diff --git a/competition/Main.hs b/competition/Main.hs
--- a/competition/Main.hs
+++ b/competition/Main.hs
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 
       subject "hasql" $ do
         pause
-        H.session (H.Postgres host port user password db) (fromJust $ H.sessionSettings 1 30) $ do
+        H.session (H.ParamSettings host port user password db) (fromJust $ H.sessionSettings 1 30) $ do
           H.tx Nothing $ do
             H.unit [H.q|DROP TABLE IF EXISTS a|]
             H.unit [H.q|CREATE TABLE a (id SERIAL NOT NULL, 
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@
 
       subject "hasql" $ do
         pause
-        H.session (H.Postgres host port user password db) (fromJust $ H.sessionSettings 1 30) $ do
+        H.session (H.ParamSettings host port user password db) (fromJust $ H.sessionSettings 1 30) $ do
           H.tx Nothing $ do
             H.unit [H.q|DROP TABLE IF EXISTS a|]
             H.unit [H.q|CREATE TABLE a (id SERIAL NOT NULL, 
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@
 
       subject "hasql" $ do
         pause
-        H.session (H.Postgres host port user password db) (fromJust $ H.sessionSettings 1 30) $ do
+        H.session (H.ParamSettings host port user password db) (fromJust $ H.sessionSettings 1 30) $ do
           H.tx Nothing $ do
             H.unit [H.q|DROP TABLE IF EXISTS a|]
             H.unit [H.q|CREATE TABLE a (id SERIAL NOT NULL, balance INT8, PRIMARY KEY (id))|]
diff --git a/hasql-postgres.cabal b/hasql-postgres.cabal
--- a/hasql-postgres.cabal
+++ b/hasql-postgres.cabal
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 name:
   hasql-postgres
 version:
-  0.7.3
+  0.8.0
 synopsis:
   A "PostgreSQL" backend for the "hasql" library
 description:
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@
     either == 4.*,
     list-t < 0.4,
     mmorph == 1.0.*,
-    transformers >= 0.2 && < 0.5,
+    transformers >= 0.3 && < 0.5,
     -- errors:
     loch-th == 0.2.*,
     placeholders == 0.1.*,
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@
     either == 4.*,
     list-t < 0.4,
     mmorph == 1.0.*,
-    transformers >= 0.2 && < 0.5,
+    transformers >= 0.3 && < 0.5,
     -- errors:
     loch-th == 0.2.*,
     placeholders == 0.1.*,
diff --git a/library/Hasql/Postgres.hs b/library/Hasql/Postgres.hs
--- a/library/Hasql/Postgres.hs
+++ b/library/Hasql/Postgres.hs
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@
 -- 
 module Hasql.Postgres 
 (
-  Postgres(..), 
+  Postgres(..),
+  Connector.Settings(..),
 )
 where
 
@@ -33,16 +34,12 @@
 
 
 -- |
--- Settings of a Postgres backend.
-data Postgres =
-  Postgres {
-    host :: ByteString,
-    port :: Word16,
-    user :: Text,
-    password :: Text,
-    database :: Text
-  }
+-- Just an alias to settings,
+-- which is used as a more descriptive identifier type of the backend.
+type Postgres = 
+  Connector.Settings
 
+
 instance Backend.Backend Postgres where
   data StatementArgument Postgres = 
     StatementArgument PQ.Oid (Mapping.Environment -> Maybe ByteString)
@@ -55,15 +52,13 @@
       transactionEnv :: !Transaction.Env,
       mappingEnv :: !Mapping.Environment
     }
-  connect p =
+  connect settings =
     do
       r <- Connector.open settings
       c <- either (\e -> throwIO $ Backend.CantConnect $ fromString $ show e) return r
       ee <- Execution.newEnv c
       Connection <$> pure c <*> pure ee <*> Transaction.newEnv ee <*> getIntegerDatetimes c
     where
-      settings =
-        Connector.Settings (host p) (port p) (user p) (password p) (database p)
       getIntegerDatetimes c =
         fmap parseResult $ PQ.parameterStatus c "integer_datetimes"
         where
diff --git a/library/Hasql/Postgres/Connector.hs b/library/Hasql/Postgres/Connector.hs
--- a/library/Hasql/Postgres/Connector.hs
+++ b/library/Hasql/Postgres/Connector.hs
@@ -6,19 +6,19 @@
 import qualified Data.ByteString.Lazy.Builder as BB
 import qualified Data.ByteString.Lazy.Builder.ASCII as BB
 import qualified Data.ByteString.Lazy as BL
-import qualified Data.Text as T
-import qualified Data.Text.Encoding as TE
 
 
+-- |
+-- Connection settings.
 data Settings =
-  Settings {
-    host :: ByteString,
-    port :: Word16,
-    user :: Text,
-    password :: Text,
-    database :: Text
-  }
-
+  -- | 
+  -- A host, a port, a user, a password and a database.
+  ParamSettings ByteString Word16 ByteString ByteString ByteString |
+  -- | 
+  -- All settings encoded in a single byte string according to 
+  -- <http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.4/static/libpq-connect.html#LIBPQ-CONNSTRING the PostgreSQL format>.
+  StringSettings ByteString
+  deriving (Show)
 
 data Error =
   BadStatus (Maybe ByteString) |
@@ -49,22 +49,25 @@
 
 
 settingsBS :: Settings -> ByteString
-settingsBS s =
-  BL.toStrict $ BB.toLazyByteString $ mconcat $ intersperse (BB.char7 ' ') $ catMaybes $
-  [
-    mappend (BB.string7 "host=") . BB.byteString <$> 
-    partial (not . B.null) (host s)
-    ,
-    mappend (BB.string7 "port=") . BB.word16Dec <$> 
-    partial (/= 0) (port s)
-    ,
-    mappend (BB.string7 "user=") . BB.byteString . TE.encodeUtf8 <$> 
-    partial (not . T.null) (user s)
-    ,
-    mappend (BB.string7 "password=") . BB.byteString . TE.encodeUtf8 <$> 
-    partial (not . T.null) (password s)
-    ,
-    mappend (BB.string7 "dbname=") . BB.byteString . TE.encodeUtf8 <$> 
-    partial (not . T.null) (database s)
-  ]
+settingsBS =
+  \case
+    ParamSettings host port user password database ->
+      BL.toStrict $ BB.toLazyByteString $ mconcat $ intersperse (BB.char7 ' ') $ catMaybes $
+      [
+        mappend (BB.string7 "host=") . BB.byteString <$> 
+        partial (not . B.null) host
+        ,
+        mappend (BB.string7 "port=") . BB.word16Dec <$> 
+        partial (/= 0) port
+        ,
+        mappend (BB.string7 "user=") . BB.byteString <$> 
+        partial (not . B.null) user
+        ,
+        mappend (BB.string7 "password=") . BB.byteString <$> 
+        partial (not . B.null) password
+        ,
+        mappend (BB.string7 "dbname=") . BB.byteString <$> 
+        partial (not . B.null) database
+      ]
+    StringSettings x -> x
 
diff --git a/tests/Main.hs b/tests/Main.hs
--- a/tests/Main.hs
+++ b/tests/Main.hs
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 import qualified Control.Concurrent.SSem as SSem
 import qualified Hasql.Backend as Backend
 import qualified Hasql as H
-import qualified Hasql.Postgres as H
+import qualified Hasql.Postgres as HP
 import qualified Data.Scientific as Scientific
 import qualified Data.Vector as Vector
 
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
 
 test_wrongPort =
   let 
-    backendSettings = H.Postgres "localhost" 1 "postgres" "" "postgres"
+    backendSettings = HP.ParamSettings "localhost" 1 "postgres" "" "postgres"
     poolSettings = fromJust $ sessionSettings 6 30
     io =
       H.session backendSettings poolSettings $ do
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@
 session1 =
   session backendSettings poolSettings
   where
-    backendSettings = Postgres "localhost" 5432 "postgres" "" "postgres"
+    backendSettings = HP.ParamSettings "localhost" 5432 "postgres" "" "postgres"
     poolSettings = fromJust $ sessionSettings 6 30
 
 -- ** Property