diff --git a/3rdParty/fuerte/src/HttpConnection.cpp b/3rdParty/fuerte/src/HttpConnection.cpp
index de04ec2cd6..c6150267c7 100644
--- a/3rdParty/fuerte/src/HttpConnection.cpp
+++ b/3rdParty/fuerte/src/HttpConnection.cpp
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ std::string HttpConnection<ST>::buildRequestBody(Request const& req) {
 
   // construct request path ("/_db/<name>/" prefix)
   if (!req.header.database.empty()) {
-    header.append("/_db/");
+    header.append("/_db/", 5);
     http::urlEncode(header, req.header.database);
   }
   // must start with /, also turns /_db/abc into /_db/abc/
diff --git a/3rdParty/fuerte/src/connection.cpp b/3rdParty/fuerte/src/connection.cpp
index 4ab8b70d66..709123a680 100644
--- a/3rdParty/fuerte/src/connection.cpp
+++ b/3rdParty/fuerte/src/connection.cpp
@@ -32,12 +32,11 @@ Connection::~Connection() {
 }
 
 // sendRequest and wait for it to finished.
-std::unique_ptr<Response> Connection::sendRequest(
-    std::unique_ptr<Request> request) {
+std::unique_ptr<Response> Connection::sendRequest(std::unique_ptr<Request> request) {
   FUERTE_LOG_TRACE << "sendRequest (sync): before send" << std::endl;
 
   WaitGroup wg;
-  auto rv = std::unique_ptr<Response>(nullptr);
+  std::unique_ptr<Response> rv;
   ::arangodb::fuerte::v1::Error error = Error::NoError;
 
   auto cb = [&](::arangodb::fuerte::v1::Error e,
@@ -69,11 +68,14 @@ std::unique_ptr<Response> Connection::sendRequest(
   
 std::string Connection::endpoint() const {
   std::string endpoint;
-  endpoint.reserve(16);
+  endpoint.reserve(32);
+  // http/vst 
   endpoint.append(fuerte::to_string(_config._protocolType));
   endpoint.push_back('+');
+  // tcp/ssl/unix
   endpoint.append(fuerte::to_string(_config._socketType));
   endpoint.append("://");
+  // domain name or IP (xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx)
   endpoint.append(_config._host);
   if (_config._socketType != SocketType::Unix) {
     endpoint.push_back(':');
diff --git a/arangosh/Shell/V8ClientConnection.cpp b/arangosh/Shell/V8ClientConnection.cpp
index e2b6d0cced..5b0bdad361 100644
--- a/arangosh/Shell/V8ClientConnection.cpp
+++ b/arangosh/Shell/V8ClientConnection.cpp
@@ -161,12 +161,12 @@ std::shared_ptr<fuerte::Connection> V8ClientConnection::createConnection() {
         return newConnection;
       }
     }
+    return _connection;
   } catch (fuerte::Error const& e) {  // connection error
     _lastErrorMessage = fuerte::to_string(e);
     _lastHttpReturnCode = 503;
+    return nullptr;
   }
-  
-  return nullptr;
 }
 
 std::shared_ptr<fuerte::Connection> V8ClientConnection::acquireConnection() {
@@ -175,7 +175,9 @@ std::shared_ptr<fuerte::Connection> V8ClientConnection::acquireConnection() {
   _lastErrorMessage = "";
   _lastHttpReturnCode = 0;
   
-  if (!_connection || _connection->state() == fuerte::Connection::State::Failed) {
+  if (!_connection || 
+      (_connection->state() == fuerte::Connection::State::Disconnected ||
+       _connection->state() == fuerte::Connection::State::Failed)) {
     return createConnection();
   }
   return _connection;
@@ -186,7 +188,8 @@ void V8ClientConnection::setInterrupted(bool interrupted) {
   if (interrupted && _connection != nullptr) {
     shutdownConnection();
   } else if (!interrupted && (_connection == nullptr ||
-                              _connection->state() == fuerte::Connection::State::Failed)) {
+                              (_connection->state() == fuerte::Connection::State::Disconnected ||
+                               _connection->state() == fuerte::Connection::State::Failed))) {
     createConnection();
   }
 }
@@ -218,7 +221,6 @@ void V8ClientConnection::timeout(double value) {
 }
 
 void V8ClientConnection::connect(ClientFeature* client) {
-  
   TRI_ASSERT(client);
   std::lock_guard<std::recursive_mutex> guard(_lock);
   _forceJson = client->forceJson();
@@ -1514,6 +1516,9 @@ v8::Local<v8::Value> V8ClientConnection::requestData(
     v8::Local<v8::Value> const& body,
     std::unordered_map<std::string, std::string> const& headerFields, bool isFile) {
 
+  bool retry = true;
+
+again:
   auto req = std::make_unique<fuerte::Request>();
   req->header.restVerb = method;
   req->header.database = _databaseName;
@@ -1589,21 +1594,30 @@ v8::Local<v8::Value> V8ClientConnection::requestData(
     return v8::Undefined(isolate);
   }
 
+  fuerte::Error rc = fuerte::Error::NoError;
   std::unique_ptr<fuerte::Response> response;
   try {
     response = connection->sendRequest(std::move(req));
   } catch (fuerte::Error const& ec) {
-    return handleResult(isolate, nullptr, ec);
+    rc = ec;
+  }
+    
+  if (rc == fuerte::Error::ConnectionClosed && retry) {
+    retry = false;
+    goto again;
   }
 
-  return handleResult(isolate, std::move(response), fuerte::Error::NoError);
+  return handleResult(isolate, std::move(response), rc);
 }
 
 v8::Local<v8::Value> V8ClientConnection::requestDataRaw(
     v8::Isolate* isolate, fuerte::RestVerb method, arangodb::velocypack::StringRef const& location,
     v8::Local<v8::Value> const& body,
     std::unordered_map<std::string, std::string> const& headerFields) {
+  
+  bool retry = true;
 
+again:
   auto req = std::make_unique<fuerte::Request>();
   req->header.restVerb = method;
   req->header.database = _databaseName;
@@ -1651,20 +1665,26 @@ v8::Local<v8::Value> V8ClientConnection::requestDataRaw(
   req->timeout(std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::milliseconds>(_requestTimeout));
 
   std::shared_ptr<fuerte::Connection> connection = acquireConnection();
-  
   if (!connection || connection->state() == fuerte::Connection::State::Failed) {
     TRI_V8_SET_EXCEPTION_MESSAGE(TRI_ERROR_SIMPLE_CLIENT_COULD_NOT_CONNECT,
                                  "not connected");
     return v8::Undefined(isolate);
   }
 
+  fuerte::Error rc = fuerte::Error::NoError;
   std::unique_ptr<fuerte::Response> response;
   try {
     response = connection->sendRequest(std::move(req));
   } catch (fuerte::Error const& e) {
+    rc = e;
     _lastErrorMessage.assign(fuerte::to_string(e));
     _lastHttpReturnCode = 503;
   }
+  
+  if (rc == fuerte::Error::ConnectionClosed && retry) {
+    retry = false;
+    goto again;
+  }
 
   v8::Local<v8::Object> result = v8::Object::New(isolate);
   if (!response) {