diff --git a/environment/docker/environment.go b/environment/docker/environment.go
index 448cfef..d4aaf1c 100644
--- a/environment/docker/environment.go
+++ b/environment/docker/environment.go
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ type Environment struct {
 	emitter *events.EventBus
 
 	// Tracks the environment state.
-	st system.AtomicString
+	st *system.AtomicString
 }
 
 // Creates a new base Docker environment. The ID passed through will be the ID that is used to
@@ -65,10 +65,9 @@ func New(id string, m *Metadata, c *environment.Configuration) (*Environment, er
 		Configuration: c,
 		meta:          m,
 		client:        cli,
+		st:            system.NewAtomicString(environment.ProcessOfflineState),
 	}
 
-	e.st.Store(environment.ProcessOfflineState)
-
 	return e, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/server/resources.go b/server/resources.go
index ca52ed3..085dedc 100644
--- a/server/resources.go
+++ b/server/resources.go
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ type ResourceUsage struct {
 	environment.Stats
 
 	// The current server status.
-	State system.AtomicString `json:"state"`
+	State *system.AtomicString `json:"state" default:"{}"`
 
 	// The current disk space being used by the server. This value is not guaranteed to be accurate
 	// at all times. It is "manually" set whenever server.Proc() is called. This is kind of just a
diff --git a/system/utils.go b/system/utils.go
index 8a9008e..5862a0c 100644
--- a/system/utils.go
+++ b/system/utils.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package system
 
 import (
+	"sync"
 	"sync/atomic"
 )
 
@@ -25,27 +26,33 @@ func (ab *AtomicBool) Get() bool {
 // about a potential race condition scenario. Under the hood it uses a simple sync.RWMutex
 // to control access to the value.
 type AtomicString struct {
-	v atomic.Value
+	v  string
+	mu sync.RWMutex
 }
 
-// Returns a new instance of an AtomicString.
 func NewAtomicString(v string) *AtomicString {
-	as := &AtomicString{}
-	if v != "" {
-		as.Store(v)
-	}
-	return as
+	return &AtomicString{v: v}
 }
 
 // Stores the string value passed atomically.
 func (as *AtomicString) Store(v string) {
-	as.v.Store(v)
+	as.mu.Lock()
+	as.v = v
+	as.mu.Unlock()
 }
 
 // Loads the string value and returns it.
 func (as *AtomicString) Load() string {
-	if v := as.v.Load(); v != nil {
-		return v.(string)
-	}
-	return ""
+	as.mu.RLock()
+	defer as.mu.RUnlock()
+	return as.v
+}
+
+func (as *AtomicString) UnmarshalText(b []byte) error {
+	as.Store(string(b))
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (as *AtomicString) MarshalText() ([]byte, error) {
+	return []byte(as.Load()), nil
 }