diff --git a/columnar/src/tests.rs b/columnar/src/tests.rs
index 117ebc663..88e97186c 100644
--- a/columnar/src/tests.rs
+++ b/columnar/src/tests.rs
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ fn test_dataframe_writer_str() {
     assert_eq!(columnar.num_columns(), 1);
     let cols: Vec<DynamicColumnHandle> = columnar.read_columns("my_string").unwrap();
     assert_eq!(cols.len(), 1);
-    assert_eq!(cols[0].num_bytes(), 85);
+    assert_eq!(cols[0].num_bytes(), 87);
 }
 
 #[test]
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ fn test_dataframe_writer_bytes() {
     assert_eq!(columnar.num_columns(), 1);
     let cols: Vec<DynamicColumnHandle> = columnar.read_columns("my_string").unwrap();
     assert_eq!(cols.len(), 1);
-    assert_eq!(cols[0].num_bytes(), 85);
+    assert_eq!(cols[0].num_bytes(), 87);
 }
 
 #[test]
diff --git a/ownedbytes/src/lib.rs b/ownedbytes/src/lib.rs
index ef0ab72ac..1b6046e2e 100644
--- a/ownedbytes/src/lib.rs
+++ b/ownedbytes/src/lib.rs
@@ -139,6 +139,16 @@ impl OwnedBytes {
         self.advance(8);
         u64::from_le_bytes(octlet)
     }
+
+    /// Reads an `u32` encoded as little-endian from the `OwnedBytes` and advance by 4 bytes.
+    #[inline]
+    pub fn read_u32(&mut self) -> u32 {
+        assert!(self.len() > 3);
+
+        let quad: [u8; 4] = self.as_slice()[..4].try_into().unwrap();
+        self.advance(4);
+        u32::from_le_bytes(quad)
+    }
 }
 
 impl fmt::Debug for OwnedBytes {
diff --git a/src/fastfield/mod.rs b/src/fastfield/mod.rs
index 582048bdf..93d16d1bb 100644
--- a/src/fastfield/mod.rs
+++ b/src/fastfield/mod.rs
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ mod tests {
         }
         let file = directory.open_read(path).unwrap();
 
-        assert_eq!(file.len(), 91);
+        assert_eq!(file.len(), 93);
         let fast_field_readers = FastFieldReaders::open(file, SCHEMA.clone()).unwrap();
         let column = fast_field_readers
             .u64("field")
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ mod tests {
             write.terminate().unwrap();
         }
         let file = directory.open_read(path).unwrap();
-        assert_eq!(file.len(), 119);
+        assert_eq!(file.len(), 121);
         let fast_field_readers = FastFieldReaders::open(file, SCHEMA.clone()).unwrap();
         let col = fast_field_readers
             .u64("field")
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ mod tests {
             write.terminate().unwrap();
         }
         let file = directory.open_read(path).unwrap();
-        assert_eq!(file.len(), 92);
+        assert_eq!(file.len(), 94);
         let fast_field_readers = FastFieldReaders::open(file, SCHEMA.clone()).unwrap();
         let fast_field_reader = fast_field_readers
             .u64("field")
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ mod tests {
             write.terminate().unwrap();
         }
         let file = directory.open_read(path).unwrap();
-        assert_eq!(file.len(), 4487);
+        assert_eq!(file.len(), 4489);
         {
             let fast_field_readers = FastFieldReaders::open(file, SCHEMA.clone()).unwrap();
             let col = fast_field_readers
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ mod tests {
             write.terminate().unwrap();
         }
         let file = directory.open_read(path).unwrap();
-        assert_eq!(file.len(), 263);
+        assert_eq!(file.len(), 265);
 
         {
             let fast_field_readers = FastFieldReaders::open(file, schema).unwrap();
@@ -772,7 +772,7 @@ mod tests {
             write.terminate().unwrap();
         }
         let file = directory.open_read(path).unwrap();
-        assert_eq!(file.len(), 100);
+        assert_eq!(file.len(), 102);
         let fast_field_readers = FastFieldReaders::open(file, schema).unwrap();
         let bool_col = fast_field_readers.bool("field_bool").unwrap();
         assert_eq!(bool_col.first(0), Some(true));
@@ -804,7 +804,7 @@ mod tests {
             write.terminate().unwrap();
         }
         let file = directory.open_read(path).unwrap();
-        assert_eq!(file.len(), 112);
+        assert_eq!(file.len(), 114);
         let readers = FastFieldReaders::open(file, schema).unwrap();
         let bool_col = readers.bool("field_bool").unwrap();
         for i in 0..25 {
@@ -829,7 +829,7 @@ mod tests {
             write.terminate().unwrap();
         }
         let file = directory.open_read(path).unwrap();
-        assert_eq!(file.len(), 102);
+        assert_eq!(file.len(), 104);
         let fastfield_readers = FastFieldReaders::open(file, schema).unwrap();
         let col = fastfield_readers.bool("field_bool").unwrap();
         assert_eq!(col.first(0), None);
diff --git a/sstable/Cargo.toml b/sstable/Cargo.toml
index 6b5664e3f..fe8c19b93 100644
--- a/sstable/Cargo.toml
+++ b/sstable/Cargo.toml
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ license = "MIT"
 [dependencies]
 common = {path="../common", package="tantivy-common"}
 tantivy-fst = "0.4"
+# experimental gives us access to Decompressor::upper_bound
+zstd = { version = "0.12", features = ["experimental"] }
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 proptest = "1"
diff --git a/sstable/README.md b/sstable/README.md
index 83d3c8139..bec6d70f9 100644
--- a/sstable/README.md
+++ b/sstable/README.md
@@ -43,12 +43,14 @@ Overview of the SSTable format. Unless noted otherwise, numbers are little-endia
 
 ### SSTBlock
 ```
-+----------+--------+-------+-------+-----+
-| BlockLen | Values | Delta | Delta | ... |
-+----------+--------+-------+-------+-----+
-                    |----( # of deltas)---|
++----------+----------+--------+-------+-------+-----+
+| BlockLen | Compress | Values | Delta | Delta | ... |
++----------+----------+--------+-------+-------+-----+
+                      |        |----( # of deltas)---|
+                      |------(maybe compressed)------|
 ```
-- BlockLen(u32): length of the block
+- BlockLen(u32): length of the block, including the compress byte.
+- Compress(u8): indicate whether block is compressed. 0 if not compressed, 1 if compressed.
 - Values: an application defined format storing a sequence of value, capable of determining it own length
 - Delta
 
@@ -83,7 +85,7 @@ Otherwise:
 - Keep(VInt): number of bytes to pop
 
 
-Note: there is no ambiguity between both representation as Add is always guarantee to be non-zero, except for the very first key of an SSTable, where Keep is guaranteed to be zero.
+Note: as the SSTable does not support redundant keys, there is no ambiguity between both representation. Add is always guaranteed to be non-zero, except for the very first key of an SSTable, where Keep is guaranteed to be zero.
 
 ### SSTFooter
 ```
@@ -95,7 +97,7 @@ Note: there is no ambiguity between both representation as Add is always guarant
 - Block(SSTBlock): uses IndexValue for its Values format
 - IndexOffset(u64): Offset to the start of the SSTFooter
 - NumTerm(u64): number of terms in the sstable
-- Version(u32): Currently defined to 0x00\_00\_00\_01
+- Version(u32): Currently equal to 2
 
 ### IndexValue
 ```
diff --git a/sstable/src/block_reader.rs b/sstable/src/block_reader.rs
index c16440afc..ee01ed570 100644
--- a/sstable/src/block_reader.rs
+++ b/sstable/src/block_reader.rs
@@ -1,21 +1,17 @@
-use std::io;
+use std::io::{self, Read};
 use std::ops::Range;
 
-pub struct BlockReader<'a> {
+use common::OwnedBytes;
+use zstd::bulk::Decompressor;
+
+pub struct BlockReader {
     buffer: Vec<u8>,
-    reader: Box<dyn io::Read + 'a>,
+    reader: OwnedBytes,
     offset: usize,
 }
 
-#[inline]
-fn read_u32(read: &mut dyn io::Read) -> io::Result<u32> {
-    let mut buf = [0u8; 4];
-    read.read_exact(&mut buf)?;
-    Ok(u32::from_le_bytes(buf))
-}
-
-impl<'a> BlockReader<'a> {
-    pub fn new(reader: Box<dyn io::Read + 'a>) -> BlockReader<'a> {
+impl BlockReader {
+    pub fn new(reader: OwnedBytes) -> BlockReader {
         BlockReader {
             buffer: Vec::new(),
             reader,
@@ -36,19 +32,43 @@ impl<'a> BlockReader<'a> {
 
     pub fn read_block(&mut self) -> io::Result<bool> {
         self.offset = 0;
-        let block_len_res = read_u32(self.reader.as_mut());
-        if let Err(err) = &block_len_res {
-            if err.kind() == io::ErrorKind::UnexpectedEof {
-                return Ok(false);
+        self.buffer.clear();
+
+        let block_len = match self.reader.len() {
+            0 => return Ok(false),
+            1..=3 => {
+                return Err(io::Error::new(
+                    io::ErrorKind::UnexpectedEof,
+                    "failed to read block_len",
+                ))
             }
-        }
-        let block_len = block_len_res?;
-        if block_len == 0u32 {
-            self.buffer.clear();
+            _ => self.reader.read_u32() as usize,
+        };
+        if block_len <= 1 {
             return Ok(false);
         }
-        self.buffer.resize(block_len as usize, 0u8);
-        self.reader.read_exact(&mut self.buffer[..])?;
+        let compress = self.reader.read_u8();
+        let block_len = block_len - 1;
+
+        if self.reader.len() < block_len {
+            return Err(io::Error::new(
+                io::ErrorKind::UnexpectedEof,
+                "failed to read block content",
+            ));
+        }
+        if compress == 1 {
+            let required_capacity =
+                Decompressor::upper_bound(&self.reader[..block_len]).unwrap_or(1024 * 1024);
+            self.buffer.reserve(required_capacity);
+            Decompressor::new()?
+                .decompress_to_buffer(&self.reader[..block_len], &mut self.buffer)?;
+
+            self.reader.advance(block_len);
+        } else {
+            self.buffer.resize(block_len, 0u8);
+            self.reader.read_exact(&mut self.buffer[..])?;
+        }
+
         Ok(true)
     }
 
@@ -68,7 +88,7 @@ impl<'a> BlockReader<'a> {
     }
 }
 
-impl<'a> io::Read for BlockReader<'a> {
+impl io::Read for BlockReader {
     fn read(&mut self, buf: &mut [u8]) -> io::Result<usize> {
         let len = self.buffer().read(buf)?;
         self.advance(len);
diff --git a/sstable/src/delta.rs b/sstable/src/delta.rs
index 6681b551f..2b8a332d1 100644
--- a/sstable/src/delta.rs
+++ b/sstable/src/delta.rs
@@ -1,14 +1,15 @@
 use std::io::{self, BufWriter, Write};
 use std::ops::Range;
 
-use common::CountingWriter;
+use common::{CountingWriter, OwnedBytes};
+use zstd::bulk::Compressor;
 
 use super::value::ValueWriter;
 use super::{value, vint, BlockReader};
 
 const FOUR_BIT_LIMITS: usize = 1 << 4;
 const VINT_MODE: u8 = 1u8;
-const BLOCK_LEN: usize = 32_000;
+const BLOCK_LEN: usize = 4_000;
 
 pub struct DeltaWriter<W, TValueWriter>
 where W: io::Write
@@ -45,13 +46,41 @@ where
             return Ok(None);
         }
         let start_offset = self.write.written_bytes() as usize;
+
         let buffer: &mut Vec<u8> = &mut self.stateless_buffer;
         self.value_writer.serialize_block(buffer);
         self.value_writer.clear();
+
         let block_len = buffer.len() + self.block.len();
-        self.write.write_all(&(block_len as u32).to_le_bytes())?;
-        self.write.write_all(&buffer[..])?;
-        self.write.write_all(&self.block[..])?;
+
+        if block_len > 2048 {
+            buffer.extend_from_slice(&self.block);
+            self.block.clear();
+
+            let max_len = zstd::zstd_safe::compress_bound(buffer.len());
+            self.block.reserve(max_len);
+            Compressor::new(3)?.compress_to_buffer(buffer, &mut self.block)?;
+
+            // verify compression had a positive impact
+            if self.block.len() < buffer.len() {
+                self.write
+                    .write_all(&(self.block.len() as u32 + 1).to_le_bytes())?;
+                self.write.write_all(&[1])?;
+                self.write.write_all(&self.block[..])?;
+            } else {
+                self.write
+                    .write_all(&(block_len as u32 + 1).to_le_bytes())?;
+                self.write.write_all(&[0])?;
+                self.write.write_all(&buffer[..])?;
+            }
+        } else {
+            self.write
+                .write_all(&(block_len as u32 + 1).to_le_bytes())?;
+            self.write.write_all(&[0])?;
+            self.write.write_all(&buffer[..])?;
+            self.write.write_all(&self.block[..])?;
+        }
+
         let end_offset = self.write.written_bytes() as usize;
         self.block.clear();
         buffer.clear();
@@ -93,29 +122,29 @@ where
     }
 }
 
-pub struct DeltaReader<'a, TValueReader> {
+pub struct DeltaReader<TValueReader> {
     common_prefix_len: usize,
     suffix_range: Range<usize>,
     value_reader: TValueReader,
-    block_reader: BlockReader<'a>,
+    block_reader: BlockReader,
     idx: usize,
 }
 
-impl<'a, TValueReader> DeltaReader<'a, TValueReader>
+impl<TValueReader> DeltaReader<TValueReader>
 where TValueReader: value::ValueReader
 {
-    pub fn new<R: io::Read + 'a>(reader: R) -> Self {
+    pub fn new(reader: OwnedBytes) -> Self {
         DeltaReader {
             idx: 0,
             common_prefix_len: 0,
             suffix_range: 0..0,
             value_reader: TValueReader::default(),
-            block_reader: BlockReader::new(Box::new(reader)),
+            block_reader: BlockReader::new(reader),
         }
     }
 
     pub fn empty() -> Self {
-        DeltaReader::new(&b""[..])
+        DeltaReader::new(OwnedBytes::empty())
     }
 
     fn deserialize_vint(&mut self) -> u64 {
diff --git a/sstable/src/dictionary.rs b/sstable/src/dictionary.rs
index 3d1c80d60..ef4ab25ee 100644
--- a/sstable/src/dictionary.rs
+++ b/sstable/src/dictionary.rs
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ impl<TSSTable: SSTable> Dictionary<TSSTable> {
     pub(crate) fn sstable_reader_block(
         &self,
         block_addr: BlockAddr,
-    ) -> io::Result<Reader<'static, TSSTable::ValueReader>> {
+    ) -> io::Result<Reader<TSSTable::ValueReader>> {
         let data = self.sstable_slice.read_bytes_slice(block_addr.byte_range)?;
         Ok(TSSTable::reader(data))
     }
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ impl<TSSTable: SSTable> Dictionary<TSSTable> {
     pub(crate) async fn sstable_reader_block_async(
         &self,
         block_addr: BlockAddr,
-    ) -> io::Result<Reader<'static, TSSTable::ValueReader>> {
+    ) -> io::Result<Reader<TSSTable::ValueReader>> {
         let data = self
             .sstable_slice
             .read_bytes_slice_async(block_addr.byte_range)
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ impl<TSSTable: SSTable> Dictionary<TSSTable> {
         &self,
         key_range: impl RangeBounds<[u8]>,
         limit: Option<u64>,
-    ) -> io::Result<DeltaReader<'static, TSSTable::ValueReader>> {
+    ) -> io::Result<DeltaReader<TSSTable::ValueReader>> {
         let slice = self.file_slice_for_range(key_range, limit);
         let data = slice.read_bytes_async().await?;
         Ok(TSSTable::delta_reader(data))
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ impl<TSSTable: SSTable> Dictionary<TSSTable> {
         &self,
         key_range: impl RangeBounds<[u8]>,
         limit: Option<u64>,
-    ) -> io::Result<DeltaReader<'static, TSSTable::ValueReader>> {
+    ) -> io::Result<DeltaReader<TSSTable::ValueReader>> {
         let slice = self.file_slice_for_range(key_range, limit);
         let data = slice.read_bytes()?;
         Ok(TSSTable::delta_reader(data))
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ impl<TSSTable: SSTable> Dictionary<TSSTable> {
     pub(crate) fn sstable_delta_reader_block(
         &self,
         block_addr: BlockAddr,
-    ) -> io::Result<DeltaReader<'static, TSSTable::ValueReader>> {
+    ) -> io::Result<DeltaReader<TSSTable::ValueReader>> {
         let data = self.sstable_slice.read_bytes_slice(block_addr.byte_range)?;
         Ok(TSSTable::delta_reader(data))
     }
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ impl<TSSTable: SSTable> Dictionary<TSSTable> {
 
         let (sstable_slice, index_slice) = main_slice.split(index_offset as usize);
         let sstable_index_bytes = index_slice.read_bytes()?;
-        let sstable_index = SSTableIndex::load(sstable_index_bytes.as_slice())
+        let sstable_index = SSTableIndex::load(sstable_index_bytes)
             .map_err(|_| io::Error::new(io::ErrorKind::InvalidData, "SSTable corruption"))?;
         Ok(Dictionary {
             sstable_slice,
@@ -351,12 +351,12 @@ impl<TSSTable: SSTable> Dictionary<TSSTable> {
 
     /// Returns a range builder, to stream all of the terms
     /// within an interval.
-    pub fn range(&self) -> StreamerBuilder<'_, TSSTable> {
+    pub fn range(&self) -> StreamerBuilder<TSSTable> {
         StreamerBuilder::new(self, AlwaysMatch)
     }
 
     /// A stream of all the sorted terms.
-    pub fn stream(&self) -> io::Result<Streamer<'_, TSSTable>> {
+    pub fn stream(&self) -> io::Result<Streamer<TSSTable>> {
         self.range().into_stream()
     }
 
diff --git a/sstable/src/lib.rs b/sstable/src/lib.rs
index 00a88793c..28b6312fe 100644
--- a/sstable/src/lib.rs
+++ b/sstable/src/lib.rs
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ pub use dictionary::Dictionary;
 pub use streamer::{Streamer, StreamerBuilder};
 
 mod block_reader;
-use common::BinarySerializable;
+use common::{BinarySerializable, OwnedBytes};
 
 pub use self::block_reader::BlockReader;
 pub use self::delta::{DeltaReader, DeltaWriter};
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ use crate::value::{RangeValueReader, RangeValueWriter};
 pub type TermOrdinal = u64;
 
 const DEFAULT_KEY_CAPACITY: usize = 50;
-const SSTABLE_VERSION: u32 = 1;
+const SSTABLE_VERSION: u32 = 2;
 
 /// Given two byte string returns the length of
 /// the longest common prefix.
@@ -58,11 +58,11 @@ pub trait SSTable: Sized {
         Writer::new(wrt)
     }
 
-    fn delta_reader<'a, R: io::Read + 'a>(reader: R) -> DeltaReader<'a, Self::ValueReader> {
+    fn delta_reader(reader: OwnedBytes) -> DeltaReader<Self::ValueReader> {
         DeltaReader::new(reader)
     }
 
-    fn reader<'a, R: io::Read + 'a>(reader: R) -> Reader<'a, Self::ValueReader> {
+    fn reader(reader: OwnedBytes) -> Reader<Self::ValueReader> {
         Reader {
             key: Vec::with_capacity(DEFAULT_KEY_CAPACITY),
             delta_reader: Self::delta_reader(reader),
@@ -70,12 +70,12 @@ pub trait SSTable: Sized {
     }
 
     /// Returns an empty static reader.
-    fn create_empty_reader() -> Reader<'static, Self::ValueReader> {
-        Self::reader(&b""[..])
+    fn create_empty_reader() -> Reader<Self::ValueReader> {
+        Self::reader(OwnedBytes::empty())
     }
 
-    fn merge<R: io::Read, W: io::Write, M: ValueMerger<Self::Value>>(
-        io_readers: Vec<R>,
+    fn merge<W: io::Write, M: ValueMerger<Self::Value>>(
+        io_readers: Vec<OwnedBytes>,
         w: W,
         merger: M,
     ) -> io::Result<()> {
@@ -132,12 +132,12 @@ impl SSTable for RangeSSTable {
 }
 
 /// SSTable reader.
-pub struct Reader<'a, TValueReader> {
+pub struct Reader<TValueReader> {
     key: Vec<u8>,
-    delta_reader: DeltaReader<'a, TValueReader>,
+    delta_reader: DeltaReader<TValueReader>,
 }
 
-impl<'a, TValueReader> Reader<'a, TValueReader>
+impl<TValueReader> Reader<TValueReader>
 where TValueReader: ValueReader
 {
     pub fn advance(&mut self) -> io::Result<bool> {
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ where TValueReader: ValueReader
     }
 }
 
-impl<'a, TValueReader> AsRef<[u8]> for Reader<'a, TValueReader> {
+impl<TValueReader> AsRef<[u8]> for Reader<TValueReader> {
     #[inline(always)]
     fn as_ref(&self) -> &[u8] {
         &self.key
@@ -320,6 +320,8 @@ mod test {
     use std::io;
     use std::ops::Bound;
 
+    use common::OwnedBytes;
+
     use super::{common_prefix_len, MonotonicU64SSTable, SSTable, VoidMerge, VoidSSTable};
 
     fn aux_test_common_prefix_len(left: &str, right: &str, expect_len: usize) {
@@ -353,7 +355,8 @@ mod test {
             assert!(sstable_writer.insert(&long_key2[..], &()).is_ok());
             assert!(sstable_writer.finish().is_ok());
         }
-        let mut sstable_reader = VoidSSTable::reader(&buffer[..]);
+        let buffer = OwnedBytes::new(buffer);
+        let mut sstable_reader = VoidSSTable::reader(buffer);
         assert!(sstable_reader.advance().unwrap());
         assert_eq!(sstable_reader.key(), &long_key[..]);
         assert!(sstable_reader.advance().unwrap());
@@ -377,27 +380,22 @@ mod test {
             &buffer,
             &[
                 // block
-                7u8, 0u8, 0u8, 0u8, // block len
-                16u8, 17u8, // keep 0 push 1 | 17
-                33u8, 18u8, 19u8, // keep 1 push 2 | 18 19
-                17u8, 20u8, // keep 1 push 1 | 20
-                // end of block
-                0u8, 0u8, 0u8, 0u8, // no more blocks
+                8, 0, 0, 0, // size of block
+                0, // compression
+                16, 17, 33, 18, 19, 17, 20, // data block
+                0, 0, 0, 0, // no more block
                 // index
-                7u8, 0u8, 0u8, 0u8, // block len
-                1,   // num blocks
-                0,   // offset
-                11,  // len of 1st block
-                0,   // first ord of 1st block
-                32, 17, 20, // keep 0 push 2 | 17 20
-                // end of block
-                0, 0, 0, 0, // no more blocks
-                15, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, // index start offset
-                3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, // num_term
-                1, 0, 0, 0, // version
+                8, 0, 0, 0, // size of index block
+                0, // compression
+                1, 0, 12, 0, 32, 17, 20, // index block
+                0, 0, 0, 0, // no more index block
+                16, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, // index start offset
+                3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, // num term
+                2, 0, 0, 0, // version
             ]
         );
-        let mut sstable_reader = VoidSSTable::reader(&buffer[..]);
+        let buffer = OwnedBytes::new(buffer);
+        let mut sstable_reader = VoidSSTable::reader(buffer);
         assert!(sstable_reader.advance().unwrap());
         assert_eq!(sstable_reader.key(), &[17u8]);
         assert!(sstable_reader.advance().unwrap());
@@ -425,8 +423,12 @@ mod test {
             writer.insert(b"abe", &()).unwrap();
             writer.finish().unwrap();
         }
+        let buffer = OwnedBytes::new(buffer);
         let mut output = Vec::new();
-        assert!(VoidSSTable::merge(vec![&buffer[..], &buffer[..]], &mut output, VoidMerge).is_ok());
+        assert!(
+            VoidSSTable::merge(vec![buffer.clone(), buffer.clone()], &mut output, VoidMerge)
+                .is_ok()
+        );
         assert_eq!(&output[..], &buffer[..]);
     }
 
@@ -442,8 +444,12 @@ mod test {
             assert_eq!(writer.last_inserted_key(), b"abe");
             writer.finish().unwrap();
         }
+        let buffer = OwnedBytes::new(buffer);
         let mut output = Vec::new();
-        assert!(VoidSSTable::merge(vec![&buffer[..], &buffer[..]], &mut output, VoidMerge).is_ok());
+        assert!(
+            VoidSSTable::merge(vec![buffer.clone(), buffer.clone()], &mut output, VoidMerge)
+                .is_ok()
+        );
         assert_eq!(&output[..], &buffer[..]);
     }
 
@@ -455,7 +461,8 @@ mod test {
         writer.insert(b"abe", &4u64)?;
         writer.insert(b"gogo", &4324234234234234u64)?;
         writer.finish()?;
-        let mut reader = MonotonicU64SSTable::reader(&buffer[..]);
+        let buffer = OwnedBytes::new(buffer);
+        let mut reader = MonotonicU64SSTable::reader(buffer);
         assert!(reader.advance()?);
         assert_eq!(reader.key(), b"abcd");
         assert_eq!(reader.value(), &1u64);
diff --git a/sstable/src/merge/mod.rs b/sstable/src/merge/mod.rs
index 083efb9ad..6661db0bf 100644
--- a/sstable/src/merge/mod.rs
+++ b/sstable/src/merge/mod.rs
@@ -71,10 +71,12 @@ mod tests {
     use std::collections::{BTreeMap, BTreeSet};
     use std::str;
 
+    use common::OwnedBytes;
+
     use super::super::{MonotonicU64SSTable, SSTable, VoidSSTable};
     use super::{U64Merge, VoidMerge};
 
-    fn write_sstable(keys: &[&'static str]) -> Vec<u8> {
+    fn write_sstable(keys: &[&'static str]) -> OwnedBytes {
         let mut buffer: Vec<u8> = vec![];
         {
             let mut sstable_writer = VoidSSTable::writer(&mut buffer);
@@ -83,10 +85,10 @@ mod tests {
             }
             assert!(sstable_writer.finish().is_ok());
         }
-        buffer
+        OwnedBytes::new(buffer)
     }
 
-    fn write_sstable_u64(keys: &[(&'static str, u64)]) -> Vec<u8> {
+    fn write_sstable_u64(keys: &[(&'static str, u64)]) -> OwnedBytes {
         let mut buffer: Vec<u8> = vec![];
         {
             let mut sstable_writer = MonotonicU64SSTable::writer(&mut buffer);
@@ -95,12 +97,11 @@ mod tests {
             }
             assert!(sstable_writer.finish().is_ok());
         }
-        buffer
+        OwnedBytes::new(buffer)
     }
 
     fn merge_test_aux(arrs: &[&[&'static str]]) {
         let sstables = arrs.iter().cloned().map(write_sstable).collect::<Vec<_>>();
-        let sstables_ref: Vec<&[u8]> = sstables.iter().map(|s| s.as_ref()).collect();
         let mut merged = BTreeSet::new();
         for &arr in arrs.iter() {
             for &s in arr {
@@ -108,8 +109,9 @@ mod tests {
             }
         }
         let mut w = Vec::new();
-        assert!(VoidSSTable::merge(sstables_ref, &mut w, VoidMerge).is_ok());
-        let mut reader = VoidSSTable::reader(&w[..]);
+        assert!(VoidSSTable::merge(sstables, &mut w, VoidMerge).is_ok());
+        let w = OwnedBytes::new(w);
+        let mut reader = VoidSSTable::reader(w);
         for k in merged {
             assert!(reader.advance().unwrap());
             assert_eq!(reader.key(), k.as_bytes());
@@ -123,7 +125,6 @@ mod tests {
             .cloned()
             .map(write_sstable_u64)
             .collect::<Vec<_>>();
-        let sstables_ref: Vec<&[u8]> = sstables.iter().map(|s| s.as_ref()).collect();
         let mut merged = BTreeMap::new();
         for &arr in arrs.iter() {
             for (key, val) in arr {
@@ -132,8 +133,9 @@ mod tests {
             }
         }
         let mut w = Vec::new();
-        assert!(MonotonicU64SSTable::merge(sstables_ref, &mut w, U64Merge).is_ok());
-        let mut reader = MonotonicU64SSTable::reader(&w[..]);
+        assert!(MonotonicU64SSTable::merge(sstables, &mut w, U64Merge).is_ok());
+        let w = OwnedBytes::new(w);
+        let mut reader = MonotonicU64SSTable::reader(w);
         for (k, v) in merged {
             assert!(reader.advance().unwrap());
             assert_eq!(reader.key(), k.as_bytes());
@@ -145,7 +147,7 @@ mod tests {
     #[test]
     fn test_merge_simple_reproduce() {
         let sstable_data = write_sstable(&["a"]);
-        let mut reader = VoidSSTable::reader(&sstable_data[..]);
+        let mut reader = VoidSSTable::reader(sstable_data);
         assert!(reader.advance().unwrap());
         assert_eq!(reader.key(), b"a");
         assert!(!reader.advance().unwrap());
diff --git a/sstable/src/sstable_index.rs b/sstable/src/sstable_index.rs
index b27f6e184..1ce85305c 100644
--- a/sstable/src/sstable_index.rs
+++ b/sstable/src/sstable_index.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 use std::io::{self, Write};
 use std::ops::Range;
 
+use common::OwnedBytes;
+
 use crate::{common_prefix_len, SSTable, SSTableDataCorruption, TermOrdinal};
 
 #[derive(Default, Debug, Clone)]
@@ -10,7 +12,7 @@ pub struct SSTableIndex {
 
 impl SSTableIndex {
     /// Load an index from its binary representation
-    pub fn load(data: &[u8]) -> Result<SSTableIndex, SSTableDataCorruption> {
+    pub fn load(data: OwnedBytes) -> Result<SSTableIndex, SSTableDataCorruption> {
         let mut reader = IndexSSTable::reader(data);
         let mut blocks = Vec::new();
 
@@ -179,6 +181,8 @@ impl SSTable for IndexSSTable {
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
+    use common::OwnedBytes;
+
     use super::{BlockAddr, SSTableIndex, SSTableIndexBuilder};
     use crate::SSTableDataCorruption;
 
@@ -191,7 +195,8 @@ mod tests {
         sstable_builder.add_block(b"dddd", 40..50, 15u64);
         let mut buffer: Vec<u8> = Vec::new();
         sstable_builder.serialize(&mut buffer).unwrap();
-        let sstable_index = SSTableIndex::load(&buffer[..]).unwrap();
+        let buffer = OwnedBytes::new(buffer);
+        let sstable_index = SSTableIndex::load(buffer).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(
             sstable_index.get_block_with_key(b"bbbde"),
             Some(BlockAddr {
@@ -222,8 +227,9 @@ mod tests {
         sstable_builder.add_block(b"dddd", 40..50, 15u64);
         let mut buffer: Vec<u8> = Vec::new();
         sstable_builder.serialize(&mut buffer).unwrap();
-        buffer[1] = 9u8;
-        let data_corruption_err = SSTableIndex::load(&buffer[..]).err().unwrap();
+        buffer[2] = 9u8;
+        let buffer = OwnedBytes::new(buffer);
+        let data_corruption_err = SSTableIndex::load(buffer).err().unwrap();
         assert!(matches!(data_corruption_err, SSTableDataCorruption));
     }
 
diff --git a/sstable/src/streamer.rs b/sstable/src/streamer.rs
index 6a6fdd948..e8455c7a5 100644
--- a/sstable/src/streamer.rs
+++ b/sstable/src/streamer.rs
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ where
         self
     }
 
-    fn delta_reader(&self) -> io::Result<DeltaReader<'a, TSSTable::ValueReader>> {
+    fn delta_reader(&self) -> io::Result<DeltaReader<TSSTable::ValueReader>> {
         let key_range = (
             bound_as_byte_slice(&self.lower),
             bound_as_byte_slice(&self.upper),
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ where
             .sstable_delta_reader_for_key_range(key_range, self.limit)
     }
 
-    async fn delta_reader_async(&self) -> io::Result<DeltaReader<'a, TSSTable::ValueReader>> {
+    async fn delta_reader_async(&self) -> io::Result<DeltaReader<TSSTable::ValueReader>> {
         let key_range = (
             bound_as_byte_slice(&self.lower),
             bound_as_byte_slice(&self.upper),
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ where
 
     fn into_stream_given_delta_reader(
         self,
-        delta_reader: DeltaReader<'a, <TSSTable as SSTable>::ValueReader>,
+        delta_reader: DeltaReader<<TSSTable as SSTable>::ValueReader>,
     ) -> io::Result<Streamer<'a, TSSTable, A>> {
         let start_state = self.automaton.start();
         let start_key = bound_as_byte_slice(&self.lower);
@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ where
             term_ord: first_term.checked_sub(1),
             lower_bound: self.lower,
             upper_bound: self.upper,
+            _lifetime: std::marker::PhantomData,
         })
     }
 
@@ -151,11 +152,13 @@ where
 {
     automaton: A,
     states: Vec<A::State>,
-    delta_reader: crate::DeltaReader<'a, TSSTable::ValueReader>,
+    delta_reader: crate::DeltaReader<TSSTable::ValueReader>,
     key: Vec<u8>,
     term_ord: Option<TermOrdinal>,
     lower_bound: Bound<Vec<u8>>,
     upper_bound: Bound<Vec<u8>>,
+    // this field is used to please the type-interface of a dictionary in tantivy
+    _lifetime: std::marker::PhantomData<&'a ()>,
 }
 
 impl<'a, TSSTable> Streamer<'a, TSSTable, AlwaysMatch>
@@ -170,6 +173,7 @@ where TSSTable: SSTable
             term_ord: None,
             lower_bound: Bound::Unbounded,
             upper_bound: Bound::Unbounded,
+            _lifetime: std::marker::PhantomData,
         }
     }
 }