Methods and apparatus are provided for serializing data. A computing device can generate a serialization buffer (SB). The SB can specify fields storing data and corresponding offsets, with an offset referring to a location in the SB storing the corresponding field. The SB can access a designated field in the SB by determining a designated offset for the designated field, determining a starting location based on the designated offset, and accessing data at the starting location. A distinct copy of the SB can be stored on a storage device.