diff --git a/backend/backend.go b/backend/backend.go
index 836e4dbf7d0764b6de3a60d3b4add2ad0fbf23a7..b54e7d588db100f67cb74a4ce2a63f6213565425 100644
--- a/backend/backend.go
+++ b/backend/backend.go
@@ -15,6 +15,6 @@ type Database interface {
 
 // Config is how users configure a database backend.
 type Config struct {
-	Type   string     `yaml:"type"`
-	Params *yaml.Node `yaml:"params"`
+	Type   string    `yaml:"type"`
+	Params yaml.Node `yaml:"params"`
 }
diff --git a/dovecot/keyproxy.go b/dovecot/keyproxy.go
index b9c13a7eedf0d890fc7cc2fd44eac6bf7fe6f86a..49bd1a43ae93fb631719dca93ed5b7b16a3c49b6 100644
--- a/dovecot/keyproxy.go
+++ b/dovecot/keyproxy.go
@@ -98,9 +98,9 @@ func NewKeyLookupProxy(config *Config) (*KeyLookupProxy, error) {
 	var db backend.Database
 	switch config.Backend.Type {
 	case "ldap":
-		db, err = ldapBE.New(config.Backend.Params)
+		db, err = ldapBE.New(&config.Backend.Params)
 	case "sql":
-		db, err = sqlBE.New(config.Backend.Params)
+		db, err = sqlBE.New(&config.Backend.Params)
 	default:
 		err = errors.New("unknown backend type")
 	}
diff --git a/dovecot/keyproxy_test.go b/dovecot/keyproxy_test.go
index f5789796b5cef9168210c8aa37ba870f3b8e0f5b..68a53bdb824bc86bb71cb1fe98fc5b2439cc58c9 100644
--- a/dovecot/keyproxy_test.go
+++ b/dovecot/keyproxy_test.go
@@ -44,11 +44,10 @@ func withTestDB(t testing.TB, schema string) (func(), string) {
 	}, dbPath
 }
 
-func makeMapSlice(m map[string]interface{}) *yaml.Node {
-	var out yaml.Node
+func makeMapSlice(m map[string]interface{}) (out yaml.Node) {
 	d, _ := yaml.Marshal(m)
-	yaml.Unmarshal(d, &out)
-	return &out
+	yaml.Unmarshal(d, &out) // nolint: errcheck
+	return
 }
 
 var (
diff --git a/server/keystore.go b/server/keystore.go
index ca1a8d318f575e35cb9e5d91a82ca583d2c0329c..0ffcda59d724440ddd50bf84bb6c2777dbd48dd4 100644
--- a/server/keystore.go
+++ b/server/keystore.go
@@ -106,9 +106,9 @@ func NewKeyStore(config *Config) (*KeyStore, error) {
 	var err error
 	switch config.Backend.Type {
 	case "ldap":
-		db, err = ldapBE.New(config.Backend.Params)
+		db, err = ldapBE.New(&config.Backend.Params)
 	case "sql":
-		db, err = sqlBE.New(config.Backend.Params)
+		db, err = sqlBE.New(&config.Backend.Params)
 	default:
 		err = errors.New("unknown backend type")
 	}