diff --git a/api/rest/config.go b/api/rest/config.go
index 4cea9a82..6f82faf0 100644
--- a/api/rest/config.go
+++ b/api/rest/config.go
@@ -228,32 +228,13 @@ func (cfg *Config) loadHTTPOptions(jcfg *jsonConfig) error {
 		cfg.TLS = tlsCfg
 	}
 
-	// only overwrite defaults when we can parse the time
-	// 0 is a valid value
-	t, err := time.ParseDuration(jcfg.ReadTimeout)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error parsing restapi.read_timeout: %s", err)
-	}
-	cfg.ReadTimeout = t
-
-	t, err = time.ParseDuration(jcfg.ReadHeaderTimeout)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error parsing restapi.read_header_timeout: %s", err)
-	}
-	cfg.ReadHeaderTimeout = t
-
-	t, err = time.ParseDuration(jcfg.WriteTimeout)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error parsing restapi.write_timeout: %s", err)
-	}
-	cfg.WriteTimeout = t
-
-	t, err = time.ParseDuration(jcfg.IdleTimeout)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error parsing restapi.idle_timeout: %s", err)
-	}
-	cfg.IdleTimeout = t
-	return nil
+	return config.ParseDurations(
+		"restapi",
+		&config.DurationOpt{jcfg.ReadTimeout, &cfg.ReadTimeout, "read_timeout"},
+		&config.DurationOpt{jcfg.ReadHeaderTimeout, &cfg.ReadHeaderTimeout, "read_header_timeout"},
+		&config.DurationOpt{jcfg.WriteTimeout, &cfg.WriteTimeout, "write_timeout"},
+		&config.DurationOpt{jcfg.IdleTimeout, &cfg.IdleTimeout, "idle_timeout"},
+	)
 }
 
 func (cfg *Config) loadLibp2pOptions(jcfg *jsonConfig) error {
diff --git a/api/rest/config_test.go b/api/rest/config_test.go
index 7cb7b79f..3f7cbfb5 100644
--- a/api/rest/config_test.go
+++ b/api/rest/config_test.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package rest
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	crypto "github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p-crypto"
 	peer "github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p-peer"
@@ -29,6 +30,13 @@ func TestLoadJSON(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
+	if cfg.ReadTimeout != 30*time.Second ||
+		cfg.WriteTimeout != time.Minute ||
+		cfg.ReadHeaderTimeout != 5*time.Second ||
+		cfg.IdleTimeout != 2*time.Minute {
+		t.Error("error parsing timeouts")
+	}
+
 	j := &jsonConfig{}
 
 	json.Unmarshal(cfgJSON, j)
diff --git a/config/util.go b/config/util.go
index 8655a6e1..42394983 100644
--- a/config/util.go
+++ b/config/util.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package config
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
 	"time"
 )
 
@@ -81,3 +82,30 @@ func SetIfNotDefault(src interface{}, dest interface{}) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+// DurationOpt provides a datatype to use with ParseDurations
+type DurationOpt struct {
+	// The duration we need to parse
+	Duration string
+	// Where to store the result
+	Dst *time.Duration
+	// A variable name associated to it for helpful errors.
+	Name string
+}
+
+// ParseDurations takes a time.Duration src and saves it to the given dst. into the given
+func ParseDurations(component string, args ...*DurationOpt) error {
+	for _, arg := range args {
+		t, err := time.ParseDuration(arg.Duration)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf(
+				"error parsing %s.%s: %s",
+				component,
+				arg.Name,
+				err,
+			)
+		}
+		*arg.Dst = t
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/config.go b/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/config.go
index 5e76502b..ab12dd64 100644
--- a/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/config.go
+++ b/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/config.go
@@ -154,37 +154,17 @@ func (cfg *Config) LoadJSON(raw []byte) error {
 	cfg.ProxyAddr = proxyAddr
 	cfg.NodeAddr = nodeAddr
 
-	// only overwrite defaults when we can parse the time
-	// Note for these 0 is a valid value.
-	t, err := time.ParseDuration(jcfg.ProxyReadTimeout)
+	err = config.ParseDurations(
+		"ipfshttp",
+		&config.DurationOpt{jcfg.ProxyReadTimeout, &cfg.ProxyReadTimeout, "proxy_read_timeout"},
+		&config.DurationOpt{jcfg.ProxyReadHeaderTimeout, &cfg.ProxyReadHeaderTimeout, "proxy_read_header_timeout"},
+		&config.DurationOpt{jcfg.ProxyWriteTimeout, &cfg.ProxyWriteTimeout, "proxy_write_timeout"},
+		&config.DurationOpt{jcfg.ProxyIdleTimeout, &cfg.ProxyIdleTimeout, "proxy_idle_timeout"},
+		&config.DurationOpt{jcfg.ConnectSwarmsDelay, &cfg.ConnectSwarmsDelay, "connect_swarms_delay"},
+	)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error parsing proxy_read_timeout: %s", err)
+		return err
 	}
-	cfg.ProxyReadTimeout = t
-
-	t, err = time.ParseDuration(jcfg.ProxyReadHeaderTimeout)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error parsing proxy_read_header_timeout: %s", err)
-	}
-	cfg.ProxyReadHeaderTimeout = t
-
-	t, err = time.ParseDuration(jcfg.ProxyWriteTimeout)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error parsing proxy_write_timeout: %s", err)
-	}
-	cfg.ProxyWriteTimeout = t
-
-	t, err = time.ParseDuration(jcfg.ProxyIdleTimeout)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error parsing proxy_idle_timeout: %s", err)
-	}
-	cfg.ProxyIdleTimeout = t
-
-	t, err = time.ParseDuration(jcfg.ConnectSwarmsDelay)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error parsing connect_swarms_delay: %s", err)
-	}
-	cfg.ConnectSwarmsDelay = t
 
 	config.SetIfNotDefault(jcfg.PinMethod, &cfg.PinMethod)