diff --git a/arangod/RestHandler/RestBatchHandler.cpp b/arangod/RestHandler/RestBatchHandler.cpp
index 889c009785..e0033b31ff 100644
--- a/arangod/RestHandler/RestBatchHandler.cpp
+++ b/arangod/RestHandler/RestBatchHandler.cpp
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ Handler::status_t RestBatchHandler::execute () {
   _response->body().appendText(boundary + "--");
 
   if (errors > 0) {
-    _response->setHeader(HttpResponse::getBatchErrorHeader(), StringUtils::itoa(errors));
+    _response->setHeader(HttpResponse::BatchErrorHeader, StringUtils::itoa(errors));
   }
 
   // success
diff --git a/arangosh/Benchmark/BenchmarkThread.h b/arangosh/Benchmark/BenchmarkThread.h
index b78099ef5e..011412baf5 100644
--- a/arangosh/Benchmark/BenchmarkThread.h
+++ b/arangosh/Benchmark/BenchmarkThread.h
@@ -97,14 +97,14 @@ namespace triagens {
             _sslProtocol(sslProtocol),
             _keepAlive(keepAlive),
             _async(async),
-            _client(0),
-            _connection(0),
+            _client(nullptr),
+            _connection(nullptr),
             _offset(0),
             _counter(0),
             _time(0.0),
             _verbose(verbose) {
 
-          _errorHeader = StringUtils::tolower(rest::HttpResponse::getBatchErrorHeader());
+          _errorHeader = StringUtils::tolower(rest::HttpResponse::BatchErrorHeader);
         }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -112,13 +112,8 @@ namespace triagens {
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
         ~BenchmarkThread () {
-          if (_client != 0) {
-            delete _client;
-          }
-
-          if (_connection != 0) {
-            delete _connection;
-          }
+          delete _client;
+          delete _connection;
         }
 
 // -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -487,7 +482,7 @@ namespace triagens {
 /// @brief batch size
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
-        const unsigned long _batchSize;
+        unsigned long const _batchSize;
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /// @brief warning counter
@@ -517,19 +512,19 @@ namespace triagens {
 /// @brief database name
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
-        const std::string _databaseName;
+        std::string const _databaseName;
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /// @brief HTTP username
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
-        const std::string _username;
+        std::string const _username;
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /// @brief HTTP password
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
-        const std::string _password;
+        std::string const _password;
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /// @brief the request timeout (in s)
diff --git a/lib/Rest/HttpResponse.cpp b/lib/Rest/HttpResponse.cpp
index d109c85f33..f439d36985 100644
--- a/lib/Rest/HttpResponse.cpp
+++ b/lib/Rest/HttpResponse.cpp
@@ -42,6 +42,12 @@ using namespace std;
 // --SECTION--                                             static public methods
 // -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+/// @brief batch error count header
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+std::string const HttpResponse::BatchErrorHeader = "X-Arango-Errors";
+
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 /// @brief http response string
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -239,16 +245,6 @@ HttpResponse::HttpResponseCode HttpResponse::responseCode (int code) {
   }
 }
 
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-/// @brief return the batch error count header
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-
-const string& HttpResponse::getBatchErrorHeader () {
-  static const string header = "X-Arango-Errors";
-
-  return header;
-}
-
 // -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // --SECTION--                                      constructors and destructors
 // -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -278,8 +274,8 @@ HttpResponse::HttpResponse (HttpResponseCode code,
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
 HttpResponse::~HttpResponse () {
-  for (vector<char const*>::iterator i = _freeables.begin();  i != _freeables.end();  ++i) {
-    delete[] (*i);
+  for (auto& it : _freeables) {
+    delete[] it;
   }
 }
 
@@ -311,15 +307,14 @@ size_t HttpResponse::contentLength () {
   if (_isHeadResponse) {
     return _bodySize;
   }
-  else {
-    Dictionary<char const*>::KeyValue const* kv = _headers.lookup("content-length", 14);
 
-    if (kv == nullptr) {
-      return 0;
-    }
+  Dictionary<char const*>::KeyValue const* kv = _headers.lookup("content-length", 14);
 
-    return StringUtils::uint32(kv->_value);
+  if (kv == nullptr) {
+    return 0;
   }
+
+  return StringUtils::uint32(kv->_value);
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -346,12 +341,10 @@ string HttpResponse::header (string const& key) const {
   string k = StringUtils::tolower(key);
   Dictionary<char const*>::KeyValue const* kv = _headers.lookup(k.c_str());
 
-  if (kv == 0) {
+  if (kv == nullptr) {
     return "";
   }
-  else {
-    return kv->_value;
-  }
+  return kv->_value;
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -361,12 +354,10 @@ string HttpResponse::header (string const& key) const {
 string HttpResponse::header (const char* key, const size_t keyLength) const {
   Dictionary<char const*>::KeyValue const* kv = _headers.lookup(key, keyLength);
 
-  if (kv == 0) {
+  if (kv == nullptr) {
     return "";
   }
-  else {
-    return kv->_value;
-  }
+  return kv->_value;
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -377,14 +368,12 @@ string HttpResponse::header (string const& key, bool& found) const {
   string k = StringUtils::tolower(key);
   Dictionary<char const*>::KeyValue const* kv = _headers.lookup(k.c_str());
 
-  if (kv == 0) {
+  if (kv == nullptr) {
     found = false;
     return "";
   }
-  else {
-    found = true;
-    return kv->_value;
-  }
+  found = true;
+  return kv->_value;
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -394,14 +383,12 @@ string HttpResponse::header (string const& key, bool& found) const {
 string HttpResponse::header (const char* key, const size_t keyLength, bool& found) const {
   Dictionary<char const*>::KeyValue const* kv = _headers.lookup(key, keyLength);
 
-  if (kv == 0) {
+  if (kv == nullptr) {
     found = false;
     return "";
   }
-  else {
-    found = true;
-    return kv->_value;
-  }
+  found = true;
+  return kv->_value;
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -417,7 +404,7 @@ map<string, string> HttpResponse::headers () const {
   for (_headers.range(begin, end);  begin < end;  ++begin) {
     char const* key = begin->_key;
 
-    if (key == 0) {
+    if (key == nullptr) {
       continue;
     }
 
@@ -438,11 +425,11 @@ void HttpResponse::setHeader (const char* key, const size_t keyLength, string co
   else {
     char const* v = StringUtils::duplicate(value);
 
-    if (v != 0) {
+    if (v != nullptr) {
       _headers.insert(key, keyLength, v);
       checkHeader(key, v);
 
-      _freeables.push_back(v);
+      _freeables.emplace_back(v);
     }
   }
 }
@@ -694,11 +681,11 @@ void HttpResponse::writeHeader (StringBuffer* output) {
   for (_headers.range(begin, end);  begin < end;  ++begin) {
     char const* key = begin->_key;
 
-    if (key == 0) {
+    if (key == nullptr) {
       continue;
     }
 
-    const size_t keyLength = strlen(key);
+    size_t const keyLength = strlen(key);
 
     // ignore content-length
     if (keyLength == 14 && *key == 'c' && memcmp(key, "content-length", keyLength) == 0) {
@@ -812,9 +799,7 @@ size_t HttpResponse::bodySize () const {
   if (_isHeadResponse) {
     return _bodySize;
   }
-  else {
-    return _body.length();
-  }
+  return _body.length();
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
diff --git a/lib/Rest/HttpResponse.h b/lib/Rest/HttpResponse.h
index ce0fbb2915..e9f5449cd1 100644
--- a/lib/Rest/HttpResponse.h
+++ b/lib/Rest/HttpResponse.h
@@ -156,12 +156,6 @@ namespace triagens {
         
         static HttpResponseCode responseCode (int);
 
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-/// @brief return the batch response error count header
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-
-        static const std::string& getBatchErrorHeader ();
-
 // -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // --SECTION--                                      constructors and destructors
 // -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -437,6 +431,18 @@ namespace triagens {
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
         std::vector<char const*> _freeables;
+
+// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// --SECTION--                                             public static members
+// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+      public:
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+/// @brief batch error count header
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+        static std::string const BatchErrorHeader;
     };
   }
 }