diff --git a/controllers/admin/hardware.go b/controllers/admin/hardware.go
index 4eb40cf4f..3bdbde6e0 100644
--- a/controllers/admin/hardware.go
+++ b/controllers/admin/hardware.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"net/http"
 
 	"github.com/owncast/owncast/metrics"
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )
 
 // GetHardwareStats will return hardware utilization over time.
@@ -12,5 +13,8 @@ func GetHardwareStats(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	m := metrics.Metrics
 
 	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
-	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(m)
+	err := json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(m)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Errorln(err)
+	}
 }
diff --git a/controllers/admin/index.go b/controllers/admin/index.go
index d1ba623d5..15b1c74a1 100644
--- a/controllers/admin/index.go
+++ b/controllers/admin/index.go
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ func ServeAdmin(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	f, err := pkger.Open(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Warnln(err, path)
-		errorHandler(w, r, http.StatusNotFound)
+		errorHandler(w, http.StatusNotFound)
 		return
 	}
 
@@ -39,9 +39,11 @@ func ServeAdmin(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 
 	mimeType := mime.TypeByExtension(filepath.Ext(path))
 	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", mimeType)
-	w.Write(b)
+	if _, err = w.Write(b); err != nil {
+		log.Errorln(err)
+	}
 }
 
-func errorHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, status int) {
+func errorHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, status int) {
 	w.WriteHeader(status)
 }
diff --git a/controllers/admin/logs.go b/controllers/admin/logs.go
index 5211c3af1..b7657111b 100644
--- a/controllers/admin/logs.go
+++ b/controllers/admin/logs.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/owncast/owncast/logging"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )
 
 // GetLogs will return all logs.
@@ -19,7 +20,10 @@ func GetLogs(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	}
 
 	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
-	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(response)
+	err := json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(response)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Errorln(err)
+	}
 }
 
 // GetWarnings will return only warning and error logs.
@@ -32,7 +36,10 @@ func GetWarnings(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	}
 
 	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
-	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(response)
+	err := json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(response)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Errorln(err)
+	}
 }
 
 type logsResponse struct {
diff --git a/controllers/admin/serverConfig.go b/controllers/admin/serverConfig.go
index fa660f584..fd8251fee 100644
--- a/controllers/admin/serverConfig.go
+++ b/controllers/admin/serverConfig.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"net/http"
 
 	"github.com/owncast/owncast/config"
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )
 
 // GetServerConfig gets the config details of the server.
@@ -35,7 +36,10 @@ func GetServerConfig(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	}
 
 	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
-	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(response)
+	err := json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(response)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Errorln(err)
+	}
 }
 
 type serverConfigAdminResponse struct {
diff --git a/controllers/admin/status.go b/controllers/admin/status.go
index 8f2c3b648..2755276e3 100644
--- a/controllers/admin/status.go
+++ b/controllers/admin/status.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/owncast/owncast/config"
 	"github.com/owncast/owncast/core"
 	"github.com/owncast/owncast/models"
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )
 
 // Status gets the details of the inbound broadcaster.
@@ -25,7 +26,10 @@ func Status(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	}
 
 	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
-	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(response)
+	err := json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(response)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Errorln(err)
+	}
 }
 
 type adminStatusResponse struct {
diff --git a/controllers/admin/viewers.go b/controllers/admin/viewers.go
index 8d0d1abb2..8aa93aaf8 100644
--- a/controllers/admin/viewers.go
+++ b/controllers/admin/viewers.go
@@ -5,11 +5,15 @@ import (
 	"net/http"
 
 	"github.com/owncast/owncast/metrics"
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )
 
 // GetViewersOverTime will return the number of viewers at points in time.
 func GetViewersOverTime(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	viewersOverTime := metrics.Metrics.Viewers
 	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
-	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(viewersOverTime)
+	err := json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(viewersOverTime)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Errorln(err)
+	}
 }
diff --git a/controllers/chat.go b/controllers/chat.go
index 01cb0f87f..175ad296d 100644
--- a/controllers/chat.go
+++ b/controllers/chat.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/owncast/owncast/core"
 	"github.com/owncast/owncast/models"
 	"github.com/owncast/owncast/router/middleware"
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )
 
 // GetChatMessages gets all of the chat messages.
@@ -17,7 +18,10 @@ func GetChatMessages(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	case http.MethodGet:
 		messages := core.GetAllChatMessages()
 
-		json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(messages)
+		err := json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(messages)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Errorln(err)
+		}
 	case http.MethodPost:
 		var message models.ChatMessage
 		if err := json.NewDecoder(r.Body).Decode(&message); err != nil {
@@ -30,9 +34,14 @@ func GetChatMessages(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 			return
 		}
 
-		json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(j{"success": true})
+		if err := json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(j{"success": true}); err != nil {
+			internalErrorHandler(w, err)
+			return
+		}
 	default:
 		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusNotImplemented)
-		json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(j{"error": "method not implemented (PRs are accepted)"})
+		if err := json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(j{"error": "method not implemented (PRs are accepted)"}); err != nil {
+			internalErrorHandler(w, err)
+		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/controllers/config.go b/controllers/config.go
index 84bf90d4d..f30416e7f 100644
--- a/controllers/config.go
+++ b/controllers/config.go
@@ -14,5 +14,7 @@ func GetWebConfig(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 
 	configuration := config.Config.InstanceDetails
 	configuration.Version = config.Config.VersionInfo
-	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(configuration)
+	if err := json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(configuration); err != nil {
+		badRequestHandler(w, err)
+	}
 }
diff --git a/controllers/connectedClients.go b/controllers/connectedClients.go
index 13c159150..5d9a7c6f2 100644
--- a/controllers/connectedClients.go
+++ b/controllers/connectedClients.go
@@ -12,5 +12,7 @@ func GetConnectedClients(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	clients := core.GetClients()
 	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
 
-	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(clients)
+	if err := json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(clients); err != nil {
+		internalErrorHandler(w, err)
+	}
 }
diff --git a/controllers/controllers.go b/controllers/controllers.go
index 747793b2f..a92c6fad8 100644
--- a/controllers/controllers.go
+++ b/controllers/controllers.go
@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@ func internalErrorHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, err error) {
 	}
 
 	w.WriteHeader(http.StatusInternalServerError)
-	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(j{"error": err.Error()})
+	if err := json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(j{"error": err.Error()}); err != nil {
+		internalErrorHandler(w, err)
+	}
 }
 
 func badRequestHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, err error) {
@@ -24,7 +26,9 @@ func badRequestHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, err error) {
 	}
 
 	w.WriteHeader(http.StatusBadRequest)
-	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(j{"error": err.Error()})
+	if err := json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(j{"error": err.Error()}); err != nil {
+		internalErrorHandler(w, err)
+	}
 }
 
 func WriteSimpleResponse(w http.ResponseWriter, success bool, message string) {
@@ -33,5 +37,7 @@ func WriteSimpleResponse(w http.ResponseWriter, success bool, message string) {
 		Message: message,
 	}
 	w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
-	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(response)
+	if err := json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(response); err != nil {
+		internalErrorHandler(w, err)
+	}
 }
diff --git a/controllers/emoji.go b/controllers/emoji.go
index dd7c8f2b4..9eb8e95fc 100644
--- a/controllers/emoji.go
+++ b/controllers/emoji.go
@@ -35,9 +35,11 @@ func GetCustomEmoji(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	for _, f := range files {
 		name := strings.TrimSuffix(f.Name(), path.Ext(f.Name()))
 		emojiPath := filepath.Join(emojiDir, f.Name())
-		singleEmoji := models.CustomEmoji{name, emojiPath}
+		singleEmoji := models.CustomEmoji{Name: name, Emoji: emojiPath}
 		emojiList = append(emojiList, singleEmoji)
 	}
 
-	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(emojiList)
+	if err := json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(emojiList); err != nil {
+		internalErrorHandler(w, err)
+	}
 }
diff --git a/controllers/status.go b/controllers/status.go
index 5e8841aeb..5f89f5145 100644
--- a/controllers/status.go
+++ b/controllers/status.go
@@ -15,5 +15,7 @@ func GetStatus(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	status := core.GetStatus()
 	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
 
-	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(status)
+	if err := json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(status); err != nil {
+		internalErrorHandler(w, err)
+	}
 }
diff --git a/core/chat/chat.go b/core/chat/chat.go
index 88879606a..fc10dbc60 100644
--- a/core/chat/chat.go
+++ b/core/chat/chat.go
@@ -40,11 +40,8 @@ func Start() error {
 
 	ticker := time.NewTicker(30 * time.Second)
 	go func() {
-		for {
-			select {
-			case <-ticker.C:
-				_server.ping()
-			}
+		for range ticker.C {
+			_server.ping()
 		}
 	}()
 
diff --git a/core/chat/client.go b/core/chat/client.go
index 773753253..1ce80b04d 100644
--- a/core/chat/client.go
+++ b/core/chat/client.go
@@ -94,13 +94,21 @@ func (c *Client) listenWrite() {
 		select {
 		// Send a PING keepalive
 		case msg := <-c.pingch:
-			websocket.JSON.Send(c.ws, msg)
+			err := websocket.JSON.Send(c.ws, msg)
+			if err != nil {
+				log.Errorln(err)
+			}
 		// send message to the client
 		case msg := <-c.ch:
-			// log.Println("Send:", msg)
-			websocket.JSON.Send(c.ws, msg)
+			err := websocket.JSON.Send(c.ws, msg)
+			if err != nil {
+				log.Errorln(err)
+			}
 		case msg := <-c.usernameChangeChannel:
-			websocket.JSON.Send(c.ws, msg)
+			err := websocket.JSON.Send(c.ws, msg)
+			if err != nil {
+				log.Errorln(err)
+			}
 		// receive done request
 		case <-c.doneCh:
 			_server.remove(c)
@@ -114,7 +122,6 @@ func (c *Client) listenWrite() {
 func (c *Client) listenRead() {
 	for {
 		select {
-
 		// receive done request
 		case <-c.doneCh:
 			_server.remove(c)
diff --git a/core/chat/persistence.go b/core/chat/persistence.go
index b5a5929a3..13b60f16e 100644
--- a/core/chat/persistence.go
+++ b/core/chat/persistence.go
@@ -32,7 +32,10 @@ func createTable() {
 		log.Fatal(err)
 	}
 	defer stmt.Close()
-	stmt.Exec()
+	_, err = stmt.Exec()
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Warnln(err)
+	}
 }
 
 func addMessage(message models.ChatMessage) {
@@ -41,16 +44,20 @@ func addMessage(message models.ChatMessage) {
 		log.Fatal(err)
 	}
 	stmt, err := tx.Prepare("INSERT INTO messages(id, author, body, messageType, visible, timestamp) values(?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)")
+
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatal(err)
 	}
+	defer stmt.Close()
+
 	_, err = stmt.Exec(message.ID, message.Author, message.Body, message.MessageType, 1, message.Timestamp)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	tx.Commit()
-
-	defer stmt.Close()
+	err = tx.Commit()
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatal(err)
+	}
 }
 
 func getChatHistory() []models.ChatMessage {
@@ -89,5 +96,9 @@ func getChatHistory() []models.ChatMessage {
 		history = append(history, message)
 	}
 
+	if err := rows.Err(); err != nil {
+		log.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
 	return history
 }
diff --git a/core/chat/server.go b/core/chat/server.go
index 144708942..943987a4f 100644
--- a/core/chat/server.go
+++ b/core/chat/server.go
@@ -46,11 +46,6 @@ func (s *server) SendToAll(msg models.ChatMessage) {
 	s.sendAllCh <- msg
 }
 
-// Done marks the server as done.
-func (s *server) done() {
-	s.doneCh <- true
-}
-
 // Err handles an error.
 func (s *server) err(err error) {
 	s.errCh <- err
@@ -140,18 +135,7 @@ func (s *server) sendWelcomeMessageToClient(c *Client) {
 		time.Sleep(7 * time.Second)
 
 		initialChatMessageText := fmt.Sprintf("Welcome to %s! %s", config.Config.InstanceDetails.Title, config.Config.InstanceDetails.Summary)
-		initialMessage := models.ChatMessage{"owncast-server", config.Config.InstanceDetails.Name, initialChatMessageText, "initial-message-1", "SYSTEM", true, time.Now()}
+		initialMessage := models.ChatMessage{ClientID: "owncast-server", Author: config.Config.InstanceDetails.Name, Body: initialChatMessageText, ID: "initial-message-1", MessageType: "SYSTEM", Visible: true, Timestamp: time.Now()}
 		c.Write(initialMessage)
 	}()
-
-}
-
-func (s *server) getClientForClientID(clientID string) *Client {
-	for _, client := range s.Clients {
-		if client.ClientID == clientID {
-			return client
-		}
-	}
-
-	return nil
 }
diff --git a/core/core.go b/core/core.go
index 5bdbafd14..9be362999 100644
--- a/core/core.go
+++ b/core/core.go
@@ -99,7 +99,10 @@ func transitionToOfflineVideoStreamContent() {
 	_transcoder.Start()
 
 	// Copy the logo to be the thumbnail
-	utils.Copy(filepath.Join("webroot", config.Config.InstanceDetails.Logo.Large), "webroot/thumbnail.jpg")
+	err := utils.Copy(filepath.Join("webroot", config.Config.InstanceDetails.Logo.Large), "webroot/thumbnail.jpg")
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Warnln(err)
+	}
 
 	// Delete the preview Gif
 	os.Remove(path.Join(config.WebRoot, "preview.gif"))
@@ -111,8 +114,15 @@ func resetDirectories() {
 	// Wipe the public, web-accessible hls data directory
 	os.RemoveAll(config.PublicHLSStoragePath)
 	os.RemoveAll(config.PrivateHLSStoragePath)
-	os.MkdirAll(config.PublicHLSStoragePath, 0777)
-	os.MkdirAll(config.PrivateHLSStoragePath, 0777)
+	err := os.MkdirAll(config.PublicHLSStoragePath, 0777)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatalln(err)
+	}
+
+	err = os.MkdirAll(config.PrivateHLSStoragePath, 0777)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatalln(err)
+	}
 
 	// Remove the previous thumbnail
 	os.Remove(filepath.Join(config.WebRoot, "thumbnail.jpg"))
@@ -120,14 +130,31 @@ func resetDirectories() {
 	// Create private hls data dirs
 	if len(config.Config.VideoSettings.StreamQualities) != 0 {
 		for index := range config.Config.VideoSettings.StreamQualities {
-			os.MkdirAll(path.Join(config.PrivateHLSStoragePath, strconv.Itoa(index)), 0777)
-			os.MkdirAll(path.Join(config.PublicHLSStoragePath, strconv.Itoa(index)), 0777)
+			err = os.MkdirAll(path.Join(config.PrivateHLSStoragePath, strconv.Itoa(index)), 0777)
+			if err != nil {
+				log.Fatalln(err)
+			}
+
+			err = os.MkdirAll(path.Join(config.PublicHLSStoragePath, strconv.Itoa(index)), 0777)
+			if err != nil {
+				log.Fatalln(err)
+			}
 		}
 	} else {
-		os.MkdirAll(path.Join(config.PrivateHLSStoragePath, strconv.Itoa(0)), 0777)
-		os.MkdirAll(path.Join(config.PublicHLSStoragePath, strconv.Itoa(0)), 0777)
+		err = os.MkdirAll(path.Join(config.PrivateHLSStoragePath, strconv.Itoa(0)), 0777)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Fatalln(err)
+		}
+
+		err = os.MkdirAll(path.Join(config.PublicHLSStoragePath, strconv.Itoa(0)), 0777)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Fatalln(err)
+		}
 	}
 
 	// Remove the previous thumbnail
-	utils.Copy(config.Config.InstanceDetails.Logo.Large, "webroot/thumbnail.jpg")
+	err = utils.Copy(path.Join(config.WebRoot, config.Config.InstanceDetails.Logo.Large), "webroot/thumbnail.jpg")
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Warnln(err)
+	}
 }
diff --git a/core/ffmpeg/fileWriterReceiverService.go b/core/ffmpeg/fileWriterReceiverService.go
index 7dd189648..febfd261f 100644
--- a/core/ffmpeg/fileWriterReceiverService.go
+++ b/core/ffmpeg/fileWriterReceiverService.go
@@ -60,14 +60,14 @@ func (s *FileWriterReceiverService) uploadHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http
 
 	f, err := os.Create(writePath)
 	if err != nil {
-		returnError(err, w, r)
+		returnError(err, w)
 		return
 	}
 
 	defer f.Close()
 	_, err = f.Write(data)
 	if err != nil {
-		returnError(err, w, r)
+		returnError(err, w)
 		return
 	}
 
@@ -82,7 +82,6 @@ func (s *FileWriterReceiverService) fileWritten(path string) {
 
 	if utils.GetRelativePathFromAbsolutePath(path) == "hls/stream.m3u8" {
 		s.callbacks.MasterPlaylistWritten(path)
-
 	} else if strings.HasSuffix(path, ".ts") {
 		performanceMonitorKey := "segmentWritten-" + index
 		averagePerformance := utils.GetAveragePerformance(performanceMonitorKey)
@@ -98,13 +97,12 @@ func (s *FileWriterReceiverService) fileWritten(path string) {
 		} else {
 			_inWarningState = false
 		}
-
 	} else if strings.HasSuffix(path, ".m3u8") {
 		s.callbacks.VariantPlaylistWritten(path)
 	}
 }
 
-func returnError(err error, w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+func returnError(err error, w http.ResponseWriter) {
 	log.Errorln(err)
 	http.Error(w, http.StatusText(http.StatusInternalServerError)+": "+err.Error(), http.StatusInternalServerError)
 }
diff --git a/core/rtmp/rtmp.go b/core/rtmp/rtmp.go
index 22843190e..3830a71ac 100644
--- a/core/rtmp/rtmp.go
+++ b/core/rtmp/rtmp.go
@@ -90,7 +90,12 @@ func HandleConn(c *rtmp.Conn, nc net.Conn) {
 	log.Infoln("Incoming RTMP connected.")
 
 	pipePath := utils.GetTemporaryPipePath()
-	syscall.Mkfifo(pipePath, 0666)
+	if !utils.DoesFileExists(pipePath) {
+		err := syscall.Mkfifo(pipePath, 0666)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Fatalln(err)
+		}
+	}
 
 	_hasInboundRTMPConnection = true
 	_setStreamAsConnected()
@@ -119,7 +124,6 @@ func HandleConn(c *rtmp.Conn, nc net.Conn) {
 			panic(err)
 		}
 	}
-
 }
 
 func handleDisconnect(conn net.Conn) {
diff --git a/core/rtmp/utils.go b/core/rtmp/utils.go
index a3344bc3c..c4abcaf95 100644
--- a/core/rtmp/utils.go
+++ b/core/rtmp/utils.go
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"regexp"
 
-	"github.com/owncast/owncast/models"
 	"github.com/nareix/joy5/format/flv/flvio"
+	"github.com/owncast/owncast/models"
 )
 
 func getInboundDetailsFromMetadata(metadata []interface{}) (models.RTMPStreamMetadata, error) {
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ func getInboundDetailsFromMetadata(metadata []interface{}) (models.RTMPStreamMet
 
 	metadataJSONString := submatchall[0]
 	var details models.RTMPStreamMetadata
-	json.Unmarshal([]byte(metadataJSONString), &details)
-	return details, nil
+	err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(metadataJSONString), &details)
+	return details, err
 }
 
 func getAudioCodec(codec interface{}) string {
diff --git a/core/stats.go b/core/stats.go
index 6125a530f..d7392ae7a 100644
--- a/core/stats.go
+++ b/core/stats.go
@@ -29,12 +29,9 @@ func setupStats() error {
 
 	statsSaveTimer := time.NewTicker(1 * time.Minute)
 	go func() {
-		for {
-			select {
-			case <-statsSaveTimer.C:
-				if err := saveStatsToFile(); err != nil {
-					panic(err)
-				}
+		for range statsSaveTimer.C {
+			if err := saveStatsToFile(); err != nil {
+				panic(err)
 			}
 		}
 	}()
@@ -137,12 +134,12 @@ func getSavedStats() (models.Stats, error) {
 
 	jsonFile, err := ioutil.ReadFile(config.StatsFile)
 	if err != nil {
-		return result, nil
+		return result, err
 	}
 
 	if err := json.Unmarshal(jsonFile, &result); err != nil {
-		return result, nil
+		return result, err
 	}
 
-	return result, nil
+	return result, err
 }
diff --git a/core/storage.go b/core/storage.go
index f4155ecac..b0dedc9d9 100644
--- a/core/storage.go
+++ b/core/storage.go
@@ -5,10 +5,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/owncast/owncast/core/storageproviders"
 )
 
-var (
-	usingExternalStorage = false
-)
-
 func setupStorage() error {
 	handler.Storage = _storage
 
diff --git a/core/storageproviders/local.go b/core/storageproviders/local.go
index 8753d7f75..67e9d56c2 100644
--- a/core/storageproviders/local.go
+++ b/core/storageproviders/local.go
@@ -23,11 +23,8 @@ func (s *LocalStorage) Setup() error {
 	// as all HLS segments have to be publicly available on disk to keep a recording of them.
 	_onlineCleanupTicker = time.NewTicker(1 * time.Minute)
 	go func() {
-		for {
-			select {
-			case <-_onlineCleanupTicker.C:
-				ffmpeg.CleanupOldContent(config.PublicHLSStoragePath)
-			}
+		for range _onlineCleanupTicker.C {
+			ffmpeg.CleanupOldContent(config.PublicHLSStoragePath)
 		}
 	}()
 	return nil
@@ -35,7 +32,10 @@ func (s *LocalStorage) Setup() error {
 
 // SegmentWritten is called when a single segment of video is written.
 func (s *LocalStorage) SegmentWritten(localFilePath string) {
-	s.Save(localFilePath, 0)
+	_, err := s.Save(localFilePath, 0)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Warnln(err)
+	}
 }
 
 // VariantPlaylistWritten is called when a variant hls playlist is written.
@@ -49,7 +49,10 @@ func (s *LocalStorage) VariantPlaylistWritten(localFilePath string) {
 
 // MasterPlaylistWritten is called when the master hls playlist is written.
 func (s *LocalStorage) MasterPlaylistWritten(localFilePath string) {
-	s.Save(localFilePath, 0)
+	_, err := s.Save(localFilePath, 0)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Warnln(err)
+	}
 }
 
 // Save will save a local filepath using the storage provider.
@@ -63,7 +66,6 @@ func (s *LocalStorage) Save(filePath string, retryCount int) (string, error) {
 		newPath = filepath.Join(config.WebRoot, filePath)
 	}
 
-	utils.Copy(filePath, newPath)
-
-	return newPath, nil
+	err := utils.Copy(filePath, newPath)
+	return newPath, err
 }
diff --git a/core/storageproviders/s3Storage.go b/core/storageproviders/s3Storage.go
index 0a5c78560..8d7757b88 100644
--- a/core/storageproviders/s3Storage.go
+++ b/core/storageproviders/s3Storage.go
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ import (
 
 // If we try to upload a playlist but it is not yet on disk
 // then keep a reference to it here.
-var _queuedPlaylistUpdates = make(map[string]string, 0)
+var _queuedPlaylistUpdates = make(map[string]string)
 
 // S3Storage is the s3 implementation of the ChunkStorageProvider.
 type S3Storage struct {
@@ -118,7 +118,10 @@ func (s *S3Storage) VariantPlaylistWritten(localFilePath string) {
 // MasterPlaylistWritten is called when the master hls playlist is written.
 func (s *S3Storage) MasterPlaylistWritten(localFilePath string) {
 	// Rewrite the playlist to use absolute remote S3 URLs
-	s.rewriteRemotePlaylist(localFilePath)
+	err := s.rewriteRemotePlaylist(localFilePath)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Warnln(err)
+	}
 }
 
 // Save saves the file to the s3 bucket.
@@ -192,6 +195,9 @@ func (s *S3Storage) rewriteRemotePlaylist(filePath string) error {
 
 	p := m3u8.NewMasterPlaylist()
 	err = p.DecodeFrom(bufio.NewReader(f), false)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Warnln(err)
+	}
 
 	for _, item := range p.Variants {
 		item.URI = s.host + filepath.Join("/hls", item.URI)
diff --git a/core/streamState.go b/core/streamState.go
index 5df5dd812..b23aa25f5 100644
--- a/core/streamState.go
+++ b/core/streamState.go
@@ -26,8 +26,8 @@ var _onlineCleanupTicker *time.Ticker
 // setStreamAsConnected sets the stream as connected.
 func setStreamAsConnected() {
 	_stats.StreamConnected = true
-	_stats.LastConnectTime = utils.NullTime{time.Now(), true}
-	_stats.LastDisconnectTime = utils.NullTime{time.Now(), false}
+	_stats.LastConnectTime = utils.NullTime{Time: time.Now(), Valid: true}
+	_stats.LastDisconnectTime = utils.NullTime{Time: time.Now(), Valid: false}
 
 	StopOfflineCleanupTimer()
 	startOnlineCleanupTimer()
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ func setStreamAsConnected() {
 	go func() {
 		_transcoder = ffmpeg.NewTranscoder()
 		_transcoder.TranscoderCompleted = func(error) {
-
 			SetStreamAsDisconnected()
 		}
 		_transcoder.Start()
@@ -56,7 +55,7 @@ func setStreamAsConnected() {
 // SetStreamAsDisconnected sets the stream as disconnected.
 func SetStreamAsDisconnected() {
 	_stats.StreamConnected = false
-	_stats.LastDisconnectTime = utils.NullTime{time.Now(), true}
+	_stats.LastDisconnectTime = utils.NullTime{Time: time.Now(), Valid: true}
 	_broadcaster = nil
 
 	offlineFilename := "offline.ts"
@@ -73,9 +72,14 @@ func SetStreamAsDisconnected() {
 		playlistFilePath := fmt.Sprintf(filepath.Join(config.PrivateHLSStoragePath, "%d/stream.m3u8"), index)
 		segmentFilePath := fmt.Sprintf(filepath.Join(config.PrivateHLSStoragePath, "%d/%s"), index, offlineFilename)
 
-		utils.Copy(offlineFilePath, segmentFilePath)
-		_storage.Save(segmentFilePath, 0)
-
+		err := utils.Copy(offlineFilePath, segmentFilePath)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Warnln(err)
+		}
+		_, err = _storage.Save(segmentFilePath, 0)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Warnln(err)
+		}
 		if utils.DoesFileExists(playlistFilePath) {
 			f, err := os.OpenFile(playlistFilePath, os.O_CREATE|os.O_RDWR, os.ModePerm)
 			if err != nil {
@@ -84,13 +88,23 @@ func SetStreamAsDisconnected() {
 			defer f.Close()
 
 			playlist, _, err := m3u8.DecodeFrom(bufio.NewReader(f), true)
+			if err != nil {
+				log.Fatalln(err)
+			}
+
 			variantPlaylist := playlist.(*m3u8.MediaPlaylist)
 			if len(variantPlaylist.Segments) > config.Config.GetMaxNumberOfReferencedSegmentsInPlaylist() {
 				variantPlaylist.Segments = variantPlaylist.Segments[:len(variantPlaylist.Segments)]
 			}
 
 			err = variantPlaylist.Append(offlineFilename, 8.0, "")
-			variantPlaylist.SetDiscontinuity()
+			if err != nil {
+				log.Fatalln(err)
+			}
+			err = variantPlaylist.SetDiscontinuity()
+			if err != nil {
+				log.Fatalln(err)
+			}
 			_, err = f.WriteAt(variantPlaylist.Encode().Bytes(), 0)
 			if err != nil {
 				log.Errorln(err)
@@ -118,7 +132,10 @@ func SetStreamAsDisconnected() {
 				log.Errorln(err)
 			}
 		}
-		_storage.Save(playlistFilePath, 0)
+		_, err = _storage.Save(playlistFilePath, 0)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Warnln(err)
+		}
 	}
 
 	StartOfflineCleanupTimer()
@@ -129,14 +146,11 @@ func SetStreamAsDisconnected() {
 func StartOfflineCleanupTimer() {
 	_offlineCleanupTimer = time.NewTimer(5 * time.Minute)
 	go func() {
-		for {
-			select {
-			case <-_offlineCleanupTimer.C:
-				// Reset the session count since the session is over
-				_stats.SessionMaxViewerCount = 0
-				resetDirectories()
-				transitionToOfflineVideoStreamContent()
-			}
+		for range _offlineCleanupTimer.C {
+			// Reset the session count since the session is over
+			_stats.SessionMaxViewerCount = 0
+			resetDirectories()
+			transitionToOfflineVideoStreamContent()
 		}
 	}()
 }
@@ -151,11 +165,8 @@ func StopOfflineCleanupTimer() {
 func startOnlineCleanupTimer() {
 	_onlineCleanupTicker = time.NewTicker(1 * time.Minute)
 	go func() {
-		for {
-			select {
-			case <-_onlineCleanupTicker.C:
-				ffmpeg.CleanupOldContent(config.PrivateHLSStoragePath)
-			}
+		for range _onlineCleanupTicker.C {
+			ffmpeg.CleanupOldContent(config.PrivateHLSStoragePath)
 		}
 	}()
 }
diff --git a/geoip/geoip.go b/geoip/geoip.go
index 212120225..4898396a3 100644
--- a/geoip/geoip.go
+++ b/geoip/geoip.go
@@ -80,5 +80,4 @@ func FetchGeoForIP(ip string) {
 
 		_geoIPCache[ip] = response
 	}()
-
 }
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index bcd90faf1..d6d197046 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ func main() {
 
 	log.Infoln(getReleaseString())
 	// Enable bundling of admin assets
-	pkger.Include("/admin")
+	_ = pkger.Include("/admin")
 
 	configFile := flag.String("configFile", "config.yaml", "Config File full path. Defaults to current folder")
 	dbFile := flag.String("database", "", "Path to the database file.")
@@ -67,13 +67,11 @@ func main() {
 
 	// starts the core
 	if err := core.Start(); err != nil {
-		log.Error("failed to start the core package")
-		panic(err)
+		log.Fatalln("failed to start the core package", err)
 	}
 
 	if err := router.Start(); err != nil {
-		log.Error("failed to start/run the router")
-		panic(err)
+		log.Fatalln("failed to start/run the router", err)
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/metrics/alerting.go b/metrics/alerting.go
index 08994cbeb..674dd5d18 100644
--- a/metrics/alerting.go
+++ b/metrics/alerting.go
@@ -51,5 +51,5 @@ func handleDiskAlerting() {
 }
 
 func recentAverage(values []timestampedValue) int {
-	return int((values[len(values)-1].Value + values[len(values)-2].Value) / 2)
+	return (values[len(values)-1].Value + values[len(values)-2].Value) / 2
 }
diff --git a/router/router.go b/router/router.go
index a5c148f94..bb9f7bc8d 100644
--- a/router/router.go
+++ b/router/router.go
@@ -29,7 +29,12 @@ func Start() error {
 	http.HandleFunc("/api/emoji", controllers.GetCustomEmoji)
 
 	// websocket chat server
-	go chat.Start()
+	go func() {
+		err := chat.Start()
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Fatalln(err)
+		}
+	}()
 
 	// chat rest api
 	http.HandleFunc("/api/chat", controllers.GetChatMessages)
diff --git a/utils/clientId.go b/utils/clientId.go
index 41947536a..2256d4743 100644
--- a/utils/clientId.go
+++ b/utils/clientId.go
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 package utils
 
 import (
-	"crypto/md5"
+	"crypto/md5" //nolint
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"net"
 	"net/http"
@@ -18,9 +18,8 @@ func GenerateClientIDFromRequest(req *http.Request) string {
 	clientID := strings.Join(ipAddressComponents, ":") + req.UserAgent()
 
 	// Create a MD5 hash of this ip + useragent
-	hasher := md5.New()
-	hasher.Write([]byte(clientID))
-	return hex.EncodeToString(hasher.Sum(nil))
+	b := md5.Sum([]byte(clientID)) // nolint
+	return hex.EncodeToString(b[:])
 }
 
 // GetIPAddressFromRequest returns the IP address from a http request.
diff --git a/utils/nulltime.go b/utils/nulltime.go
index e5ec931fc..71df254a4 100644
--- a/utils/nulltime.go
+++ b/utils/nulltime.go
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ func (nt *NullTime) Scan(value interface{}) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// Value implements the driver Valuer interface.
+// Value implements the driver Value interface.
 func (nt NullTime) Value() (driver.Value, error) {
 	if !nt.Valid {
 		return nil, nil
@@ -32,3 +32,19 @@ func (nt NullTime) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
 	val := fmt.Sprintf("\"%s\"", nt.Time.Format(time.RFC3339))
 	return []byte(val), nil
 }
+
+func (nt NullTime) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error {
+	dateString := string(data)
+	if dateString == "null" {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	dateStringWithoutQuotes := dateString[1 : len(dateString)-1]
+	parsedDateTime, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, dateStringWithoutQuotes)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	nt.Time = parsedDateTime
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/utils/utils.go b/utils/utils.go
index 54ba79621..4a9693a8f 100644
--- a/utils/utils.go
+++ b/utils/utils.go
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ func Copy(source, destination string) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	return ioutil.WriteFile(destination, input, 0644)
+	return ioutil.WriteFile(destination, input, 0600)
 }
 
 // Move moves the file to destination.
diff --git a/yp/api.go b/yp/api.go
index 12a0d160e..1262d7546 100644
--- a/yp/api.go
+++ b/yp/api.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/owncast/owncast/config"
 	"github.com/owncast/owncast/utils"
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )
 
 type ypDetailsResponse struct {
@@ -41,6 +42,8 @@ func GetYPResponse(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 
 	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
 
-	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(response)
-
+	err := json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(response)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Errorln(err)
+	}
 }
diff --git a/yp/yp.go b/yp/yp.go
index 59c201371..5d2f20016 100644
--- a/yp/yp.go
+++ b/yp/yp.go
@@ -47,15 +47,9 @@ func NewYP(getStatusFunc func() models.Status) *YP {
 // Start is run when a live stream begins to start pinging YP.
 func (yp *YP) Start() {
 	yp.timer = time.NewTicker(pingInterval)
-
-	go func() {
-		for {
-			select {
-			case <-yp.timer.C:
-				yp.ping()
-			}
-		}
-	}()
+	for range yp.timer.C {
+		yp.ping()
+	}
 
 	yp.ping()
 }
@@ -92,7 +86,7 @@ func (yp *YP) ping() {
 	}
 
 	pingURL := config.Config.GetYPServiceHost() + "/ping"
-	resp, err := http.Post(pingURL, "application/json", bytes.NewBuffer(req))
+	resp, err := http.Post(pingURL, "application/json", bytes.NewBuffer(req)) //nolint
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Errorln(err)
 		return
@@ -105,7 +99,10 @@ func (yp *YP) ping() {
 	}
 
 	pingResponse := ypPingResponse{}
-	json.Unmarshal(body, &pingResponse)
+	err = json.Unmarshal(body, &pingResponse)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Errorln(err)
+	}
 
 	if !pingResponse.Success {
 		if !_inErrorState {