diff --git a/src/response.cpp b/src/response.cpp
index cd1b1f4..5bcfb5f 100644
--- a/src/response.cpp
+++ b/src/response.cpp
@@ -59,12 +59,12 @@ namespace tawashi {
 
 			if (parSettings["redis_mode"] == "inet") {
 				return IncRedis(
-					std::string(parSettings["redis_server"]),
+					parSettings.as_str("redis_server"),
 					dhandy::lexical_cast<uint16_t>(parSettings["redis_port"])
 				);
 			}
 			else if (parSettings["redis_mode"] == "sock") {
-				return IncRedis(std::string(parSettings["redis_sock"]));
+				return IncRedis(parSettings.as_str("redis_sock"));
 			}
 			else {
 				throw std::runtime_error("Unknown setting for \"redis_mode\", valid settings are \"inet\" or \"sock\"");
@@ -127,10 +127,9 @@ namespace tawashi {
 	}
 
 	void Response::send() {
-		auto& base_uri = this->base_uri();
 		mstch::map mustache_context {
 			{"version", std::string{STRINGIZE(VERSION_MAJOR) "." STRINGIZE(VERSION_MINOR) "." STRINGIZE(VERSION_PATCH)}},
-			{"base_uri", std::string(base_uri.data(), base_uri.size())},
+			{"base_uri", m_settings->as_str("base_uri")},
 			{"languages", make_mstch_langmap()}
 		};
 
@@ -184,7 +183,7 @@ namespace tawashi {
 	}
 
 	const boost::string_ref& Response::base_uri() const {
-		return (*m_settings)["base_uri"];
+		return m_settings->as_ref("base_uri");
 	}
 
 	const std::string& Response::page_basename() const {
diff --git a/src/settings_bag.cpp b/src/settings_bag.cpp
index 697f5b2..33e1d83 100644
--- a/src/settings_bag.cpp
+++ b/src/settings_bag.cpp
@@ -36,6 +36,15 @@ namespace tawashi {
 			return m_defaults.at(parIndex);
 	}
 
+	const boost::string_ref& SettingsBag::as_ref (boost::string_ref parIndex) const {
+		return (*this)[parIndex];
+	}
+
+	std::string SettingsBag::as_str (boost::string_ref parIndex) const {
+		auto& setting = (*this)[parIndex];
+		return std::string(setting.data(), setting.size());
+	}
+
 	void SettingsBag::add_default (boost::string_ref parKey, boost::string_ref parValue) {
 		assert(m_defaults.find(parKey) == m_defaults.end());
 		m_defaults[parKey] = parValue;
diff --git a/src/settings_bag.hpp b/src/settings_bag.hpp
index 9bd5f3b..6649d0d 100644
--- a/src/settings_bag.hpp
+++ b/src/settings_bag.hpp
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ namespace tawashi {
 		~SettingsBag() noexcept;
 
 		const boost::string_ref& operator[] (boost::string_ref parIndex) const;
+		const boost::string_ref& as_ref (boost::string_ref parIndex) const;
+		std::string as_str (boost::string_ref parIndex) const;
 		void add_default (boost::string_ref parKey, boost::string_ref parValue);
 
 	private:
@@ -39,8 +41,4 @@ namespace tawashi {
 		Kakoune::SafePtr<IniFile> m_ini;
 		const IniFile::KeyValueMapType* m_values;
 	};
-
-	inline std::string string_ref_to_string (const boost::string_ref& parIn) {
-		return std::string(parIn.data(), parIn.size());
-	}
 } //namespace tawashi