diff --git a/swh/scheduler/backend.py b/swh/scheduler/backend.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7f61c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/swh/scheduler/backend.py
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+# Copyright (C) 2015  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
+
+import datetime
+
+import psycopg2
+from psycopg2.extras import RealDictCursor
+
+from swh.core.config import SWHConfig
+
+
+class SchedulerBackend(SWHConfig):
+    """
+    Backend for the Software Heritage scheduling database.
+    """
+
+    CONFIG_BASE_FILENAME = 'scheduler.ini'
+    DEFAULT_CONFIG = {
+        'scheduling_db': ('str', 'dbname=swh-scheduler'),
+    }
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.config = self.parse_config_file(global_config=False)
+
+        self.db = None
+
+        self.reconnect()
+
+    def reconnect(self):
+        if not self.db or self.db.closed:
+            self.db = psycopg2.connect(self.config['scheduling_db'])
+
+    def cursor(self):
+        """Return a fresh cursor on the database, with auto-reconnection in case of
+        failure"""
+        cur = None
+
+        # Get a fresh cursor and reconnect at most three times
+        tries = 0
+        while True:
+            tries += 1
+            try:
+                cur = self.db.cursor(cursor_factory=RealDictCursor)
+                cur.execute('select 1')
+                break
+            except psycopg2.OperationalError:
+                if tries < 3:
+                    self.reconnect()
+                else:
+                    raise
+
+        return cur
+
+    def commit(self):
+        """Commit a transaction"""
+        self.db.commit()
+
+    def rollback(self):
+        """Rollback a transaction"""
+        self.db.rollback()
+
+    task_type_keys = [
+        'type', 'description', 'backend_name', 'default_interval',
+        'min_interval', 'max_interval', 'backoff_factor',
+    ]
+
+    def _format_query(self, query, keys):
+        """Format a query with the given keys"""
+
+        query_keys = ', '.join(keys)
+        placeholders = ', '.join(['%s'] * len(keys))
+
+        return query.format(keys=query_keys, placeholders=placeholders)
+
+    def create_task_type(self, task_type, cursor=None):
+        """Create a new task type ready for scheduling.
+
+        A task type is a dictionary with the following keys:
+            type (str): an identifier for the task type
+            description (str): a human-readable description of what the task
+                does
+            backend_name (str): the name of the task in the job-scheduling
+                backend
+            default_interval (datetime.timedelta): the default interval
+                between two task runs
+            min_interval (datetime.timedelta): the minimum interval between
+                two task runs
+            max_interval (datetime.timedelta): the maximum interval between
+                two task runs
+            backoff_factor (float): the factor by which the interval changes
+                at each run
+        """
+        cur = cursor if cursor else self.cursor()
+
+        query = self._format_query(
+            """insert into task_type ({keys}) values ({placeholders})""",
+            self.task_type_keys,
+        )
+        cur.execute(query, [task_type[key] for key in self.task_type_keys])
+
+        if not cursor:
+            self.commit()
+
+    def get_task_type(self, task_type_name, cursor=None):
+        """Retrieve the task type with id task_type_name"""
+        cur = cursor if cursor else self.cursor()
+
+        query = self._format_query(
+            "select {keys} from task_type where type=%s",
+            self.task_type_keys,
+        )
+        cur.execute(query, (task_type_name,))
+
+        ret = cur.fetchone()
+
+        if not cursor:
+            self.commit()
+
+        return ret
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    backend = SchedulerBackend()
+    backend.create_task_type({
+        'type': "origin-update-git",
+        'description': 'Update an origin git repository',
+        'backend_name': 'swh.loader.git.tasks.UpdateGitRepository',
+        'default_interval': datetime.timedelta(days=8),
+        'min_interval': datetime.timedelta(hours=12),
+        'max_interval': datetime.timedelta(days=32),
+        'backoff_factor': 2,
+    })
+
+    print(backend.get_task_type('origin-update-git'))