'User-Agent' header sent along with the request"""
+    superuser_uri: str | None = None
+    """URI to verify if the user is a superuser (e.g. '/superuser'), `None` if superuser is not supported"""
+    timeout: int = 5
+    """duration, in seconds, to wait for the HTTP server to respond"""
+
+
+class AuthHttpPlugin(BasePlugin[BrokerContext]):
 
     def __init__(self, context: BrokerContext) -> None:
         super().__init__(context)
@@ -113,10 +137,23 @@ class HttpAuthPlugin(BaseAuthPlugin, BaseTopicPlugin):
     def get_url(self, uri: str) -> str:
         return f"{'https' if self.config.with_tls else 'http'}://{self.config.host}:{self.config.port}{uri}"
 
+
+class UserAuthHttpPlugin(AuthHttpPlugin, BaseAuthPlugin):
+
     async def authenticate(self, *, session: Session) -> bool | None:
         d = {"username": session.username, "password": session.password, "client_id": session.client_id}
         return await self._send_request(self.get_url(self.config.user_uri), d)
 
+    @dataclass
+    class Config(HttpConfig):
+        """Configuration for the HTTP Auth Plugin."""
+
+        user_uri: str = "/user"
+        """URI of the auth check."""
+
+
+class TopicAuthHttpPlugin(AuthHttpPlugin, BaseTopicPlugin):
+
     async def topic_filtering(self, *,
                         session: Session | None = None,
                         topic: str | None = None,
@@ -136,28 +173,8 @@ class HttpAuthPlugin(BaseAuthPlugin, BaseTopicPlugin):
         return await self._send_request(self.get_url(self.config.topic_uri), d)
 
     @dataclass
-    class Config:
-        """Configuration for the HTTP Auth & ACL Plugin."""
+    class Config(HttpConfig):
+        """Configuration for the HTTP Topic Plugin."""
 
-        host: str
-        """hostname of the server for the auth & acl check"""
-        port: int
-        """port of the server for the auth & acl check"""
-        user_uri: str
-        """URI of the topic check (e.g. '/user')"""
-        topic_uri: str
-        """URI of the topic check (e.g. '/acl')"""
-        request_method: RequestMethod = RequestMethod.GET
-        """send the request as a GET, POST or PUT"""
-        params_mode: ParamsMode = ParamsMode.JSON  # see docs/plugins/http.md for additional details
-        """send the request with `JSON` or `FORM` data. *additional details below*"""
-        response_mode: ResponseMode = ResponseMode.JSON  # see docs/plugins/http.md for additional details
-        """expected response from the auth/acl server. `STATUS` (code), `JSON`, or `TEXT`. *additional details below*"""
-        with_tls: bool = False
-        """http or https"""
-        user_agent: str = "amqtt"
-        """the 'User-Agent' header sent along with the request"""
-        superuser_uri: str | None = None
-        """URI to verify if the user is a superuser (e.g. '/superuser'), `None` if superuser is not supported"""
-        timeout: int = 5
-        """duration, in seconds, to wait for the HTTP server to respond"""
+        topic_uri: str = "/acl"
+        """URI of the topic check."""
diff --git a/amqtt/mqtt/protocol/handler.py b/amqtt/mqtt/protocol/handler.py
index 66bc1cb..0b8fdfe 100644
--- a/amqtt/mqtt/protocol/handler.py
+++ b/amqtt/mqtt/protocol/handler.py
@@ -535,7 +535,7 @@ class ProtocolHandler(Generic[C]):
                 self.handle_read_timeout()
             except NoDataError:
                 self.logger.debug(f"{self.session.client_id} No data available")
-            except Exception as e:  # noqa: BLE001
+            except Exception as e:  # noqa: BLE001, pylint: disable=W0718
                 self.logger.warning(f"{type(self).__name__} Unhandled exception in reader coro: {e!r}")
                 break
         while running_tasks:
diff --git a/amqtt/plugins/authentication.py b/amqtt/plugins/authentication.py
index f3934d9..8a9f291 100644
--- a/amqtt/plugins/authentication.py
+++ b/amqtt/plugins/authentication.py
@@ -37,9 +37,10 @@ class AnonymousAuthPlugin(BaseAuthPlugin):
 
     @dataclass
     class Config:
-        """Allow empty username."""
+        """Configuration for AnonymousAuthPlugin."""
 
         allow_anonymous: bool = field(default=True)
+        """Allow all anonymous authentication (even with _no_ username)."""
 
 
 class FileAuthPlugin(BaseAuthPlugin):
@@ -78,7 +79,7 @@ class FileAuthPlugin(BaseAuthPlugin):
             self.context.logger.warning(f"Password file '{password_file}' not found")
         except ValueError:
             self.context.logger.exception(f"Malformed password file '{password_file}'")
-        except Exception:
+        except OSError:
             self.context.logger.exception(f"Unexpected error reading password file '{password_file}'")
 
     async def authenticate(self, *, session: Session) -> bool | None:
@@ -107,6 +108,7 @@ class FileAuthPlugin(BaseAuthPlugin):
 
     @dataclass
     class Config:
-        """Path to the properly encoded password file."""
+        """Configuration for FileAuthPlugin."""
 
         password_file: str | Path | None = None
+        """Path to file with `username:password` pairs, one per line. All passwords are encoded using sha-512."""
diff --git a/amqtt/scripts/pub_script.py b/amqtt/scripts/pub_script.py
index 41e8f05..b6801c4 100644
--- a/amqtt/scripts/pub_script.py
+++ b/amqtt/scripts/pub_script.py
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ class MessageInput:
                 with Path(self.file).open(encoding="utf-8") as f:
                     for line in f:
                         yield line.encode(encoding="utf-8")
-            except Exception:
+            except (FileNotFoundError, OSError):
                 logger.exception(f"Failed to read file '{self.file}'")
         if self.lines:
             for line in sys.stdin:
diff --git a/docs/plugins/auth_db.md b/docs/plugins/auth_db.md
index ac996e3..b4620c1 100644
--- a/docs/plugins/auth_db.md
+++ b/docs/plugins/auth_db.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Relational Database for Authentication and Authorization
 
-- `amqtt.contrib.auth_db.AuthUserDBPlugin` (authentication) verify a client's ability to connect to broker
-- `amqtt.contrib.auth_db.AuthTopicDBPlugin` (authorization) determine a client's access to topics
+- `amqtt.contrib.auth_db.UserAuthDBPlugin` (authentication) verify a client's ability to connect to broker
+- `amqtt.contrib.auth_db.TopicAuthDBPlugin` (authorization) determine a client's access to topics
 
 Relational database access is supported using SQLAlchemy so MySQL, MariaDB, Postgres and SQLite support is available.
 
diff --git a/docs/plugins/http.md b/docs/plugins/http.md
index 382691c..9ef639c 100644
--- a/docs/plugins/http.md
+++ b/docs/plugins/http.md
@@ -1,9 +1,16 @@
 # Authentication & Authorization via external HTTP server
 
-`amqtt.contrib.http.HttpAuthPlugin`
-
 If clients accessing the broker are managed by another application, it can implement API endpoints
-that respond with information about client authenticated and topic-level authorization.
+that respond with information about client authentication and/or topic-level authorization.
+
+- `amqtt.contrib.http.UserAuthHttpPlugin` (client authentication)
+- `amqtt.contrib.http.TopicAuthHttpPlugin` (topic authorization)
+
+Configuration of these plugins is identical (except for the uri name) so that they can be used independently, if desired.
+
+## User Auth
+
+See the [Request and Response Modes](#request-response-modes) section below for details on `params_mode` and `response_mode`.
 
 !!! info "browser-based mqtt over websockets"
 
@@ -17,9 +24,9 @@ that respond with information about client authenticated and topic-level authori
 
     ??? info "recipe for authentication"
         Provide the client id and username when webpage is initially rendered or passed to the mqtt initialization from stored
-         cookies. If application is secure, the user's password will be hashed should be encrypted and cannot be used to 
-         authenticate a client. Instead, the application should create an encrypted password (eg jwt) which the server
-         can then verify when the broker contacts the application.
+         cookies. If application is secure, the user's password will already be stored as a hashed value and, therefore, cannot
+         be used in this context to  authenticate a client. Instead, the application should create its own encrypted key (eg jwt)
+         which the server can then verify when the broker contacts the application.
 
     ??? example "mqtt in javascript"
           Example initialization of mqtt in javascript:
@@ -35,9 +42,18 @@ that respond with information about client authenticated and topic-level authori
             try {
               const clientMqtt = await mqtt.connect(url, options);
 
-See the 'Request and Response Modes' section below for details on `params_mode` and `response_mode`. 
+::: amqtt.contrib.http.UserAuthHttpPlugin.Config
+    options:
+      show_source: false
+      heading_level: 4
+      extra:
+        class_style: "simple"
 
-::: amqtt.contrib.http.HttpAuthPlugin.Config
+## Topic ACL
+
+See the [Request and Response Modes](#request-response-modes) section below for details on `params_mode` and `response_mode`.
+
+::: amqtt.contrib.http.TopicAuthHttpPlugin.Config
     options:
       show_source: false
       heading_level: 4
@@ -45,7 +61,8 @@ See the 'Request and Response Modes' section below for details on `params_mode`
         class_style: "simple"
 
 [//]: # (manually creating the heading so it doesn't show in the sidebar ToC)
-<h2>Params and Response Modes</h2>
+[](){#request-response-modes}
+<h2>Request and Response Modes</h2>
 
 Each URI endpoint will receive different information in order to determine authentication and authorization;
 format will depend on `params_mode` configuration attribute (`json` or `form`).:
@@ -56,10 +73,6 @@ format will depend on `params_mode` configuration attribute (`json` or `form`).:
     - password *(str)*
     - client_id *(str)*
 
-*For superuser validation, the request will contain:*
-
-    - username *(str)*
-
 *For acl check, the request will contain:*
 
     - username *(str)*
@@ -69,23 +82,25 @@ format will depend on `params_mode` configuration attribute (`json` or `form`).:
 
 All endpoints should respond with the following, dependent on `response_mode` configuration attribute:
 
-*In `status` mode:
+*In `status` mode:*
 
     - status code: 2xx (granted) or 4xx(denied) or 5xx (noop)
 
 !!! note "5xx response"
-    **noop** (no operation): plugin will not participate in the filtering operation and will defer to another
-    topic filtering plugin to determine access. if there is no other topic filtering plugin, access will be denied.
+    **noop** (no operation): plugin will not participate in the operation and will defer to another
+    plugin to determine access. if there is no other auth/filtering plugin, access will be denied.
 
 *In `json` mode:*
 
     - status code: 2xx
     - content-type: application/json
-    - response: {'ok': True } (granted), {'ok': False, 'error': 'optional error message' } (denied) or { 'error': 'optional error message' } (noop)
+    - response: {'ok': True } (granted)
+                or {'ok': False, 'error': 'optional error message' } (denied)
+                or { 'error': 'optional error message' } (noop)
 
 !!! note "excluded 'ok' key"
-    **noop** (no operation): plugin will not participate in the filtering operation and will defer to another
-     topic filtering plugin to determine access. if there is no other topic filtering plugin, access will be denied.
+    **noop** (no operation): plugin will not participate in the operation and will defer to another
+    plugin to determine access. if there is no other auth/filtering plugin, access will be denied.
 
 *In `text` mode:*
 
diff --git a/docs/plugins/packaged_plugins.md b/docs/plugins/packaged_plugins.md
index 3a5b037..dbf9731 100644
--- a/docs/plugins/packaged_plugins.md
+++ b/docs/plugins/packaged_plugins.md
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ and configured for the broker:
 
 ## Client
 
-By default, the `PacketLoggerPlugin` is  activated  and configured for the client:
+By default, the `PacketLoggerPlugin` is  activated and configured for the client:
 
 ```yaml
 --8<-- "amqtt/scripts/default_client.yaml"
@@ -43,15 +43,14 @@ By default, the `PacketLoggerPlugin` is  activated  and configured for the clien
 
 `amqtt.plugins.authentication.AnonymousAuthPlugin`
 
-**Configuration**
+Authentication plugin allowing anonymous access.
+
+::: amqtt.plugins.authentication.AnonymousAuthPlugin.Config
+    options:
+      heading_level: 4
+      extra:
+        class_style: "simple"
 
-```yaml
-plugins:
-  .
-  .
-  amqtt.plugins.authentication.AnonymousAuthPlugin:
-      allow_anonymous: false
-```
 
 !!! danger
     even if `allow_anonymous` is set to `false`, the plugin will still allow access if a username is provided by the client
@@ -71,15 +70,14 @@ plugins:
 
 `amqtt.plugins.authentication.FileAuthPlugin`
 
-clients are authorized by providing username and password, compared against file
+Authentication plugin based on a file-stored user database.
 
-**Configuration**
+::: amqtt.plugins.authentication.FileAuthPlugin.Config
+    options:
+      heading_level: 4
+      extra:
+        class_style: "simple"
 
-```yaml
-plugins:
-  amqtt.plugins.authentication.FileAuthPlugin:
-      password_file: /path/to/password_file
-```
 
 ??? warning "EntryPoint-style configuration is deprecated"
     ```yaml
diff --git a/docs/references/broker.md b/docs/references/broker.md
index 022ad2a..057b1b4 100644
--- a/docs/references/broker.md
+++ b/docs/references/broker.md
@@ -21,16 +21,5 @@ The `amqtt.broker` module provides the following key methods in the `Broker` cla
 - `start()`: Starts the broker and begins serving
 - `shutdown()`: Gracefully shuts down the broker
 
-### Broker configuration
-
-The `Broker` class's `__init__` method accepts a `config` parameter which allows setup of default and custom behaviors.
-
-Details on the `config` parameter structure is a dictionary whose structure is identical to yaml formatted file[^1]
-used by the included broker script: [broker configuration](broker_config.md)
-  
-
 
 ::: amqtt.broker.Broker
-
-
-[^1]: See [PyYAML](http://pyyaml.org/wiki/PyYAMLDocumentation) for loading YAML files as Python dict.
diff --git a/docs/references/client.md b/docs/references/client.md
index 74cc887..2bfc5d4 100644
--- a/docs/references/client.md
+++ b/docs/references/client.md
@@ -129,15 +129,4 @@ amqtt/LYRf52W[56SOjW04 <-in-- PubcompPacket(ts=2015-11-11 21:54:48.713107, fixed
 
 Both coroutines have the same results except that `test_coro2()` manages messages flow in parallel which may be more efficient.
 
-
-### Client configuration
-
-The `MQTTClient` class's `__init__` method accepts a `config` parameter which allows setup of default and custom behaviors.
-
-Details on the `config` parameter structure is a dictionary whose structure is identical to yaml formatted file[^1]
-used by the included broker script: [client configuration](client_config.md)
-
 ::: amqtt.client.MQTTClient
-
-[^1]: See [PyYAML](http://pyyaml.org/wiki/PyYAMLDocumentation) for loading YAML files as Python dict.
-
diff --git a/docs/references/common.md b/docs/references/common.md
index 615ff1b..1fd680c 100644
--- a/docs/references/common.md
+++ b/docs/references/common.md
@@ -2,20 +2,26 @@
 
 This document describes `aMQTT` common API both used by [MQTT Client](client.md) and [Broker](broker.md).
 
-## Reference
+## ApplicationMessage
 
-### ApplicationMessage
+::: amqtt.session.ApplicationMessage
+    options:
+      heading_level: 3
 
-The `amqtt.session` module provides the following message classes:
+## IncomingApplicationMessage
 
-#### ApplicationMessage
+Represents messages received from MQTT clients.
 
-Base class for MQTT application messages.
+::: amqtt.session.IncomingApplicationMessage
+    options:
+      heading_level: 3
 
-#### IncomingApplicationMessage
 
-Inherits from ApplicationMessage. Represents messages received from MQTT clients.
-
-#### OutgoingApplicationMessage
+## OutgoingApplicationMessage
 
 Inherits from ApplicationMessage. Represents messages to be sent to MQTT clients.
+
+::: amqtt.session.OutgoingApplicationMessage
+    options:
+      heading_level: 3
+
diff --git a/mkdocs.rtd.yml b/mkdocs.rtd.yml
index 3a3ed08..997b6bf 100644
--- a/mkdocs.rtd.yml
+++ b/mkdocs.rtd.yml
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@ nav:
           - Broker: references/broker.md
           - Client: references/client.md
           - Common: references/common.md
+      - Configuration:
+          - Broker: references/broker_config.md
+          - Client: references/client_config.md
       - Plugins:
           - Packaged: plugins/packaged_plugins.md
           - Custom: plugins/custom_plugins.md
@@ -45,9 +48,6 @@ nav:
             - Database Auth: plugins/auth_db.md
             - HTTP Auth: plugins/http.md
             - Shadows: plugins/shadows.md
-      - Configuration:
-          - Broker: references/broker_config.md
-          - Client: references/client_config.md
       - Reference:
           - Containerization: docker.md
           - Support: support.md
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index af7e3cb..1f08803 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -243,6 +243,7 @@ jobs = 2
 ignore = ["tests"]
 fail-on = ["I"]
 max-line-length = 130
+ignore-paths = ["amqtt/plugins/persistence.py"]
 
 [tool.pylint.BASIC]
 # Good variable names which should always be accepted, separated by a comma.
@@ -253,7 +254,6 @@ good-names = ["i", "j", "k", "e", "ex", "f", "_", "T", "x", "y", "id", "tg"]
 # duplicate-code - unavoidable
 # too-many-* - are not enforced for the sake of readability
 disable = [
-  "broad-exception-caught",        # TODO: improve later
   "duplicate-code",
   "fixme",
   "invalid-name",
diff --git a/tests/contrib/test_http.py b/tests/contrib/test_http.py
index 323acf2..182ccf2 100644
--- a/tests/contrib/test_http.py
+++ b/tests/contrib/test_http.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ from aiohttp.web import Response
 
 from amqtt.broker import BrokerContext, Broker
 from amqtt.contexts import Action
-from amqtt.contrib.http import HttpAuthPlugin, ParamsMode, ResponseMode, RequestMethod
+from amqtt.contrib.http import UserAuthHttpPlugin, TopicAuthHttpPlugin, ParamsMode, ResponseMode, RequestMethod
 from amqtt.session import Session
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -91,73 +91,98 @@ def test_server_up_and_down(http_server):
     pass
 
 
-class TestKind(Enum):
+class TypeOfHttpTest(Enum):
     AUTH = auto()
     ACL = auto()
 
 
-def generate_use_cases():
+def generate_use_cases(kind: TypeOfHttpTest):
     # generate all variations of the plugin's configuration options for both auth and topic
     # e.g. (TestKind.AUTH, '/user/json', RequestMethod.GET, ParamsMode.JSON, ResponseMode.JSON, 'json', 'json', True),
 
     cases: list[tuple[str, str, RequestMethod, ParamsMode, ResponseMode, str, str, bool]] = []
-    for kind in TestKind:
-        root_url = 'user' if kind == TestKind.AUTH else 'acl'
-        for request in RequestMethod:
-            for params in ParamsMode:
-                for response in ResponseMode:
-                    url = f'/{root_url}/json' if params == ParamsMode.JSON else f'/{root_url}/form'
-                    for is_authenticated in [True, False, None]:
-                        if is_authenticated is None:
-                            pwd = 'i_am_null'
-                        elif is_authenticated:
-                            pwd = f'{response.value}'
-                        else:
-                            pwd = f'not{response.value}'
 
-                        if response == ResponseMode.TEXT and is_authenticated is None:
-                            is_authenticated = False
+    root_url = 'user' if kind == TypeOfHttpTest.AUTH else 'acl'
+    for request in RequestMethod:
+        for params in ParamsMode:
+            for response in ResponseMode:
+                url = f'/{root_url}/json' if params == ParamsMode.JSON else f'/{root_url}/form'
+                for is_authenticated in [True, False, None]:
+                    if is_authenticated is None:
+                        pwd = 'i_am_null'
+                    elif is_authenticated:
+                        pwd = f'{response.value}'
+                    else:
+                        pwd = f'not{response.value}'
 
-                        case = (kind, url, request, params, response, response.value, f"{pwd}", is_authenticated)
-                        cases.append(case)
+                    if response == ResponseMode.TEXT and is_authenticated is None:
+                        is_authenticated = False
+
+                    case = (kind, url, request, params, response, response.value, f"{pwd}", is_authenticated)
+                    cases.append(case)
     return cases
 
 def test_generated_use_cases():
-    cases = generate_use_cases()
-    assert len(cases) == 108
+    cases = generate_use_cases(kind=TypeOfHttpTest.AUTH)
+    assert len(cases) == 54
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("kind,url,request_method,params_mode,response_mode,username,matcher,is_allowed",
-                             generate_use_cases())
+                         generate_use_cases(TypeOfHttpTest.AUTH))
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_request_acl_response(empty_broker, http_server, kind, url,
+async def test_request_auth_response(empty_broker, http_server, kind, url,
                                      request_method, params_mode, response_mode,
                                      username, matcher, is_allowed):
 
     context = BrokerContext(broker=empty_broker)
-    context.config = HttpAuthPlugin.Config(
+    context.config = UserAuthHttpPlugin.Config(
         host="127.0.0.1",
         port=8080,
         user_uri=url,
+        request_method=request_method,
+        params_mode=params_mode,
+        response_mode=response_mode,
+    )
+    http_acl = UserAuthHttpPlugin(context)
+    logger.warning(f'kind is {kind}')
+
+    session = Session()
+    session.client_id = "my_client_id"
+    session.username = username
+    session.password = matcher
+    assert await http_acl.authenticate(session=session) == is_allowed
+
+    await http_acl.on_broker_pre_shutdown()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("kind,url,request_method,params_mode,response_mode,username,matcher,is_allowed",
+                         generate_use_cases(TypeOfHttpTest.ACL))
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_request_topic_response(empty_broker, http_server, kind, url,
+                                     request_method, params_mode, response_mode,
+                                     username, matcher, is_allowed):
+    context = BrokerContext(broker=empty_broker)
+    context.config = TopicAuthHttpPlugin.Config(
+        host="127.0.0.1",
+        port=8080,
         topic_uri=url,
         request_method=request_method,
         params_mode=params_mode,
         response_mode=response_mode,
     )
-    http_acl = HttpAuthPlugin(context)
-    logger.warning(f'kind is {kind}')
-    if kind == TestKind.ACL:
-        s = Session()
-        s.username = username
-        s.client_id = matcher
-        t = 'my/topic'
-        a = Action.PUBLISH
-        assert await http_acl.topic_filtering(session=s, topic=t, action=a) == is_allowed
-    else:
-        session = Session()
-        session.client_id = "my_client_id"
-        session.username = username
-        session.password = matcher
-        assert await http_acl.authenticate(session=session) == is_allowed
+    http_acl = TopicAuthHttpPlugin(context)
+
+    s = Session()
+    s.username = username
+    s.client_id = matcher
+    t = 'my/topic'
+    a = Action.PUBLISH
+    assert await http_acl.topic_filtering(session=s, topic=t, action=a) == is_allowed
 
     await http_acl.on_broker_pre_shutdown()
+
+
+
+    # if kind == TestKind.ACL:
+
+    # else:
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/test_broker.py b/tests/test_broker.py
index b7f563c..ea68097 100644
--- a/tests/test_broker.py
+++ b/tests/test_broker.py
@@ -934,6 +934,35 @@ async def test_broker_socket_open_close(broker):
     await asyncio.sleep(0.1)
     s.close()
 
+std_legacy_config = {
+        "listeners": {
+            "default": {
+                "type": "tcp",
+                "bind": f"127.0.0.1:1883",
+            }
+        },
+        "sys_interval": 10,
+        "auth": {
+            "allow-anonymous": True,
+            "plugins": ["auth_anonymous"],
+        },
+        "topic-check": {"enabled": False},
+    }
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_broker_with_legacy_config():
+
+    broker = Broker(config=std_legacy_config)
+
+    await broker.start()
+    await asyncio.sleep(2)
+
+    mqtt_client = MQTTClient(config={'auto_reconnect': False})
+    await mqtt_client.connect()
+
+    await broker.shutdown()
+
 
 legacy_config_empty_auth_plugin_list = {
         "listeners": {