diff --git a/include/cista/containers/string.h b/include/cista/containers/string.h
index af11da61..4b82369f 100644
--- a/include/cista/containers/string.h
+++ b/include/cista/containers/string.h
@@ -336,6 +336,62 @@ struct generic_string {
     return *this;
   }
 
+  constexpr bool starts_with(generic_string const& s) const noexcept {
+    return starts_with(s.data(), static_cast<msize_t>(s.size()));
+  }
+  constexpr bool starts_with(std::string_view const& sv) const noexcept {
+    return starts_with(sv.data(), static_cast<msize_t>(sv.size()));
+  }
+  constexpr bool starts_with(char const* s) const noexcept {
+    return starts_with(s, mstrlen(s));
+  }
+  constexpr bool starts_with(char const* s, msize_t size_s) const noexcept {
+    if (size_s > size()) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    if (size_s == 0) {
+      return true;
+    }
+    if (empty()) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    return !std::memcmp(s, data(), size_s);
+  }
+  constexpr bool starts_with(char ch) const noexcept {
+    if (empty()) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    return data()[0] == ch;
+  }
+
+  constexpr bool ends_with(generic_string const& s) const noexcept {
+    return ends_with(s.data(), static_cast<msize_t>(s.size()));
+  }
+  constexpr bool ends_with(std::string_view const& sv) const noexcept {
+    return ends_with(sv.data(), static_cast<msize_t>(sv.size()));
+  }
+  constexpr bool ends_with(char const* s) const noexcept {
+    return ends_with(s, mstrlen(s));
+  }
+  constexpr bool ends_with(char const* s, msize_t size_s) const noexcept {
+    if (size_s > size()) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    if (size_s == 0) {
+      return true;
+    }
+    if (empty()) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    return !std::memcmp(s, data() + size() - size_s, size_s);
+  }
+  constexpr bool ends_with(char ch) const noexcept {
+    if (size() == 0) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    return data()[size() - 1] == ch;
+  }
+
   struct heap {
     bool is_short_{false};
     bool self_allocated_{false};
diff --git a/include/cista/next_power_of_2.h b/include/cista/next_power_of_2.h
index f1380996..37333195 100644
--- a/include/cista/next_power_of_2.h
+++ b/include/cista/next_power_of_2.h
@@ -8,9 +8,13 @@ constexpr TemplateSizeType next_power_of_two(TemplateSizeType n) noexcept {
   n |= n >> 1U;
   n |= n >> 2U;
   n |= n >> 4U;
-  n |= n >> 8U;
-  n |= n >> 16U;
-  if constexpr (sizeof(TemplateSizeType) > 32U) {
+  if constexpr (sizeof(TemplateSizeType) > 1U) {
+    n |= n >> 8U;
+  }
+  if constexpr (sizeof(TemplateSizeType) > 2U) {
+    n |= n >> 16U;
+  }
+  if constexpr (sizeof(TemplateSizeType) > 4U) {
     n |= n >> 32U;
   }
   ++n;
diff --git a/test/string_test.cc b/test/string_test.cc
index 7c6d839b..53bfe9b1 100644
--- a/test/string_test.cc
+++ b/test/string_test.cc
@@ -104,3 +104,79 @@ TEST_CASE("string hash") {
   auto h = cista::hash(str, cista::BASE_HASH);
   CHECK(cista::BASE_HASH == h);
 }
+
+TEST_CASE("string starts_with") {
+  string s = "abacaba";
+
+  CHECK(s.starts_with("abac") == true);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with("abacaba") == true);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with("abacaba_") == false);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with("a") == true);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with("") == true);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with("abad") == false);
+
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(string{"abac"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(string{"abacaba"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(string{"abacaba_"}) == false);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(string{"a"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(string{""}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(string{"abad"}) == false);
+
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(std::string{"abac"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(std::string{"abacaba"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(std::string{"abacaba_"}) == false);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(std::string{"a"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(std::string{""}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(std::string{"\0", 1}) == false);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(std::string{"abad"}) == false);
+
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(std::string_view{"abac"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(std::string_view{"abacaba"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(std::string_view{"abacaba_"}) == false);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(std::string_view{"a"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(std::string_view{""}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(std::string_view{"\0", 1}) == false);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with(std::string_view{"abad"}) == false);
+
+  CHECK(s.starts_with('a') == true);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with('b') == false);
+  CHECK(s.starts_with('\0') == false);
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("string ends_with") {
+  string s = "abacaba";
+
+  CHECK(s.ends_with("caba") == true);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with("abacaba") == true);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with("abacaba_") == false);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with("a") == true);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with("") == true);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with("daba") == false);
+
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(string{"caba"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(string{"abacaba"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(string{"abacaba_"}) == false);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(string{"a"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(string{""}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(string{"daba"}) == false);
+
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(std::string{"caba"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(std::string{"abacaba"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(std::string{"abacaba_"}) == false);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(std::string{"a"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(std::string{""}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(std::string{"\0", 1}) == false);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(std::string{"daba"}) == false);
+
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(std::string_view{"caba"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(std::string_view{"abacaba"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(std::string_view{"abacaba_"}) == false);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(std::string_view{"a"}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(std::string_view{""}) == true);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(std::string_view{"\0", 1}) == false);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with(std::string_view{"daba"}) == false);
+
+  CHECK(s.ends_with('a') == true);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with('b') == false);
+  CHECK(s.ends_with('\0') == false);
+}