diff --git a/graylog2-server/src/main/java/org/graylog2/security/sessions/SessionConverter.java b/graylog2-server/src/main/java/org/graylog2/security/sessions/SessionConverter.java
index 43befa6049..d3aec8cc30 100644
--- a/graylog2-server/src/main/java/org/graylog2/security/sessions/SessionConverter.java
+++ b/graylog2-server/src/main/java/org/graylog2/security/sessions/SessionConverter.java
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ public class SessionConverter {
             SessionUtils.AUTH_CONTEXT_SESSION_KEY
     );
 
-    public static SessionDTO simpleSessionToSessionDTO(SimpleSession simpleSession) {
+    public static SessionDTO.Builder simpleSessionToSessionDTOBuilder(SimpleSession simpleSession) {
 
         final var unknownKeys = unknownSessionKeys(simpleSession);
         if (!unknownKeys.isEmpty()) {
@@ -60,8 +60,7 @@ public class SessionConverter {
                 .authenticationRealm(principalInfo.map(PrincipalInfo::realm).orElse(null))
                 .authenticated((Boolean) simpleSession.getAttribute(DefaultSubjectContext.AUTHENTICATED_SESSION_KEY))
                 .userName((String) simpleSession.getAttribute(SessionUtils.USERNAME_SESSION_KEY))
-                .authContext((SessionAuthContext) simpleSession.getAttribute(SessionUtils.AUTH_CONTEXT_SESSION_KEY))
-                .build();
+                .authContext((SessionAuthContext) simpleSession.getAttribute(SessionUtils.AUTH_CONTEXT_SESSION_KEY));
     }
 
     private static Set<Object> unknownSessionKeys(SimpleSession simpleSession) {
diff --git a/graylog2-server/src/main/java/org/graylog2/security/sessions/SessionDAO.java b/graylog2-server/src/main/java/org/graylog2/security/sessions/SessionDAO.java
index c39f491589..0ab6da8462 100644
--- a/graylog2-server/src/main/java/org/graylog2/security/sessions/SessionDAO.java
+++ b/graylog2-server/src/main/java/org/graylog2/security/sessions/SessionDAO.java
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ public class SessionDAO extends CachingSessionDAO {
 
         assignSessionId(session, sessionId);
 
-        final var primaryKey = sessionService.create(SessionDTO.fromSimpleSession(session));
+        final var primaryKey = sessionService.create(SessionDTO.builderFromSimpleSession(session).build());
         LOG.debug("Created session {}", primaryKey);
 
         return sessionId;
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ public class SessionDAO extends CachingSessionDAO {
 
     private void doUpdate(SimpleSession session) {
         LOG.debug("Updating session");
-        final var sessionDTO = SessionDTO.fromSimpleSession(session);
+        final var sessionDTO = SessionDTO.builderFromSimpleSession(session).build();
         sessionService.updateBySessionId(sessionDTO);
     }
 
diff --git a/graylog2-server/src/main/java/org/graylog2/security/sessions/SessionDTO.java b/graylog2-server/src/main/java/org/graylog2/security/sessions/SessionDTO.java
index 3c9b0357bb..ff4705c349 100644
--- a/graylog2-server/src/main/java/org/graylog2/security/sessions/SessionDTO.java
+++ b/graylog2-server/src/main/java/org/graylog2/security/sessions/SessionDTO.java
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import java.util.Optional;
 public abstract class SessionDTO implements BuildableMongoEntity<SessionDTO, SessionDTO.Builder> {
 
     @Override
+    @Nullable
     @JsonInclude(JsonInclude.Include.NON_NULL)
     public abstract String id();
 
@@ -130,8 +131,8 @@ public abstract class SessionDTO implements BuildableMongoEntity<SessionDTO, Ses
         }
     }
 
-    public static SessionDTO fromSimpleSession(SimpleSession simpleSession) {
-        return SessionConverter.simpleSessionToSessionDTO(simpleSession);
+    public static Builder builderFromSimpleSession(SimpleSession simpleSession) {
+        return SessionConverter.simpleSessionToSessionDTOBuilder(simpleSession);
     }
 
     public SimpleSession toSimpleSession() {
diff --git a/graylog2-server/src/test/java/org/graylog2/security/sessions/SessionConverterTest.java b/graylog2-server/src/test/java/org/graylog2/security/sessions/SessionConverterTest.java
index b36d4a1b8d..54a17ff1c6 100644
--- a/graylog2-server/src/test/java/org/graylog2/security/sessions/SessionConverterTest.java
+++ b/graylog2-server/src/test/java/org/graylog2/security/sessions/SessionConverterTest.java
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ class SessionConverterTest {
         simpleSession.setAttribute(DefaultSubjectContext.PRINCIPALS_SESSION_KEY,
                 new SimplePrincipalCollection("user-id", "realm"));
 
-        final var sessionDTO = SessionConverter.simpleSessionToSessionDTO(simpleSession);
+        final var sessionDTO = SessionConverter.simpleSessionToSessionDTOBuilder(simpleSession).build();
 
         assertThat(sessionDTO.sessionId()).isEqualTo("session-id");
         assertThat(sessionDTO.host()).contains("localhost");
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ class SessionConverterTest {
         simpleSession.setHost("localhost");
         simpleSession.setAttribute("unknown-key", "some-value");
 
-        assertThatThrownBy(() -> SessionConverter.simpleSessionToSessionDTO(simpleSession))
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> SessionConverter.simpleSessionToSessionDTOBuilder(simpleSession).build())
                 .isInstanceOf(IllegalArgumentException.class)
                 .hasMessageContaining("unknown attribute keys");
     }
@@ -122,25 +122,25 @@ class SessionConverterTest {
         simpleSession.setId("session-id");
         simpleSession.setHost("localhost");
 
-        assertThat(SessionConverter.simpleSessionToSessionDTO(simpleSession).userId()).isEmpty();
+        assertThat(SessionConverter.simpleSessionToSessionDTOBuilder(simpleSession).build().userId()).isEmpty();
 
         simpleSession.setAttribute(DefaultSubjectContext.PRINCIPALS_SESSION_KEY, new SimplePrincipalCollection());
-        assertThat(SessionConverter.simpleSessionToSessionDTO(simpleSession).userId()).isEmpty();
+        assertThat(SessionConverter.simpleSessionToSessionDTOBuilder(simpleSession).build().userId()).isEmpty();
 
         simpleSession.setAttribute(DefaultSubjectContext.PRINCIPALS_SESSION_KEY, "not-a-collection");
-        assertThatThrownBy(() -> SessionConverter.simpleSessionToSessionDTO(simpleSession))
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> SessionConverter.simpleSessionToSessionDTOBuilder(simpleSession).build())
                 .isInstanceOf(IllegalArgumentException.class)
                 .hasMessageContaining("Unexpected type");
 
         simpleSession.setAttribute(DefaultSubjectContext.PRINCIPALS_SESSION_KEY,
                 new SimplePrincipalCollection(List.of("a", "b", "c"), "realm"));
-        assertThatThrownBy(() -> SessionConverter.simpleSessionToSessionDTO(simpleSession))
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> SessionConverter.simpleSessionToSessionDTOBuilder(simpleSession).build())
                 .isInstanceOf(IllegalArgumentException.class)
                 .hasMessageContaining("Expected a single principal");
 
         simpleSession.setAttribute(DefaultSubjectContext.PRINCIPALS_SESSION_KEY,
                 new SimplePrincipalCollection(1, "realm"));
-        assertThatThrownBy(() -> SessionConverter.simpleSessionToSessionDTO(simpleSession))
+        assertThatThrownBy(() -> SessionConverter.simpleSessionToSessionDTOBuilder(simpleSession).build())
                 .isInstanceOf(IllegalArgumentException.class)
                 .hasMessageContaining("Unexpected type");
     }