diff --git a/src/main/java/com/arangodb/entity/ArangoDBVersion.java b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/entity/ArangoDBVersion.java
index 6eceef582..6f5db7a35 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/arangodb/entity/ArangoDBVersion.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/entity/ArangoDBVersion.java
@@ -58,4 +58,4 @@ public License getLicense() {
 		return license;
 	}
 
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/arangodb/entity/IndexEntity.java b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/entity/IndexEntity.java
index fdea737f4..0a11fbe06 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/arangodb/entity/IndexEntity.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/entity/IndexEntity.java
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ public class IndexEntity implements Entity {
 	private Boolean geoJson;
 	private Boolean constraint;
 	private Boolean deduplicate;
+	private Boolean inBackground;
 
 	public IndexEntity() {
 		super();
@@ -49,6 +50,10 @@ public String getId() {
 		return id;
 	}
 
+	public Boolean getInBackground() {
+		return inBackground;
+	}
+
 	public String getName() {
 		return name;
 	}
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/arangodb/entity/ServerRole.java b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/entity/ServerRole.java
index 5976e1107..276ac6ef4 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/arangodb/entity/ServerRole.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/entity/ServerRole.java
@@ -26,4 +26,4 @@
  */
 public enum ServerRole {
 	SINGLE, AGENT, COORDINATOR, PRIMARY, SECONDARY, UNDEFINED
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/FulltextIndexOptions.java b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/FulltextIndexOptions.java
index a7154afdd..81a56cc0d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/FulltextIndexOptions.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/FulltextIndexOptions.java
@@ -28,12 +28,11 @@
  * @see <a href="https://docs.arangodb.com/current/HTTP/Indexes/Fulltext.html#create-fulltext-index">API
  *      Documentation</a>
  */
-public class FulltextIndexOptions {
+public class FulltextIndexOptions extends IndexOptions {
 
 	private Iterable<String> fields;
 	private final IndexType type = IndexType.fulltext;
 	private Integer minLength;
-	private String name;
 
 	public FulltextIndexOptions() {
 		super();
@@ -61,20 +60,6 @@ public Integer getMinLength() {
 		return minLength;
 	}
 
-	/**
-	 * @param name
-	 *            the name of the index
-	 * @return options
-	 */
-	public FulltextIndexOptions name(final String name) {
-		this.name = name;
-		return this;
-	}
-
-	protected String getName() {
-		return name;
-	}
-
 	/**
 	 * @param minLength
 	 *            Minimum character length of words to index. Will default to a server-defined value if unspecified. It
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/GeoIndexOptions.java b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/GeoIndexOptions.java
index be02489c8..68be48a6c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/GeoIndexOptions.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/GeoIndexOptions.java
@@ -27,12 +27,11 @@
  *
  * @see <a href="https://docs.arangodb.com/current/HTTP/Indexes/Geo.html#create-geospatial-index">API Documentation</a>
  */
-public class GeoIndexOptions {
+public class GeoIndexOptions extends IndexOptions {
 
 	private Iterable<String> fields;
 	private final IndexType type = IndexType.geo;
 	private Boolean geoJson;
-	private String name;
 
 	public GeoIndexOptions() {
 		super();
@@ -56,20 +55,6 @@ protected IndexType getType() {
 		return type;
 	}
 
-	/**
-	 * @param name
-	 *            the name of the index
-	 * @return options
-	 */
-	public GeoIndexOptions name(final String name) {
-		this.name = name;
-		return this;
-	}
-
-	protected String getName() {
-		return name;
-	}
-
 	public Boolean getGeoJson() {
 		return geoJson;
 	}
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/HashIndexOptions.java b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/HashIndexOptions.java
index 20dd13c44..8c6ecd159 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/HashIndexOptions.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/HashIndexOptions.java
@@ -27,14 +27,13 @@
  *
  * @see <a href="https://docs.arangodb.com/current/HTTP/Indexes/Hash.html#create-hash-index">API Documentation</a>
  */
-public class HashIndexOptions {
+public class HashIndexOptions extends IndexOptions {
 
 	private Iterable<String> fields;
 	private final IndexType type = IndexType.hash;
 	private Boolean unique;
 	private Boolean sparse;
 	private Boolean deduplicate;
-	private String name;
 
 	public HashIndexOptions() {
 		super();
@@ -99,19 +98,4 @@ public HashIndexOptions deduplicate(final Boolean deduplicate) {
 		this.deduplicate = deduplicate;
 		return this;
 	}
-
-	/**
-	 * @param name
-	 *            the name of the index
-	 * @return options
-	 */
-	public HashIndexOptions name(final String name) {
-		this.name = name;
-		return this;
-	}
-
-	protected String getName() {
-		return name;
-	}
-
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/IndexOptions.java b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/IndexOptions.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fbf6f431f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/IndexOptions.java
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+/*
+ * DISCLAIMER
+ *
+ * Copyright 2019 ArangoDB GmbH, Cologne, Germany
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ *
+ * Copyright holder is ArangoDB GmbH, Cologne, Germany
+ */
+
+package com.arangodb.model;
+
+import com.arangodb.entity.IndexType;
+
+/**
+ * @author Heiko Kernbach
+ *
+ * This class is used for all index similarities
+ */
+public class IndexOptions {
+
+	private Boolean inBackground;
+	private String name;
+
+	public IndexOptions() {
+		super();
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @param inBackground
+	 *            create the the index in the background
+	 *            this is a RocksDB only flag.
+	 * @return options
+	 */
+	public IndexOptions inBackground(final Boolean inBackground) {
+		this.inBackground = inBackground;
+		return this;
+	}
+
+	public Boolean getInBackground() {
+		return inBackground;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @param name
+	 *            the name of the index
+	 * @return options
+	 */
+	public IndexOptions name(final String name) {
+		this.name = name;
+		return this;
+	}
+
+	protected String getName() {
+		return name;
+	}
+}
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/PersistentIndexOptions.java b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/PersistentIndexOptions.java
index fbf9a24ee..6a73bd6d8 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/PersistentIndexOptions.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/PersistentIndexOptions.java
@@ -28,11 +28,10 @@
  * @see <a href="https://docs.arangodb.com/current/HTTP/Indexes/Persistent.html#create-a-persistent-index">API
  *      Documentation</a>
  */
-public class PersistentIndexOptions {
+public class PersistentIndexOptions extends IndexOptions {
 
 	private Iterable<String> fields;
 	protected IndexType type = IndexType.persistent;
-	private String name;
 	private Boolean unique;
 	private Boolean sparse;
 
@@ -72,20 +71,6 @@ public PersistentIndexOptions unique(final Boolean unique) {
 		return this;
 	}
 
-	/**
-	 * @param name
-	 *            the name of the index
-	 * @return options
-	 */
-	public PersistentIndexOptions name(final String name) {
-		this.name = name;
-		return this;
-	}
-
-	protected String getName() {
-		return name;
-	}
-
 	public Boolean getSparse() {
 		return sparse;
 	}
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/SkiplistIndexOptions.java b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/SkiplistIndexOptions.java
index b6bcd754b..e77c3cca0 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/SkiplistIndexOptions.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/arangodb/model/SkiplistIndexOptions.java
@@ -27,14 +27,13 @@
  * 
  * @see <a href="https://docs.arangodb.com/current/HTTP/Indexes/Skiplist.html#create-skip-list">API Documentation</a>
  */
-public class SkiplistIndexOptions {
+public class SkiplistIndexOptions extends IndexOptions {
 
 	private Iterable<String> fields;
 	private final IndexType type = IndexType.skiplist;
 	private Boolean unique;
 	private Boolean sparse;
 	private Boolean deduplicate;
-	private String name;
 
 	public SkiplistIndexOptions() {
 		super();
@@ -99,19 +98,4 @@ public SkiplistIndexOptions deduplicate(final Boolean deduplicate) {
 		this.deduplicate = deduplicate;
 		return this;
 	}
-
-	/**
-	 * @param name
-	 *            the name of the index
-	 * @return options
-	 */
-	public SkiplistIndexOptions name(final String name) {
-		this.name = name;
-		return this;
-	}
-
-	protected String getName() {
-		return name;
-	}
-
 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/arangodb/util/ArangoSerializationTest.java b/src/test/java/com/arangodb/util/ArangoSerializationTest.java
index 780ac39ff..f4fda0c41 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/arangodb/util/ArangoSerializationTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/arangodb/util/ArangoSerializationTest.java
@@ -76,6 +76,14 @@ public void serializeNullValues() {
 		assertThat(vpack.get("foo").isNull(), is(true));
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void skipSerializeNullValues() {
+		final BaseDocument entity = new BaseDocument();
+		entity.addAttribute("bar", null);
+		final VPackSlice vpack = util.serialize(entity);
+		assertThat(vpack.get("bar").isNone(), is(true));
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	public void serializeType() {
 		final Collection<BaseDocument> list = new ArrayList<BaseDocument>();