diff --git a/context.go b/context.go
index cec6ab39..d4722700 100644
--- a/context.go
+++ b/context.go
@@ -204,10 +204,9 @@ type (
 const (
 	defaultMemory = 32 << 20 // 32 MB
 	indexPage     = "index.html"
+	defaultIndent = "  "
 )
 
-var defaultIndent = "  "
-
 func (c *context) writeContentType(value string) {
 	header := c.Response().Header()
 	if header.Get(HeaderContentType) == "" {
@@ -425,10 +424,10 @@ func (c *context) jsonPBlob(code int, callback string, i interface{}) (err error
 	return
 }
 
-func (c *context) jsonBlob(code int, i interface{}, indent *string) error {
+func (c *context) json(code int, i interface{}, indent string) error {
 	enc := json.NewEncoder(c.response)
-	if indent != nil {
-		enc.SetIndent("", *indent)
+	if indent != "" {
+		enc.SetIndent("", indent)
 	}
 	c.writeContentType(MIMEApplicationJSONCharsetUTF8)
 	c.response.WriteHeader(code)
@@ -436,15 +435,15 @@ func (c *context) jsonBlob(code int, i interface{}, indent *string) error {
 }
 
 func (c *context) JSON(code int, i interface{}) (err error) {
-	var indent *string
+	indent := ""
 	if _, pretty := c.QueryParams()["pretty"]; c.echo.Debug || pretty {
-		indent = &defaultIndent
+		indent = defaultIndent
 	}
-	return c.jsonBlob(code, i, indent)
+	return c.json(code, i, indent)
 }
 
 func (c *context) JSONPretty(code int, i interface{}, indent string) (err error) {
-	return c.jsonBlob(code, i, &indent)
+	return c.json(code, i, indent)
 }
 
 func (c *context) JSONBlob(code int, b []byte) (err error) {
@@ -468,12 +467,12 @@ func (c *context) JSONPBlob(code int, callback string, b []byte) (err error) {
 	return
 }
 
-func (c *context) xmlBlob(code int, i interface{}, indent *string) (err error) {
+func (c *context) xml(code int, i interface{}, indent string) (err error) {
 	c.writeContentType(MIMEApplicationXMLCharsetUTF8)
 	c.response.WriteHeader(code)
 	enc := xml.NewEncoder(c.response)
-	if indent != nil {
-		enc.Indent("", *indent)
+	if indent != "" {
+		enc.Indent("", indent)
 	}
 	if _, err = c.response.Write([]byte(xml.Header)); err != nil {
 		return
@@ -482,15 +481,15 @@ func (c *context) xmlBlob(code int, i interface{}, indent *string) (err error) {
 }
 
 func (c *context) XML(code int, i interface{}) (err error) {
-	var indent *string
+	indent := ""
 	if _, pretty := c.QueryParams()["pretty"]; c.echo.Debug || pretty {
-		indent = &defaultIndent
+		indent = defaultIndent
 	}
-	return c.xmlBlob(code, i, indent)
+	return c.xml(code, i, indent)
 }
 
 func (c *context) XMLPretty(code int, i interface{}, indent string) (err error) {
-	return c.xmlBlob(code, i, &indent)
+	return c.xml(code, i, indent)
 }
 
 func (c *context) XMLBlob(code int, b []byte) (err error) {
@@ -598,3 +597,4 @@ func (c *context) Reset(r *http.Request, w http.ResponseWriter) {
 	// NOTE: Don't reset because it has to have length c.echo.maxParam at all times
 	// c.pvalues = nil
 }
+
diff --git a/context_test.go b/context_test.go
index 2da37db7..3a47364d 100644
--- a/context_test.go
+++ b/context_test.go
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ func TestContext(t *testing.T) {
 			enc := json.NewEncoder(buf)
 			enc.SetIndent(emptyIndent, emptyIndent)
 			err = enc.Encode(u)
-			err = c.jsonBlob(http.StatusOK, user{1, "Jon Snow"}, &emptyIndent)
+			err = c.json(http.StatusOK, user{1, "Jon Snow"}, emptyIndent)
 			if assert.NoError(err) {
 				assert.Equal(http.StatusOK, rec.Code)
 				assert.Equal(MIMEApplicationJSONCharsetUTF8, rec.Header().Get(HeaderContentType))
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ func TestContext(t *testing.T) {
 			enc := xml.NewEncoder(buf)
 			enc.Indent(emptyIndent, emptyIndent)
 			err = enc.Encode(u)
-			err = c.xmlBlob(http.StatusOK, user{1, "Jon Snow"}, &emptyIndent)
+			err = c.xml(http.StatusOK, user{1, "Jon Snow"}, emptyIndent)
 			if assert.NoError(err) {
 				assert.Equal(http.StatusOK, rec.Code)
 				assert.Equal(MIMEApplicationXMLCharsetUTF8, rec.Header().Get(HeaderContentType))
@@ -543,3 +543,4 @@ func TestContextHandler(t *testing.T) {
 	c.Handler()(c)
 	testify.Equal(t, "handler", b.String())
 }
+