diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 56e7d80..7ac0f0c 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,16 @@
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Added
+
+- a `as_bytes()` method on `EncodedReplica` to get its underlying bytes;
+- a `from_bytes()` method on `EncodedReplica` to create one from a byte slice;
+
+### Changed
+
+- the `EncodedReplica` struct now has a lifetime parameter tied to the
+  underlying buffer;
+
 ## [0.4.6] - Oct 31 2024
 
 ### Added
diff --git a/src/encoded_replica.rs b/src/encoded_replica.rs
index e6845ef..bd9a67d 100644
--- a/src/encoded_replica.rs
+++ b/src/encoded_replica.rs
@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
+use core::fmt;
+use core::ops::Deref;
+
 use sha2::{Digest, Sha256};
 
-use crate::encode::{Decode, Encode, IntDecodeError};
+use crate::encode::{Decode, Encode};
 use crate::*;
 
-/// We use this instead of a `Vec<u8>` because it's 1/3 the size on the stack.
-pub(crate) type Checksum = Box<ChecksumArray>;
-
-pub(crate) type ChecksumArray = [u8; 32];
+type Checksum = [u8; 32];
 
-const CHECKSUM_LEN: usize = core::mem::size_of::<ChecksumArray>();
+const CHECKSUM_LEN: usize = core::mem::size_of::<Checksum>();
 
 /// A [`Replica`] encoded into a compact binary format suitable for
 /// transmission over the network.
@@ -18,153 +18,163 @@ const CHECKSUM_LEN: usize = core::mem::size_of::<ChecksumArray>();
 /// [`decode`](Replica::decode). See the documentation of those methods for
 /// more information.
 #[cfg_attr(docsrs, doc(cfg(feature = "encode")))]
-#[derive(Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
-pub struct EncodedReplica {
-    protocol_version: ProtocolVersion,
-    checksum: Checksum,
-    bytes: Box<[u8]>,
-}
-
-impl core::fmt::Debug for EncodedReplica {
-    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut core::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> core::fmt::Result {
-        struct HexSlice<'a>(&'a [u8]);
-
-        impl core::fmt::Debug for HexSlice<'_> {
-            fn fmt(
-                &self,
-                f: &mut core::fmt::Formatter<'_>,
-            ) -> core::fmt::Result {
-                for byte in self.0 {
-                    write!(f, "{:02x}", byte)?;
-                }
-                Ok(())
-            }
-        }
+#[derive(Clone)]
+pub struct EncodedReplica<'buf> {
+    bytes: Bytes<'buf>,
+}
 
-        f.debug_struct("EncodedReplica")
-            .field("protocol_version", &self.protocol_version)
-            .field("checksum", &HexSlice(self.checksum()))
-            .finish_non_exhaustive()
-    }
+#[derive(Clone)]
+enum Bytes<'a> {
+    Owned(Box<[u8]>),
+    Borrowed(&'a [u8]),
 }
 
-impl EncodedReplica {
+impl<'buf> EncodedReplica<'buf> {
+    /// Returns the raw bytes of the encoded replica.
     #[inline]
-    pub(crate) fn bytes(&self) -> &[u8] {
-        &*self.bytes
+    pub fn as_bytes(&self) -> &[u8] {
+        &self.bytes
     }
 
+    /// Creates an `EncodedReplica` from the given bytes.
     #[inline]
-    pub(crate) fn checksum(&self) -> &[u8] {
-        &*self.checksum
+    pub fn from_bytes(bytes: &'buf [u8]) -> Self {
+        bytes.into()
     }
 
+    /// Copies the underlying bytes into a new `EncodedReplica` with a static
+    /// lifetime.
     #[inline]
-    pub(crate) fn new(
-        protocol_version: ProtocolVersion,
-        checksum: Checksum,
-        bytes: Box<[u8]>,
-    ) -> Self {
-        Self { protocol_version, checksum, bytes }
+    pub fn to_static(&self) -> EncodedReplica<'static> {
+        EncodedReplica {
+            bytes: match &self.bytes {
+                Bytes::Owned(bytes) => Bytes::Owned(bytes.clone()),
+                Bytes::Borrowed(bytes) => Bytes::Owned((*bytes).into()),
+            },
+        }
     }
 
     #[inline]
-    pub(crate) fn protocol_version(&self) -> ProtocolVersion {
-        self.protocol_version
+    pub(crate) fn to_replica(
+        &self,
+    ) -> Result<<Replica as Decode>::Value, DecodeError> {
+        let bytes = &*self.bytes;
+
+        let (protocol_version, buf) = ProtocolVersion::decode(bytes)
+            .map_err(|_| DecodeError::InvalidData)?;
+
+        if protocol_version != crate::PROTOCOL_VERSION {
+            return Err(DecodeError::DifferentProtocol {
+                encoded_on: protocol_version,
+                decoding_on: crate::PROTOCOL_VERSION,
+            });
+        }
+
+        if buf.len() < CHECKSUM_LEN {
+            return Err(DecodeError::InvalidData);
+        }
+
+        let (checksum_slice, buf) = buf.split_at(CHECKSUM_LEN);
+
+        if checksum_slice != checksum(buf) {
+            return Err(DecodeError::ChecksumFailed);
+        }
+
+        <Replica as Decode>::decode(buf)
+            .map(|(value, _rest)| value)
+            .map_err(|_| DecodeError::InvalidData)
     }
 }
 
-impl Encode for EncodedReplica {
+impl EncodedReplica<'static> {
     #[inline]
-    fn encode(&self, buf: &mut Vec<u8>) {
-        self.protocol_version.encode(buf);
-        buf.extend_from_slice(&*self.checksum);
-        (self.bytes.len() as u64).encode(buf);
-        buf.extend_from_slice(&*self.bytes);
+    pub(crate) fn from_replica(replica: &Replica) -> Self {
+        let mut bytes = Vec::new();
+        crate::PROTOCOL_VERSION.encode(&mut bytes);
+        let protocol_len = bytes.len();
+        let dummy_checksum = Checksum::default();
+        bytes.extend_from_slice(&dummy_checksum);
+        Encode::encode(replica, &mut bytes);
+        let replica_start = protocol_len + CHECKSUM_LEN;
+        let checksum = checksum(&bytes[replica_start..]);
+        bytes[protocol_len..protocol_len + CHECKSUM_LEN]
+            .copy_from_slice(&checksum);
+        Self { bytes: Bytes::Owned(bytes.into()) }
     }
 }
 
-pub(crate) enum EncodedReplicaDecodeError {
-    Int(IntDecodeError),
-    Checksum { actual: usize },
-    Bytes { actual: usize, advertised: u64 },
+impl fmt::Debug for EncodedReplica<'_> {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
+        f.debug_struct("EncodedReplica").finish_non_exhaustive()
+    }
 }
 
-impl From<IntDecodeError> for EncodedReplicaDecodeError {
+impl<'buf> From<&'buf [u8]> for EncodedReplica<'buf> {
     #[inline]
-    fn from(err: IntDecodeError) -> Self {
-        Self::Int(err)
+    fn from(bytes: &'buf [u8]) -> Self {
+        Self { bytes: Bytes::Borrowed(bytes) }
     }
 }
 
-impl core::fmt::Display for EncodedReplicaDecodeError {
+impl From<Box<[u8]>> for EncodedReplica<'static> {
     #[inline]
-    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut core::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> core::fmt::Result {
-        let prefix = "Couldn't decode EncodedReplica";
-
-        match self {
-            EncodedReplicaDecodeError::Int(err) => {
-                write!(f, "{prefix}: {err}")
-            },
-
-            EncodedReplicaDecodeError::Checksum { actual } => {
-                write!(
-                    f,
-                    "{prefix}: need {CHECKSUM_LEN} bytes to decode checksum, \
-                     but there are only {actual}",
-                )
-            },
+    fn from(bytes: Box<[u8]>) -> Self {
+        Self { bytes: Bytes::Owned(bytes) }
+    }
+}
 
-            EncodedReplicaDecodeError::Bytes { actual, advertised } => {
-                write!(
-                    f,
-                    "{prefix}: {advertised} bytes were encoded, but there \
-                     are only {actual}",
-                )
-            },
-        }
+impl AsRef<[u8]> for EncodedReplica<'_> {
+    #[inline]
+    fn as_ref(&self) -> &[u8] {
+        &*self.bytes
     }
 }
 
-impl Decode for EncodedReplica {
-    type Value = Self;
+impl Deref for EncodedReplica<'_> {
+    type Target = [u8];
 
-    type Error = EncodedReplicaDecodeError;
+    #[inline]
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
+        &*self.bytes
+    }
+}
 
+impl PartialEq<Self> for EncodedReplica<'_> {
     #[inline]
-    fn decode(buf: &[u8]) -> Result<(Self, &[u8]), Self::Error> {
-        let (protocol_version, buf) = ProtocolVersion::decode(buf)?;
+    fn eq(&self, other: &Self) -> bool {
+        *self.bytes == *other.bytes
+    }
+}
 
-        if buf.len() < CHECKSUM_LEN {
-            return Err(EncodedReplicaDecodeError::Checksum {
-                actual: buf.len(),
-            });
-        }
+impl Eq for EncodedReplica<'_> {}
 
-        let (checksum_slice, buf) = buf.split_at(CHECKSUM_LEN);
+impl Encode for EncodedReplica<'_> {
+    #[inline]
+    fn encode(&self, buf: &mut Vec<u8>) {
+        debug_assert!(buf.is_empty());
+        buf.extend_from_slice(&*self.bytes);
+    }
+}
 
-        let mut checksum = [0; CHECKSUM_LEN];
+impl Decode for EncodedReplica<'static> {
+    type Value = Self;
+    type Error = core::convert::Infallible;
 
-        checksum.copy_from_slice(checksum_slice);
+    #[inline]
+    fn decode(buf: &[u8]) -> Result<(Self, &[u8]), Self::Error> {
+        Ok((EncodedReplica::from_bytes(buf).to_static(), &[]))
+    }
+}
 
-        let (num_bytes, buf) = u64::decode(buf)?;
+impl Deref for Bytes<'_> {
+    type Target = [u8];
 
-        if (buf.len() as u64) < num_bytes {
-            return Err(EncodedReplicaDecodeError::Bytes {
-                actual: buf.len(),
-                advertised: num_bytes,
-            });
+    #[inline]
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
+        match self {
+            Bytes::Owned(bytes) => bytes,
+            Bytes::Borrowed(bytes) => bytes,
         }
-
-        let (bytes, buf) = buf.split_at(num_bytes as usize);
-
-        let this = Self {
-            protocol_version,
-            checksum: Box::new(checksum),
-            bytes: bytes.into(),
-        };
-
-        Ok((this, buf))
     }
 }
 
@@ -208,11 +218,10 @@ pub enum DecodeError {
     InvalidData,
 }
 
-impl core::fmt::Display for DecodeError {
-    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut core::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> core::fmt::Result {
+impl fmt::Display for DecodeError {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
         match self {
             DecodeError::ChecksumFailed => f.write_str("checksum failed"),
-
             DecodeError::DifferentProtocol { encoded_on, decoding_on } => {
                 write!(
                     f,
@@ -220,7 +229,6 @@ impl core::fmt::Display for DecodeError {
                     encoded_on, decoding_on
                 )
             },
-
             DecodeError::InvalidData => f.write_str("invalid data"),
         }
     }
@@ -230,17 +238,12 @@ impl std::error::Error for DecodeError {}
 
 #[inline(always)]
 pub(crate) fn checksum(bytes: &[u8]) -> Checksum {
-    Box::new(checksum_array(bytes))
-}
-
-#[inline(always)]
-pub(crate) fn checksum_array(bytes: &[u8]) -> ChecksumArray {
     let checksum = Sha256::digest(bytes);
     *checksum.as_ref()
 }
 
 #[cfg(feature = "serde")]
 mod serde {
-    crate::encode::impl_serialize!(super::EncodedReplica);
-    crate::encode::impl_deserialize!(super::EncodedReplica);
+    crate::encode::impl_serialize!(super::EncodedReplica<'_>);
+    crate::encode::impl_deserialize!(super::EncodedReplica<'static>);
 }
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 96b7641..f40c2dc 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -149,8 +149,6 @@ use backlog::Backlog;
 pub use backlog::{BackloggedDeletions, BackloggedInsertions};
 pub use deletion::Deletion;
 #[cfg(feature = "encode")]
-use encoded_replica::{checksum, checksum_array};
-#[cfg(feature = "encode")]
 pub use encoded_replica::{DecodeError, EncodedReplica};
 use gtree::{Gtree, LeafIdx};
 pub use insertion::Insertion;
@@ -273,4 +271,4 @@ pub type Length = usize;
 ///
 /// See [`ProtocolVersion`] for more infos.
 #[cfg(feature = "encode")]
-const PROTOCOL_VERSION: ProtocolVersion = 2;
+const PROTOCOL_VERSION: ProtocolVersion = 3;
diff --git a/src/replica.rs b/src/replica.rs
index 4acbc29..2b93869 100644
--- a/src/replica.rs
+++ b/src/replica.rs
@@ -388,36 +388,19 @@ impl Replica {
     #[inline]
     pub fn decode(
         id: ReplicaId,
-        encoded: &EncodedReplica,
+        encoded: &EncodedReplica<'_>,
     ) -> Result<Self, DecodeError> {
         if id == 0 {
             panic::replica_id_is_zero();
         }
 
-        if encoded.protocol_version() != PROTOCOL_VERSION {
-            return Err(DecodeError::DifferentProtocol {
-                encoded_on: encoded.protocol_version(),
-                decoding_on: PROTOCOL_VERSION,
-            });
-        }
-
-        if encoded.checksum() != checksum_array(encoded.bytes()) {
-            return Err(DecodeError::ChecksumFailed);
-        }
-
-        let Ok((
-            (
-                run_tree,
-                lamport_clock,
-                mut version_map,
-                mut deletion_map,
-                backlog,
-            ),
-            _,
-        )) = <Self as crate::encode::Decode>::decode(encoded.bytes())
-        else {
-            return Err(DecodeError::InvalidData);
-        };
+        let (
+            run_tree,
+            lamport_clock,
+            mut version_map,
+            mut deletion_map,
+            backlog,
+        ) = encoded.to_replica()?;
 
         version_map.fork_in_place(id, 0);
 
@@ -521,11 +504,8 @@ impl Replica {
     #[cfg(feature = "encode")]
     #[cfg_attr(docsrs, doc(cfg(feature = "encode")))]
     #[inline]
-    pub fn encode(&self) -> EncodedReplica {
-        let mut buf = Vec::new();
-        crate::encode::Encode::encode(self, &mut buf);
-        let checksum = checksum(&buf);
-        EncodedReplica::new(PROTOCOL_VERSION, checksum, buf.into())
+    pub fn encode(&self) -> EncodedReplica<'static> {
+        EncodedReplica::from_replica(self)
     }
 
     /// Creates a new `Replica` with the given [`ReplicaId`] but with the same