diff --git a/manifests/instance.pp b/manifests/instance.pp
index 3828f3d..bc74df2 100644
--- a/manifests/instance.pp
+++ b/manifests/instance.pp
@@ -1,154 +1,156 @@
 # == Defined Type: gunicorn::instance
 #
 # gunicorn::instance defines an instance of gunicorn
 #
 # === Parameters
 #
 # [*ensure*]
 #   Whether the instance should be enabled, present (but disabled) or absent.
 #
 # [*environment*]
 #   A hash of environment variables to start the service with.
 #
 # [*executable*]
 #   The wsgi callable to pass to gunicorn
 #
 # [*settings*]
 #   a hash of settings for the given site.
 #
 # === Examples
 #
 #  gunicorn::instance {'foo':
 #    ensure      => enabled,
 #    environment => {
 #      FOOENV => 'foovar',
 #    }
 #    executable  => 'foo.wsgi:app'
 #    user        => 'foouser',
 #    group       => 'foogroup',
-#    config_mode => 0644
+#    config_mode => 0644,
 #    settings    => {
 #      plugin              => 'python3',
 #      protocol            => $uwsgi_protocol,
 #      socket              => $uwsgi_listen_address,
 #      workers             => $uwsgi_workers,
 #      max_requests        => $uwsgi_max_requests,
 #      max_requests_delta  => $uwsgi_max_requests_delta,
 #      worker_reload_mercy => $uwsgi_reload_mercy,
 #      reload_mercy        => $uwsgi_reload_mercy,
 #      uid                 => $user,
 #      gid                 => $user,
 #      module              => 'swh.storage.api.server',
 #      callable            => 'run_from_webserver',
 #    }
 #  }
 #
 # === Authors
 #
 # Nicolas Dandrimont <nicolas@dandrimont.eu>
 #
 # === Copyright
 #
 # Copyright 2017 The Software Heritage developers
 #
 define gunicorn::instance (
   $executable,
   $user = 'root',
   $group = 'root',
   $ensure = 'enabled',
   $config_mode = '0644',
   $working_dir = undef,
+  $config_base_module = undef,
   $log_only_errors = true,
   $settings = {},
   $environment = {}
 ) {
   $config_file = "/etc/gunicorn/instances/${name}.cfg"
   $service_name = "gunicorn-${name}"
   $unit_name = "${service_name}.service"
   $tmpfile_name = "${service_name}.conf"
   $runtime_dir = "/run/gunicorn/${name}"
 
   if $working_dir {
     $working_dir_override = $working_dir
   } else {
     $working_dir_override = $runtime_dir
   }
 
   if $log_only_errors {
     $log_only_errors_str = 'True'
   } else {
     $log_only_errors_str = 'False'
   }
 
   case $ensure {
     default: { err("Unknown value ensure => ${ensure}.") }
     'enabled', 'present': {
 
       include ::gunicorn
 
       # Uses variables:
       #  - $settings
       #  - $name
       #  - $log_only_errors_str
+      #  - $config_base_module
       file {$config_file:
         ensure  => present,
         owner   => $user,
         group   => $group,
         mode    => $config_mode,
         content => template('gunicorn/gunicorn-instance.cfg.erb'),
         notify  => Service[$service_name],
       }
 
       # Uses variables:
       #  - $config_file
       #  - $environment
       #  - $executable
       #  - $group
       #  - $name
       #  - $runtime_dir
       #  - $user
       #  - $working_dir_override
       ::systemd::unit_file {$unit_name:
         ensure  => present,
         content => template('gunicorn/gunicorn-instance.service.erb'),
       } ~> Service[$service_name]
 
       # Uses variables:
       #  - $group
       #  - $name
       #  - $runtime_dir
       #  - $user
       ::systemd::tmpfile {$tmpfile_name:
         ensure  => present,
         content => template('gunicorn/gunicorn-instance.tmpfiles.erb'),
       }
 
       $service_enable = $ensure ? {
         'enabled' => true,
         'present' => undef,
       }
 
       service {$service_name:
         ensure  => 'running',
         enable  => $service_enable,
         restart => "/bin/systemctl reload ${service_name}.service",
         require => [
           File[$config_file],
         ],
       }
     }
 
     'absent': {
       ::systemd::unit_file {$unit_name:
         ensure => absent,
       }
       ::systemd::tmpfile {$tmpfile_name:
         ensure  => absent,
       }
       file {$config_file:
         ensure  => absent,
       }
     }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/templates/gunicorn-instance.cfg.erb b/templates/gunicorn-instance.cfg.erb
index 2ad7687..cb2187d 100644
--- a/templates/gunicorn-instance.cfg.erb
+++ b/templates/gunicorn-instance.cfg.erb
@@ -1,37 +1,42 @@
 # Gunicorn instance configuration.
 # Managed by puppet (class gunicorn::instance <%= @name %>); changes will be lost
 
+<%- if @config_base_module -%>
+# import all settings from the base module
+from <%= @config_base_module %> import *
+<%- end -%>
+
 import traceback
 import gunicorn.glogging
 
 class Logger(gunicorn.glogging.Logger):
     log_only_errors = <%= @log_only_errors_str %>
 
     def access(self, resp, req, environ, request_time):
         """ See http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/logs.html#combined
         for format details
         """
 
         if not (self.cfg.accesslog or self.cfg.logconfig or self.cfg.syslog):
             return
 
         # wrap atoms:
         # - make sure atoms will be test case insensitively
         # - if atom doesn't exist replace it by '-'
         atoms = self.atoms(resp, req, environ, request_time)
         safe_atoms = self.atoms_wrapper_class(atoms)
 
         try:
             if self.log_only_errors and str(atoms['s']) == '200':
                 return
             self.access_log.info(self.cfg.access_log_format % safe_atoms, extra={'swh_atoms': atoms})
         except:
             self.exception('Failed processing access log entry')
 
 logger_class = Logger
 logconfig = '/etc/gunicorn/logconfig.ini'
 
 # custom settings
 <% @settings.each do |key, value| -%>
 <%= key %> = <%= value.to_json %>
 <% end -%>