diff --git a/ext/dba/dba.c b/ext/dba/dba.c
index 15b8caa5456..5841da8df0a 100644
--- a/ext/dba/dba.c
+++ b/ext/dba/dba.c
@@ -912,7 +912,7 @@ PHP_FUNCTION(dba_exists)
 		}
 	}
 
-	RETVAL_BOOL(info->hnd->exists(info, ZSTR_VAL(key_str), ZSTR_LEN(key_str)) == SUCCESS);
+	RETVAL_BOOL(info->hnd->exists(info, key_str) == SUCCESS);
 	DBA_RELEASE_HT_KEY_CREATION();
 }
 /* }}} */
diff --git a/ext/dba/dba_cdb.c b/ext/dba/dba_cdb.c
index ccda3b159f3..780f9f3b442 100644
--- a/ext/dba/dba_cdb.c
+++ b/ext/dba/dba_cdb.c
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ DBA_EXISTS_FUNC(cdb)
 	if (cdb->make)
 		return FAILURE; /* database was opened writeonly */
 #endif
-	if (php_cdb_find(&cdb->c, key, keylen) == 1)
+	if (php_cdb_find(&cdb->c, ZSTR_VAL(key), ZSTR_LEN(key)) == 1)
 		return SUCCESS;
 	return FAILURE;
 }
diff --git a/ext/dba/dba_db1.c b/ext/dba/dba_db1.c
index fed32c6a76f..ac1ee89e517 100644
--- a/ext/dba/dba_db1.c
+++ b/ext/dba/dba_db1.c
@@ -119,8 +119,8 @@ DBA_EXISTS_FUNC(db1)
 	DBT gval;
 	DBT gkey;
 
-	gkey.data = (char *) key;
-	gkey.size = keylen;
+	gkey.data = ZSTR_VAL(key);
+	gkey.size = ZSTR_LEN(key);
 
 	return dba->dbp->get(dba->dbp, &gkey, &gval, 0) != RET_SUCCESS ? FAILURE : SUCCESS;
 }
diff --git a/ext/dba/dba_db2.c b/ext/dba/dba_db2.c
index f4c445a4521..03be0b8071a 100644
--- a/ext/dba/dba_db2.c
+++ b/ext/dba/dba_db2.c
@@ -122,8 +122,8 @@ DBA_EXISTS_FUNC(db2)
 	DBT gval = {0};
 	DBT gkey = {0};
 
-	gkey.data = (char *) key;
-	gkey.size = keylen;
+	gkey.data = ZSTR_VAL(key);
+	gkey.size = ZSTR_LEN(key);
 
 	if (dba->dbp->get(dba->dbp, NULL, &gkey, &gval, 0)) {
 		return FAILURE;
diff --git a/ext/dba/dba_db3.c b/ext/dba/dba_db3.c
index 23e4a995e66..a42302a1afb 100644
--- a/ext/dba/dba_db3.c
+++ b/ext/dba/dba_db3.c
@@ -158,7 +158,8 @@ DBA_EXISTS_FUNC(db3)
 	DBT gkey;
 
 	memset(&gkey, 0, sizeof(gkey));
-	gkey.data = (char *) key; gkey.size = keylen;
+	gkey.data = ZSTR_VAL(key);
+	gkey.size = ZSTR_LEN(key);
 
 	memset(&gval, 0, sizeof(gval));
 	if (!dba->dbp->get(dba->dbp, NULL, &gkey, &gval, 0)) {
diff --git a/ext/dba/dba_db4.c b/ext/dba/dba_db4.c
index 24dd8e27225..303381e0407 100644
--- a/ext/dba/dba_db4.c
+++ b/ext/dba/dba_db4.c
@@ -194,8 +194,8 @@ DBA_EXISTS_FUNC(db4)
 	DBT gkey;
 
 	memset(&gkey, 0, sizeof(gkey));
-	gkey.data = (char *) key;
-	gkey.size = keylen;
+	gkey.data = ZSTR_VAL(key);
+	gkey.size = ZSTR_LEN(key);
 
 	memset(&gval, 0, sizeof(gval));
 
diff --git a/ext/dba/dba_dbm.c b/ext/dba/dba_dbm.c
index 7b62483aa5c..d211bff4893 100644
--- a/ext/dba/dba_dbm.c
+++ b/ext/dba/dba_dbm.c
@@ -122,11 +122,11 @@ DBA_EXISTS_FUNC(dbm)
 	datum gval;
 	datum gkey;
 
-	gkey.dptr = (char *) key;
-	gkey.dsize = keylen;
+	gkey.dptr = ZSTR_VAL(key);
+	gkey.dsize = ZSTR_LEN(key);
 
 	gval = fetch(gkey);
-	if(gval.dptr) {
+	if (gval.dptr) {
 		return SUCCESS;
 	}
 	return FAILURE;
diff --git a/ext/dba/dba_flatfile.c b/ext/dba/dba_flatfile.c
index 095b945c62e..185e9931797 100644
--- a/ext/dba/dba_flatfile.c
+++ b/ext/dba/dba_flatfile.c
@@ -103,8 +103,8 @@ DBA_EXISTS_FUNC(flatfile)
 	datum gval;
 	datum gkey;
 
-	gkey.dptr = (char *) key;
-	gkey.dsize = keylen;
+	gkey.dptr = ZSTR_VAL(key);
+	gkey.dsize = ZSTR_LEN(key);
 	gval = flatfile_fetch(dba, gkey);
 	if (gval.dptr) {
 		efree(gval.dptr);
diff --git a/ext/dba/dba_gdbm.c b/ext/dba/dba_gdbm.c
index e89ee41db5e..c24bc1d2827 100644
--- a/ext/dba/dba_gdbm.c
+++ b/ext/dba/dba_gdbm.c
@@ -117,8 +117,8 @@ DBA_EXISTS_FUNC(gdbm)
 	dba_gdbm_data *dba = info->dbf;
 	datum gkey;
 
-	gkey.dptr = (char *) key;
-	gkey.dsize = keylen;
+	gkey.dptr = ZSTR_VAL(key);
+	gkey.dsize = ZSTR_LEN(key);
 
 	return gdbm_exists(dba->dbf, gkey) ? SUCCESS : FAILURE;
 }
diff --git a/ext/dba/dba_inifile.c b/ext/dba/dba_inifile.c
index e3373e3e771..6cea7fa5688 100644
--- a/ext/dba/dba_inifile.c
+++ b/ext/dba/dba_inifile.c
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ DBA_EXISTS_FUNC(inifile)
 		php_error_docref(NULL, E_WARNING, "No key specified");
 		return 0;
 	}
-	ini_key = inifile_key_split((char*)key); /* keylen not needed here */
+	ini_key = inifile_key_split(ZSTR_VAL(key)); /* keylen not needed here */
 
 	ini_val = inifile_fetch(dba, &ini_key, 0);
 	inifile_key_free(&ini_key);
diff --git a/ext/dba/dba_lmdb.c b/ext/dba/dba_lmdb.c
index db426416853..f6df47236fa 100644
--- a/ext/dba/dba_lmdb.c
+++ b/ext/dba/dba_lmdb.c
@@ -191,17 +191,17 @@ DBA_EXISTS_FUNC(lmdb)
 		rc = mdb_txn_begin(LMDB_IT(env), NULL, MDB_RDONLY, &LMDB_IT(txn));
 	}
 	if (rc) {
-		php_error_docref1(NULL, key, E_WARNING, "%s", mdb_strerror(rc));
+		php_error_docref(NULL, E_WARNING, "%s", mdb_strerror(rc));
 		return FAILURE;
 	}
 
-	k.mv_size = keylen;
-	k.mv_data = key;
+	k.mv_size = ZSTR_LEN(key);
+	k.mv_data = ZSTR_VAL(key);
 
 	rc = mdb_get(LMDB_IT(txn), LMDB_IT(dbi), &k, &v);
 	if (rc) {
 		if (MDB_NOTFOUND != rc) {
-			php_error_docref1(NULL, key, E_WARNING, "%s", mdb_strerror(rc));
+			php_error_docref(NULL, E_WARNING, "%s", mdb_strerror(rc));
 		}
 		mdb_txn_abort(LMDB_IT(txn));
 		return FAILURE;
diff --git a/ext/dba/dba_ndbm.c b/ext/dba/dba_ndbm.c
index 745c725692c..dc1fb0dab2a 100644
--- a/ext/dba/dba_ndbm.c
+++ b/ext/dba/dba_ndbm.c
@@ -97,10 +97,10 @@ DBA_EXISTS_FUNC(ndbm)
 	datum gval;
 	datum gkey;
 
-	gkey.dptr = (char *) key;
-	gkey.dsize = keylen;
+	gkey.dptr = ZSTR_VAL(key);
+	gkey.dsize = ZSTR_LEN(key);
 	gval = dbm_fetch(info->dbf, gkey);
-	if(gval.dptr) {
+	if (gval.dptr) {
 		return SUCCESS;
 	}
 	return FAILURE;
diff --git a/ext/dba/dba_qdbm.c b/ext/dba/dba_qdbm.c
index 0e56757c73f..ff484fe7f3a 100644
--- a/ext/dba/dba_qdbm.c
+++ b/ext/dba/dba_qdbm.c
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ DBA_EXISTS_FUNC(qdbm)
 	dba_qdbm_data *dba = info->dbf;
 	char *value;
 
-	value = dpget(dba->dbf, key, keylen, 0, -1, NULL);
+	value = dpget(dba->dbf, ZSTR_VAL(key), ZSTR_LEN(key), 0, -1, NULL);
 	if (value) {
 		free(value);
 		return SUCCESS;
diff --git a/ext/dba/dba_tcadb.c b/ext/dba/dba_tcadb.c
index 02449d991b0..00d73a89f1d 100644
--- a/ext/dba/dba_tcadb.c
+++ b/ext/dba/dba_tcadb.c
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ DBA_EXISTS_FUNC(tcadb)
 	char *value;
 	int value_len;
 
-	value = tcadbget(dba->tcadb, key, keylen, &value_len);
+	value = tcadbget(dba->tcadb, ZSTR_VAL(key), ZSTR_LEN(key), &value_len);
 	if (value) {
 		tcfree(value);
 		return SUCCESS;
diff --git a/ext/dba/php_dba.h b/ext/dba/php_dba.h
index feeb16b612d..c181f87f888 100644
--- a/ext/dba/php_dba.h
+++ b/ext/dba/php_dba.h
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ typedef struct dba_handler {
 	void (*close)(dba_info *);
 	zend_string* (*fetch)(dba_info *, zend_string *, int);
 	zend_result (*update)(dba_info *, zend_string *, zend_string *, int);
-	zend_result (*exists)(dba_info *, char *, size_t);
+	zend_result (*exists)(dba_info *, zend_string *);
 	zend_result (*delete)(dba_info *, char *, size_t);
 	char* (*firstkey)(dba_info *, size_t *);
 	char* (*nextkey)(dba_info *, size_t *);
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ typedef struct dba_handler {
 #define DBA_UPDATE_FUNC(x) \
 	zend_result dba_update_##x(dba_info *info, zend_string *key, zend_string *val, int mode)
 #define DBA_EXISTS_FUNC(x) \
-	zend_result dba_exists_##x(dba_info *info, char *key, size_t keylen)
+	zend_result dba_exists_##x(dba_info *info, zend_string *key)
 #define DBA_DELETE_FUNC(x) \
 	zend_result dba_delete_##x(dba_info *info, char *key, size_t keylen)
 #define DBA_FIRSTKEY_FUNC(x) \