diff --git a/crow/include/crow.h b/crow/include/crow.h
index 28d46b6..edc0d7f 100644
--- a/crow/include/crow.h
+++ b/crow/include/crow.h
@@ -1,17 +1,16 @@
 #pragma once
-#include "crow/query_string.h"
-#include "crow/settings.h"
-#include "crow/socket_adaptors.h"
+#include "crow/app.h"
+#include "crow/common.h"
+#include "crow/http_connection.h"
+#include "crow/http_request.h"
+#include "crow/http_response.h"
+#include "crow/http_server.h"
 #include "crow/logging.h"
+#include "crow/middleware_context.h"
+#include "crow/query_string.h"
+#include "crow/routing.h"
+#include "crow/socket_adaptors.h"
 #include "crow/timer_queue.h"
 #include "crow/utility.h"
-#include "crow/common.h"
-#include "crow/http_request.h"
 #include "crow/websocket.h"
-#include "crow/http_response.h"
-#include "crow/routing.h"
-#include "crow/middleware_context.h"
-#include "crow/http_connection.h"
-#include "crow/http_server.h"
-#include "crow/app.h"
 #include "boost/beast/core.hpp"
diff --git a/crow/include/crow/app.h b/crow/include/crow/app.h
index bb5a33b..9abf6bb 100644
--- a/crow/include/crow/app.h
+++ b/crow/include/crow/app.h
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
 #include "crow/logging.h"
 #include "crow/middleware_context.h"
 #include "crow/routing.h"
-#include "crow/settings.h"
 #include "crow/utility.h"
 
 #define CROW_ROUTE(app, url) \
diff --git a/crow/include/crow/http_connection.h b/crow/include/crow/http_connection.h
index e34b758..43437ef 100644
--- a/crow/include/crow/http_connection.h
+++ b/crow/include/crow/http_connection.h
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 #include "crow/http_response.h"
 #include "crow/logging.h"
 #include "crow/middleware_context.h"
-#include "crow/settings.h"
 #include "crow/socket_adaptors.h"
 #include "crow/timer_queue.h"
 #include <boost/algorithm/string.hpp>
diff --git a/crow/include/crow/logging.h b/crow/include/crow/logging.h
index fb3aba0..390f80f 100644
--- a/crow/include/crow/logging.h
+++ b/crow/include/crow/logging.h
@@ -1,141 +1,123 @@
 #pragma once
 
-#include <string>
 #include <cstdio>
 #include <cstdlib>
 #include <ctime>
 #include <iostream>
 #include <sstream>
+#include <string>
 
-#include "crow/settings.h"
-
-namespace crow
-{
-    enum class LogLevel
-    {
+namespace crow {
+enum class LogLevel {
 #ifndef ERROR
-        DEBUG = 0,
-        INFO,
-        WARNING,
-        ERROR,
-        CRITICAL,
+  DEBUG = 0,
+  INFO,
+  WARNING,
+  ERROR,
+  CRITICAL,
 #endif
 
-        Debug = 0,
-        Info,
-        Warning,
-        Error,
-        Critical,
-    };
+  Debug = 0,
+  Info,
+  Warning,
+  Error,
+  Critical,
+};
 
-    class ILogHandler {
-        public:
-            virtual void log(std::string message, LogLevel level) = 0;
-    };
+class ILogHandler {
+ public:
+  virtual void log(std::string message, LogLevel level) = 0;
+};
 
-    class CerrLogHandler : public ILogHandler {
-        public:
-            void log(std::string message, LogLevel /*level*/) override {
-                std::cerr << message;
-            }
-    };
+class CerrLogHandler : public ILogHandler {
+ public:
+  void log(std::string message, LogLevel /*level*/) override {
+    std::cerr << message;
+  }
+};
 
-    class logger {
+class logger {
+ private:
+  //
+  static std::string timestamp() {
+    char date[32];
+    time_t t = time(0);
 
-        private:
-            //
-            static std::string timestamp()
-            {
-                char date[32];
-                time_t t = time(0);
-
-                tm my_tm{};
+    tm my_tm{};
 
 #ifdef _MSC_VER
-                gmtime_s(&my_tm, &t);
+    gmtime_s(&my_tm, &t);
 #else
-                gmtime_r(&t, &my_tm);
+    gmtime_r(&t, &my_tm);
 #endif
 
-                size_t sz = strftime(date, sizeof(date), "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S", &my_tm);
-                return std::string(date, date+sz);
-            }
+    size_t sz = strftime(date, sizeof(date), "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S", &my_tm);
+    return std::string(date, date + sz);
+  }
 
-        public:
+ public:
+  logger(const std::string& prefix, LogLevel level) : level_(level) {
+#ifdef CROW_ENABLE_LOGGING
+    stringstream_ << "(" << timestamp() << ") [" << prefix << "] ";
+#endif
+  }
+  ~logger() {
+#ifdef CROW_ENABLE_LOGGING
+    if (level_ >= get_current_log_level()) {
+      stringstream_ << std::endl;
+      get_handler_ref()->log(stringstream_.str(), level_);
+    }
+#endif
+  }
 
+  //
+  template <typename T>
+  logger& operator<<(T const& value) {
+#ifdef CROW_ENABLE_LOGGING
+    if (level_ >= get_current_log_level()) {
+      stringstream_ << value;
+    }
+#endif
+    return *this;
+  }
 
-            logger(const std::string& prefix, LogLevel level) : level_(level) {
-    #ifdef CROW_ENABLE_LOGGING
-                    stringstream_ << "(" << timestamp() << ") [" << prefix << "] ";
-    #endif
+  //
+  static void setLogLevel(LogLevel level) { get_log_level_ref() = level; }
 
-            }
-            ~logger() {
-    #ifdef CROW_ENABLE_LOGGING
-                if(level_ >= get_current_log_level()) {
-                    stringstream_ << std::endl;
-                    get_handler_ref()->log(stringstream_.str(), level_);
-                }
-    #endif
-            }
+  static void setHandler(ILogHandler* handler) { get_handler_ref() = handler; }
 
-            //
-            template <typename T>
-            logger& operator<<(T const &value) {
+  static LogLevel get_current_log_level() { return get_log_level_ref(); }
 
-    #ifdef CROW_ENABLE_LOGGING
-                if(level_ >= get_current_log_level()) {
-                    stringstream_ << value;
-                }
-    #endif
-                return *this;
-            }
+ private:
+  //
+  static LogLevel& get_log_level_ref() {
+    static auto current_level = static_cast<LogLevel>(1);
+    return current_level;
+  }
+  static ILogHandler*& get_handler_ref() {
+    static CerrLogHandler default_handler;
+    static ILogHandler* current_handler = &default_handler;
+    return current_handler;
+  }
 
-            //
-            static void setLogLevel(LogLevel level) {
-                get_log_level_ref() = level;
-            }
-
-            static void setHandler(ILogHandler* handler) {
-                get_handler_ref() = handler;
-            }
-
-            static LogLevel get_current_log_level() {
-                return get_log_level_ref();
-            }
-
-        private:
-            //
-            static LogLevel& get_log_level_ref()
-            {
-                static auto current_level = static_cast<LogLevel>(CROW_LOG_LEVEL);
-                return current_level;
-            }
-            static ILogHandler*& get_handler_ref()
-            {
-                static CerrLogHandler default_handler;
-                static ILogHandler* current_handler = &default_handler;
-                return current_handler;
-            }
-
-            //
-            std::ostringstream stringstream_;
-            LogLevel level_;
-    };
+  //
+  std::ostringstream stringstream_;
+  LogLevel level_;
+};
 }  // namespace crow
 
-#define CROW_LOG_CRITICAL   \
-        if (crow::logger::get_current_log_level() <= crow::LogLevel::Critical) \
-            crow::logger("CRITICAL", crow::LogLevel::Critical)
-#define CROW_LOG_ERROR      \
-        if (crow::logger::get_current_log_level() <= crow::LogLevel::Error) \
-            crow::logger("ERROR   ", crow::LogLevel::Error)
-#define CROW_LOG_WARNING    \
-        if (crow::logger::get_current_log_level() <= crow::LogLevel::Warning) \
-            crow::logger("WARNING ", crow::LogLevel::Warning)
-#define CROW_LOG_INFO       \
-        if (crow::logger::get_current_log_level() <= crow::LogLevel::Info) \
-            crow::logger("INFO    ", crow::LogLevel::Info)
-#define CROW_LOG_DEBUG      \
-        if (crow::logger::get_current_log_level() <= crow::LogLevel::Debug) \
-            crow::logger("DEBUG   ", crow::LogLevel::Debug)
+#define CROW_LOG_CRITICAL                                                \
+  if (crow::logger::get_current_log_level() <= crow::LogLevel::Critical) \
+  crow::logger("CRITICAL", crow::LogLevel::Critical)
+#define CROW_LOG_ERROR                                                \
+  if (crow::logger::get_current_log_level() <= crow::LogLevel::Error) \
+  crow::logger("ERROR   ", crow::LogLevel::Error)
+#define CROW_LOG_WARNING                                                \
+  if (crow::logger::get_current_log_level() <= crow::LogLevel::Warning) \
+  crow::logger("WARNING ", crow::LogLevel::Warning)
+#define CROW_LOG_INFO                                                \
+  if (crow::logger::get_current_log_level() <= crow::LogLevel::Info) \
+  crow::logger("INFO    ", crow::LogLevel::Info)
+#define CROW_LOG_DEBUG                                                \
+  if (crow::logger::get_current_log_level() <= crow::LogLevel::Debug) \
+  crow::logger("DEBUG   ", crow::LogLevel::Debug)
diff --git a/crow/include/crow/socket_adaptors.h b/crow/include/crow/socket_adaptors.h
index a057240..e3d0081 100644
--- a/crow/include/crow/socket_adaptors.h
+++ b/crow/include/crow/socket_adaptors.h
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #pragma once
 #include "crow/logging.h"
-#include "crow/settings.h"
+
 #include <boost/asio.hpp>
 #include <boost/lexical_cast.hpp>
 
diff --git a/crow/include/crow/utility.h b/crow/include/crow/utility.h
index 7cae52e..98b6534 100644
--- a/crow/include/crow/utility.h
+++ b/crow/include/crow/utility.h
@@ -6,10 +6,8 @@
 #include <stdexcept>
 #include <string>
 #include <tuple>
-#include <boost/utility/string_view.hpp>
 #include "nlohmann/json.hpp"
-
-#include "crow/settings.h"
+#include <boost/utility/string_view.hpp>
 
 namespace crow {
 namespace black_magic {
@@ -519,8 +517,7 @@
 
 // TODO this is temporary and should be deleted once base64 is refactored out of
 // crow
-inline bool base64_decode(const boost::string_view input,
-                          std::string& output) {
+inline bool base64_decode(const boost::string_view input, std::string& output) {
   static const char nop = -1;
   // See note on encoding_data[] in above function
   static const char decoding_data[] = {