diff --git a/php/examples/VaasExample/AuthenticationExamples.php b/php/examples/VaasExample/AuthenticationExamples.php
index aeea5354..2c73e207 100644
--- a/php/examples/VaasExample/AuthenticationExamples.php
+++ b/php/examples/VaasExample/AuthenticationExamples.php
@@ -2,18 +2,17 @@
 
 namespace VaasExamples;
 
-use VaasSdk\Authentication\Authenticator;
-use VaasSdk\Authentication\GrantType;
-use VaasSdk\Options\AuthenticationOptions;
+use VaasSdk\Authentication\ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator;
+use VaasSdk\Sha256;
 use VaasSdk\Vaas;
 
 // If you got a username and password from us, you can use the ResourceOwnerPasswordAuthenticator like this
 
-// $credentials = new AuthenticationOptions(
-//     grantType: GrantType::PASSWORD,
-//     clientId: getenv("VAAS_CLIENT_ID"),
-//     username: getenv("VAAS_USER_NAME"),
-//     password: getenv("VAAS_PASSWORD")
+// $authenticator = new ResourceOwnerPasswordGrantAuthenticator(
+//     clientId: getenv("CLIENT_ID"),
+//     username: getenv("USERNAME"),
+//     password: getenv("PASSWORD"),
+//     tokenUrl: getenv("TOKEN_URL")
 // );
     
 // You may use self registration and create a new username and password for the
@@ -21,15 +20,16 @@
 
 // If you got a client id and client secret from us, you can use the `Client Credentials` authentication method like this
 
-$credentials = new AuthenticationOptions(
-    grantType: GrantType::CLIENT_CREDENTIALS,
+$authenticator = new ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator(
     clientId: getenv("CLIENT_ID"),
-    clientSecret: getenv("CLIENT_SECRET")
+    clientSecret: getenv("CLIENT_SECRET"),
+    tokenUrl: getenv("TOKEN_URL")
 );
 
-$authenticator = new Authenticator($credentials);
-$vaas = new Vaas($authenticator);
+$vaas = (new Vaas())
+    ->withAuthenticator($authenticator)
+    ->build();
 
 // Get verdict for an eicar hash
-$vaasVerdict = $vaas->forSha256Async("000005c43196142f01d615a67b7da8a53cb0172f8e9317a2ec9a0a39a1da6fe8")->await();
+$vaasVerdict = $vaas->forSha256Async(Sha256::TryFromString("000005c43196142f01d615a67b7da8a53cb0172f8e9317a2ec9a0a39a1da6fe8"))->await();
 fwrite(STDOUT, "Verdict for $vaasVerdict->sha256 is $vaasVerdict->verdict->value \n");
diff --git a/php/examples/VaasExample/GetVerdictByFile.php b/php/examples/VaasExample/GetVerdictByFile.php
index 4efe0650..c804a84a 100644
--- a/php/examples/VaasExample/GetVerdictByFile.php
+++ b/php/examples/VaasExample/GetVerdictByFile.php
@@ -2,22 +2,22 @@
 
 namespace VaasExamples;
 
-use VaasSdk\Authentication\Authenticator;
-use VaasSdk\Authentication\GrantType;
-use VaasSdk\Options\AuthenticationOptions;
+use VaasSdk\Authentication\ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator;
 use VaasSdk\Vaas;
 
 include_once("./vendor/autoload.php");
 
-$credentials = new AuthenticationOptions(
-    grantType: GrantType::CLIENT_CREDENTIALS,
+
+$authenticator = new ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator(
     clientId: getenv("CLIENT_ID"),
-    clientSecret: getenv("CLIENT_SECRET")
+    clientSecret: getenv("CLIENT_SECRET"),
+    tokenUrl: getenv("TOKEN_URL")
 );
 
-$authenticator = new Authenticator($credentials);
+$vaas = (new Vaas())
+    ->withAuthenticator($authenticator)
+    ->build();
 
-$vaas = new Vaas($authenticator);
 
 $scanPath = getenv("SCAN_PATH");
 $vaasVerdict = $vaas->forFileAsync($scanPath)->await();
diff --git a/php/examples/VaasExample/GetVerdictByHash.php b/php/examples/VaasExample/GetVerdictByHash.php
index 589a2fd4..773c609d 100644
--- a/php/examples/VaasExample/GetVerdictByHash.php
+++ b/php/examples/VaasExample/GetVerdictByHash.php
@@ -2,26 +2,29 @@
 
 namespace VaasExamples;
 
-use VaasSdk\Authentication\Authenticator;
-use VaasSdk\Authentication\GrantType;
-use VaasSdk\Options\AuthenticationOptions;
+use VaasSdk\Authentication\ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator;
+use VaasSdk\Sha256;
 use VaasSdk\Vaas;
 
 include_once("./vendor/autoload.php");
 
-$credentials = new AuthenticationOptions(
-    grantType: GrantType::CLIENT_CREDENTIALS,
+
+$authenticator = new ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator(
     clientId: getenv("CLIENT_ID"),
-    clientSecret: getenv("CLIENT_SECRET")
+    clientSecret: getenv("CLIENT_SECRET"),
+    tokenUrl: getenv("TOKEN_URL")
 );
 
-$authenticator = new Authenticator($credentials);
+$vaas = (new Vaas())
+    ->withAuthenticator($authenticator)
+    ->build();
 
-$vaas = new Vaas($authenticator);
 
 // EICAR
-$vaasVerdict = $vaas->forSha256Async("000005c43196142f01d615a67b7da8a53cb0172f8e9317a2ec9a0a39a1da6fe8")->await();
+$vaasVerdict = $vaas->forSha256Async(Sha256::TryFromString("000005c43196142f01d615a67b7da8a53cb0172f8e9317a2ec9a0a39a1da6fe8"))->await();
 fwrite(STDOUT, "Verdict for $vaasVerdict->sha256 is " . $vaasVerdict->verdict->value . " \n");
-// SOMEFILE
-$vaasVerdict = $vaas->forSha256Async("70caea443deb0d0a890468f9ac0a9b1187676ba3e66eb60a722b187107eb1ea8")->await();
+
+
+// Some file
+$vaasVerdict = $vaas->forSha256Async(Sha256::TryFromString("70caea443deb0d0a890468f9ac0a9b1187676ba3e66eb60a722b187107eb1ea8"))->await();
 fwrite(STDOUT, "Verdict for $vaasVerdict->sha256 is " . $vaasVerdict->verdict->value . " \n");
diff --git a/php/examples/VaasExample/GetVerdictByUrl.php b/php/examples/VaasExample/GetVerdictByUrl.php
index 56b2e530..de72076b 100644
--- a/php/examples/VaasExample/GetVerdictByUrl.php
+++ b/php/examples/VaasExample/GetVerdictByUrl.php
@@ -2,26 +2,27 @@
 
 namespace VaasExamples;
 
-use VaasSdk\Authentication\Authenticator;
-use VaasSdk\Authentication\GrantType;
-use VaasSdk\Options\AuthenticationOptions;
+use VaasSdk\Authentication\ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator;
 use VaasSdk\Vaas;
 
 include_once("./vendor/autoload.php");
 
-$credentials = new AuthenticationOptions(
-    grantType: GrantType::CLIENT_CREDENTIALS,
+
+$authenticator = new ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator(
     clientId: getenv("CLIENT_ID"),
-    clientSecret: getenv("CLIENT_SECRET")
+    clientSecret: getenv("CLIENT_SECRET"),
+    tokenUrl: getenv("TOKEN_URL")
 );
 
-$authenticator = new Authenticator($credentials);
+$vaas = (new Vaas())
+    ->withAuthenticator($authenticator)
+    ->build();
 
-$vaas = new Vaas($authenticator);
 
 // EICAR
 $vaasVerdict = $vaas->forUrlAsync("https://secure.eicar.org/eicar.com")->await();
 fwrite(STDOUT, "Verdict for $vaasVerdict->sha256 is " . $vaasVerdict->verdict->value . " \n");
-// SOMEFILE
+
+// Some file
 $vaasVerdict = $vaas->forUrlAsync("https://www.gdatasoftware.com/oem/verdict-as-a-service")->await();
 fwrite(STDOUT, "Verdict for $vaasVerdict->sha256 is " . $vaasVerdict->verdict->value . " \n");
diff --git a/php/src/vaas/Authentication/AuthenticatorInterface.php b/php/src/vaas/Authentication/AuthenticatorInterface.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7c889df3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/php/src/vaas/Authentication/AuthenticatorInterface.php
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace VaasSdk\Authentication;
+
+use Amp\Cancellation;
+use Amp\Future;
+
+interface AuthenticatorInterface
+{
+    public function getTokenAsync(?Cancellation $cancellation = null): Future;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/php/src/vaas/Authentication/ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator.php b/php/src/vaas/Authentication/ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b71aa077
--- /dev/null
+++ b/php/src/vaas/Authentication/ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator.php
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace VaasSdk\Authentication;
+
+use Amp\Cancellation;
+use Amp\Future;
+use Amp\Http\Client\HttpClient;
+use VaasSdk\Options\AuthenticationOptions;
+use function Amp\async;
+
+class ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator implements AuthenticatorInterface
+{
+    private TokenReceiver $tokenReceiver;
+
+    /**
+     * The authenticator for the client credentials grant type if you have a client id and client secret.
+     * @param string $clientId The client id
+     * @param string $clientSecret The client secret
+     * @param string|null $tokenUrl The optional token url. Defaults to 'https://account.gdata.de/realms/vaas-production/protocol/openid-connect/token'
+     * @param HttpClient|null $httpClient Your optional custom http client.
+     */
+    public function __construct(string $clientId, string $clientSecret, ?string $tokenUrl = null, ?HttpClient $httpClient = null)
+    {
+        $options = new AuthenticationOptions(
+            grantType: GrantType::CLIENT_CREDENTIALS,
+            clientId: $clientId,
+            tokenUrl: $tokenUrl ?? 'https://account.gdata.de/realms/vaas-production/protocol/openid-connect/token',
+            clientSecret: $clientSecret
+        );
+        $this->tokenReceiver = new TokenReceiver($options, $httpClient);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Gets the access token asynchronously.
+     * If the token is still valid, it will be returned immediately.
+     * If the token is expired, a new token will be requested.
+     * @param Cancellation|null $cancellation Cancellation token
+     * @return Future Future that resolves to the access token string
+     */
+    public function getTokenAsync(?Cancellation $cancellation = null): Future
+    {
+        return async(function () use ($cancellation) {
+            return $this->tokenReceiver->getTokenAsync($cancellation)->await();
+        });
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/php/src/vaas/Authentication/GrantType.php b/php/src/vaas/Authentication/GrantType.php
index 4499fcdb..e9e2b745 100644
--- a/php/src/vaas/Authentication/GrantType.php
+++ b/php/src/vaas/Authentication/GrantType.php
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
 
 namespace VaasSdk\Authentication;
 
-class GrantType
+enum GrantType: string 
 {
-    const CLIENT_CREDENTIALS = 'client_credentials';
-    const PASSWORD = 'password';
+    case CLIENT_CREDENTIALS = 'client_credentials';
+    case PASSWORD = 'password';
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/php/src/vaas/Authentication/ResourceOwnerPasswordGrantAuthenticator.php b/php/src/vaas/Authentication/ResourceOwnerPasswordGrantAuthenticator.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9910bf0a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/php/src/vaas/Authentication/ResourceOwnerPasswordGrantAuthenticator.php
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace VaasSdk\Authentication;
+
+use Amp\Cancellation;
+use Amp\Future;
+use Amp\Http\Client\HttpClient;
+use VaasSdk\Options\AuthenticationOptions;
+use function Amp\async;
+
+class ResourceOwnerPasswordGrantAuthenticator implements AuthenticatorInterface
+{
+    private TokenReceiver $tokenReceiver;
+
+    /**
+     * The authenticator for the resource owner password grant type if you have a client id, username and password.
+     * This is the choice if you have registered yourself on https://vaas.gdata.de/login. In this case, the client id is `vaas-customer`.
+     * @param string $clientId The client id
+     * @param string $userName Your username or email
+     * @param string $password Your password
+     * @param string|null $tokenUrl The optional token url. Defaults to 'https://account.gdata.de/realms/vaas-production/protocol/openid-connect/token'
+     * @param HttpClient|null $httpClient Your optional custom http client.
+     */
+    public function __construct(string $clientId, string $userName, string $password, ?string $tokenUrl = null, ?HttpClient $httpClient = null)
+    {
+        $options = new AuthenticationOptions(
+            grantType: GrantType::PASSWORD,
+            clientId: $clientId,
+            tokenUrl: $tokenUrl ?? 'https://account.gdata.de/realms/vaas-production/protocol/openid-connect/token',
+            userName: $userName,
+            password: $password
+        );
+        $this->tokenReceiver = new TokenReceiver($options, $httpClient);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Gets the access token asynchronously.
+     * If the token is still valid, it will be returned immediately.
+     * If the token is expired, a new token will be requested.
+     * @param Cancellation|null $cancellation Cancellation token
+     * @return Future Future that resolves to the access token string
+     */
+    public function getTokenAsync(?Cancellation $cancellation = null): Future
+    {
+        return async(function () use ($cancellation) {
+            return $this->tokenReceiver->getTokenAsync($cancellation)->await();
+        });
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/php/src/vaas/Authentication/Authenticator.php b/php/src/vaas/Authentication/TokenReceiver.php
similarity index 83%
rename from php/src/vaas/Authentication/Authenticator.php
rename to php/src/vaas/Authentication/TokenReceiver.php
index 36977755..2d30b805 100644
--- a/php/src/vaas/Authentication/Authenticator.php
+++ b/php/src/vaas/Authentication/TokenReceiver.php
@@ -13,24 +13,21 @@
 use InvalidArgumentException;
 use VaasSdk\Exceptions\VaasAuthenticationException;
 use VaasSdk\Options\AuthenticationOptions;
-use VaasSdk\Options\VaasOptions;
 use function Amp\async;
 use function Amp\delay;
 
-class Authenticator
+class TokenReceiver
 {
     private HttpClient $httpClient;
-    private VaasOptions $options;
-    private AuthenticationOptions $credentials;
+    private AuthenticationOptions $authenticationOptions;
     private Mutex $mutex;
     private ?TokenResponse $lastTokenResponse = null;
     private int $validTo = 0;
     private ?int $lastRequestTime = null;
 
-    public function __construct(AuthenticationOptions $credentials, ?VaasOptions $options = null, ?HttpClient $httpClient = null)
+    public function __construct(AuthenticationOptions $options, ?HttpClient $httpClient = null)
     {
-        $this->credentials = $credentials;
-        $this->options = $options ?? new VaasOptions();
+        $this->authenticationOptions = $options;
         $this->httpClient = $httpClient ?? HttpClientBuilder::buildDefault();
         $this->mutex = new LocalMutex();
     }
@@ -84,7 +81,7 @@ private function requestTokenAsync(?Cancellation $cancellation = null): Future
     {
         return async(function () use ($cancellation) {
             $form = $this->tokenRequestToForm();
-            $request = new Request($this->options->tokenUrl, 'POST');
+            $request = new Request($this->authenticationOptions->tokenUrl, 'POST');
             $request->setBody($form);
             $request->setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded');
 
@@ -121,18 +118,18 @@ private function requestTokenAsync(?Cancellation $cancellation = null): Future
      */
     private function tokenRequestToForm(): string
     {
-        if ($this->credentials->grantType === GrantType::CLIENT_CREDENTIALS) {
+        if ($this->authenticationOptions->grantType == GrantType::CLIENT_CREDENTIALS) {
             return http_build_query([
-                'client_id' => $this->credentials->clientId,
-                'client_secret' => $this->credentials->clientSecret ?? throw new InvalidArgumentException(),
+                'client_id' => $this->authenticationOptions->clientId,
+                'client_secret' => $this->authenticationOptions->clientSecret ?? throw new InvalidArgumentException(),
                 'grant_type' => 'client_credentials',
             ]);
         }
 
         return http_build_query([
-            'client_id' => $this->credentials->clientId,
-            'username' => $this->credentials->userName ?? throw new InvalidArgumentException(),
-            'password' => $this->credentials->password ?? throw new InvalidArgumentException(),
+            'client_id' => $this->authenticationOptions->clientId,
+            'username' => $this->authenticationOptions->userName ?? throw new InvalidArgumentException(),
+            'password' => $this->authenticationOptions->password ?? throw new InvalidArgumentException(),
             'grant_type' => 'password',
         ]);
     }
diff --git a/php/src/vaas/Exceptions/FileDoesNotExistException.php b/php/src/vaas/Exceptions/FileDoesNotExistException.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..93217cfe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/php/src/vaas/Exceptions/FileDoesNotExistException.php
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace VaasSdk\Exceptions;
+
+use Exception;
+
+class FileDoesNotExistException extends Exception
+{
+    public function __construct(string $message = 'File does not exist', int $code = 0, Exception $previous = null)
+    {
+        parent::__construct($message, $code, $previous);
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/php/src/vaas/Exceptions/InvalidSha256Exception.php b/php/src/vaas/Exceptions/InvalidSha256Exception.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..658dd890
--- /dev/null
+++ b/php/src/vaas/Exceptions/InvalidSha256Exception.php
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace VaasSdk\Exceptions;
+
+use Exception;
+
+class InvalidSha256Exception extends Exception
+{
+    public function __construct(string $message = 'Invalid SHA256 hash', int $code = 0, Exception $previous = null)
+    {
+        parent::__construct($message, $code, $previous);
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/php/src/vaas/Options/AuthenticationOptions.php b/php/src/vaas/Options/AuthenticationOptions.php
index 1e7b0af0..9b94992e 100644
--- a/php/src/vaas/Options/AuthenticationOptions.php
+++ b/php/src/vaas/Options/AuthenticationOptions.php
@@ -7,25 +7,14 @@
 
 class AuthenticationOptions
 {
-    public string $grantType;
-    public string $clientId;
-    public ?string $clientSecret;
-    public ?string $userName;
-    public ?string $password;
-
     public function __construct(
-        string $grantType,
-        string $clientId,
-        ?string $clientSecret = null,
-        ?string $userName = null,
-        ?string $password = null
+        public GrantType $grantType,
+        public string $clientId,
+        public string $tokenUrl,
+        public ?string $clientSecret = null,
+        public ?string $userName = null,
+        public ?string $password = null
     ) {
-        $this->grantType = $grantType;
-        $this->clientId = $clientId;
-        $this->clientSecret = $clientSecret;
-        $this->userName = $userName;
-        $this->password = $password;
-
         $this->validate();
     }
 
diff --git a/php/src/vaas/Options/VaasOptions.php b/php/src/vaas/Options/VaasOptions.php
index 58addee0..26251208 100644
--- a/php/src/vaas/Options/VaasOptions.php
+++ b/php/src/vaas/Options/VaasOptions.php
@@ -4,23 +4,17 @@
 
 class VaasOptions
 {
-    public ?bool $useHashLookup;
-    public ?bool $useCache;
-    public string $url;
-    public string $tokenUrl;
-    public ?int $timeout;
-
+    /**
+     * Options to control the behavior of the VaaS SDK
+     * @param bool|null $useHashLookup Use the G DATA cloud to check the hash of the file
+     * @param bool|null $useCache Use the cache to store the hash of the file
+     * @param string $vaasUrl The URL of the VaaS backend to use either the G DATA cloud or a self-hosted instance
+     * @param int $timeout The timeout in seconds for the file upload to the VaaS backend
+     */
     public function __construct(
-        ?bool $useHashLookup = null,
-        ?bool $useCache = null,
-        string $url = 'https://gateway.production.vaas.gdatasecurity.de/',
-        string $tokenUrl = 'https://account.gdata.de/realms/vaas-production/protocol/openid-connect/token',
-        ?int $timeout = null
-    ) {
-        $this->url = $url;
-        $this->useHashLookup = $useHashLookup;
-        $this->useCache = $useCache;
-        $this->tokenUrl = $tokenUrl;
-        $this->timeout = $timeout;
-    }
+        public bool  $useHashLookup = true,
+        public bool  $useCache = true,
+        public string $vaasUrl = 'https://gateway.production.vaas.gdatasecurity.de/',
+        public int    $timeout = 300
+    ) {}
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/php/src/vaas/Sha256.php b/php/src/vaas/Sha256.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1c16a27f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/php/src/vaas/Sha256.php
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace VaasSdk;
+
+use VaasSdk\Exceptions\FileDoesNotExistException;
+use VaasSdk\Exceptions\InvalidSha256Exception;
+
+class Sha256
+{
+    private string $_hash;
+
+    /**
+     * Gets Sha256 from file
+     * @param string $path the path of the file to hash
+     * @return Sha256 the sha256 hash
+     * @throws FileDoesNotExistException if the file does not exist
+     * @throws InvalidSha256Exception if the hash is invalid
+     */
+    public static function TryFromFile(string $path): Sha256
+    {
+        if (!file_exists($path)) {
+            throw new FileDoesNotExistException();
+        }
+
+        $hashString = hash_file("sha256", $path);
+
+        if (Sha256::IsValid($hashString)) {
+            $sha256 = new Sha256();
+            $sha256->_hash = $hashString;
+            return $sha256;
+        }
+        
+        throw new InvalidSha256Exception();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Gets Sha256 from string
+     * @param string $hashString the string to create the hash from
+     * @return Sha256 the sha256 hash
+     * @throws InvalidSha256Exception if the hash is invalid
+     */
+    public static function TryFromString(string $hashString): Sha256
+    {
+        if (Sha256::IsValid($hashString)) {
+            $sha256 = new Sha256();
+            $sha256->_hash = $hashString;
+            return $sha256;
+        }
+        throw new InvalidSha256Exception();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Validates a hash to be a valid sha256
+     * @param string $hash the string to validate
+     * @return bool returns true if sha256 is valid
+     */
+    public static function IsValid(string $hash): bool
+    {
+        if (preg_match("/^([a-f0-9]{64})$/", strtolower($hash)) == 1) {
+            return true;
+        } else {
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    public function __toString(): string
+    {
+        return $this->_hash;
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/php/src/vaas/Vaas.php b/php/src/vaas/Vaas.php
index caff1c7b..81777e42 100644
--- a/php/src/vaas/Vaas.php
+++ b/php/src/vaas/Vaas.php
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@
 use Amp\Http\Client\Response;
 use Amp\Http\Client\StreamedContent;
 use Exception;
-use VaasSdk\Authentication\Authenticator;
+use Psr\Log\LoggerInterface;
+use Psr\Log\NullLogger;
+use VaasSdk\Authentication\AuthenticatorInterface;
 use VaasSdk\Exceptions\VaasAuthenticationException;
 use VaasSdk\Exceptions\VaasClientException;
 use VaasSdk\Exceptions\VaasServerException;
@@ -32,46 +34,92 @@ class Vaas
     private const PRODUCT_VERSION = '0.0.0';
 
     private HttpClient $httpClient;
-    private Authenticator $authenticator;
+    private AuthenticatorInterface $authenticator;
     private VaasOptions $options;
+    private LoggerInterface $logger;
 
     /**
-     * Create a new Vaas instance
-     * @param Authenticator $authenticator Authenticator to use for fetching tokens
-     * @param VaasOptions|null $options Options for the Vaas instance to set usage of cache and hash lookup
-     * @param HttpClient|null $httpClient HTTP client to use for requests
+     * Optional parameters for the Vaas client like
+     * - the URL of the VaaS backend
+     * - whether to use the cache (default: true)
+     * - whether to use the G DATA cloud for hash lookups (default: true)
+     * - the timeout in seconds for the file upload to the VaaS backend (default: 300)
+     * @param VaasOptions $options Options for the Vaas client
+     * @return $this
      */
-    public function __construct(Authenticator $authenticator, ?VaasOptions $options = null,  ?HttpClient $httpClient = null)
+    public function withOptions(VaasOptions $options): self
+    {
+        $this->options = $options;
+        return $this;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param HttpClient $httpClient Your optional custom http client.
+     * @return $this
+     */
+    public function withHttpClient(HttpClient $httpClient): self
+    {
+        $this->httpClient = $httpClient;
+        return $this;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Either use the `ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator` or `ResourceOwnerPasswordGrantAuthenticator`
+     * Use the `ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator` if you have a client id and client secret.
+     * Use the `ResourceOwnerPasswordGrantAuthenticator` if you have a username and password.
+     * Last one is the choice if you have registered yourself on https://vaas.gdata.de/login. In this case, the client id is `vaas-customer`.
+     * @param AuthenticatorInterface $authenticator The authenticator to use
+     * @return $this
+     */
+    public function withAuthenticator(AuthenticatorInterface $authenticator): self
     {
         $this->authenticator = $authenticator;
-        
-        if ($options === null) {
-            $this->options = new VaasOptions();
-        } else {
-            $this->options = $options;
+        return $this;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Set the logger to use
+     * @param LoggerInterface $logger The logger to use
+     * @return $this
+     */
+    public function withLogger(LoggerInterface $logger): self
+    {
+        $this->logger = $logger;
+        return $this;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Build the Vaas client
+     * @return $this
+     * @throws VaasClientException If the authenticator is not set
+     */
+    public function build(): self
+    {
+        if (!isset($this->logger)) {
+            $this->logger = new NullLogger();
+        }
+        if (!isset($this->authenticator)) {
+            throw new VaasClientException('Authenticator is required');
         }
-        
-        if ($httpClient === null) {
+        if (!isset($this->httpClient)) {
             $this->httpClient = HttpClientBuilder::buildDefault();
-        } else {
-            $this->httpClient = $httpClient;
         }
+        if (!isset($this->options)) {
+            $this->options = new VaasOptions();
+        }
+        return $this;
     }
 
     /**
      * Get the verdict for a file by its SHA256 hash
-     * @param string $sha256 The SHA256 hash of the file to check
+     * @param Sha256 $sha256 The SHA256 hash of the file to check
      * @param ForSha256Options|null $options Options for the request
      * @param Cancellation|null $cancellation Cancellation token
      * @return Future A future that resolves to a VaasVerdict
      */
-    public function forSha256Async(string $sha256, ?ForSha256Options $options = null, ?Cancellation $cancellation = null): Future
+    public function forSha256Async(Sha256 $sha256, ?ForSha256Options $options = null, ?Cancellation $cancellation = null): Future
     {
-        return async(function () use ($sha256, $options, $cancellation) {
-            if (!preg_match('/^[a-f0-9]{64}$/', $sha256)) {
-                throw new VaasClientException('Invalid SHA256 hash');
-            }
-            
+        return async(function () use ($sha256, $options, $cancellation) {            
             if ($options === null) {
                 $options = new ForSha256Options(
                     [
@@ -82,7 +130,7 @@ public function forSha256Async(string $sha256, ?ForSha256Options $options = null
                 );
             }
             $url = sprintf('%s/files/%s/report/?useCache=%s&useHashLookup=%s',
-                $this->options->url,
+                $this->options->vaasUrl,
                 $sha256,
                 json_encode($options->useCache),
                 json_encode($options->useHashLookup
@@ -90,7 +138,7 @@ public function forSha256Async(string $sha256, ?ForSha256Options $options = null
 
             $request = new Request($url, 'GET');
 
-            while (7 + 7 === 14) {
+            while (true) {
                 $this->addRequestHeadersAsync($request, $options->vaasRequestId)->await($cancellation);
                 $response = $this->httpClient->request($request, $cancellation);
 
@@ -110,8 +158,6 @@ public function forSha256Async(string $sha256, ?ForSha256Options $options = null
                         throw $this->parseVaasError($response);
                 }
             }
-
-            throw new Exception('This should never happen');
         }, $cancellation);
     }
 
@@ -140,12 +186,12 @@ public function forFileAsync(string $path, ?ForFileOptions $options = null, ?Can
             }
             
             if ($options->useCache || $options->useHashLookup) {
-                $sha256 = $this->sha256CheckSum($path);
                 $forSha256Options = new ForSha256Options([
                     'vaasRequestId' => $options->vaasRequestId,
                     'useHashLookup' => $options->useHashLookup,
                     'useCache' => $options->useCache,
                 ]);
+                $sha256 = Sha256::TryFromFile($path);
                 $response = $this->forSha256Async($sha256, $forSha256Options, $cancellation)->await();
                 $isVerdictWithoutDetection = ($response->verdict === 'Malicious' || $response->verdict === 'Pup') && !empty($response->detection);
                 if ($response->verdict !== 'Unknown' && !empty($response->fileType) && !empty($response->mimeType) && !$isVerdictWithoutDetection) {
@@ -154,6 +200,8 @@ public function forFileAsync(string $path, ?ForFileOptions $options = null, ?Can
             }
 
             $stream = openFile($path, 'r');
+            $stream->onClose(fn() => $stream->close());
+            
             $forStreamOptions = new ForStreamOptions([
                 'vaasRequestId' => $options->vaasRequestId,
                 'useHashLookup' => $options->useHashLookup,
@@ -179,12 +227,12 @@ public function forStreamAsync(ReadableStream $stream, int $fileSize, ?ForStream
                 $options = new ForStreamOptions(
                     [
                         'vaasRequestId' => null,
-                        'timeout' => $this->options->timeout ?? 300,
+                        'timeout' => $this->options->timeout,
                         'useHashLookup' => $this->options->useHashLookup ?? true,
                     ]
                 );
             }
-            $url = sprintf('%s/files?useHashLookup=%s', $this->options->url, json_encode($options->useHashLookup));
+            $url = sprintf('%s/files?useHashLookup=%s', $this->options->vaasUrl, json_encode($options->useHashLookup));
 
             $request = new Request($url, 'POST');
             
@@ -192,6 +240,7 @@ public function forStreamAsync(ReadableStream $stream, int $fileSize, ?ForStream
             $request->setTransferTimeout($options->timeout);
             $this->addRequestHeadersAsync($request, $options->vaasRequestId)->await();
             $response = $this->httpClient->request($request);
+            $stream->close();
             switch ($response->getStatus()) {
                 case 201:
                     $fileAnalysisStarted = json_decode($response->getBody()->buffer(), true);
@@ -210,8 +259,13 @@ public function forStreamAsync(ReadableStream $stream, int $fileSize, ?ForStream
                 'vaasRequestId' => $options->vaasRequestId,
                 'useHashLookup' => $options->useHashLookup,
             ]);
-
-            return $this->forSha256Async($fileAnalysisStarted['sha256'], $forSha256Options)->await();
+            
+            if (!isset($fileAnalysisStarted['sha256'])) {
+                throw new VaasServerException('Unexpected response from the server');
+            }
+            $sha256 = Sha256::TryFromString($fileAnalysisStarted['sha256']);
+            
+            return $this->forSha256Async($sha256, $forSha256Options)->await();
         });
     }
 
@@ -238,7 +292,7 @@ public function forUrlAsync(string $uri, ?ForUrlOptions $options = null, ?Cancel
                     ]
                 );
             }
-            $urlAnalysisUri = sprintf('%s/urls', $this->options->url);
+            $urlAnalysisUri = sprintf('%s/urls', $this->options->vaasUrl);
 
             $urlAnalysisRequest = new Request($urlAnalysisUri, 'POST');
             $urlAnalysisRequest->setBody(json_encode([
@@ -269,8 +323,8 @@ public function forUrlAsync(string $uri, ?ForUrlOptions $options = null, ?Cancel
                 throw new VaasServerException('Unexpected response from the server');
             }
 
-            while (1 - 8 === -7) {
-                $reportUri = sprintf('%s/urls/%s/report', $this->options->url, $id);
+            while (true) {
+                $reportUri = sprintf('%s/urls/%s/report', $this->options->vaasUrl, $id);
                 $reportRequest = new Request($reportUri, 'GET');
 
                 $this->addRequestHeadersAsync($reportRequest, $options->vaasRequestId)->await($cancellation);
@@ -287,8 +341,6 @@ public function forUrlAsync(string $uri, ?ForUrlOptions $options = null, ?Cancel
                         throw $this->parseVaasError($reportResponse);
                 }
             }
-            
-            throw new Exception('This should never happen');
         }, $cancellation);
     }
 
@@ -347,19 +399,4 @@ private function parseVaasError(Response $response): Exception
             }
         }
     }
-
-    /**
-     * Calculate the SHA256 hash of a file
-     * @param string $filePath Path to the file
-     * @return string SHA256 hash of the file
-     * @throws VaasClientException If the hash could not be calculated
-     */
-    private function sha256CheckSum(string $filePath): string
-    {
-        $hash = hash_file('sha256', $filePath);
-        if ($hash === false) {
-            throw new VaasClientException('Could not calculate SHA256 hash');
-        }
-        return $hash;
-    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/php/tests/vaas/AuthenticatorTest.php b/php/tests/vaas/AuthenticatorTest.php
index 462c22c1..64bb56ea 100644
--- a/php/tests/vaas/AuthenticatorTest.php
+++ b/php/tests/vaas/AuthenticatorTest.php
@@ -5,11 +5,9 @@
 use Dotenv\Dotenv;
 use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
 use Prophecy\PhpUnit\ProphecyTrait;
-use VaasSdk\Authentication\Authenticator;
-use VaasSdk\Authentication\GrantType;
+use VaasSdk\Authentication\ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator;
+use VaasSdk\Authentication\ResourceOwnerPasswordGrantAuthenticator;
 use VaasSdk\Exceptions\VaasAuthenticationException;
-use VaasSdk\Options\AuthenticationOptions;
-use VaasSdk\Options\VaasOptions;
 
 final class AuthenticatorTest extends TestCase
 {
@@ -50,67 +48,51 @@ public function setUp(): void
         $this->assertNotNull($_ENV["VAAS_CLIENT_ID"]);
     }
 
-    public function testAuthenticatorWithInvalidClientCredentials_ThrowsAccessDeniedException(): void
+    public function testClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator_withInvalidCredentials_ThrowsAccessDeniedException(): void
     {
         $this->expectException(VaasAuthenticationException::class);
-        $credentials = new AuthenticationOptions(
-            grantType: GrantType::CLIENT_CREDENTIALS,
+        $authenticator = new ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator(
             clientId: "invalid",
             clientSecret: "invalid"
         );
         
-        $authenticator = new Authenticator($credentials);
         $authenticator->getTokenAsync()->await();
     }
 
-    public function testAuthenticatorWithInvalidPassword_ThrowsAccessDeniedException(): void
+    public function testResourceOwnerPasswordGrantAuthenticator_withInvalidCredentials_ThrowsAccessDeniedException(): void
     {
         $this->expectException(VaasAuthenticationException::class);
-        $credentials = new AuthenticationOptions(
-            GrantType::PASSWORD,
+        $authenticator = new ResourceOwnerPasswordGrantAuthenticator(
             clientId: "invalid",
             userName: "invalid",
             password: "invalid"
         );
 
-        $authenticator = new Authenticator($credentials);
         $authenticator->getTokenAsync()->await();
     }
 
-    public function testAuthenticatorWithValidClientCredentials_ReturnsToken(): void
+    public function testClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator_withValidCredentials_ReturnsToken(): void
     {
-        $credentials = new AuthenticationOptions(
-            grantType: GrantType::CLIENT_CREDENTIALS,
+        $authenticator = new ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator(
             clientId: $_ENV["CLIENT_ID"],
-            clientSecret: $_ENV["CLIENT_SECRET"]
-        );
-        
-        $options = new VaasOptions(
-            url: $_ENV["VAAS_URL"],
+            clientSecret: $_ENV["CLIENT_SECRET"],
             tokenUrl: $_ENV["TOKEN_URL"]
         );
-
-        $authenticator = new Authenticator($credentials, $options);
+        
         $token = $authenticator->getTokenAsync()->await();
 
         $this->assertNotNull($token);
     }
 
-    public function testAuthenticatorWithValidPassword_ReturnsToken(): void
+    public function testResourceOwnerPasswordGrantAuthenticator_withValidCredentials_ReturnsToken(): void
     {
-        $credentials = new AuthenticationOptions(
-            grantType: GrantType::PASSWORD,
+        $authenticator = new ResourceOwnerPasswordGrantAuthenticator(
             clientId: $_ENV["VAAS_CLIENT_ID"],
             userName: $_ENV["VAAS_USER_NAME"],
-            password: $_ENV["VAAS_PASSWORD"]
-        );
-
-        $options = new VaasOptions(
-            url: $_ENV["VAAS_URL"],
+            password: $_ENV["VAAS_PASSWORD"],
             tokenUrl: $_ENV["TOKEN_URL"]
         );
 
-        $authenticator = new Authenticator($credentials, $options);
         $token = $authenticator->getTokenAsync()->await();
 
         $this->assertNotNull($token);
diff --git a/php/tests/vaas/Sha256Test.php b/php/tests/vaas/Sha256Test.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6c8e96ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/php/tests/vaas/Sha256Test.php
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace VaasTesting;
+
+use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
+use VaasSdk\Sha256;
+use VaasSdk\Exceptions\InvalidSha256Exception;
+use VaasSdk\Exceptions\FileDoesNotExistException;
+
+final class Sha256Test extends TestCase
+{
+    const VALID_SHA256 = "df6f184e0235c88868668c3f9434528a59377cedb18e305abdb1adea19e93be1";
+    const VALID_FILE   = __DIR__ . "/testfile";
+
+    public function testIsValidGetsValidSha256ReturnsTrue(): void
+    {
+        $this->assertTrue(Sha256::IsValid(Sha256Test::VALID_SHA256));
+    }
+
+    public function testIsValidGetsInvalidSha256ReturnsFalse(): void
+    {
+        $this->assertFalse(Sha256::IsValid("00005c43196142f01d615a67b7da8a53cb0172f8e9317a2ec9a0a39a1da6fe8"));
+    }
+
+    public function testTryFromStringGetsValidSha256ReturnsCorrectSha256(): void
+    {
+        $calculatedSha256 = Sha256::TryFromString(Sha256Test::VALID_SHA256);
+        $this->assertEquals(Sha256Test::VALID_SHA256, $calculatedSha256);
+    }
+
+    public function testTryFromStringGetsInvalidSha256ThrowsInvalidSha256Exception(): void
+    {
+        $this->expectException(InvalidSha256Exception::class);
+        Sha256::TryFromString("00005c43196142f01d615a67b7da8a53cb0172f8e9317a2ec9a0a39a1da6fe8");
+    }
+
+    public function testTryFromFileGetsValidSha256ReturnsTrue(): void
+    {
+        $calculatedSha256 = Sha256::TryFromFile(Sha256Test::VALID_FILE);
+        $this->assertEquals(Sha256Test::VALID_SHA256, $calculatedSha256);
+    }
+
+    public function testTryFromFileGetsInvalidPathThrowsFileDoesNotExistException(): void
+    {
+        $this->expectException(FileDoesNotExistException::class);
+        Sha256::TryFromFile("./filedoesnotexist");
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/php/tests/vaas/VaasTest.php b/php/tests/vaas/VaasTest.php
index 06bbb744..a407be60 100644
--- a/php/tests/vaas/VaasTest.php
+++ b/php/tests/vaas/VaasTest.php
@@ -6,11 +6,11 @@
 use Dotenv\Dotenv;
 use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
 use Prophecy\PhpUnit\ProphecyTrait;
-use VaasSdk\Authentication\Authenticator;
-use VaasSdk\Authentication\GrantType;
+use VaasSdk\Authentication\ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator;
+use VaasSdk\Exceptions\InvalidSha256Exception;
 use VaasSdk\Exceptions\VaasClientException;
-use VaasSdk\Options\AuthenticationOptions;
 use VaasSdk\Options\VaasOptions;
+use VaasSdk\Sha256;
 use VaasSdk\Vaas;
 use VaasSdk\Verdict;
 use function Amp\File\openFile;
@@ -58,27 +58,27 @@ public function setUp(): void
 
     private function getVaas(bool $useCache = false, bool $useHashLookup = true): Vaas
     {
-        $credentials = new AuthenticationOptions(
-            GrantType::CLIENT_CREDENTIALS,
-            $_ENV["CLIENT_ID"],
-            $_ENV["CLIENT_SECRET"]
+        $options = new VaasOptions(
+            useHashLookup: $useHashLookup,
+            useCache: $useCache,
+            vaasUrl: $_ENV["VAAS_URL"] 
         );
 
-        $options = new VaasOptions(
-            $useHashLookup,
-            $useCache,
-            $_ENV["VAAS_URL"],
+        $authenticator = new ClientCredentialsGrantAuthenticator(
+            $_ENV["CLIENT_ID"],
+            $_ENV["CLIENT_SECRET"],
             $_ENV["TOKEN_URL"]
         );
 
-        $authenticator = new Authenticator($credentials, $options);
-
-        return new Vaas($authenticator, $options);
+        return (new Vaas())
+            ->withAuthenticator($authenticator)
+            ->withOptions($options)
+            ->build();
     }
 
     public function testForSha256_WithMaliciousSha256_GetsMaliciousResponse(): void
     {
-        $verdict = $this->vaas->forSha256Async(self::MALICIOUS_HASH)->await();
+        $verdict = $this->vaas->forSha256Async(Sha256::TryFromString(self::MALICIOUS_HASH))->await();
 
         $this->assertEquals(Verdict::MALICIOUS, $verdict->verdict);
         $this->assertEqualsIgnoringCase(self::MALICIOUS_HASH, $verdict->sha256);
@@ -86,36 +86,36 @@ public function testForSha256_WithMaliciousSha256_GetsMaliciousResponse(): void
     
     public function testForSha256_WithPupSha256_GetsPupResponse(): void
     {
-        $verdict = $this->vaas->forSha256Async(self::PUP_HASH)->await();
-        
-        $this->assertEquals(Verdict::PUP, $verdict->verdict);
+        $verdict = $this->vaas->forSha256Async(Sha256::TryFromString(self::PUP_HASH))->await();
+
         $this->assertEqualsIgnoringCase(self::PUP_HASH, $verdict->sha256);
+        $this->assertEquals(Verdict::PUP, $verdict->verdict);
     }
     
     public function testForSha256_WithCleanSha256_GetsCleanResponse(): void
     {
-        $verdict = $this->vaas->forSha256Async(self::CLEAN_HASH)->await();
-        
-        $this->assertEquals(Verdict::CLEAN, $verdict->verdict);
+        $verdict = $this->vaas->forSha256Async(Sha256::TryFromString(self::CLEAN_HASH))->await();
+
         $this->assertEqualsIgnoringCase(self::CLEAN_HASH, $verdict->sha256);
+        $this->assertEquals(Verdict::CLEAN, $verdict->verdict);
     }
     
     public function testForSha256_WithUnknownSha256_GetsUnknownResponse(): void
     {
         $vaas = $this->getVaas(false, false);
         
-        $verdict = $vaas->forSha256Async(self::UNKNOWN_HASH)->await();
-        
-        $this->assertEquals(Verdict::UNKNOWN, $verdict->verdict);
+        $verdict = $vaas->forSha256Async(Sha256::TryFromString(self::UNKNOWN_HASH))->await();
+
         $this->assertEqualsIgnoringCase(self::UNKNOWN_HASH, $verdict->sha256);
+        $this->assertEquals(Verdict::UNKNOWN, $verdict->verdict);
     }
     
-    public function testForSha256_WithInvalidSha256_ThrowsVaasClientException(): void
+    public function testForSha256_WithInvalidSha256_ThrowsInvalidSha256Exception(): void
     {
-        $this->expectException(VaasClientException::class);
+        $this->expectException(InvalidSha256Exception::class);
         $this->expectExceptionMessage("Invalid SHA256 hash");
         
-        $this->vaas->forSha256Async("invalid")->await();
+        $this->vaas->forSha256Async(Sha256::TryFromString("invalid"))->await();
     }
     
     public function testForUrl_WithMaliciousUrl_GetsMaliciousResponse(): void
diff --git a/php/tests/vaas/testfile b/php/tests/vaas/testfile
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d724ac08
--- /dev/null
+++ b/php/tests/vaas/testfile
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+dsfasdfsd
\ No newline at end of file