diff -r aac47db8da0b -r c067394737ca src/string.c
--- a/src/string.c	Wed Aug 31 23:12:05 2022 +0200
+++ b/src/string.c	Sat Sep 03 14:56:07 2022 +0200
@@ -32,6 +32,13 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdarg.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
+#include <ctype.h>
+
+#ifndef _WIN32
+
+#include <strings.h> /* for strncasecmp() */
+
+#endif /* _WIN32 */
 
 cxmutstr cx_mutstr(char *cstring) {
     return (cxmutstr) {cstring, strlen(cstring)};
@@ -336,3 +343,90 @@
     return cx_strsplit_a(allocator, cx_strcast(string),
                          delim, limit, (cxstring **) output);
 }
+
+int cx_strcmp(cxstring s1, cxstring s2) {
+    if (s1.length == s2.length) {
+        return memcmp(s1.ptr, s2.ptr, s1.length);
+    } else if (s1.length > s2.length) {
+        return 1;
+    } else {
+        return -1;
+    }
+}
+
+int cx_strcasecmp(cxstring s1, cxstring s2) {
+    if (s1.length == s2.length) {
+#ifdef _WIN32
+        return _strnicmp(s1.ptr, s2.ptr, s1.length);
+#else
+        return strncasecmp(s1.ptr, s2.ptr, s1.length);
+#endif
+    } else if (s1.length > s2.length) {
+        return 1;
+    } else {
+        return -1;
+    }
+}
+
+cxmutstr cx_strdup_a(CxAllocator *allocator, cxstring string) {
+    cxmutstr result = {
+            cxMalloc(allocator, string.length + 1),
+            string.length
+    };
+    if (result.ptr == NULL) {
+        result.length = 0;
+        return result;
+    }
+    memcpy(result.ptr, string.ptr, string.length);
+    result.ptr[string.length] = '\0';
+    return result;
+}
+
+cxstring cx_strtrim(cxstring string) {
+    cxstring result = string;
+    // TODO: optimize by comparing multiple bytes at once
+    while (result.length > 0 && isspace(*result.ptr)) {
+        result.ptr++;
+        result.length--;
+    }
+    while (result.length > 0 && isspace(result.ptr[result.length - 1])) {
+        result.length--;
+    }
+    return result;
+}
+
+cxmutstr cx_strtrim_m(cxmutstr string) {
+    cxstring result = cx_strtrim(cx_strcast(string));
+    return (cxmutstr) {(char *) result.ptr, result.length};
+}
+
+bool cx_strprefix(cxstring string, cxstring prefix) {
+    if (string.length < prefix.length) return false;
+    return memcmp(string.ptr, prefix.ptr, prefix.length) == 0;
+}
+
+bool cx_strsuffix(cxstring string, cxstring suffix) {
+    if (string.length < suffix.length) return false;
+    return memcmp(string.ptr + string.length - suffix.length,
+                  suffix.ptr, suffix.length) == 0;
+}
+
+bool cx_casestrprefix(cxstring string, cxstring prefix) {
+    if (string.length < prefix.length) return false;
+#ifdef _WIN32
+    return _strnicmp(string.ptr, prefix.ptr, prefix.length) == 0;
+#else
+    return strncasecmp(string.ptr, prefix.ptr, prefix.length) == 0;
+#endif
+}
+
+bool cx_casestrsuffix(cxstring string, cxstring suffix) {
+    if (string.length < suffix.length) return false;
+#ifdef _WIN32
+    return _strnicmp(string.ptr+string.length-suffix.length,
+                  suffix.ptr, suffix.length) == 0;
+#else
+    return strncasecmp(string.ptr + string.length - suffix.length,
+                       suffix.ptr, suffix.length) == 0;
+#endif
+}