diff --git a/src/Composer/Console/Application.php b/src/Composer/Console/Application.php
index af68185be..c8bcd67bf 100644
--- a/src/Composer/Console/Application.php
+++ b/src/Composer/Console/Application.php
@@ -21,11 +21,7 @@ use Symfony\Component\Console\Formatter\OutputFormatterStyle;
 use Symfony\Component\Finder\Finder;
 use Composer\Command;
 use Composer\Composer;
-use Composer\Installer;
-use Composer\Downloader;
-use Composer\Repository;
-use Composer\Package;
-use Composer\Json\JsonFile;
+use Composer\Factory;
 
 /**
  * The console application that handles the commands
@@ -73,97 +69,15 @@ class Application extends BaseApplication
     public function getComposer()
     {
         if (null === $this->composer) {
-            $this->composer = self::bootstrapComposer();
-        }
-
-        return $this->composer;
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Bootstraps a Composer instance
-     *
-     * @return Composer
-     */
-    public static function bootstrapComposer($composerFile = null)
-    {
-        // load Composer configuration
-        if (null === $composerFile) {
-            $composerFile = getenv('COMPOSER') ?: 'composer.json';
-        }
-
-        $file = new JsonFile($composerFile);
-        if (!$file->exists()) {
-            if ($composerFile === 'composer.json') {
-                echo 'Composer could not find a composer.json file in '.getcwd().PHP_EOL;
-            } else {
-                echo 'Composer could not find the config file: '.$composerFile.PHP_EOL;
+            try {
+                $this->composer = Factory::create();
+            } catch (\InvalidArgumentException $e) {
+                echo $e->getMessage().PHP_EOL;
+                exit(1);
             }
-            echo 'To initialize a project, please create a composer.json file as described on the http://packagist.org/ "Getting Started" section'.PHP_EOL;
-            exit(1);
-        }
-
-        // Configuration defaults
-        $composerConfig = array(
-            'vendor-dir' => 'vendor',
-        );
-
-        $packageConfig = $file->read();
-
-        if (isset($packageConfig['config']) && is_array($packageConfig['config'])) {
-            $packageConfig['config'] = array_merge($composerConfig, $packageConfig['config']);
-        } else {
-            $packageConfig['config'] = $composerConfig;
-        }
-
-        $vendorDir = getenv('COMPOSER_VENDOR_DIR') ?: $packageConfig['config']['vendor-dir'];
-        if (!isset($packageConfig['config']['bin-dir'])) {
-            $packageConfig['config']['bin-dir'] = $vendorDir.'/bin';
         }
-        $binDir = getenv('COMPOSER_BIN_DIR') ?: $packageConfig['config']['bin-dir'];
-
-        // initialize repository manager
-        $rm = new Repository\RepositoryManager();
-        $rm->setLocalRepository(new Repository\FilesystemRepository(new JsonFile($vendorDir.'/.composer/installed.json')));
-        $rm->setRepositoryClass('composer', 'Composer\Repository\ComposerRepository');
-        $rm->setRepositoryClass('vcs', 'Composer\Repository\VcsRepository');
-        $rm->setRepositoryClass('pear', 'Composer\Repository\PearRepository');
-        $rm->setRepositoryClass('package', 'Composer\Repository\PackageRepository');
-
-        // initialize download manager
-        $dm = new Downloader\DownloadManager();
-        $dm->setDownloader('git',  new Downloader\GitDownloader());
-        $dm->setDownloader('svn',  new Downloader\SvnDownloader());
-        $dm->setDownloader('hg', new Downloader\HgDownloader());
-        $dm->setDownloader('pear', new Downloader\PearDownloader());
-        $dm->setDownloader('zip',  new Downloader\ZipDownloader());
-
-        // initialize installation manager
-        $im = new Installer\InstallationManager($vendorDir);
-        $im->addInstaller(new Installer\LibraryInstaller($vendorDir, $binDir, $dm, $rm->getLocalRepository(), null));
-        $im->addInstaller(new Installer\InstallerInstaller($vendorDir, $binDir, $dm, $rm->getLocalRepository(), $im));
 
-        // load package
-        $loader  = new Package\Loader\RootPackageLoader($rm);
-        $package = $loader->load($packageConfig);
-
-        // load default repository unless it's explicitly disabled
-        if (!isset($packageConfig['repositories']['packagist']) || $packageConfig['repositories']['packagist'] !== false) {
-            $rm->addRepository(new Repository\ComposerRepository(array('url' => 'http://packagist.org')));
-        }
-
-        // init locker
-        $lockFile = substr($composerFile, -5) === '.json' ? substr($composerFile, 0, -4).'lock' : $composerFile . '.lock';
-        $locker = new Package\Locker(new JsonFile($lockFile), $rm, md5_file($composerFile));
-
-        // initialize composer
-        $composer = new Composer();
-        $composer->setPackage($package);
-        $composer->setLocker($locker);
-        $composer->setRepositoryManager($rm);
-        $composer->setDownloadManager($dm);
-        $composer->setInstallationManager($im);
-
-        return $composer;
+        return $this->composer;
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/Composer/Factory.php b/src/Composer/Factory.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e9fa4c9d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Composer/Factory.php
@@ -0,0 +1,147 @@
+<?php
+
+/*
+ * This file is part of Composer.
+ *
+ * (c) Nils Adermann <naderman@naderman.de>
+ *     Jordi Boggiano <j.boggiano@seld.be>
+ *
+ * For the full copyright and license information, please view the LICENSE
+ * file that was distributed with this source code.
+ */
+
+namespace Composer;
+
+use Composer\Json\JsonFile;
+
+/**
+ * Creates an configured instance of composer.
+ *
+ * @author Ryan Weaver <ryan@knplabs.com>
+ * @author Jordi Boggiano <j.boggiano@seld.be>
+ * @author Igor Wiedler <igor@wiedler.ch>
+ */
+class Factory
+{
+    protected $vendorDir;
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a Composer instance
+     *
+     * @return Composer
+     */
+    public function createComposer($composerFile = null)
+    {
+        // load Composer configuration
+        if (null === $composerFile) {
+            $composerFile = getenv('COMPOSER') ?: 'composer.json';
+        }
+
+        $file = new JsonFile($composerFile);
+        if (!$file->exists()) {
+            if ($composerFile === 'composer.json') {
+                $message = 'Composer could not find a composer.json file in '.getcwd();
+            } else {
+                $message = 'Composer could not find the config file: '.$composerFile;
+            }
+            $instructions = 'To initialize a project, please create a composer.json file as described on the http://packagist.org/ "Getting Started" section';
+            throw new \InvalidArgumentException($message.PHP_EOL.$instructions);
+        }
+
+        $baseDir = rtrim(dirname($composerFile), '/').'/';
+
+        // Configuration defaults
+        $composerConfig = array(
+            'vendor-dir' => 'vendor',
+        );
+
+        $packageConfig = $file->read();
+
+        if (isset($packageConfig['config']) && is_array($packageConfig['config'])) {
+            $packageConfig['config'] = array_merge($composerConfig, $packageConfig['config']);
+        } else {
+            $packageConfig['config'] = $composerConfig;
+        }
+
+        $vendorDir = getenv('COMPOSER_VENDOR_DIR') ?: $packageConfig['config']['vendor-dir'];
+        if (!isset($packageConfig['config']['bin-dir'])) {
+            $packageConfig['config']['bin-dir'] = $vendorDir.'/bin';
+        }
+        $binDir = getenv('COMPOSER_BIN_DIR') ?: $packageConfig['config']['bin-dir'];
+
+        $this->vendorDir = $baseDir.$vendorDir;
+        $this->binDir = $baseDir.$binDir;
+
+        // initialize repository manager
+        $rm = $this->createRepositoryManager();
+
+        // initialize download manager
+        $dm = $this->createDownloadManager();
+
+        // initialize installation manager
+        $im = $this->createInstallationManager($rm, $dm);
+
+        // load package
+        $loader  = new Package\Loader\RootPackageLoader($rm);
+        $package = $loader->load($packageConfig);
+
+        // load default repository unless it's explicitly disabled
+        if (!isset($packageConfig['repositories']['packagist']) || $packageConfig['repositories']['packagist'] !== false) {
+            $rm->addRepository(new Repository\ComposerRepository(array('url' => 'http://packagist.org')));
+        }
+
+        // init locker
+        $lockFile = substr($composerFile, -5) === '.json' ? substr($composerFile, 0, -4).'lock' : $composerFile . '.lock';
+        $locker = new Package\Locker(new JsonFile($lockFile), $rm, md5_file($composerFile));
+
+        // initialize composer
+        $composer = new Composer();
+        $composer->setPackage($package);
+        $composer->setLocker($locker);
+        $composer->setRepositoryManager($rm);
+        $composer->setDownloadManager($dm);
+        $composer->setInstallationManager($im);
+
+        return $composer;
+    }
+
+    protected function createRepositoryManager()
+    {
+        $rm = new Repository\RepositoryManager();
+        $rm->setLocalRepository(new Repository\FilesystemRepository(new JsonFile($this->vendorDir.'/.composer/installed.json')));
+        $rm->setRepositoryClass('composer', 'Composer\Repository\ComposerRepository');
+        $rm->setRepositoryClass('vcs', 'Composer\Repository\VcsRepository');
+        $rm->setRepositoryClass('pear', 'Composer\Repository\PearRepository');
+        $rm->setRepositoryClass('package', 'Composer\Repository\PackageRepository');
+
+        return $rm;
+    }
+
+    protected function createDownloadManager()
+    {
+        $dm = new Downloader\DownloadManager();
+        $dm->setDownloader('git',  new Downloader\GitDownloader());
+        $dm->setDownloader('svn',  new Downloader\SvnDownloader());
+        $dm->setDownloader('hg', new Downloader\HgDownloader());
+        $dm->setDownloader('pear', new Downloader\PearDownloader());
+        $dm->setDownloader('zip',  new Downloader\ZipDownloader());
+
+        return $dm;
+    }
+
+    protected function createInstallationManager(Repository\RepositoryManager $rm, Downloader\DownloadManager $dm)
+    {
+        $im = new Installer\InstallationManager($this->vendorDir);
+        $im->addInstaller(new Installer\LibraryInstaller($this->vendorDir, $this->binDir, $dm, $rm->getLocalRepository(), null));
+        $im->addInstaller(new Installer\InstallerInstaller($this->vendorDir, $this->binDir, $dm, $rm->getLocalRepository(), $im));
+
+        return $im;
+    }
+
+    static public function create($composerFile = null)
+    {
+        $factory = new static();
+
+        return $factory->createComposer($composerFile);
+    }
+}