diff --git a/reference/src/FRI/Prover.hs b/reference/src/FRI/Prover.hs
index ae60365..74bef8a 100644
--- a/reference/src/FRI/Prover.hs
+++ b/reference/src/FRI/Prover.hs
@@ -187,8 +187,8 @@ data CommitPhaseData = MkCommitPhaseData
 -- * fold the polynomial and also the domain
 --
 
-repeatedlyFoldPoly :: FriConfig -> [Arity] -> Coset F -> Poly FExt -> DuplexIO ( [CommitPhaseData] , Poly FExt )
-repeatedlyFoldPoly (MkFriConfig{..}) arities domain poly = go arities domain poly where
+repeatedlyFoldPoly :: FriConfig -> ReductionStrategy -> Coset F -> Poly FExt -> DuplexIO ( [CommitPhaseData] , Poly FExt )
+repeatedlyFoldPoly (MkFriConfig{..}) (MkRedStrategy arities) domain poly = go arities domain poly where
   go []           domain poly = return ( [] , poly )
   go (arity:rest) domain poly = do
     let intArity = exp2_ arity                                  -- size of the folded coset
diff --git a/reference/src/FRI/Types.hs b/reference/src/FRI/Types.hs
index 7d4f205..93e80b1 100644
--- a/reference/src/FRI/Types.hs
+++ b/reference/src/FRI/Types.hs
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@ module FRI.Types where
   
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+import Control.Monad
+import Data.Binary
+import qualified Data.ByteString.Lazy as L
+
 import Field.Goldilocks
 import Field.Goldilocks.Extension ( FExt , F2(..) )
 import Field.Encode
@@ -43,6 +47,13 @@ data RSConfig = MkRSConfig
   }
   deriving (Eq,Show)
 
+instance Binary RSConfig where
+  put (MkRSConfig{..}) = do
+    put rsRateBits  
+    put rsDataSize  
+    put rsCosetShift
+  get = MkRSConfig <$> get <*> get <*> get
+   
 exampleRSConfig :: RSConfig
 exampleRSConfig = MkRSConfig 8 3 theMultiplicativeGenerator
 
@@ -71,7 +82,17 @@ instance Print RSConfig where
 -- | Folding arity
 type Arity = Log2
 
-type ReductionStrategy = [Arity]
+newtype ReductionStrategy = MkRedStrategy 
+  { fromReductionStrategy :: [Arity] 
+  }
+  deriving (Eq,Show)
+
+instance Binary ReductionStrategy where
+  put = putSmallList . fromReductionStrategy
+  get = MkRedStrategy <$> getSmallList
+
+instance FieldEncode ReductionStrategy where
+  fieldEncode = fieldEncode . fromReductionStrategy
 
 -- | FRI configuration
 data FriConfig = MkFriConfig 
@@ -84,12 +105,22 @@ data FriConfig = MkFriConfig
   }
   deriving (Eq,Show)
 
+instance Binary FriConfig where
+  put (MkFriConfig{..}) = do
+    put friRSConfig          
+    put friNColumns          
+    put friMerkleCapSize     
+    put friReductionStrategy 
+    put friNQueryRounds      
+    put friGrindingBits      
+  get = MkFriConfig <$> get <*> get <*> get <*> get <*> get <*> get
+
 instance Print FriConfig where
   showWithIndent indent (MkFriConfig{..}) = 
     [ " - friRSConfig\n"           ++ unlines1 (showWithIndent (indent+2) friRSConfig)
     , " - friNColumns          = " ++ show friNColumns         
     , " - friMerkleCapSize     = " ++ show friMerkleCapSize    
-    , " - friReductionStrategy = " ++ show (map fromLog2 friReductionStrategy)
+    , " - friReductionStrategy = " ++ show (map fromLog2 $ fromReductionStrategy friReductionStrategy)
     , " - friNQueryRounds      = " ++ show friNQueryRounds     
     , " - friGrindingBits      = " ++ show friGrindingBits     
     ]
@@ -133,7 +164,7 @@ defaultReductionStrategyParams = MkRedStratPars
   }
 
 findReductionStrategy :: ReductionStrategyParams -> RSConfig -> ReductionStrategy
-findReductionStrategy (MkRedStratPars{..}) (MkRSConfig{..}) = worker (rsDataSize + rsRateBits) where
+findReductionStrategy (MkRedStratPars{..}) (MkRSConfig{..}) = MkRedStrategy $ worker (rsDataSize + rsRateBits) where
   worker k 
     | k <= redStoppingDegree                    = []
     | k >= redStoppingDegree + redFoldingArity  = redFoldingArity : worker (k - redFoldingArity)
@@ -161,6 +192,43 @@ data FriProof = MkFriProof
   , proofQueryRounds     :: [FriQueryRound]    -- ^ query rounds
   , proofPowWitness      :: F                  -- ^ witness showing that the prover did PoW
   }
-  deriving Show
+  deriving (Eq,Show)
+
+----------------------------------------
+
+friProofSizeInBytes :: FriProof -> Int
+friProofSizeInBytes friProof = fromIntegral $ L.length (encode friProof)
+
+instance Binary FriQueryStep where
+  put (MkFriQueryStep{..}) = do
+    putSmallList queryEvals
+    put          queryMerklePath
+  get =  MkFriQueryStep 
+     <$> getSmallList
+     <*> get
+
+instance Binary FriQueryRound where
+  put (MkFriQueryRound{..}) = do
+    putSmallArray queryRow
+    put           queryInitialTreeProof
+    putSmallList  querySteps
+  get =  MkFriQueryRound
+     <$> getSmallArray
+     <*> get
+     <*> getSmallList
+
+instance Binary FriProof where
+  put (MkFriProof{..}) = do
+    put          proofFriConfig       
+    putSmallList proofCommitPhaseCaps 
+    put          proofFinalPoly       
+    putSmallList proofQueryRounds     
+    put          proofPowWitness      
+  get =  MkFriProof
+     <$> get
+     <*> getSmallList
+     <*> get
+     <*> getSmallList
+     <*> get
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/reference/src/Field/Goldilocks/Extension.hs b/reference/src/Field/Goldilocks/Extension.hs
index dbe4cfd..f4bc930 100644
--- a/reference/src/Field/Goldilocks/Extension.hs
+++ b/reference/src/Field/Goldilocks/Extension.hs
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ import Data.Ratio
 
 import System.Random
 
+import Data.Binary
+
 import Field.Goldilocks ( F )
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -26,6 +28,10 @@ data F2 = F2
   }
   deriving (Eq)
 
+instance Binary F2 where
+  put (F2 x y) = put x >> put y
+  get = F2 <$> get <*> get
+  
 instance Show F2 where
   show (F2 r i) = "[ " ++ show r ++ " + j * " ++ show i ++ " ]"
 
diff --git a/reference/src/Field/Goldilocks/Slow.hs b/reference/src/Field/Goldilocks/Slow.hs
index d82a15a..97dbb97 100644
--- a/reference/src/Field/Goldilocks/Slow.hs
+++ b/reference/src/Field/Goldilocks/Slow.hs
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@ import Data.Ratio
 
 import System.Random
 
+import Data.Binary
+import Data.Binary.Get ( getWord64le )
+import Data.Binary.Put ( putWord64le )
+
 import Text.Printf
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -30,6 +34,10 @@ toF = mkGoldilocks . fromIntegral
 intToF :: Int -> F
 intToF = mkGoldilocks . fromIntegral
 
+instance Binary F where
+  put x = putWord64le (fromF x)
+  get = toF <$> getWord64le
+
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 newtype Goldilocks 
diff --git a/reference/src/Hash/Common.hs b/reference/src/Hash/Common.hs
index a7dfef8..1efde76 100644
--- a/reference/src/Hash/Common.hs
+++ b/reference/src/Hash/Common.hs
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ import Data.Array
 import Data.Bits
 import Data.Word
 
+import Data.Binary
+
 import Field.Goldilocks
 import Field.Encode
 
@@ -52,6 +54,10 @@ data Digest
   = MkDigest !F !F !F !F
   deriving (Eq,Show)
 
+instance Binary Digest where
+  put (MkDigest a b c d) = put a >> put b >> put c >> put d
+  get = MkDigest <$> get <*> get <*> get <*> get
+
 instance FieldEncode Digest where
   fieldEncode (MkDigest a b c d) = [a,b,c,d]
   
diff --git a/reference/src/Hash/Merkle.hs b/reference/src/Hash/Merkle.hs
index 3126900..a392356 100644
--- a/reference/src/Hash/Merkle.hs
+++ b/reference/src/Hash/Merkle.hs
@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@ module Hash.Merkle where
 import Data.Array
 import Data.Bits
 
+import Control.Monad
+import Data.Binary
+
 import Field.Goldilocks
 import Field.Goldilocks.Extension ( FExt , F2(..) )
 import Field.Encode
@@ -74,6 +77,10 @@ newtype MerkleCap
   = MkMerkleCap { fromMerkleCap :: Array Int Digest }
   deriving (Eq,Show)
 
+instance Binary MerkleCap where
+  put = putSmallArray . fromMerkleCap
+  get = MkMerkleCap <$> getSmallArray
+
 instance FieldEncode MerkleCap where
   fieldEncode (MkMerkleCap arr) = concatMap fieldEncode (elems arr)
 
@@ -133,6 +140,13 @@ newtype RawMerklePath
   = MkRawMerklePath [Digest]
   deriving (Eq,Show)
 
+fromRawMerklePath :: RawMerklePath -> [Digest]
+fromRawMerklePath (MkRawMerklePath ds) = ds
+
+instance Binary RawMerklePath where
+  put = putSmallList . fromRawMerklePath
+  get = MkRawMerklePath <$> getSmallList
+
 instance FieldEncode RawMerklePath where
   fieldEncode (MkRawMerklePath ds) = concatMap fieldEncode ds
 
diff --git a/reference/src/Misc.hs b/reference/src/Misc.hs
index 1a45253..630068e 100644
--- a/reference/src/Misc.hs
+++ b/reference/src/Misc.hs
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ import Data.List
 
 import qualified Data.Set as Set ; import Data.Set (Set)
 
+import Control.Monad
+import Data.Binary
+
 import Debug.Trace
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -175,3 +178,38 @@ extractSubgroupArray :: Int -> Array Int a -> Array Int a
 extractSubgroupArray stride = extractCosetArray 0 stride
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+-- * Binary encoding
+
+instance Binary Log2 where
+  put (Log2 k) = putWord8 (fromIntegral k)
+  get = (Log2 . fromIntegral) <$> getWord8
+
+putSmallList :: Binary a => [a] -> Put
+putSmallList list = do
+  let n = length list
+  if (n < 256)
+    then do 
+      putWord8 (fromIntegral n)
+      mapM_ put list
+    else error "putSmallList: array length >= 256"
+
+getSmallList :: Binary a => Get [a]
+getSmallList = do
+  len <- fromIntegral <$> getWord8 :: Get Int
+  replicateM len get
+
+putSmallArray :: Binary a => Array Int a -> Put
+putSmallArray list = do
+  let n = arrayLength list
+  if (n < 256)
+    then do 
+      putWord8 (fromIntegral n)
+      mapM_ put list
+    else error "putSmallArray: array length >= 256"
+
+getSmallArray :: Binary a => Get (Array Int a)
+getSmallArray = do
+  len <- fromIntegral <$> getWord8 :: Get Int
+  listToArray <$> replicateM len get
+
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/reference/src/NTT/Poly.hs b/reference/src/NTT/Poly.hs
index 8a8f45d..ceac044 100644
--- a/reference/src/NTT/Poly.hs
+++ b/reference/src/NTT/Poly.hs
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ import Control.Monad.ST.Strict
 
 import System.Random
 
+import Data.Binary
+
 import Field.Goldilocks
 import Field.Goldilocks.Extension ( FExt )
 import Field.Encode
@@ -30,6 +32,10 @@ newtype Poly a
   = Poly (Array Int a) 
   deriving (Show,Functor)
 
+instance Binary a => Binary (Poly a) where
+  put (Poly arr) = putSmallArray arr
+  get = Poly <$> getSmallArray
+
 instance (Num a, Eq a) => Eq (Poly a) where
   p == q = polyIsZero (polySub p q)
 
diff --git a/reference/src/testMain.hs b/reference/src/testMain.hs
index 233408e..f816626 100644
--- a/reference/src/testMain.hs
+++ b/reference/src/testMain.hs
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ import Data.Array
 import Text.Show.Pretty
 import System.Random
 
+import Data.Binary
+import qualified Data.ByteString.Lazy as L
+
 import Hash.Duplex.Monad
 import FRI
 import Misc
@@ -89,7 +92,12 @@ main = do
   pPrint commits
   pPrint friProof
 
-  ok <- runDuplexIO_ (verifyFRI (_ldeCommitment commits) friProof)
-  putStrLn $ "verify FRI succeed = " ++ show ok
+  let lbs = encode friProof
+  let friProof' = decode lbs
+  putStrLn $ "size of the serialized proof = " ++ show (L.length lbs)
+  putStrLn $ "could serialize proof and then load back unchanged = " ++ show (friProof == friProof')
+
+--  ok <- runDuplexIO_ (verifyFRI (_ldeCommitment commits) friProof)
+--  putStrLn $ "verify FRI succeed = " ++ show ok
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------