diff --git a/src/api/app/controllers/statistics/maintenance_statistics_controller.rb b/src/api/app/controllers/statistics/maintenance_statistics_controller.rb
index 60de14874c1..8ae27c7ccc8 100644
--- a/src/api/app/controllers/statistics/maintenance_statistics_controller.rb
+++ b/src/api/app/controllers/statistics/maintenance_statistics_controller.rb
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ def index
       if @project.is_a?(String)
         # FIXME: This could be simplified by redirecting to the remote instead
         remote_instance, remote_project = Project.find_remote_project(@project)
-        remote_response = Project::RemoteURL.load(remote_instance.remoteurl, maintenance_statistics_path(project: remote_project))
+        remote_response = Project::RemoteURL.load(remote_instance, maintenance_statistics_path(project: remote_project))
         if remote_response
           render xml: remote_response
         else
diff --git a/src/api/app/models/distribution.rb b/src/api/app/models/distribution.rb
index 7fb4891b75c..de1e1847826 100644
--- a/src/api/app/models/distribution.rb
+++ b/src/api/app/models/distribution.rb
@@ -40,13 +40,7 @@ def self.all_including_remotes
 
     Project.remote.each do |prj|
       body = Rails.cache.fetch("remote_distribution_#{prj.id}", expires_in: 1.hour) do
-        begin
-          Project::RemoteURL.load(prj.remoteurl, '/distributions.xml')
-        rescue OpenSSL::SSL::SSLError
-          # skip, but do not die if remote instance have invalid SSL
-          Rails.logger.error "Remote instance #{prj.remoteurl} has no valid SSL certificate"
-          next
-        end
+        Project::RemoteURL.load(prj, '/distributions.xml')
       end
       next if body.blank? # don't let broken remote instances break us
       xmlhash = Xmlhash.parse(body)
diff --git a/src/api/app/models/project.rb b/src/api/app/models/project.rb
index 139ac63b33a..9a96010af95 100644
--- a/src/api/app/models/project.rb
+++ b/src/api/app/models/project.rb
@@ -166,12 +166,7 @@ def self.remote_image_templates
 
   def self.load_from_remote(project, path)
     Rails.cache.fetch("remote_image_templates_#{project.id}", expires_in: 1.hour) do
-      begin
-        Project::RemoteURL.load(project.remoteurl, path)
-      rescue OpenSSL::SSL::SSLError
-        Rails.logger.error "Remote instance #{project.remoteurl} has no valid SSL certificate"
-        nil
-      end
+      Project::RemoteURL.load(project, path)
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/src/api/app/models/project/remote_url.rb b/src/api/app/models/project/remote_url.rb
index 1db13ff3670..0db63f6483c 100644
--- a/src/api/app/models/project/remote_url.rb
+++ b/src/api/app/models/project/remote_url.rb
@@ -1,39 +1,19 @@
-module Project::RemoteURL
-
-  def load(remote_uri, path)
-    uri = URI.parse(remote_uri + path)
-    http = nil
-    content = nil
-    proxyuri = ENV['http_proxy']
-    proxyuri = CONFIG['http_proxy'] if CONFIG['http_proxy'].present?
-    noproxy = ENV['no_proxy']
-    noproxy = CONFIG['no_proxy'] if CONFIG['no_proxy'].present?
-
-    noproxy_applies = false
-    if noproxy
-      np_split = noproxy.split(',')
-      noproxy_applies = np_split.any? { |np| uri.host.end_with?(np.strip) }
+class Project::RemoteURL
+  def self.load(remote_project, path)
+    uri = URI.parse(remote_project.remoteurl + path)
+    # prefer environment variables if set
+    if ENV['http_proxy'].blank?
+      ENV['http_proxy'] = Configuration.first.http_proxy
     end
-
-    if proxyuri && noproxy_applies == false
-      proxy = URI.parse(proxyuri)
-      proxy_user, proxy_pass = proxy.userinfo.split(/:/) if proxy.userinfo
-      http = Net::HTTP::Proxy(proxy.host, proxy.port, proxy_user, proxy_pass).new(uri.host, uri.port)
-    else
-      http = Net::HTTP.new(uri.host, uri.port)
+    if ENV['no_proxy'].blank?
+      ENV['no_proxy'] = Configuration.first.no_proxy
     end
-    http.use_ssl = (uri.scheme == 'https')
     begin
-      http.start
-      response = http.get uri.request_uri
-      content = response.body if response.is_a?(Net::HTTPSuccess)
-    rescue SocketError, Errno::EINTR, Errno::EPIPE, EOFError, Net::HTTPBadResponse, IOError, Errno::ENETUNREACH,
-           Errno::ETIMEDOUT, Errno::ECONNREFUSED, Timeout::Error => err
-      Rails.logger.debug "#{err} when fetching #{uri}"
-      http = nil
+      uri.open.read
+    rescue OpenURI::HTTPError, SocketError, Errno::EINTR, Errno::EPIPE, EOFError, Net::HTTPBadResponse, IOError, Errno::ENETUNREACH,
+           Errno::ETIMEDOUT, Errno::ECONNREFUSED, Timeout::Error, OpenSSL::SSL::SSLError => err
+      Rails.logger.debug "#{err} when fetching #{path} from #{remote_project.remoteurl}"
+      nil
     end
-    http.finish if http && http.started?
-    content
   end
-
 end