diff --git a/libabyss/src/server.cpp b/libabyss/src/server.cpp
index 7798196ec..21f4280d9 100644
--- a/libabyss/src/server.cpp
+++ b/libabyss/src/server.cpp
@@ -10,6 +10,11 @@ namespace abyss
 {
   namespace http
   {
+#if __cplusplus >= 201703L
+    typedef std::string_view string_view;
+#else
+    typedef std::string string_view;
+#endif
     struct RequestHeader
     {
       typedef std::unordered_multimap< std::string, std::string > Headers_t;
@@ -76,16 +81,16 @@ namespace abyss
       }
 
       bool
-      ProcessMethodLine(std::string& line)
+      ProcessMethodLine(string_view line)
       {
         // TODO: implement me
         auto idx = line.find_first_of(' ');
-        if(idx == std::string::npos)
+        if(idx == string_view::npos)
           return false;
         m_Header.Method = line.substr(0, idx);
         line            = line.substr(idx + 1);
         idx             = line.find_first_of(' ');
-        if(idx == std::string::npos)
+        if(idx == string_view::npos)
           return false;
         m_Header.Path = line.substr(0, idx);
         m_State       = eReadHTTPHeaders;
@@ -93,21 +98,26 @@ namespace abyss
       }
 
       bool
-      ShouldProcessHeader(const std::string& name) const
+      ShouldProcessHeader(const string_view& name) const
       {
         // TODO: header whitelist
         return true;
       }
 
       bool
-      ProcessHeaderLine(std::string& line)
+      ProcessHeaderLine(string_view line)
       {
-        // TODO: implement me
+        if(line.size() == 0)
+        {
+          // end of headers
+          m_State = eReadHTTPBody;
+          return true;
+        }
         auto idx = line.find_first_of(':');
-        if(idx == std::string::npos)
+        if(idx == string_view::npos)
           return false;
-        std::string header = line.substr(0, idx);
-        std::string val    = line.substr(idx);
+        string_view header = line.substr(0, idx);
+        string_view val    = line.substr(idx);
         // to lowercase
         std::transform(header.begin(), header.end(), header.begin(),
                        [](char ch) -> char { return ::tolower(ch); });
@@ -127,7 +137,6 @@ namespace abyss
                           message.c_str());
         if(sz > 0)
         {
-          llarp::LogInfo("HTTP ", code, " ", message);
           return llarp_tcp_conn_async_write(_conn, buf, sz);
         }
         else
@@ -163,7 +172,6 @@ namespace abyss
       bool
       FeedBody(const char* buf, size_t sz)
       {
-        llarp::LogInfo("HTTP ", m_Header.Method, " ", m_Header.Path, " ", sz);
         if(sz == 0)
         {
           return WriteResponseSimple(400, "Bad Request", "text/plain", "nope");
@@ -187,42 +195,36 @@ namespace abyss
         m_LastActive = llarp_time_now_ms();
         if(m_State < eReadHTTPBody)
         {
-          if(strstr(buf, "\r\n") == nullptr)
-          {
-            // probably too big or small
-            return false;
-          }
-          m_ReadBuf << std::string(buf, sz);
-          std::string line;
-          while(std::getline(m_ReadBuf, line, '\n'))
+          const char* end = strstr(buf, "\r\n");
+          while(end)
           {
-            if(line[0] == '\r')
+            string_view line(buf, end);
+            switch(m_State)
             {
-              m_State         = eReadHTTPBody;
-              line            = m_ReadBuf.str();
-              const char* ptr = strstr(line.c_str(), "\r\n\r\n");
-              if(ptr == nullptr)
-                return false;
-              line = std::string(ptr + 4);
-              m_ReadBuf.clear();
-              return FeedBody(line.c_str(), line.size());
+              case eReadHTTPMethodLine:
+                if(!ProcessMethodLine(line))
+                  return false;
+                sz -= line.size();
+                break;
+              case eReadHTTPHeaders:
+                if(!ProcessHeaderLine(line))
+                  return false;
+                sz -= line.size();
+                break;
+              default:
+                end = nullptr;
+                break;
             }
-            auto pos = line.find_first_of('\r');
-            if(pos == std::string::npos)
+            if(end)
             {
-              return false;
+              buf = end + (2 * sizeof(char));
+              end = strstr(buf, "\r\n");
             }
-            line = line.substr(0, pos);
-
-            if(!FeedLine(line))
-              return false;
           }
-          m_ReadBuf.str(line);
         }
-        else
+        if(m_State == eReadHTTPBody)
           return FeedBody(buf, sz);
-
-        return true;
+        return false;
       }
 
       static void
@@ -275,7 +277,7 @@ namespace abyss
           _conn = nullptr;
         }
       }
-    };
+    };  // namespace http
 
     IRPCHandler::IRPCHandler(ConnImpl* conn) : m_Impl(conn)
     {
diff --git a/llarp/ev.cpp b/llarp/ev.cpp
index d3592d2ee..26610faa3 100644
--- a/llarp/ev.cpp
+++ b/llarp/ev.cpp
@@ -182,9 +182,8 @@ namespace llarp
   {
     if(_shouldClose)
     {
-      if(tcp->closed)
+      if(tcp && tcp->closed)
         tcp->closed(tcp);
-      delete tcp;
       return false;
     }
     else if(tcp->tick)
diff --git a/llarp/ev.hpp b/llarp/ev.hpp
index 72a3f9b13..921f7e910 100644
--- a/llarp/ev.hpp
+++ b/llarp/ev.hpp
@@ -91,8 +91,7 @@ namespace llarp
     }
 
     /// for tun
-    ev_io(int f, LossyWriteQueue_t* lossyqueue)
-        : fd(f), m_LossyWriteQueue(lossyqueue)
+    ev_io(int f, LossyWriteQueue_t* q) : fd(f), m_LossyWriteQueue(q)
     {
     }
 
@@ -223,19 +222,28 @@ namespace llarp
     bool _shouldClose = false;
     llarp_tcp_conn* tcp;
     tcp_conn(int fd, llarp_tcp_conn* conn)
-        : ev_io(fd, new LosslessWriteQueue_t()), tcp(conn)
+        : ev_io(fd, new LosslessWriteQueue_t{}), tcp(conn)
     {
     }
 
+    virtual ~tcp_conn()
+    {
+      delete tcp;
+    }
+
     virtual int
     do_write(const void* buf, size_t sz)
     {
+      if(_shouldClose)
+        return -1;
       return ::send(fd, buf, sz, MSG_NOSIGNAL);  // ignore sigpipe
     }
 
     int
     read(void* buf, size_t sz)
     {
+      if(_shouldClose)
+        return -1;
       ssize_t amount = ::read(fd, buf, sz);
       if(amount > 0)
       {
@@ -245,7 +253,7 @@ namespace llarp
       else
       {
         // error
-        llarp_tcp_conn_close(tcp);
+        _shouldClose = true;
         return -1;
       }
       return 0;
@@ -344,8 +352,8 @@ struct llarp_ev_loop
   void
   tick_listeners()
   {
-    auto itr = handlers.begin();
-    while(itr != handlers.end())
+    auto itr = handlers.cbegin();
+    while(itr != handlers.cend())
     {
       if((*itr)->tick())
         ++itr;