diff --git a/src/row.zig b/src/row.zig
index 6717801..a4c6f03 100644
--- a/src/row.zig
+++ b/src/row.zig
@@ -158,3 +158,160 @@ pub const Row = struct {
         return out.toOwnedSlice();
     }
 
+    pub fn decode(allocator: Allocator, data: []const u8) !Row {
+        var row = Row.init(allocator);
+        errdefer row.deinit();
+        var pos: usize = 0;
+        const fieldCount = try readU32(data, &pos);
+        var i: u32 = 0;
+        while (i < fieldCount) : (i += 1) {
+            const nameLen = try readU16(data, &pos);
+            if (pos + nameLen > data.len) return error.Malformed;
+            const name = data[pos .. pos + nameLen];
+            pos += nameLen;
+            if (pos >= data.len) return error.Malformed;
+            const tag: ValueTag = std.meta.intToEnum(ValueTag, data[pos]) catch return error.Malformed;
+            pos += 1;
+            const value: Value = switch (tag) {
+                .none => .{ .none = {} },
+                .boolean => blk: {
+                    if (pos >= data.len) return error.Malformed;
+                    const b = data[pos];
+                    pos += 1;
+                    break :blk .{ .boolean = b != 0 };
+                },
+                .int => .{ .int = @bitCast(try readU64(data, &pos)) },
+                .float => .{ .float = @bitCast(try readU64(data, &pos)) },
+                .text => blk: {
+                    const len = try readU32(data, &pos);
+                    if (pos + len > data.len) return error.Malformed;
+                    const s = data[pos .. pos + len];
+                    pos += len;
+                    break :blk .{ .text = s };
+                },
+                .bytes => blk: {
+                    const len = try readU32(data, &pos);
+                    if (pos + len > data.len) return error.Malformed;
+                    const s = data[pos .. pos + len];
+                    pos += len;
+                    break :blk .{ .bytes = s };
+                },
+            };
+            try row.set(name, value);
+        }
+        if (pos != data.len) return error.Malformed;
+        return row;
+    }
+};
+
+fn putU16(out: *std.ArrayList(u8), v: u16) !void {
+    var b: [2]u8 = undefined;
+    std.mem.writeInt(u16, &b, v, .little);
+    try out.appendSlice(&b);
+}
+
+fn putU32(out: *std.ArrayList(u8), v: u32) !void {
+    var b: [4]u8 = undefined;
+    std.mem.writeInt(u32, &b, v, .little);
+    try out.appendSlice(&b);
+}
+
+fn putU64(out: *std.ArrayList(u8), v: u64) !void {
+    var b: [8]u8 = undefined;
+    std.mem.writeInt(u64, &b, v, .little);
+    try out.appendSlice(&b);
+}
+
+fn readU16(data: []const u8, pos: *usize) !u16 {
+    if (pos.* + 2 > data.len) return error.Malformed;
+    const v = std.mem.readInt(u16, data[pos.*..][0..2], .little);
+    pos.* += 2;
+    return v;
+}
+
+fn readU32(data: []const u8, pos: *usize) !u32 {
+    if (pos.* + 4 > data.len) return error.Malformed;
+    const v = std.mem.readInt(u32, data[pos.*..][0..4], .little);
+    pos.* += 4;
+    return v;
+}
+
+fn readU64(data: []const u8, pos: *usize) !u64 {
+    if (pos.* + 8 > data.len) return error.Malformed;
+    const v = std.mem.readInt(u64, data[pos.*..][0..8], .little);
+    pos.* += 8;
+    return v;
+}
+
+/// Appends an order-preserving byte encoding of `value` to `out`, such that
+/// lexicographic byte comparison of two encodings matches `compare()` of the
+/// original values. Used to build index keys and primary-key suffixes that
+/// must sort correctly inside the LSM tree's byte-ordered keyspace.
+///
+/// Text/bytes payloads are escaped (0x00 -> 0x00 0xFF) and terminated with
+/// 0x00 0x00 so that concatenating several encoded values back to back stays
+/// unambiguous and order-preserving (no payload can be a byte-for-byte prefix
+/// of another once escaped and terminated).
+pub fn appendOrdered(out: *std.ArrayList(u8), value: Value) !void {
+    try out.append(@intFromEnum(@as(ValueTag, value)));
+    switch (value) {
+        .none => {},
+        .boolean => |v| try out.append(if (v) 1 else 0),
+        .int => |v| {
+            const flipped: u64 = @as(u64, @bitCast(v)) ^ 0x8000000000000000;
+            var b: [8]u8 = undefined;
+            std.mem.writeInt(u64, &b, flipped, .big);
+            try out.appendSlice(&b);
+        },
+        .float => |v| {
+            var bits: u64 = @bitCast(v);
+            if (bits & 0x8000000000000000 != 0) {
+                bits = ~bits;
+            } else {
+                bits |= 0x8000000000000000;
+            }
+            var b: [8]u8 = undefined;
+            std.mem.writeInt(u64, &b, bits, .big);
+            try out.appendSlice(&b);
+        },
+        .text, .bytes => |s| {
+            for (s) |byte| {
+                if (byte == 0x00) {
+                    try out.appendSlice(&.{ 0x00, 0xFF });
+                } else {
+                    try out.append(byte);
+                }
+            }
+            try out.appendSlice(&.{ 0x00, 0x00 });
+        },
+    }
+}
+
+pub fn encodeOrdered(allocator: Allocator, value: Value) ![]u8 {
+    var out = std.ArrayList(u8).init(allocator);
+    errdefer out.deinit();
+    try appendOrdered(&out, value);
+    return out.toOwnedSlice();
+}
+
+/// Encodes a single standalone Value using the same (non order-preserving)
+/// tag+payload format as a Row field, minus the field name. Used to store
+/// primary keys as index-entry values, where later exact reconstruction
+/// matters more than byte ordering.
+pub fn encodeValue(allocator: Allocator, value: Value) ![]u8 {
+    var out = std.ArrayList(u8).init(allocator);
+    errdefer out.deinit();
+    try out.append(@intFromEnum(@as(ValueTag, value)));
+    switch (value) {
+        .none => {},
+        .boolean => |v| try out.append(if (v) 1 else 0),
+        .int => |v| try putU64(&out, @bitCast(v)),
+        .float => |v| try putU64(&out, @bitCast(v)),
+        .text, .bytes => |s| {
+            try putU32(&out, @intCast(s.len));
+            try out.appendSlice(s);
+        },
+    }
+    return out.toOwnedSlice();
+}
+