diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index e773305..1cb8bc4 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -298,8 +298,6 @@ github.com/julienschmidt/httprouter v1.2.0/go.mod h1:SYymIcj16QtmaHHD7aYtjjsJG7V
 github.com/julienschmidt/httprouter v1.3.0/go.mod h1:JR6WtHb+2LUe8TCKY3cZOxFyyO8IZAc4RVcycCCAKdM=
 github.com/kisielk/errcheck v1.5.0/go.mod h1:pFxgyoBC7bSaBwPgfKdkLd5X25qrDl4LWUI2bnpBCr8=
 github.com/kisielk/gotool v1.0.0/go.mod h1:XhKaO+MFFWcvkIS/tQcRk01m1F5IRFswLeQ+oQHNcck=
-github.com/klauspost/compress v1.17.2 h1:RlWWUY/Dr4fL8qk9YG7DTZ7PDgME2V4csBXA8L/ixi4=
-github.com/klauspost/compress v1.17.2/go.mod h1:ntbaceVETuRiXiv4DpjP66DpAtAGkEQskQzEyD//IeE=
 github.com/klauspost/compress v1.17.3 h1:qkRjuerhUU1EmXLYGkSH6EZL+vPSxIrYjLNAK4slzwA=
 github.com/klauspost/compress v1.17.3/go.mod h1:/dCuZOvVtNoHsyb+cuJD3itjs3NbnF6KH9zAO4BDxPM=
 github.com/klauspost/cpuid/v2 v2.0.1/go.mod h1:FInQzS24/EEf25PyTYn52gqo7WaD8xa0213Md/qVLRg=
diff --git a/internal/agent/agent.go b/internal/agent/agent.go
index 854c130..c460353 100644
--- a/internal/agent/agent.go
+++ b/internal/agent/agent.go
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
-	"strings"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/eclipse/paho.golang/paho"
@@ -105,14 +104,14 @@ func newServer(c AgentConfig) server {
 	}
 }
 
-func sendHTTP1Request(proxyHost string, data *data.HTTPRequestData) (string, int, http.Header, error) {
+func sendHTTP1Request(proxyHost string, data *data.HTTPRequestData) ([]byte, int, http.Header, error) {
 	var responseHeader http.Header
 
 	url := "http://" + proxyHost + data.Path
 	body := bytes.NewBuffer(data.Body.Body)
 	req, err := http.NewRequest(data.Method, url, body)
 	if err != nil {
-		return "", http.StatusInternalServerError, responseHeader, err
+		return nil, http.StatusInternalServerError, responseHeader, err
 	}
 	for key, values := range data.Headers.GetHeaders() {
 		for _, value := range values.GetValues() {
@@ -122,15 +121,15 @@ func sendHTTP1Request(proxyHost string, data *data.HTTPRequestData) (string, int
 	client := &http.Client{}
 	resp, err := client.Do(req)
 	if err != nil {
-		return "", http.StatusInternalServerError, responseHeader, err
+		return nil, http.StatusInternalServerError, responseHeader, err
 	}
 	defer resp.Body.Close()
 	responseBody := new(bytes.Buffer)
 	_, err = responseBody.ReadFrom(resp.Body)
 	if err != nil {
-		return "", resp.StatusCode, responseHeader, err
+		return nil, resp.StatusCode, responseHeader, err
 	}
-	return responseBody.String(), resp.StatusCode, resp.Header, nil
+	return responseBody.Bytes(), resp.StatusCode, resp.Header, nil
 }
 
 func Start(c AgentConfig) {
@@ -293,15 +292,18 @@ func Start(c AgentConfig) {
 						Headers:    &protoHeaders,
 					}
 				} else {
-					httpResponseBytes := []byte(httpResponse)
-					if s.commonConfig.Networking.LargeDataPolicy == "split" && len(httpResponseBytes) > s.commonConfig.Split.ChunkBytes {
+					if s.commonConfig.Networking.Compress == "zstd" && s.encoder != nil {
+						httpResponse = s.encoder.EncodeAll(httpResponse, nil)
+					}
+
+					if s.commonConfig.Networking.LargeDataPolicy == "split" && len(httpResponse) > s.commonConfig.Split.ChunkBytes {
 						var chunks [][]byte
-						for i := 0; i < len(httpResponseBytes); i += s.commonConfig.Split.ChunkBytes {
+						for i := 0; i < len(httpResponse); i += s.commonConfig.Split.ChunkBytes {
 							end := i + s.commonConfig.Split.ChunkBytes
-							if end > len(httpResponseBytes) {
-								end = len(httpResponseBytes)
+							if end > len(httpResponse) {
+								end = len(httpResponse)
 							}
-							chunks = append(chunks, httpResponseBytes[i:end])
+							chunks = append(chunks, httpResponse[i:end])
 						}
 
 						for sequence, c := range chunks {
@@ -360,7 +362,7 @@ func Start(c AgentConfig) {
 					} else {
 						if s.commonConfig.Networking.LargeDataPolicy == "storage_relay" && len(httpResponse) > s.commonConfig.StorageRelay.ThresholdBytes {
 							objectName = s.id + "/" + processChPayload.requestPacket.RequestId + "/response"
-							err := s.bucket.Upload(context.Background(), objectName, strings.NewReader(httpResponse))
+							err := s.bucket.Upload(context.Background(), objectName, bytes.NewReader(httpResponse))
 							if err != nil {
 								s.logger.Error("Error uploading object to object storage", zap.Error(err))
 								return
diff --git a/internal/hub/server.go b/internal/hub/server.go
index bd54766..482588c 100644
--- a/internal/hub/server.go
+++ b/internal/hub/server.go
@@ -198,6 +198,10 @@ func (s *server) handleRequest(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	bodyBytes := make([]byte, r.ContentLength)
 	r.Body.Read(bodyBytes)
 
+	if s.encoder != nil {
+		bodyBytes = s.encoder.EncodeAll(bodyBytes, nil)
+	}
+
 	dataHeaders := data.HTTPHeaderToProtoHeaders(r.Header)
 
 	var body data.HTTPBody
@@ -229,6 +233,7 @@ func (s *server) handleRequest(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 				Body: b,
 				Type: "split",
 			}
+
 			requestData := data.HTTPRequestData{
 				Method:  r.Method,
 				Path:    r.URL.Path,
@@ -236,7 +241,7 @@ func (s *server) handleRequest(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 				Body:    &body,
 			}
 
-			b, err = data.SerializeHTTPRequestData(&requestData, s.commonConfig.Networking.Format, s.encoder)
+			b, err = data.SerializeHTTPRequestData(&requestData, s.commonConfig.Networking.Format)
 			if err != nil {
 				s.logger.Error("Error serializing request data", zap.Error(err))
 				return
@@ -284,7 +289,7 @@ func (s *server) handleRequest(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 			Body:    &body,
 		}
 
-		b, err := data.SerializeHTTPRequestData(&requestData, s.commonConfig.Networking.Format, s.encoder)
+		b, err := data.SerializeHTTPRequestData(&requestData, s.commonConfig.Networking.Format)
 		if err != nil {
 			s.logger.Error("Error serializing request data", zap.Error(err))
 			return
diff --git a/pkg/data/serde.go b/pkg/data/serde.go
index 668ada4..d8b62d0 100644
--- a/pkg/data/serde.go
+++ b/pkg/data/serde.go
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ func DeserializeResponsePacket(payload []byte, format string) (*HTTPResponsePack
 	return &responsePacket, err
 }
 
-func SerializeHTTPRequestData(httpRequestData *HTTPRequestData, format string, encoder *zstd.Encoder) ([]byte, error) {
+func SerializeHTTPRequestData(httpRequestData *HTTPRequestData, format string) ([]byte, error) {
 	var b []byte
 	var err error
 	switch format {
@@ -103,9 +103,6 @@ func SerializeHTTPRequestData(httpRequestData *HTTPRequestData, format string, e
 	default:
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown format: %s", format)
 	}
-	if encoder != nil {
-		b = encoder.EncodeAll(b, nil)
-	}
 	return b, nil
 }
 
@@ -170,9 +167,6 @@ func SerializeHTTPResponseData(httpResponseData *HTTPResponseData, format string
 	default:
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown format: %s", format)
 	}
-	if encoder != nil {
-		b = encoder.EncodeAll(b, nil)
-	}
 	return b, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/data/serde_test.go b/pkg/data/serde_test.go
index 5966ca2..4105d94 100644
--- a/pkg/data/serde_test.go
+++ b/pkg/data/serde_test.go
@@ -55,6 +55,12 @@ func TestSerializedRequestPacket(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, testCase := range testCases {
 		t.Run(testCase.format, func(t *testing.T) {
+			body := []byte("test")
+
+			if testCase.compress == "zstd" && testCase.encoder != nil {
+				body = testCase.encoder.EncodeAll(body, nil)
+			}
+
 			httpRequestData := HTTPRequestData{
 				Method: "GET",
 				Path:   "/",
@@ -66,11 +72,11 @@ func TestSerializedRequestPacket(t *testing.T) {
 					},
 				},
 				Body: &HTTPBody{
-					Body: []byte("test"),
+					Body: body,
 					Type: "data",
 				},
 			}
-			b, err := SerializeHTTPRequestData(&httpRequestData, testCase.format, testCase.encoder)
+			b, err := SerializeHTTPRequestData(&httpRequestData, testCase.format)
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Fatal(err)
 			}
@@ -151,11 +157,17 @@ func TestSerializedResponsePacket(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, testCase := range testCases {
 		t.Run(testCase.format, func(t *testing.T) {
+			body := []byte("test")
+
+			if testCase.compress == "zstd" && testCase.encoder != nil {
+				body = testCase.encoder.EncodeAll(body, nil)
+			}
+
 			httpReponseData := HTTPResponseData{
 				StatusCode: 200,
 				Headers:    &headers,
 				Body: &HTTPBody{
-					Body: []byte("test"),
+					Body: body,
 					Type: "data",
 				},
 			}
@@ -238,10 +250,16 @@ func TestHTTPResponseDataSerialize(t *testing.T) {
 				"Content-Length": {"31"},
 			})
 
+			body := []byte("test")
+
+			if testCase.compress == "zstd" && testCase.encoder != nil {
+				body = testCase.encoder.EncodeAll(body, nil)
+			}
+
 			httpResponseData := HTTPResponseData{
 				StatusCode: 200,
 				Headers:    &headers,
-				Body:       &HTTPBody{Body: []byte("test"), Type: "data"},
+				Body:       &HTTPBody{Body: body, Type: "data"},
 			}
 
 			serializedResponseData, err := SerializeHTTPResponseData(&httpResponseData, testCase.format, testCase.encoder)