diff --git a/swh/storage/api/client.py b/swh/storage/api/client.py
--- a/swh/storage/api/client.py
+++ b/swh/storage/api/client.py
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
 from ..exc import StorageAPIError, StorageArgumentException
 from ..interface import StorageInterface
 
+from .serializers import ENCODERS, DECODERS
+
 
 class RemoteStorage(RPCClient):
     """Proxy to a remote storage API"""
@@ -17,6 +19,8 @@
     reraise_exceptions = [
         StorageArgumentException,
     ]
+    extra_type_decoders = DECODERS
+    extra_type_encoders = ENCODERS
 
     def raise_for_status(self, response) -> None:
         try:
diff --git a/swh/storage/api/serializers.py b/swh/storage/api/serializers.py
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/swh/storage/api/serializers.py
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2020  The Software Heritage developers
+# See the AUTHORS file at the top-level directory of this distribution
+# License: GNU General Public License version 3, or any later version
+# See top-level LICENSE file for more information
+
+"""Decoder and encoders for swh-model objects."""
+
+from typing import Callable, Dict, List, Tuple
+
+import swh.model.model as model
+
+
+def _encode_model_object(obj):
+    d = obj.to_dict()
+    d['__type__'] = type(obj).__name__
+    return d
+
+
+ENCODERS: List[Tuple[type, str, Callable]] = [
+    (model.BaseModel, 'model', _encode_model_object),
+]
+
+
+DECODERS: Dict[str, Callable] = {
+    'model': lambda d: getattr(model, d.pop('__type__')).from_dict(d)
+}
diff --git a/swh/storage/api/server.py b/swh/storage/api/server.py
--- a/swh/storage/api/server.py
+++ b/swh/storage/api/server.py
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@
 from ..metrics import timed
 from ..exc import StorageArgumentException
 
+from .serializers import ENCODERS, DECODERS
+
 
 def get_storage():
     global storage
@@ -25,9 +27,14 @@
     return storage
 
 
-app = RPCServerApp(__name__,
-                   backend_class=StorageInterface,
-                   backend_factory=get_storage)
+class StorageServerApp(RPCServerApp):
+    extra_type_decoders = DECODERS
+    extra_type_encoders = ENCODERS
+
+
+app = StorageServerApp(__name__,
+                       backend_class=StorageInterface,
+                       backend_factory=get_storage)
 storage = None
 
 
diff --git a/swh/storage/tests/test_api_client.py b/swh/storage/tests/test_api_client.py
--- a/swh/storage/tests/test_api_client.py
+++ b/swh/storage/tests/test_api_client.py
@@ -7,9 +7,9 @@
 
 import pytest
 
-from swh.storage.api.client import RemoteStorage
 import swh.storage.api.server as server
 import swh.storage.storage
+from swh.storage import get_storage
 from swh.storage.tests.test_storage import TestStorageGeneratedData # noqa
 from swh.storage.tests.test_storage import TestStorage as _TestStorage
 
@@ -21,13 +21,10 @@
 @pytest.fixture
 def app_server():
     storage_config = {
-        'cls': 'validate',
-        'storage': {
+        'cls': 'memory',
+        'journal_writer': {
             'cls': 'memory',
-            'journal_writer': {
-                'cls': 'memory',
-            },
-        }
+        },
     }
     server.storage = swh.storage.get_storage(**storage_config)
     yield server
@@ -40,7 +37,17 @@
 
 @pytest.fixture
 def swh_rpc_client_class():
-    return RemoteStorage
+    def storage_factory(**kwargs):
+        storage_config = {
+            'cls': 'validate',
+            'storage': {
+                'cls': 'remote',
+                **kwargs,
+            }
+        }
+        return get_storage(**storage_config)
+
+    return storage_factory
 
 
 @pytest.fixture
@@ -55,6 +62,7 @@
     # in-memory backend storage is attached to the RemoteStorage as its
     # journal_writer attribute.
     storage = swh_rpc_client
+
     journal_writer = getattr(storage, 'journal_writer', None)
     storage.journal_writer = app_server.storage.journal_writer
     yield storage
diff --git a/swh/storage/tests/test_api_client.py b/swh/storage/tests/test_api_client_dicts.py
copy from swh/storage/tests/test_api_client.py
copy to swh/storage/tests/test_api_client_dicts.py