diff --git a/headers/modsecurity/transaction.h b/headers/modsecurity/transaction.h
index ff04f43a0..b67a85cd0 100644
--- a/headers/modsecurity/transaction.h
+++ b/headers/modsecurity/transaction.h
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@
  *
  */
 
+#ifndef HEADERS_MODSECURITY_TRANSACTION_H_
+#define HEADERS_MODSECURITY_TRANSACTION_H_
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 #include <cassert>
 #include <ctime>
@@ -33,9 +36,6 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <stddef.h>
 
-#ifndef HEADERS_MODSECURITY_TRANSACTION_H_
-#define HEADERS_MODSECURITY_TRANSACTION_H_
-
 #ifndef __cplusplus
 typedef struct ModSecurity_t ModSecurity;
 typedef struct Transaction_t Transaction;
diff --git a/src/transaction.cc b/src/transaction.cc
index 16fef641a..026bd04ab 100644
--- a/src/transaction.cc
+++ b/src/transaction.cc
@@ -102,90 +102,12 @@ namespace modsecurity {
  * @endcode
  *
  */
-Transaction::Transaction(ModSecurity *ms, RulesSet *rules, void *logCbData)
-    : m_creationTimeStamp(utils::cpu_seconds()),
-    m_clientIpAddress(""),
-    m_httpVersion(""),
-    m_serverIpAddress(""),
-    m_requestHostName(""),
-    m_uri(""),
-    m_uri_no_query_string_decoded(""),
-    m_ARGScombinedSizeDouble(0),
-    m_clientPort(0),
-    m_highestSeverityAction(255),
-    m_httpCodeReturned(200),
-    m_serverPort(0),
-    m_ms(ms),
-    m_requestBodyType(UnknownFormat),
-    m_requestBodyProcessor(UnknownFormat),
-    m_rules(rules),
-    m_ruleRemoveById(),
-    m_ruleRemoveByIdRange(),
-    m_ruleRemoveByTag(),
-    m_ruleRemoveTargetByTag(),
-    m_ruleRemoveTargetById(),
-    m_requestBodyAccess(RulesSet::PropertyNotSetConfigBoolean),
-    m_auditLogModifier(),
-    m_ctlAuditEngine(AuditLog::AuditLogStatus::NotSetLogStatus),
-    m_rulesMessages(),
-    m_requestBody(),
-    m_responseBody(),
-    /* m_id(), */
-    m_skip_next(0),
-    m_allowType(modsecurity::actions::disruptive::NoneAllowType),
-    m_uri_decoded(""),
-    m_actions(),
-    m_it(),
-    m_timeStamp(std::time(NULL)),
-    m_collections(ms->m_global_collection, ms->m_ip_collection,
-        ms->m_session_collection, ms->m_user_collection,
-        ms->m_resource_collection),
-    m_matched(),
-#ifdef WITH_LIBXML2
-    m_xml(new RequestBodyProcessor::XML(this)),
-#else
-    m_xml(NULL),
-#endif
-#ifdef WITH_YAJL
-    m_json(new RequestBodyProcessor::JSON(this)),
-#else
-    m_json(NULL),
-#endif
-    m_secRuleEngine(RulesSetProperties::PropertyNotSetRuleEngine),
-    m_variableDuration(""),
-    m_variableEnvs(),
-    m_variableHighestSeverityAction(""),
-    m_variableRemoteUser(""),
-    m_variableTime(""),
-    m_variableTimeDay(""),
-    m_variableTimeEpoch(""),
-    m_variableTimeHour(""),
-    m_variableTimeMin(""),
-    m_variableTimeSec(""),
-    m_variableTimeWDay(""),
-    m_variableTimeYear(""),
-    m_logCbData(logCbData),
-    TransactionAnchoredVariables(this) {
-    m_id = std::to_string(m_timeStamp) +
-           std::to_string(modsecurity::utils::generate_transaction_unique_id());
-
-    m_variableUrlEncodedError.set("0", 0);
-    m_variableMscPcreError.set("0", 0);
-    m_variableMscPcreLimitsExceeded.set("0", 0);
-
-    ms_dbg(4, "Initializing transaction");
 
-    intervention::clean(&m_it);
-}
+Transaction::Transaction(ModSecurity *ms, RulesSet *rules, void *logCbData)
+    : Transaction(ms, rules, nullptr, logCbData) { }
 
 Transaction::Transaction(ModSecurity *ms, RulesSet *rules, char *id, void *logCbData)
     : m_creationTimeStamp(utils::cpu_seconds()),
-    m_clientIpAddress(""),
-    m_httpVersion(""),
-    m_serverIpAddress(""),
-    m_requestHostName(""),
-    m_uri(""),
-    m_uri_no_query_string_decoded(""),
     m_ARGScombinedSizeDouble(0),
     m_clientPort(0),
     m_highestSeverityAction(255),
@@ -195,53 +117,33 @@ Transaction::Transaction(ModSecurity *ms, RulesSet *rules, char *id, void *logCb
     m_requestBodyType(UnknownFormat),
     m_requestBodyProcessor(UnknownFormat),
     m_rules(rules),
-    m_ruleRemoveById(),
-    m_ruleRemoveByIdRange(),
-    m_ruleRemoveByTag(),
-    m_ruleRemoveTargetByTag(),
-    m_ruleRemoveTargetById(),
     m_requestBodyAccess(RulesSet::PropertyNotSetConfigBoolean),
-    m_auditLogModifier(),
     m_ctlAuditEngine(AuditLog::AuditLogStatus::NotSetLogStatus),
-    m_rulesMessages(),
-    m_requestBody(),
-    m_responseBody(),
-    m_id(id),
     m_skip_next(0),
     m_allowType(modsecurity::actions::disruptive::NoneAllowType),
-    m_uri_decoded(""),
-    m_actions(),
-    m_it(),
-    m_timeStamp(std::time(NULL)),
+    m_timeStamp(std::time(nullptr)),
     m_collections(ms->m_global_collection, ms->m_ip_collection,
         ms->m_session_collection, ms->m_user_collection,
         ms->m_resource_collection),
-    m_matched(),
 #ifdef WITH_LIBXML2
     m_xml(new RequestBodyProcessor::XML(this)),
 #else
-    m_xml(NULL),
+    m_xml(nullptr),
 #endif
 #ifdef WITH_YAJL
     m_json(new RequestBodyProcessor::JSON(this)),
 #else
-    m_json(NULL),
+    m_json(nullptr),
 #endif
     m_secRuleEngine(RulesSetProperties::PropertyNotSetRuleEngine),
-    m_variableDuration(""),
-    m_variableEnvs(),
-    m_variableHighestSeverityAction(""),
-    m_variableRemoteUser(""),
-    m_variableTime(""),
-    m_variableTimeDay(""),
-    m_variableTimeEpoch(""),
-    m_variableTimeHour(""),
-    m_variableTimeMin(""),
-    m_variableTimeSec(""),
-    m_variableTimeWDay(""),
-    m_variableTimeYear(""),
     m_logCbData(logCbData),
     TransactionAnchoredVariables(this) {
+    if (id == nullptr) {
+        m_id = std::to_string(m_timeStamp) +
+            std::to_string(modsecurity::utils::generate_transaction_unique_id());
+    } else {
+        m_id = id;
+    }
 
     m_variableUrlEncodedError.set("0", 0);
     m_variableMscPcreError.set("0", 0);