diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 998a41d..fb0f79c 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-CFLAGS = -g -O3 -Wall -Wextra -Wno-unused-parameter -Isrc
+CFLAGS = -g -O3 -Wall -Wextra -Wno-unused-parameter -Isrc -std=c99
 
 ifneq ($(OS),Windows_NT)
 	CFLAGS += -fPIC
diff --git a/bin/hoedown.c b/bin/hoedown.c
index 1440c55..3a3fc74 100644
--- a/bin/hoedown.c
+++ b/bin/hoedown.c
@@ -399,20 +399,13 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 
 	/* reading everything */
 	ib = hoedown_buffer_new(iunit);
-	if (!ib) {
-		fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't allocate input buffer.\n");
-		return 4;
-	}
 
 	while (!feof(in)) {
 		if (ferror(in)) {
 			fprintf(stderr, "I/O errors found while reading input.\n");
 			return 5;
 		}
-		if (hoedown_buffer_grow(ib, ib->size + iunit) != HOEDOWN_BUF_OK) {
-			fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't grow input buffer.\n");
-			return 4;
-		}
+		hoedown_buffer_grow(ib, ib->size + iunit);
 		ib->size += fread(ib->data + ib->size, 1, iunit, in);
 	}
 
@@ -421,8 +414,8 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 
 
 	/* creating the renderer */
-	hoedown_renderer *renderer;
-	void (*renderer_free)(hoedown_renderer*);
+	hoedown_renderer *renderer = NULL;
+	void (*renderer_free)(hoedown_renderer*) = NULL;
 
 	switch (renderer_type) {
 		case RENDERER_HTML:
@@ -437,29 +430,12 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 			renderer = null_renderer_new();
 			renderer_free = null_renderer_free;
 			break;
-		default:
-			renderer = NULL;
-			renderer_free = NULL;
 	};
 
-	if (!renderer) {
-		fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't allocate renderer.\n");
-		return 4;
-	}
-
 
 	/* performing markdown rendering */
 	ob = hoedown_buffer_new(ounit);
-	if (!ob) {
-		fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't allocate output buffer.\n");
-		return 4;
-	}
-
 	document = hoedown_document_new(renderer, extensions, max_nesting);
-	if (!document) {
-		fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't allocate document parser.\n");
-		return 4;
-	}
 
 	//clock_gettime(CLOCK_MONOTONIC, &start);
 	hoedown_document_render(document, ob, ib->data, ib->size);
diff --git a/bin/smartypants.c b/bin/smartypants.c
index 5550157..c7ba4c1 100644
--- a/bin/smartypants.c
+++ b/bin/smartypants.c
@@ -183,20 +183,13 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 
 	/* reading everything */
 	ib = hoedown_buffer_new(iunit);
-	if (!ib) {
-		fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't allocate input buffer.\n");
-		return 4;
-	}
 
 	while (!feof(in)) {
 		if (ferror(in)) {
 			fprintf(stderr, "I/O errors found while reading input.\n");
 			return 5;
 		}
-		if (hoedown_buffer_grow(ib, ib->size + iunit) != HOEDOWN_BUF_OK) {
-			fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't grow input buffer.\n");
-			return 4;
-		}
+		hoedown_buffer_grow(ib, ib->size + iunit);
 		ib->size += fread(ib->data + ib->size, 1, iunit, in);
 	}
 
@@ -206,10 +199,6 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 
 	/* performing SmartyPants processing */
 	ob = hoedown_buffer_new(ounit);
-	if (!ob) {
-		fprintf(stderr, "Couldn't allocate output buffer.\n");
-		return 4;
-	}
 
 	//clock_gettime(CLOCK_MONOTONIC, &start);
 	hoedown_html_smartypants(ob, ib->data, ib->size);
diff --git a/src/autolink.c b/src/autolink.c
index f2245cb..5d18fb5 100644
--- a/src/autolink.c
+++ b/src/autolink.c
@@ -10,21 +10,20 @@
 #endif
 
 int
-hoedown_autolink_is_safe(const uint8_t *link, size_t link_len)
+hoedown_autolink_is_safe(const uint8_t *data, size_t size)
 {
 	static const size_t valid_uris_count = 6;
 	static const char *valid_uris[] = {
-		"#", "/", "http://", "https://", "ftp://", "mailto:"
+		"http://", "https://", "/", "#", "ftp://", "mailto:"
 	};
+	static const size_t valid_uris_size[] = { 7, 8, 1, 1, 6, 7 };
 
-	size_t i;
+	for (size_t i = 0; i < valid_uris_count; ++i) {
+		size_t len = valid_uris_size[i];
 
-	for (i = 0; i < valid_uris_count; ++i) {
-		size_t len = strlen(valid_uris[i]);
-
-		if (link_len > len &&
-			strncasecmp((char *)link, valid_uris[i], len) == 0 &&
-			isalnum(link[len]))
+		if (size > len &&
+			strncasecmp((char *)data, valid_uris[i], len) == 0 &&
+			isalnum(data[len]))
 			return 1;
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/autolink.h b/src/autolink.h
index 8860ee2..528885c 100644
--- a/src/autolink.h
+++ b/src/autolink.h
@@ -9,24 +9,35 @@
 extern "C" {
 #endif
 
-enum {
+
+/*************
+ * CONSTANTS *
+ *************/
+
+typedef enum hoedown_autolink_flags {
 	HOEDOWN_AUTOLINK_SHORT_DOMAINS = (1 << 0)
-};
+} hoedown_autolink_flags;
 
-int
-hoedown_autolink_is_safe(const uint8_t *link, size_t link_len);
 
-size_t
-hoedown_autolink__www(size_t *rewind_p, hoedown_buffer *link,
-	uint8_t *data, size_t offset, size_t size, unsigned int flags);
+/*************
+ * FUNCTIONS *
+ *************/
 
-size_t
-hoedown_autolink__email(size_t *rewind_p, hoedown_buffer *link,
-	uint8_t *data, size_t offset, size_t size, unsigned int flags);
+/* hoedown_autolink_is_safe: verify that a URL has a safe protocol */
+int hoedown_autolink_is_safe(const uint8_t *data, size_t size);
+
+/* hoedown_autolink__www: search for the next www link in data */
+size_t hoedown_autolink__www(size_t *rewind_p, hoedown_buffer *link,
+	uint8_t *data, size_t offset, size_t size, hoedown_autolink_flags flags);
+
+/* hoedown_autolink__email: search for the next email in data */
+size_t hoedown_autolink__email(size_t *rewind_p, hoedown_buffer *link,
+	uint8_t *data, size_t offset, size_t size, hoedown_autolink_flags flags);
+
+/* hoedown_autolink__url: search for the next URL in data */
+size_t hoedown_autolink__url(size_t *rewind_p, hoedown_buffer *link,
+	uint8_t *data, size_t offset, size_t size, hoedown_autolink_flags flags);
 
-size_t
-hoedown_autolink__url(size_t *rewind_p, hoedown_buffer *link,
-	uint8_t *data, size_t offset, size_t size, unsigned int flags);
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
diff --git a/src/buffer.c b/src/buffer.c
index 1ab9eac..6e96224 100644
--- a/src/buffer.c
+++ b/src/buffer.c
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <assert.h>
 
-/* hoedown_buffer_init: initialize a buffer with custom allocators */
 void
 hoedown_buffer_init(
 	hoedown_buffer *buf,
@@ -14,8 +13,7 @@ hoedown_buffer_init(
 	hoedown_free_callback data_free,
 	hoedown_free_callback buffer_free)
 {
-	if (!buf)
-		return;
+	assert(buf);
 
 	buf->data = NULL;
 	buf->size = buf->asize = 0;
@@ -25,21 +23,18 @@ hoedown_buffer_init(
 	buf->buffer_free = buffer_free;
 }
 
-/* hoedown_buffer_new: allocation of a new buffer */
 hoedown_buffer *
 hoedown_buffer_new(size_t unit)
 {
-	hoedown_buffer *ret = malloc(sizeof (hoedown_buffer));
-	hoedown_buffer_init(ret, unit, realloc, free, free);
+	hoedown_buffer *ret = hoedown_malloc(sizeof (hoedown_buffer));
+	hoedown_buffer_init(ret, unit, hoedown_realloc, free, free);
 	return ret;
 }
 
-/* hoedown_buffer_free: decrease the reference count and free the buffer if needed */
 void
 hoedown_buffer_free(hoedown_buffer *buf)
 {
-	if (!buf)
-		return;
+	if (!buf) return;
 
 	buf->data_free(buf->data);
 
@@ -47,84 +42,104 @@ hoedown_buffer_free(hoedown_buffer *buf)
 		buf->buffer_free(buf);
 }
 
-/* hoedown_buffer_reset: frees internal data of the buffer */
 void
 hoedown_buffer_reset(hoedown_buffer *buf)
 {
-	if (!buf)
-		return;
+	assert(buf && buf->unit);
 
 	buf->data_free(buf->data);
 	buf->data = NULL;
 	buf->size = buf->asize = 0;
 }
 
-/* hoedown_buffer_grow: increasing the allocated size to the given value */
-int
+void
 hoedown_buffer_grow(hoedown_buffer *buf, size_t neosz)
 {
 	size_t neoasz;
-	void *neodata;
-
 	assert(buf && buf->unit);
 
 	if (buf->asize >= neosz)
-		return HOEDOWN_BUF_OK;
+		return;
 
 	neoasz = buf->asize + buf->unit;
 	while (neoasz < neosz)
 		neoasz += buf->unit;
 
-	neodata = buf->data_realloc(buf->data, neoasz);
-	if (!neodata)
-		return HOEDOWN_BUF_ENOMEM;
-
-	buf->data = neodata;
+	buf->data = buf->data_realloc(buf->data, neoasz);
 	buf->asize = neoasz;
-	return HOEDOWN_BUF_OK;
 }
 
-/* hoedown_buffer_put: appends raw data to a buffer */
 void
-hoedown_buffer_put(hoedown_buffer *buf, const void *data, size_t len)
+hoedown_buffer_put(hoedown_buffer *buf, const uint8_t *data, size_t size)
 {
 	assert(buf && buf->unit);
 
-	if (buf->size + len > buf->asize && hoedown_buffer_grow(buf, buf->size + len) < 0)
-		return;
+	if (buf->size + size > buf->asize)
+		hoedown_buffer_grow(buf, buf->size + size);
 
-	memcpy(buf->data + buf->size, data, len);
-	buf->size += len;
+	memcpy(buf->data + buf->size, data, size);
+	buf->size += size;
 }
 
-/* hoedown_buffer_puts: appends a NUL-terminated string to a buffer */
 void
 hoedown_buffer_puts(hoedown_buffer *buf, const char *str)
 {
-	hoedown_buffer_put(buf, str, strlen(str));
+	hoedown_buffer_put(buf, (const uint8_t *)str, strlen(str));
 }
 
-
-/* hoedown_buffer_putc: appends a single uint8_t to a buffer */
 void
 hoedown_buffer_putc(hoedown_buffer *buf, uint8_t c)
 {
 	assert(buf && buf->unit);
 
-	if (buf->size + 1 > buf->asize && hoedown_buffer_grow(buf, buf->size + 1) < 0)
-		return;
+	if (buf->size >= buf->asize)
+		hoedown_buffer_grow(buf, buf->size + 1);
 
 	buf->data[buf->size] = c;
 	buf->size += 1;
 }
 
+void
+hoedown_buffer_set(hoedown_buffer *buf, const uint8_t *data, size_t size)
+{
+	assert(buf && buf->unit);
+
+	if (size > buf->asize)
+		hoedown_buffer_grow(buf, size);
+
+	memcpy(buf->data, data, size);
+	buf->size = size;
+}
+
+void
+hoedown_buffer_sets(hoedown_buffer *buf, const char *str)
+{
+	hoedown_buffer_set(buf, (const uint8_t *)str, strlen(str));
+}
+
+int
+hoedown_buffer_eq(const hoedown_buffer *buf, const uint8_t *data, size_t size)
+{
+	if (buf->size != size) return 0;
+
+	size_t i = 0;
+	while (i < size && buf->data[i] == data[i]) i++;
+
+	return i == size;
+}
+
+int
+hoedown_buffer_eqs(const hoedown_buffer *buf, const char *str)
+{
+	return hoedown_buffer_eq(buf, (const uint8_t *)str, strlen(str));
+}
+
 int
 hoedown_buffer_prefix(const hoedown_buffer *buf, const char *prefix)
 {
-	size_t i;
 	assert(buf && buf->unit);
 
-	for (i = 0; i < buf->size; ++i) {
+	for (size_t i = 0; i < buf->size; ++i) {
 		if (prefix[i] == 0)
 			return 0;
 
@@ -135,22 +150,20 @@ hoedown_buffer_prefix(const hoedown_buffer *buf, const char *prefix)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-/* hoedown_buffer_slurp: removes a given number of bytes from the head of the array */
 void
-hoedown_buffer_slurp(hoedown_buffer *buf, size_t len)
+hoedown_buffer_slurp(hoedown_buffer *buf, size_t size)
 {
 	assert(buf && buf->unit);
 
-	if (len >= buf->size) {
+	if (size >= buf->size) {
 		buf->size = 0;
 		return;
 	}
 
-	buf->size -= len;
-	memmove(buf->data, buf->data + len, buf->size);
+	buf->size -= size;
+	memmove(buf->data, buf->data + size, buf->size);
 }
 
-/* hoedown_buffer_cstr: NULL-termination of the string array */
 const char *
 hoedown_buffer_cstr(hoedown_buffer *buf)
 {
@@ -159,15 +172,12 @@ hoedown_buffer_cstr(hoedown_buffer *buf)
 	if (buf->size < buf->asize && buf->data[buf->size] == 0)
 		return (char *)buf->data;
 
-	if (buf->size + 1 <= buf->asize || hoedown_buffer_grow(buf, buf->size + 1) == 0) {
-		buf->data[buf->size] = 0;
-		return (char *)buf->data;
-	}
+	hoedown_buffer_grow(buf, buf->size + 1);
+	buf->data[buf->size] = 0;
 
-	return NULL;
+	return (char *)buf->data;
 }
 
-/* hoedown_buffer_printf: formatted printing to a buffer */
 void
 hoedown_buffer_printf(hoedown_buffer *buf, const char *fmt, ...)
 {
@@ -176,9 +186,9 @@ hoedown_buffer_printf(hoedown_buffer *buf, const char *fmt, ...)
 
 	assert(buf && buf->unit);
 
-	if (buf->size >= buf->asize && hoedown_buffer_grow(buf, buf->size + 1) < 0)
-		return;
-	
+	if (buf->size >= buf->asize)
+		hoedown_buffer_grow(buf, buf->size + 1);
+
 	va_start(ap, fmt);
 	n = vsnprintf((char *)buf->data + buf->size, buf->asize - buf->size, fmt, ap);
 	va_end(ap);
@@ -194,8 +204,7 @@ hoedown_buffer_printf(hoedown_buffer *buf, const char *fmt, ...)
 	}
 
 	if ((size_t)n >= buf->asize - buf->size) {
-		if (hoedown_buffer_grow(buf, buf->size + n + 1) < 0)
-			return;
+		hoedown_buffer_grow(buf, buf->size + n + 1);
 
 		va_start(ap, fmt);
 		n = vsnprintf((char *)buf->data + buf->size, buf->asize - buf->size, fmt, ap);
diff --git a/src/buffer.h b/src/buffer.h
index 8ba3683..5cc074d 100644
--- a/src/buffer.h
+++ b/src/buffer.h
@@ -3,9 +3,11 @@
 #ifndef HOEDOWN_BUFFER_H
 #define HOEDOWN_BUFFER_H
 
+#include <stdio.h>
 #include <stddef.h>
 #include <stdarg.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 extern "C" {
@@ -16,15 +18,14 @@ extern "C" {
 #define inline __inline
 #endif
 
-typedef enum {
-	HOEDOWN_BUF_OK = 0,
-	HOEDOWN_BUF_ENOMEM = -1
-} hoedown_buferror_t;
+
+/*********
+ * TYPES *
+ *********/
 
 typedef void *(*hoedown_realloc_callback)(void *, size_t);
 typedef void (*hoedown_free_callback)(void *);
 
-/* hoedown_buffer: character array buffer */
 struct hoedown_buffer {
 	uint8_t *data;	/* actual character data */
 	size_t size;	/* size of the string */
@@ -35,12 +36,29 @@ struct hoedown_buffer {
 	hoedown_free_callback data_free;
 	hoedown_free_callback buffer_free;
 };
-
 typedef struct hoedown_buffer hoedown_buffer;
 
-/* HOEDOWN_BUFPUTSL: optimized hoedown_buffer_puts of a string literal */
-#define HOEDOWN_BUFPUTSL(output, literal) \
-	hoedown_buffer_put(output, literal, sizeof(literal) - 1)
+/* malloc / realloc / calloc wrappers */
+#define HOEDOWN_ALLOC_WRAPPER(sig, call)                                      \
+  static inline void *hoedown_##sig __attribute__ ((malloc));                 \
+  static inline void *hoedown_##sig {                                         \
+    void *ret = call;                                                         \
+    if (!ret) {                                                               \
+      fprintf(stderr, "Allocation failed.\n");                                \
+      abort();                                                                \
+    }                                                                         \
+    return ret;                                                               \
+  }
+
+
+/*************
+ * FUNCTIONS *
+ *************/
+
+/* allocation wrappers */
+HOEDOWN_ALLOC_WRAPPER(malloc(size_t size), malloc(size));
+HOEDOWN_ALLOC_WRAPPER(calloc(size_t nmemb, size_t size), calloc(nmemb, size));
+HOEDOWN_ALLOC_WRAPPER(realloc(void *ptr, size_t size), realloc(ptr, size));
 
 /* hoedown_buffer_init: initialize a buffer with custom allocators */
 void hoedown_buffer_init(
@@ -51,32 +69,41 @@ void hoedown_buffer_init(
 	hoedown_free_callback buffer_free
 );
 
-/* hoedown_buffer_new: allocation of a new buffer */
+/* hoedown_buffer_new: allocate a new buffer */
 hoedown_buffer *hoedown_buffer_new(size_t unit) __attribute__ ((malloc));
 
-/* hoedown_buffer_free: decrease the reference count and free the buffer if needed */
-void hoedown_buffer_free(hoedown_buffer *buf);
-
-/* hoedown_buffer_reset: frees internal data of the buffer */
+/* hoedown_buffer_reset: free internal data of the buffer */
 void hoedown_buffer_reset(hoedown_buffer *buf);
 
-/* hoedown_buffer_grow: increasing the allocated size to the given value */
-int hoedown_buffer_grow(hoedown_buffer *buf, size_t neosz);
+/* hoedown_buffer_grow: increase the allocated size to the given value */
+void hoedown_buffer_grow(hoedown_buffer *buf, size_t neosz);
 
-/* hoedown_buffer_put: appends raw data to a buffer */
-void hoedown_buffer_put(hoedown_buffer *buf, const void *data, size_t len);
+/* hoedown_buffer_put: append raw data to a buffer */
+void hoedown_buffer_put(hoedown_buffer *buf, const uint8_t *data, size_t size);
 
-/* hoedown_buffer_puts: appends a NUL-terminated string to a buffer */
+/* hoedown_buffer_puts: append a NUL-terminated string to a buffer */
 void hoedown_buffer_puts(hoedown_buffer *buf, const char *str);
 
-/* hoedown_buffer_putc: appends a single char to a buffer */
+/* hoedown_buffer_putc: append a single char to a buffer */
 void hoedown_buffer_putc(hoedown_buffer *buf, uint8_t c);
 
+/* hoedown_buffer_set: replace the buffer's contents with raw data */
+void hoedown_buffer_set(hoedown_buffer *buf, const uint8_t *data, size_t size);
+
+/* hoedown_buffer_sets: replace the buffer's contents with a NUL-terminated string */
+void hoedown_buffer_sets(hoedown_buffer *buf, const char *str);
+
+/* hoedown_buffer_eq: compare a buffer's data with other data for equality */
+int hoedown_buffer_eq(const hoedown_buffer *buf, const uint8_t *data, size_t size);
+
+/* hoedown_buffer_eq: compare a buffer's data with NUL-terminated string for equality */
+int hoedown_buffer_eqs(const hoedown_buffer *buf, const char *str);
+
 /* hoedown_buffer_prefix: compare the beginning of a buffer with a string */
 int hoedown_buffer_prefix(const hoedown_buffer *buf, const char *prefix);
 
-/* hoedown_buffer_slurp: removes a given number of bytes from the head of the array */
-void hoedown_buffer_slurp(hoedown_buffer *buf, size_t len);
+/* hoedown_buffer_slurp: remove a given number of bytes from the head of the buffer */
+void hoedown_buffer_slurp(hoedown_buffer *buf, size_t size);
 
 /* hoedown_buffer_cstr: NUL-termination of the string array (making a C-string) */
 const char *hoedown_buffer_cstr(hoedown_buffer *buf);
@@ -84,6 +111,23 @@ const char *hoedown_buffer_cstr(hoedown_buffer *buf);
 /* hoedown_buffer_printf: formatted printing to a buffer */
 void hoedown_buffer_printf(hoedown_buffer *buf, const char *fmt, ...) __attribute__ ((format (printf, 2, 3)));
 
+/* hoedown_buffer_free: free the buffer */
+void hoedown_buffer_free(hoedown_buffer *buf);
+
+
+/* HOEDOWN_BUFPUTSL: optimized hoedown_buffer_puts of a string literal */
+#define HOEDOWN_BUFPUTSL(output, literal) \
+	hoedown_buffer_put(output, (const uint8_t *)literal, sizeof(literal) - 1)
+
+/* HOEDOWN_BUFSETSL: optimized hoedown_buffer_sets of a string literal */
+#define HOEDOWN_BUFSETSL(output, literal) \
+	hoedown_buffer_set(output, (const uint8_t *)literal, sizeof(literal) - 1)
+
+/* HOEDOWN_BUFEQSL: optimized hoedown_buffer_eqs of a string literal */
+#define HOEDOWN_BUFEQSL(output, literal) \
+	hoedown_buffer_eq(output, (const uint8_t *)literal, sizeof(literal) - 1)
+
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif
diff --git a/src/document.c b/src/document.c
index ba0e2f5..cf27290 100644
--- a/src/document.c
+++ b/src/document.c
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-/* document.c - generic markdown parser */
-
 #include "document.h"
 
 #include <assert.h>
@@ -120,7 +118,7 @@ struct hoedown_document {
 	struct footnote_list footnotes_used;
 	uint8_t active_char[256];
 	hoedown_stack work_bufs[2];
-	unsigned int ext_flags;
+	hoedown_extensions ext_flags;
 	size_t max_nesting;
 	int in_link_body;
 };
@@ -191,10 +189,7 @@ add_link_ref(
 	struct link_ref **references,
 	const uint8_t *name, size_t name_size)
 {
-	struct link_ref *ref = calloc(1, sizeof(struct link_ref));
-
-	if (!ref)
-		return NULL;
+	struct link_ref *ref = hoedown_calloc(1, sizeof(struct link_ref));
 
 	ref->id = hash_link_ref(name, name_size);
 	ref->next = references[ref->id % REF_TABLE_SIZE];
@@ -243,9 +238,7 @@ free_link_refs(struct link_ref **references)
 static struct footnote_ref *
 create_footnote_ref(struct footnote_list *list, const uint8_t *name, size_t name_size)
 {
-	struct footnote_ref *ref = calloc(1, sizeof(struct footnote_ref));
-	if (!ref)
-		return NULL;
+	struct footnote_ref *ref = hoedown_calloc(1, sizeof(struct footnote_ref));
 
 	ref->id = hash_link_ref(name, name_size);
 
@@ -255,7 +248,7 @@ create_footnote_ref(struct footnote_list *list, const uint8_t *name, size_t name
 static int
 add_footnote_ref(struct footnote_list *list, struct footnote_ref *ref)
 {
-	struct footnote_item *item = calloc(1, sizeof(struct footnote_item));
+	struct footnote_item *item = hoedown_calloc(1, sizeof(struct footnote_item));
 	if (!item)
 		return 0;
 	item->ref = ref;
@@ -388,7 +381,7 @@ is_mail_autolink(uint8_t *data, size_t size)
 
 /* tag_length • returns the length of the given tag, or 0 is it's not valid */
 static size_t
-tag_length(uint8_t *data, size_t size, enum hoedown_autolink *autolink)
+tag_length(uint8_t *data, size_t size, hoedown_autolink_type *autolink)
 {
 	size_t i, j;
 
@@ -453,8 +446,8 @@ static void
 parse_inline(hoedown_buffer *ob, hoedown_document *doc, uint8_t *data, size_t size)
 {
 	size_t i = 0, end = 0;
-	uint8_t action = 0;
 	hoedown_buffer work = { 0, 0, 0, 0, NULL, NULL, NULL };
+	uint8_t *active_char = doc->active_char;
 
 	if (doc->work_bufs[BUFFER_SPAN].size +
 		doc->work_bufs[BUFFER_BLOCK].size > doc->max_nesting)
@@ -462,9 +455,8 @@ parse_inline(hoedown_buffer *ob, hoedown_document *doc, uint8_t *data, size_t si
 
 	while (i < size) {
 		/* copying inactive chars into the output */
-		while (end < size && (action = doc->active_char[data[end]]) == 0) {
+		while (end < size && active_char[data[end]] == 0)
 			end++;
-		}
 
 		if (doc->md.normal_text) {
 			work.data = data + i;
@@ -477,7 +469,7 @@ parse_inline(hoedown_buffer *ob, hoedown_document *doc, uint8_t *data, size_t si
 		if (end >= size) break;
 		i = end;
 
-		end = markdown_char_ptrs[(int)action](ob, doc, data + i, i, size - i);
+		end = markdown_char_ptrs[ (int)active_char[data[end]] ](ob, doc, data + i, i, size - i);
 		if (!end) /* no action from the callback */
 			end = i + 1;
 		else {
@@ -907,7 +899,7 @@ char_entity(hoedown_buffer *ob, hoedown_document *doc, uint8_t *data, size_t off
 static size_t
 char_langle_tag(hoedown_buffer *ob, hoedown_document *doc, uint8_t *data, size_t offset, size_t size)
 {
-	enum hoedown_autolink altype = HOEDOWN_AUTOLINK_NONE;
+	hoedown_autolink_type altype = HOEDOWN_AUTOLINK_NONE;
 	size_t end = tag_length(data, size, &altype);
 	hoedown_buffer work = { data, end, 0, 0, NULL, NULL, NULL };
 	int ret = 0;
@@ -1744,7 +1736,7 @@ parse_blockcode(hoedown_buffer *ob, hoedown_document *doc, uint8_t *data, size_t
 /* parse_listitem • parsing of a single list item */
 /*	assuming initial prefix is already removed */
 static size_t
-parse_listitem(hoedown_buffer *ob, hoedown_document *doc, uint8_t *data, size_t size, int *flags)
+parse_listitem(hoedown_buffer *ob, hoedown_document *doc, uint8_t *data, size_t size, hoedown_listflags *flags)
 {
 	hoedown_buffer *work = 0, *inter = 0;
 	size_t beg = 0, end, pre, sublist = 0, orgpre = 0, i;
@@ -1881,7 +1873,7 @@ parse_listitem(hoedown_buffer *ob, hoedown_document *doc, uint8_t *data, size_t
 
 /* parse_list • parsing ordered or unordered list block */
 static size_t
-parse_list(hoedown_buffer *ob, hoedown_document *doc, uint8_t *data, size_t size, int flags)
+parse_list(hoedown_buffer *ob, hoedown_document *doc, uint8_t *data, size_t size, hoedown_listflags flags)
 {
 	hoedown_buffer *work = 0;
 	size_t i = 0, j;
@@ -2044,7 +2036,7 @@ htmlblock_find_end_strict(
 		while (i < size && data[i] != '\n') i++;
 		if (i < size) i++;
 		if (i == mark) return 0;
-		
+
 		if (data[mark] == ' ' && mark > 0) continue;
 		mark += htmlblock_find_end(tag, tag_len, doc, data + mark, i - mark);
 		if (mark == i && (is_empty(data + i, size - i) || i >= size)) break;
@@ -2144,8 +2136,8 @@ parse_table_row(
 	uint8_t *data,
 	size_t size,
 	size_t columns,
-	int *col_data,
-	int header_flag)
+	hoedown_tableflags *col_data,
+	hoedown_tableflags header_flag)
 {
 	size_t i = 0, col;
 	hoedown_buffer *row_work = 0;
@@ -2201,7 +2193,7 @@ parse_table_header(
 	uint8_t *data,
 	size_t size,
 	size_t *columns,
-	int **column_data)
+	hoedown_tableflags **column_data)
 {
 	int pipes;
 	size_t i = 0, col, header_end, under_end;
@@ -2229,7 +2221,7 @@ parse_table_header(
 		return 0;
 
 	*columns = pipes + 1;
-	*column_data = calloc(*columns, sizeof(int));
+	*column_data = hoedown_calloc(*columns, sizeof(hoedown_tableflags));
 
 	/* Parse the header underline */
 	i++;
@@ -2299,7 +2291,7 @@ parse_table(
 	hoedown_buffer *body_work = 0;
 
 	size_t columns;
-	int *col_data = NULL;
+	hoedown_tableflags *col_data = NULL;
 
 	header_work = newbuf(doc, BUFFER_SPAN);
 	body_work = newbuf(doc, BUFFER_BLOCK);
@@ -2489,7 +2481,7 @@ is_footnote(const uint8_t *data, size_t beg, size_t end, size_t *last, struct fo
 		hoedown_buffer_put(contents, data + start + ind, i - start - ind);
 		/* add carriage return */
 		if (i < end) {
-			hoedown_buffer_put(contents, "\n", 1);
+			hoedown_buffer_putc(contents, '\n');
 			if (i < end && (data[i] == '\n' || data[i] == '\r')) {
 				i++;
 				if (i < end && data[i] == '\n' && data[i - 1] == '\r') i++;
@@ -2662,21 +2654,18 @@ static void expand_tabs(hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *line, size_t size)
 hoedown_document *
 hoedown_document_new(
 	const hoedown_renderer *renderer,
-	unsigned int extensions,
+	hoedown_extensions extensions,
 	size_t max_nesting)
 {
 	hoedown_document *doc = NULL;
 
 	assert(max_nesting > 0 && renderer);
 
-	doc = malloc(sizeof(hoedown_document));
-	if (!doc)
-		return NULL;
-
+	doc = hoedown_malloc(sizeof(hoedown_document));
 	memcpy(&doc->md, renderer, sizeof(hoedown_renderer));
 
-	hoedown_stack_new(&doc->work_bufs[BUFFER_BLOCK], 4);
-	hoedown_stack_new(&doc->work_bufs[BUFFER_SPAN], 8);
+	hoedown_stack_init(&doc->work_bufs[BUFFER_BLOCK], 4);
+	hoedown_stack_init(&doc->work_bufs[BUFFER_SPAN], 8);
 
 	memset(doc->active_char, 0x0, 256);
 
@@ -2723,7 +2712,7 @@ hoedown_document_new(
 }
 
 void
-hoedown_document_render(hoedown_document *doc, hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *document, size_t doc_size)
+hoedown_document_render(hoedown_document *doc, hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *data, size_t size)
 {
 	static const uint8_t UTF8_BOM[] = {0xEF, 0xBB, 0xBF};
 
@@ -2733,11 +2722,9 @@ hoedown_document_render(hoedown_document *doc, hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t
 	int footnotes_enabled;
 
 	text = hoedown_buffer_new(64);
-	if (!text)
-		return;
 
 	/* Preallocate enough space for our buffer to avoid expanding while copying */
-	hoedown_buffer_grow(text, doc_size);
+	hoedown_buffer_grow(text, size);
 
 	/* reset the references table */
 	memset(&doc->refs, 0x0, REF_TABLE_SIZE * sizeof(void *));
@@ -2755,26 +2742,26 @@ hoedown_document_render(hoedown_document *doc, hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t
 
 	/* Skip a possible UTF-8 BOM, even though the Unicode standard
 	 * discourages having these in UTF-8 documents */
-	if (doc_size >= 3 && memcmp(document, UTF8_BOM, 3) == 0)
+	if (size >= 3 && memcmp(data, UTF8_BOM, 3) == 0)
 		beg += 3;
 
-	while (beg < doc_size) /* iterating over lines */
-		if (footnotes_enabled && is_footnote(document, beg, doc_size, &end, &doc->footnotes_found))
+	while (beg < size) /* iterating over lines */
+		if (footnotes_enabled && is_footnote(data, beg, size, &end, &doc->footnotes_found))
 			beg = end;
-		else if (is_ref(document, beg, doc_size, &end, doc->refs))
+		else if (is_ref(data, beg, size, &end, doc->refs))
 			beg = end;
 		else { /* skipping to the next line */
 			end = beg;
-			while (end < doc_size && document[end] != '\n' && document[end] != '\r')
+			while (end < size && data[end] != '\n' && data[end] != '\r')
 				end++;
 
 			/* adding the line body if present */
 			if (end > beg)
-				expand_tabs(text, document + beg, end - beg);
+				expand_tabs(text, data + beg, end - beg);
 
-			while (end < doc_size && (document[end] == '\n' || document[end] == '\r')) {
+			while (end < size && (data[end] == '\n' || data[end] == '\r')) {
 				/* add one \n per newline */
-				if (document[end] == '\n' || (end + 1 < doc_size && document[end + 1] != '\n'))
+				if (data[end] == '\n' || (end + 1 < size && data[end + 1] != '\n'))
 					hoedown_buffer_putc(text, '\n');
 				end++;
 			}
@@ -2817,38 +2804,36 @@ hoedown_document_render(hoedown_document *doc, hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t
 }
 
 void
-hoedown_document_render_inline(hoedown_document *doc, hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *document, size_t doc_size)
+hoedown_document_render_inline(hoedown_document *doc, hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *data, size_t size)
 {
 	size_t i = 0, mark;
 	hoedown_buffer *text = hoedown_buffer_new(64);
-	if (!text)
-		return;
 
 	/* reset the references table */
 	memset(&doc->refs, 0x0, REF_TABLE_SIZE * sizeof(void *));
 
-	/* first pass: convert all spacing to spaces */
-	hoedown_buffer_grow(text, doc_size);
+	/* first pass: expand tabs and process newlines */
+	hoedown_buffer_grow(text, size);
 	while (1) {
 		mark = i;
-		while (i < doc_size && document[i] != '\n' && document[i] != '\r')
+		while (i < size && data[i] != '\n' && data[i] != '\r')
 			i++;
 
-		expand_tabs(text, document + mark, i - mark);
+		expand_tabs(text, data + mark, i - mark);
 
-		if (i >= doc_size)
+		if (i >= size)
 			break;
 
-		while (i < doc_size && (document[i] == '\n' || document[i] == '\r')) {
+		while (i < size && (data[i] == '\n' || data[i] == '\r')) {
 			/* add one \n per newline */
-			if (document[i] == '\n' || (i + 1 < doc_size && document[i + 1] != '\n'))
+			if (data[i] == '\n' || (i + 1 < size && data[i + 1] != '\n'))
 				hoedown_buffer_putc(text, '\n');
 			i++;
 		}
 	}
 
 	/* second pass: actual rendering */
-	hoedown_buffer_grow(ob, doc_size + (doc_size >> 1));
+	hoedown_buffer_grow(ob, text->size + (text->size >> 1));
 	parse_inline(ob, doc, text->data, text->size);
 
 	/* clean-up */
@@ -2869,8 +2854,8 @@ hoedown_document_free(hoedown_document *doc)
 	for (i = 0; i < (size_t)doc->work_bufs[BUFFER_BLOCK].asize; ++i)
 		hoedown_buffer_free(doc->work_bufs[BUFFER_BLOCK].item[i]);
 
-	hoedown_stack_free(&doc->work_bufs[BUFFER_SPAN]);
-	hoedown_stack_free(&doc->work_bufs[BUFFER_BLOCK]);
+	hoedown_stack_reset(&doc->work_bufs[BUFFER_SPAN]);
+	hoedown_stack_reset(&doc->work_bufs[BUFFER_BLOCK]);
 
 	free(doc);
 }
diff --git a/src/document.h b/src/document.h
index 8fec835..539b206 100644
--- a/src/document.h
+++ b/src/document.h
@@ -10,11 +10,12 @@
 extern "C" {
 #endif
 
-/*********
- * FLAGS *
- *********/
 
-enum hoedown_extensions {
+/*************
+ * CONSTANTS *
+ *************/
+
+typedef enum hoedown_extensions {
 	/* block-level extensions */
 	HOEDOWN_EXT_TABLES = (1 << 0),
 	HOEDOWN_EXT_FENCED_CODE = (1 << 1),
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@ enum hoedown_extensions {
 
 	/* negative flags */
 	HOEDOWN_EXT_DISABLE_INDENTED_CODE = (1 << 12)
-};
+} hoedown_extensions;
 
 #define HOEDOWN_EXT_BLOCK (\
 	HOEDOWN_EXT_TABLES |\
@@ -58,30 +59,29 @@ enum hoedown_extensions {
 #define HOEDOWN_EXT_NEGATIVE (\
 	HOEDOWN_EXT_DISABLE_INDENTED_CODE )
 
-/* list/listitem flags */
-enum hoedown_listflags {
+typedef enum hoedown_listflags {
 	HOEDOWN_LIST_ORDERED = (1 << 0),
 	HOEDOWN_LI_BLOCK = (1 << 1)	/* <li> containing block data */
-};
+} hoedown_listflags;
 
-enum hoedown_tableflags {
+typedef enum hoedown_tableflags {
 	HOEDOWN_TABLE_ALIGN_LEFT = 1,
 	HOEDOWN_TABLE_ALIGN_RIGHT = 2,
 	HOEDOWN_TABLE_ALIGN_CENTER = 3,
 	HOEDOWN_TABLE_ALIGNMASK = 3,
 	HOEDOWN_TABLE_HEADER = 4
-};
+} hoedown_tableflags;
 
-/* hoedown_autolink - type of autolink */
-enum hoedown_autolink {
+typedef enum hoedown_autolink_type {
 	HOEDOWN_AUTOLINK_NONE,		/* used internally when it is not an autolink*/
 	HOEDOWN_AUTOLINK_NORMAL,	/* normal http/http/ftp/mailto/etc link */
 	HOEDOWN_AUTOLINK_EMAIL		/* e-mail link without explit mailto: */
-};
+} hoedown_autolink_type;
 
-/********************
- * TYPE DEFINITIONS *
- ********************/
+
+/*********
+ * TYPES *
+ *********/
 
 /* hoedown_renderer - functions for rendering parsed data */
 struct hoedown_renderer {
@@ -94,17 +94,17 @@ struct hoedown_renderer {
 	void (*blockhtml)(hoedown_buffer *ob,const  hoedown_buffer *text, void *opaque);
 	void (*header)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, int level, void *opaque);
 	void (*hrule)(hoedown_buffer *ob, void *opaque);
-	void (*list)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, unsigned int flags, void *opaque);
-	void (*listitem)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, unsigned int flags, void *opaque);
+	void (*list)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, hoedown_listflags flags, void *opaque);
+	void (*listitem)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, hoedown_listflags flags, void *opaque);
 	void (*paragraph)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, void *opaque);
 	void (*table)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *header, const hoedown_buffer *body, void *opaque);
 	void (*table_row)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, void *opaque);
-	void (*table_cell)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, unsigned int flags, void *opaque);
+	void (*table_cell)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, hoedown_tableflags flags, void *opaque);
 	void (*footnotes)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, void *opaque);
 	void (*footnote_def)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, unsigned int num, void *opaque);
 
 	/* span level callbacks - NULL or return 0 prints the span verbatim */
-	int (*autolink)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *link, enum hoedown_autolink type, void *opaque);
+	int (*autolink)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *link, hoedown_autolink_type type, void *opaque);
 	int (*codespan)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, void *opaque);
 	int (*double_emphasis)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, void *opaque);
 	int (*emphasis)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, void *opaque);
@@ -128,31 +128,32 @@ struct hoedown_renderer {
 	void (*doc_header)(hoedown_buffer *ob, void *opaque);
 	void (*doc_footer)(hoedown_buffer *ob, void *opaque);
 };
-
 typedef struct hoedown_renderer hoedown_renderer;
 
 struct hoedown_document;
-
 typedef struct hoedown_document hoedown_document;
 
-/**********************
- * EXPORTED FUNCTIONS *
- **********************/
 
-extern hoedown_document *
-hoedown_document_new(
+/*************
+ * FUNCTIONS *
+ *************/
+
+/* hoedown_document_new: allocate a new document processor instance */
+hoedown_document *hoedown_document_new(
 	const hoedown_renderer *renderer,
-	unsigned int extensions,
-	size_t max_nesting);
+	hoedown_extensions extensions,
+	size_t max_nesting
+) __attribute__ ((malloc));
 
-extern void
-hoedown_document_render(hoedown_document *doc, hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *document, size_t doc_size);
+/* hoedown_document_render: render regular Markdown using the document processor */
+void hoedown_document_render(hoedown_document *doc, hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *data, size_t size);
 
-extern void
-hoedown_document_render_inline(hoedown_document *doc, hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *document, size_t doc_size);
+/* hoedown_document_render_inline: render inline Markdown using the document processor */
+void hoedown_document_render_inline(hoedown_document *doc, hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *data, size_t size);
+
+/* hoedown_document_free: deallocate a document processor instance */
+void hoedown_document_free(hoedown_document *doc);
 
-extern void
-hoedown_document_free(hoedown_document *doc);
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
diff --git a/src/escape.c b/src/escape.c
index 749eb75..938d93c 100644
--- a/src/escape.c
+++ b/src/escape.c
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
+
+#define likely(x)       __builtin_expect((x),1)
+#define unlikely(x)     __builtin_expect((x),0)
+
+
 /*
  * The following characters will not be escaped:
  *
@@ -17,7 +22,7 @@
  *
  * We asume (lazily) that any RESERVED char that
  * appears inside an URL is actually meant to
- * have its native function (i.e. as an URL 
+ * have its native function (i.e. as an URL
  * component/separator) and hence needs no escaping.
  *
  * There are two exceptions: the chacters & (amp)
@@ -30,58 +35,56 @@
  *
  */
 static const uint8_t HREF_SAFE[UINT8_MAX+1] = {
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
-	0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 
-	1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 
-	1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 
-	1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 
-	0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 
-	1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
+	1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1,
+	1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
+	1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1,
+	0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,
+	1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
 	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
 };
 
 void
-hoedown_escape_href(hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *src, size_t size)
+hoedown_escape_href(hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *data, size_t size)
 {
 	static const char hex_chars[] = "0123456789ABCDEF";
-	size_t  i = 0, org;
+	size_t  i = 0, mark;
 	char hex_str[3];
 
 	hex_str[0] = '%';
 
 	while (i < size) {
-		org = i;
-		while (i < size && HREF_SAFE[src[i]] != 0)
+		mark = i;
+		while (i < size && HREF_SAFE[data[i]] != 0)
 			i++;
 
-		if (i > org) {
-			if (org == 0) {
-				if (i >= size) {
-					hoedown_buffer_put(ob, src, size);
-					return;
-				}
+		/* Optimization for cases when there's nothing to escape */
+		if (mark == 0 && i >= size) {
+			hoedown_buffer_put(ob, data, size);
+			return;
+		}
 
-			}
-
-			hoedown_buffer_put(ob, src + org, i - org);
+		if (i > mark) {
+			hoedown_buffer_put(ob, data + mark, i - mark);
 		}
 
 		/* escaping */
 		if (i >= size)
 			break;
 
-		switch (src[i]) {
+		switch (data[i]) {
 		/* amp appears all the time in URLs, but needs
 		 * HTML-entity escaping to be inside an href */
-		case '&': 
+		case '&':
 			HOEDOWN_BUFPUTSL(ob, "&amp;");
 			break;
 
@@ -91,7 +94,7 @@ hoedown_escape_href(hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *src, size_t size)
 		case '\'':
 			HOEDOWN_BUFPUTSL(ob, "&#x27;");
 			break;
-		
+
 		/* the space can be escaped to %20 or a plus
 		 * sign. we're going with the generic escape
 		 * for now. the plus thing is more commonly seen
@@ -104,15 +107,16 @@ hoedown_escape_href(hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *src, size_t size)
 
 		/* every other character goes with a %XX escaping */
 		default:
-			hex_str[1] = hex_chars[(src[i] >> 4) & 0xF];
-			hex_str[2] = hex_chars[src[i] & 0xF];
-			hoedown_buffer_put(ob, hex_str, 3);
+			hex_str[1] = hex_chars[(data[i] >> 4) & 0xF];
+			hex_str[2] = hex_chars[data[i] & 0xF];
+			hoedown_buffer_put(ob, (uint8_t *)hex_str, 3);
 		}
 
 		i++;
 	}
 }
 
+
 /**
  * According to the OWASP rules:
  *
@@ -125,21 +129,21 @@ hoedown_escape_href(hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *src, size_t size)
  *
  */
 static const uint8_t HTML_ESCAPE_TABLE[UINT8_MAX+1] = {
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
-	0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 2, 3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 4, 
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 5, 0, 6, 0, 
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
 	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
 	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
-	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 
+	0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 2, 3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 4,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 5, 0, 6, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
+	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
 	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
 };
 
@@ -154,36 +158,30 @@ static const char *HTML_ESCAPES[] = {
 };
 
 void
-hoedown_escape_html(hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *src, size_t size, int secure)
+hoedown_escape_html(hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *data, size_t size, int secure)
 {
-	size_t i = 0, org, esc = 0;
+	size_t i = 0, mark;
 
-	while (i < size) {
-		org = i;
-		while (i < size && (esc = HTML_ESCAPE_TABLE[src[i]]) == 0)
-			i++;
+	while (1) {
+		mark = i;
+		while (i < size && HTML_ESCAPE_TABLE[data[i]] == 0) i++;
 
-		if (i > org) {
-			if (org == 0) {
-				if (i >= size) {
-					hoedown_buffer_put(ob, src, size);
-					return;
-				}
-
-			}
-
-			hoedown_buffer_put(ob, src + org, i - org);
+		/* Optimization for cases where there's nothing to escape */
+		if (mark == 0 && i >= size) {
+			hoedown_buffer_put(ob, data, size);
+			return;
 		}
 
-		/* escaping */
-		if (i >= size)
-			break;
+		if (likely(i > mark))
+			hoedown_buffer_put(ob, data + mark, i - mark);
+
+		if (i >= size) break;
 
 		/* The forward slash is only escaped in secure mode */
-		if (src[i] == '/' && !secure) {
+		if (!secure && data[i] == '/') {
 			hoedown_buffer_putc(ob, '/');
 		} else {
-			hoedown_buffer_puts(ob, HTML_ESCAPES[esc]);
+			hoedown_buffer_puts(ob, HTML_ESCAPES[HTML_ESCAPE_TABLE[data[i]]]);
 		}
 
 		i++;
diff --git a/src/escape.h b/src/escape.h
index 95be860..d7659c2 100644
--- a/src/escape.h
+++ b/src/escape.h
@@ -9,8 +9,17 @@
 extern "C" {
 #endif
 
-extern void hoedown_escape_html(hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *src, size_t size, int secure);
-extern void hoedown_escape_href(hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *src, size_t size);
+
+/*************
+ * FUNCTIONS *
+ *************/
+
+/* hoedown_escape_href: escape (part of) a URL inside HTML */
+void hoedown_escape_href(hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *data, size_t size);
+
+/* hoedown_escape_html: escape HTML */
+void hoedown_escape_html(hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *data, size_t size, int secure);
+
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
diff --git a/src/html.c b/src/html.c
index 8059b0c..7bc8ff9 100644
--- a/src/html.c
+++ b/src/html.c
@@ -9,34 +9,34 @@
 
 #define USE_XHTML(opt) (opt->flags & HOEDOWN_HTML_USE_XHTML)
 
-int
-hoedown_html_is_tag(const uint8_t *tag_data, size_t tag_size, const char *tagname)
+hoedown_html_tag
+hoedown_html_is_tag(const uint8_t *data, size_t size, const char *tagname)
 {
 	size_t i;
 	int closed = 0;
 
-	if (tag_size < 3 || tag_data[0] != '<')
+	if (size < 3 || data[0] != '<')
 		return HOEDOWN_HTML_TAG_NONE;
 
 	i = 1;
 
-	if (tag_data[i] == '/') {
+	if (data[i] == '/') {
 		closed = 1;
 		i++;
 	}
 
-	for (; i < tag_size; ++i, ++tagname) {
+	for (; i < size; ++i, ++tagname) {
 		if (*tagname == 0)
 			break;
 
-		if (tag_data[i] != *tagname)
+		if (data[i] != *tagname)
 			return HOEDOWN_HTML_TAG_NONE;
 	}
 
-	if (i == tag_size)
+	if (i == size)
 		return HOEDOWN_HTML_TAG_NONE;
 
-	if (isspace(tag_data[i]) || tag_data[i] == '>')
+	if (isspace(data[i]) || data[i] == '>')
 		return closed ? HOEDOWN_HTML_TAG_CLOSE : HOEDOWN_HTML_TAG_OPEN;
 
 	return HOEDOWN_HTML_TAG_NONE;
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ static inline void escape_href(hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *source, size_t
  * GENERIC RENDERER *
  ********************/
 static int
-rndr_autolink(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *link, enum hoedown_autolink type, void *opaque)
+rndr_autolink(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *link, hoedown_autolink_type type, void *opaque)
 {
 	hoedown_html_renderer_state *state = opaque;
 
@@ -268,9 +268,9 @@ static void
 rndr_list(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, unsigned int flags, void *opaque)
 {
 	if (ob->size) hoedown_buffer_putc(ob, '\n');
-	hoedown_buffer_put(ob, flags & HOEDOWN_LIST_ORDERED ? "<ol>\n" : "<ul>\n", 5);
+	hoedown_buffer_put(ob, (uint8_t *)(flags & HOEDOWN_LIST_ORDERED ? "<ol>\n" : "<ul>\n"), 5);
 	if (text) hoedown_buffer_put(ob, text->data, text->size);
-	hoedown_buffer_put(ob, flags & HOEDOWN_LIST_ORDERED ? "</ol>\n" : "</ul>\n", 6);
+	hoedown_buffer_put(ob, (uint8_t *)(flags & HOEDOWN_LIST_ORDERED ? "</ol>\n" : "</ul>\n"), 6);
 }
 
 static void
@@ -428,7 +428,7 @@ rndr_tablerow(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, void *opaque)
 }
 
 static void
-rndr_tablecell(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, unsigned int flags, void *opaque)
+rndr_tablecell(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, hoedown_tableflags flags, void *opaque)
 {
 	if (flags & HOEDOWN_TABLE_HEADER) {
 		HOEDOWN_BUFPUTSL(ob, "<th");
@@ -489,10 +489,10 @@ rndr_footnotes(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, void *opaque)
 	HOEDOWN_BUFPUTSL(ob, "<div class=\"footnotes\">\n");
 	hoedown_buffer_puts(ob, USE_XHTML(state) ? "<hr/>\n" : "<hr>\n");
 	HOEDOWN_BUFPUTSL(ob, "<ol>\n");
-	
+
 	if (text)
 		hoedown_buffer_put(ob, text->data, text->size);
-	
+
 	HOEDOWN_BUFPUTSL(ob, "\n</ol>\n</div>\n");
 }
 
@@ -501,7 +501,7 @@ rndr_footnote_def(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, unsigned int n
 {
 	size_t i = 0;
 	int pfound = 0;
-	
+
 	/* insert anchor at the end of first paragraph block */
 	if (text) {
 		while ((i+3) < text->size) {
@@ -514,7 +514,7 @@ rndr_footnote_def(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *text, unsigned int n
 			break;
 		}
 	}
-	
+
 	hoedown_buffer_printf(ob, "\n<li id=\"fn%d\">\n", num);
 	if (pfound) {
 		hoedown_buffer_put(ob, text->data, i);
@@ -634,23 +634,15 @@ hoedown_html_toc_renderer_new(int nesting_level)
 	hoedown_renderer *renderer;
 
 	/* Prepare the state pointer */
-	state = malloc(sizeof(hoedown_html_renderer_state));
-	if (!state)
-		return NULL;
-
+	state = hoedown_malloc(sizeof(hoedown_html_renderer_state));
 	memset(state, 0x0, sizeof(hoedown_html_renderer_state));
 
 	state->toc_data.nesting_level = nesting_level;
 
 	/* Prepare the renderer */
-	renderer = malloc(sizeof(hoedown_renderer));
-	if (!renderer) {
-		free(state);
-		return NULL;
-	}
-
+	renderer = hoedown_malloc(sizeof(hoedown_renderer));
 	memcpy(renderer, &cb_default, sizeof(hoedown_renderer));
-	
+
 	renderer->opaque = state;
 	return renderer;
 }
@@ -658,7 +650,7 @@ hoedown_html_toc_renderer_new(int nesting_level)
 hoedown_renderer *
 hoedown_html_renderer_new(unsigned int render_flags, int nesting_level)
 {
-	static const hoedown_renderer cb_default = {		
+	static const hoedown_renderer cb_default = {
 		NULL,
 
 		rndr_blockcode,
@@ -702,27 +694,19 @@ hoedown_html_renderer_new(unsigned int render_flags, int nesting_level)
 	hoedown_renderer *renderer;
 
 	/* Prepare the state pointer */
-	state = malloc(sizeof(hoedown_html_renderer_state));
-	if (!state)
-		return NULL;
-
+	state = hoedown_malloc(sizeof(hoedown_html_renderer_state));
 	memset(state, 0x0, sizeof(hoedown_html_renderer_state));
 
 	state->flags = render_flags;
 	state->toc_data.nesting_level = nesting_level;
 
 	/* Prepare the renderer */
-	renderer = malloc(sizeof(hoedown_renderer));
-	if (!renderer) {
-		free(state);
-		return NULL;
-	}
-
+	renderer = hoedown_malloc(sizeof(hoedown_renderer));
 	memcpy(renderer, &cb_default, sizeof(hoedown_renderer));
 
 	if (render_flags & HOEDOWN_HTML_SKIP_HTML || render_flags & HOEDOWN_HTML_ESCAPE)
 		renderer->blockhtml = NULL;
-	
+
 	renderer->opaque = state;
 	return renderer;
 }
diff --git a/src/html.h b/src/html.h
index 46b424b..8e321d8 100644
--- a/src/html.h
+++ b/src/html.h
@@ -1,17 +1,21 @@
-/* html.h - HTML renderer */
+/* html.h - HTML renderer and utilities */
 
 #ifndef HOEDOWN_HTML_H
 #define HOEDOWN_HTML_H
 
 #include "document.h"
 #include "buffer.h"
-#include <stdlib.h>
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 extern "C" {
 #endif
 
-typedef enum {
+
+/*************
+ * CONSTANTS *
+ *************/
+
+typedef enum hoedown_html_flags {
 	HOEDOWN_HTML_SKIP_HTML = (1 << 0),
 	HOEDOWN_HTML_ESCAPE = (1 << 1),
 	HOEDOWN_HTML_SAFELINK = (1 << 2),
@@ -19,12 +23,17 @@ typedef enum {
 	HOEDOWN_HTML_USE_XHTML = (1 << 4)
 } hoedown_html_flags;
 
-typedef enum {
+typedef enum hoedown_html_tag {
 	HOEDOWN_HTML_TAG_NONE = 0,
 	HOEDOWN_HTML_TAG_OPEN,
 	HOEDOWN_HTML_TAG_CLOSE
 } hoedown_html_tag;
 
+
+/*********
+ * TYPES *
+ *********/
+
 struct hoedown_html_renderer_state {
 	void *opaque;
 
@@ -35,28 +44,39 @@ struct hoedown_html_renderer_state {
 		int nesting_level;
 	} toc_data;
 
-	unsigned int flags;
+	hoedown_html_flags flags;
 
 	/* extra callbacks */
 	void (*link_attributes)(hoedown_buffer *ob, const hoedown_buffer *url, void *self);
 };
-
 typedef struct hoedown_html_renderer_state hoedown_html_renderer_state;
 
-int
-hoedown_html_is_tag(const uint8_t *tag_data, size_t tag_size, const char *tagname);
 
-extern hoedown_renderer *
-hoedown_html_renderer_new(unsigned int render_flags, int nesting_level);
+/*************
+ * FUNCTIONS *
+ *************/
 
-extern hoedown_renderer *
-hoedown_html_toc_renderer_new(int nesting_level);
+/* hoedown_html_smartypants: process an HTML snippet using SmartyPants for smart punctuation */
+void hoedown_html_smartypants(hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *data, size_t size);
 
-extern void
-hoedown_html_renderer_free(hoedown_renderer *renderer);
+/* hoedown_html_is_tag: checks if data starts with a specific tag, returns the tag type or NONE */
+hoedown_html_tag hoedown_html_is_tag(const uint8_t *data, size_t size, const char *tagname);
+
+
+/* hoedown_html_renderer_new: allocates a regular HTML renderer */
+hoedown_renderer *hoedown_html_renderer_new(
+	hoedown_html_flags render_flags,
+	int nesting_level
+) __attribute__ ((malloc));
+
+/* hoedown_html_toc_renderer_new: like hoedown_html_renderer_new, but the returned renderer produces the Table of Contents */
+hoedown_renderer *hoedown_html_toc_renderer_new(
+	int nesting_level
+) __attribute__ ((malloc));
+
+/* hoedown_html_renderer_free: deallocate an HTML renderer */
+void hoedown_html_renderer_free(hoedown_renderer *renderer);
 
-extern void
-hoedown_html_smartypants(hoedown_buffer *ob, const uint8_t *text, size_t size);
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
diff --git a/src/stack.c b/src/stack.c
index d0dea29..22a7ae1 100644
--- a/src/stack.c
+++ b/src/stack.c
@@ -1,25 +1,29 @@
 #include "stack.h"
 
-#include <string.h>
+#include "buffer.h"
 
-int
-hoedown_stack_new(hoedown_stack *st, size_t initial_size)
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <assert.h>
+
+void
+hoedown_stack_init(hoedown_stack *st, size_t initial_size)
 {
+	assert(st);
+
 	st->item = NULL;
-	st->size = 0;
-	st->asize = 0;
+	st->size = st->asize = 0;
 
 	if (!initial_size)
 		initial_size = 8;
 
-	return hoedown_stack_grow(st, initial_size);
+	hoedown_stack_grow(st, initial_size);
 }
 
 void
-hoedown_stack_free(hoedown_stack *st)
+hoedown_stack_reset(hoedown_stack *st)
 {
-	if (!st)
-		return;
+	assert(st);
 
 	free(st->item);
 
@@ -28,43 +32,38 @@ hoedown_stack_free(hoedown_stack *st)
 	st->asize = 0;
 }
 
-int
-hoedown_stack_grow(hoedown_stack *st, size_t new_size)
+void
+hoedown_stack_grow(hoedown_stack *st, size_t neosz)
 {
-	void **new_st;
+	assert(st);
 
-	if (st->asize >= new_size)
-		return 0;
+	if (st->asize >= neosz)
+		return;
 
-	new_st = realloc(st->item, new_size * sizeof(void *));
-	if (new_st == NULL)
-		return -1;
+	st->item = hoedown_realloc(st->item, neosz * sizeof(void *));
+	memset(st->item + st->asize, 0x0, (neosz - st->asize) * sizeof(void *));
+	st->asize = neosz;
 
-	memset(new_st + st->asize, 0x0,
-		(new_size - st->asize) * sizeof(void *));
-
-	st->item = new_st;
-	st->asize = new_size;
-
-	if (st->size > new_size)
-		st->size = new_size;
-
-	return 0;
+	if (st->size > neosz)
+		st->size = neosz;
 }
 
-int
+void
 hoedown_stack_push(hoedown_stack *st, void *item)
 {
-	if (hoedown_stack_grow(st, st->size * 2) < 0)
-		return -1;
+	assert(st);
+
+	if (st->size >= st->asize)
+		hoedown_stack_grow(st, (st->size + 1) * 2);
 
 	st->item[st->size++] = item;
-	return 0;
 }
 
 void *
 hoedown_stack_pop(hoedown_stack *st)
 {
+	assert(st);
+
 	if (!st->size)
 		return NULL;
 
@@ -72,8 +71,10 @@ hoedown_stack_pop(hoedown_stack *st)
 }
 
 void *
-hoedown_stack_top(hoedown_stack *st)
+hoedown_stack_top(const hoedown_stack *st)
 {
+	assert(st);
+
 	if (!st->size)
 		return NULL;
 
diff --git a/src/stack.h b/src/stack.h
index 9063592..a0f09c6 100644
--- a/src/stack.h
+++ b/src/stack.h
@@ -3,26 +3,47 @@
 #ifndef HOEDOWN_STACK_H
 #define HOEDOWN_STACK_H
 
-#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stddef.h>
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 extern "C" {
 #endif
 
+
+/*********
+ * TYPES *
+ *********/
+
 struct hoedown_stack {
 	void **item;
 	size_t size;
 	size_t asize;
 };
-
 typedef struct hoedown_stack hoedown_stack;
 
-int hoedown_stack_new(hoedown_stack *, size_t);
-void hoedown_stack_free(hoedown_stack *);
-int hoedown_stack_grow(hoedown_stack *, size_t);
-int hoedown_stack_push(hoedown_stack *, void *);
-void *hoedown_stack_pop(hoedown_stack *);
-void *hoedown_stack_top(hoedown_stack *);
+
+/*************
+ * FUNCTIONS *
+ *************/
+
+/* hoedown_stack_init: initialize a stack */
+void hoedown_stack_init(hoedown_stack *st, size_t initial_size);
+
+/* hoedown_stack_reset: free internal data of the stack */
+void hoedown_stack_reset(hoedown_stack *st);
+
+/* hoedown_stack_grow: increase the allocated size to the given value */
+void hoedown_stack_grow(hoedown_stack *st, size_t neosz);
+
+/* hoedown_stack_push: push an item to the top of the stack */
+void hoedown_stack_push(hoedown_stack *st, void *item);
+
+/* hoedown_stack_pop: retrieve and remove the item at the top of the stack */
+void *hoedown_stack_pop(hoedown_stack *st);
+
+/* hoedown_stack_top: retrieve the item at the top of the stack */
+void *hoedown_stack_top(const hoedown_stack *st);
+
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
diff --git a/src/version.h b/src/version.h
index 3971658..9b30f1d 100644
--- a/src/version.h
+++ b/src/version.h
@@ -7,13 +7,24 @@
 extern "C" {
 #endif
 
+
+/*************
+ * CONSTANTS *
+ *************/
+
 #define HOEDOWN_VERSION "2.0.0"
 #define HOEDOWN_VERSION_MAJOR 2
 #define HOEDOWN_VERSION_MINOR 0
 #define HOEDOWN_VERSION_REVISION 0
 
-extern void
-hoedown_version(int *major, int *minor, int *revision);
+
+/*************
+ * FUNCTIONS *
+ *************/
+
+/* hoedown_version: retrieve Hoedown's version numbers */
+void hoedown_version(int *major, int *minor, int *revision);
+
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }