diff --git a/client/influxdb.go b/client/influxdb.go
index 9f798cd2add..1ada4c81e13 100644
--- a/client/influxdb.go
+++ b/client/influxdb.go
@@ -517,7 +517,7 @@ func EpochToTime(epoch int64, precision string) (time.Time, error) {
 	case "n":
 		t = time.Unix(0, epoch)
 	default:
-		return time.Time{}, fmt.Errorf("Unknowm precision %q", precision)
+		return time.Time{}, fmt.Errorf("Unknown precision %q", precision)
 	}
 	return t, nil
 }
diff --git a/httpd/handler.go b/httpd/handler.go
index 4fc9a4f9b45..7d2fb9d7a97 100644
--- a/httpd/handler.go
+++ b/httpd/handler.go
@@ -20,7 +20,9 @@ import (
 	"github.com/bmizerany/pat"
 	"github.com/influxdb/influxdb"
 	"github.com/influxdb/influxdb/client"
+	"github.com/influxdb/influxdb/cluster"
 	"github.com/influxdb/influxdb/influxql"
+	"github.com/influxdb/influxdb/tsdb"
 	"github.com/influxdb/influxdb/uuid"
 )
 
@@ -123,6 +125,10 @@ func NewAPIHandler(s *influxdb.Server, requireAuthentication, loggingEnabled boo
 			"write", // Data-ingest route.
 			"POST", "/write", true, true, h.serveWrite,
 		},
+		route{
+			"write_points", // Data-ingest route.
+			"POST", "/write_points", true, true, h.serveWritePoints,
+		},
 		route{ // Status
 			"status",
 			"GET", "/status", true, true, h.serveStatus,
@@ -538,6 +544,103 @@ func (h *Handler) serveWrite(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, user *influ
 	}
 }
 
+// serveWritePoints receives incoming series data and writes it to the database.
+func (h *Handler) serveWritePoints(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, user *influxdb.User) {
+	var writeError = func(result influxdb.Result, statusCode int) {
+		w.WriteHeader(statusCode)
+		w.Write([]byte(result.Err.Error()))
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Check to see if we have a gzip'd post
+	var body io.ReadCloser
+	if r.Header.Get("Content-encoding") == "gzip" {
+		b, err := gzip.NewReader(r.Body)
+		if err != nil {
+			writeError(influxdb.Result{Err: err}, http.StatusBadRequest)
+			return
+		}
+		body = b
+		defer r.Body.Close()
+	} else {
+		body = r.Body
+		defer r.Body.Close()
+	}
+
+	b, err := ioutil.ReadAll(body)
+	if err != nil {
+		if h.WriteTrace {
+			h.Logger.Print("write handler failed to read bytes from request body")
+		}
+		writeError(influxdb.Result{Err: err}, http.StatusBadRequest)
+		return
+	}
+	if h.WriteTrace {
+		h.Logger.Printf("write body received by handler: %s", string(b))
+	}
+
+	precision := r.FormValue("precision")
+	if precision == "" {
+		precision = "n"
+	}
+
+	points, err := tsdb.ParsePointsWithPrecision(b, time.Now().UTC(), precision)
+	if err != nil {
+		if err.Error() == "EOF" {
+			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+			return
+		}
+		writeError(influxdb.Result{Err: err}, http.StatusBadRequest)
+		return
+	}
+
+	database := r.FormValue("db")
+	if database == "" {
+		writeError(influxdb.Result{Err: fmt.Errorf("database is required")}, http.StatusBadRequest)
+		return
+	}
+
+	if !h.server.DatabaseExists(database) {
+		writeError(influxdb.Result{Err: fmt.Errorf("database not found: %q", database)}, http.StatusNotFound)
+		return
+	}
+
+	if h.requireAuthentication && user == nil {
+		writeError(influxdb.Result{Err: fmt.Errorf("user is required to write to database %q", database)}, http.StatusUnauthorized)
+		return
+	}
+
+	if h.requireAuthentication && !user.Authorize(influxql.WritePrivilege, database) {
+		writeError(influxdb.Result{Err: fmt.Errorf("%q user is not authorized to write to database %q", user.Name, database)}, http.StatusUnauthorized)
+		return
+	}
+
+	retentionPolicy := r.Form.Get("rp")
+	consistencyVal := r.Form.Get("consistency")
+	consistency := cluster.ConsistencyLevelOne
+	switch consistencyVal {
+	case "all":
+		consistency = cluster.ConsistencyLevelAll
+	case "any":
+		consistency = cluster.ConsistencyLevelAny
+	case "one":
+		consistency = cluster.ConsistencyLevelOne
+	case "quorum":
+		consistency = cluster.ConsistencyLevelQuorum
+	}
+
+	if err := h.server.WritePoints(database, retentionPolicy, consistency, points); err != nil {
+		if influxdb.IsClientError(err) {
+			writeError(influxdb.Result{Err: err}, http.StatusBadRequest)
+		} else {
+			writeError(influxdb.Result{Err: err}, http.StatusInternalServerError)
+		}
+		return
+	} else {
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusNoContent)
+	}
+}
+
 // serveMetastore returns a copy of the metastore.
 func (h *Handler) serveMetastore(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	// Set headers.
diff --git a/server.go b/server.go
index 5dd85a007f1..b6336b1e14b 100644
--- a/server.go
+++ b/server.go
@@ -1848,6 +1848,17 @@ func (s *Server) DropSeries(database string, seriesByMeasurement map[string][]ui
 	return err
 }
 
+func (s *Server) WritePoints(database, retentionPolicy string, consistency cluster.ConsistencyLevel, points []tsdb.Point) error {
+	wpr := &cluster.WritePointsRequest{
+		Database:         database,
+		RetentionPolicy:  retentionPolicy,
+		ConsistencyLevel: consistency,
+		Points:           points,
+	}
+
+	return s.pw.Write(wpr)
+}
+
 // WriteSeries writes series data to the database.
 // Returns the messaging index the data was written to.
 func (s *Server) WriteSeries(database, retentionPolicy string, points []tsdb.Point) (idx uint64, err error) {
diff --git a/tsdb/points.go b/tsdb/points.go
index 5bb27876c79..89cb73397fe 100644
--- a/tsdb/points.go
+++ b/tsdb/points.go
@@ -1,8 +1,12 @@
 package tsdb
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
 	"hash/fnv"
 	"sort"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
 	"time"
 )
 
@@ -15,37 +19,451 @@ type Point interface {
 	AddTag(key, value string)
 	SetTags(tags Tags)
 
-	Fields() map[string]interface{}
+	Fields() Fields
 	AddField(name string, value interface{})
 
 	Time() time.Time
 	SetTime(t time.Time)
-	UnixNano() uint64
+	UnixNano() int64
 
 	HashID() uint64
-	Key() string
+	Key() []byte
 
 	Data() []byte
 	SetData(buf []byte)
+
+	String() string
 }
 
 // point is the default implementation of Point.
 type point struct {
-	name   string
-	tags   Tags
-	time   time.Time
-	fields map[string]interface{}
-	key    string
-	data   []byte
+	time time.Time
+
+	// text encoding of measurement and tags
+	// key must always be stored sorted by tags, if the original line was not sorted,
+	// we need to resort it
+	key []byte
+
+	// text encoding of field data
+	fields []byte
+
+	// text encoding of timestamp
+	ts []byte
+
+	// binary encoded field data
+	data []byte
+}
+
+var escapeCodes = map[byte][]byte{
+	',': []byte(`\,`),
+	'"': []byte(`\"`),
+	' ': []byte(`\ `),
+	'=': []byte(`\=`),
+}
+
+var escapeCodesStr = map[string]string{}
+
+func init() {
+	for k, v := range escapeCodes {
+		escapeCodesStr[string(k)] = string(v)
+	}
+}
+
+func ParsePointsString(buf string) ([]Point, error) {
+	return ParsePoints([]byte(buf))
+}
+
+// ParsePoints returns a slice of Points from a text representation of a point
+// with each point separated by newlines.
+func ParsePoints(buf []byte) ([]Point, error) {
+	return ParsePointsWithPrecision(buf, time.Now().UTC(), "n")
+}
+
+func ParsePointsWithPrecision(buf []byte, defaultTime time.Time, precision string) ([]Point, error) {
+	points := []Point{}
+	var (
+		pos   int
+		block []byte
+	)
+	for {
+		pos, block = scanTo(buf, pos, '\n')
+		pos += 1
+
+		if len(block) == 0 {
+			break
+		}
+
+		pt, err := parsePoint(block, defaultTime, precision)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		points = append(points, pt)
+
+		if pos >= len(buf) {
+			break
+		}
+
+	}
+	return points, nil
+
+}
+
+func parsePoint(buf []byte, defaultTime time.Time, precision string) (Point, error) {
+	// scan the first block which is measurement[,tag1=value1,tag2=value=2...]
+	pos, key, err := scanKey(buf, 0)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	// measurement name is required
+	if len(key) == 0 {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("missing measurement")
+	}
+
+	// scan the second block is which is field1=value1[,field2=value2,...]
+	pos, fields, err := scanFields(buf, pos)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	// at least one field is required
+	if len(fields) == 0 {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("missing fields")
+	}
+
+	// scan the last block which is an optional integer timestamp
+	pos, ts, err := scanTime(buf, pos)
+
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	pt := &point{
+		key:    key,
+		fields: fields,
+		ts:     ts,
+	}
+
+	if len(ts) == 0 {
+		pt.time = defaultTime
+	}
+	pt.SetPrecision(precision)
+	return pt, nil
+}
+
+// scanKey scans buf starting at i for the measurement and tag portion of the point.
+// It returns the ending position and the byte slice of key within buf.  If there
+// are tags, they will be sorted if they are not already.
+func scanKey(buf []byte, i int) (int, []byte, error) {
+	start := skipWhitespace(buf, i)
+
+	i = start
+
+	// Determiens whether the tags are sort, assume they are
+	sorted := true
+
+	// indices holds the indexes within buf of the start of each tag.  For example,
+	// a buf of 'cpu,host=a,region=b,zone=c' would have indices slice of [4,11,20]
+	// which indicates that the first tag starts at buf[4], seconds at buf[11], and
+	// last at buf[20]
+	indices := make([]int, 100)
+
+	// tracks how many commas we've seen so we know how many values are indices.
+	// Since indices is an arbitraily large slice,
+	// we need to know how many values in the buffer are in use.
+	separators := 0
+
+	// tracks whether we've see an '='
+	hasSeparator := false
+
+	// loop over each byte in buf
+	for {
+		// reached the end of buf?
+		if i >= len(buf) {
+			if !hasSeparator && separators > 0 {
+				return i, buf[start:i], fmt.Errorf("missing value")
+			}
+
+			break
+		}
+
+		if buf[i] == '=' {
+			i += 1
+			hasSeparator = true
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// escaped character
+		if buf[i] == '\\' {
+			i += 2
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// At a tag separator (comma), track it's location
+		if buf[i] == ',' {
+			if !hasSeparator && separators > 0 {
+				return i, buf[start:i], fmt.Errorf("missing value")
+			}
+			i += 1
+			indices[separators] = i
+			separators += 1
+			hasSeparator = false
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// reached end of the block? (next block would be fields)
+		if buf[i] == ' ' {
+			if !hasSeparator && separators > 0 {
+				return i, buf[start:i], fmt.Errorf("missing value")
+			}
+			indices[separators] = i + 1
+			break
+		}
+
+		i += 1
+	}
+
+	// Now we know where the key region is within buf, and the locations of tags, we
+	// need to deterimine if duplicate tags exist and if the tags are sorted.  This iterates
+	// 1/2 of the list comparing each end with each other, walking towards the center from
+	// both sides.
+	for j := 0; j < separators/2; j++ {
+		// get the left and right tags
+		_, left := scanTo(buf[indices[j]:indices[j+1]-1], 0, '=')
+		_, right := scanTo(buf[indices[separators-j-1]:indices[separators-j]-1], 0, '=')
+
+		// If the tags are equal, then there are duplicate tags, and we should abort
+		if bytes.Equal(left, right) {
+			return i, buf[start:i], fmt.Errorf("duplicate tags")
+		}
+
+		// If left is greater than right, the tags are not sorted.  We must continue
+		// since their could be duplicate tags still.
+		if bytes.Compare(left, right) > 0 {
+			sorted = false
+		}
+	}
+
+	// If the tags are not sorted, then sort them.  This sort is inline and
+	// uses the tag indices we created earlier.  The actual buffer is not sorted, the
+	// indices are using the buffer for value comparison.  After the indices are sorted,
+	// the buffer is reconstructed from the sorted indices.
+	if !sorted && separators > 0 {
+		// Get the measurement name for later
+		measurement := buf[start : indices[0]-1]
+
+		// Sort the indices
+		indices := indices[:separators]
+		insertionSort(0, separators, buf, indices)
+
+		// Create a new key using the measurement and sorted indices
+		b := make([]byte, len(buf[start:i]))
+		pos := copy(b, measurement)
+		for _, i := range indices {
+			b[pos] = ','
+			pos += 1
+			_, v := scanToSpaceOr(buf, i, ',')
+			pos += copy(b[pos:], v)
+		}
+
+		return i, b, nil
+	}
+
+	return i, buf[start:i], nil
+}
+
+func insertionSort(l, r int, buf []byte, indices []int) {
+	for i := l + 1; i < r; i++ {
+		for j := i; j > l && less(buf, indices, j, j-1); j-- {
+			indices[j], indices[j-1] = indices[j-1], indices[j]
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func less(buf []byte, indices []int, i, j int) bool {
+	// This grabs the tag names for i & j, it ignores the values
+	_, a := scanTo(buf, indices[i], '=')
+	_, b := scanTo(buf, indices[j], '=')
+	return bytes.Compare(a, b) < 0
+}
+
+// scanFields scans buf, starting at i for the fields section of a point.  It returns
+// the ending position and the byte slice of the fields within buf
+func scanFields(buf []byte, i int) (int, []byte, error) {
+	start := skipWhitespace(buf, i)
+	i = start
+	quoted := false
+	for {
+		// reached the end of buf?
+		if i >= len(buf) {
+			break
+		}
+
+		// escaped character
+		if buf[i] == '\\' {
+			i += 2
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// If the value is quoted, scan until we get to the end quote
+		if buf[i] == '"' {
+			quoted = !quoted
+			i += 1
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// reached end of block?
+		if buf[i] == ' ' && !quoted {
+			break
+		}
+		i += 1
+	}
+	if quoted {
+		return i, buf[start:i], fmt.Errorf("unbalanced quotes")
+	}
+	return i, buf[start:i], nil
+}
+
+// scanTime scans buf, starting at i for the time section of a point.  It returns
+// the ending position and the byte slice of the fields within buf and error if the
+// timestamp is not in the correct numeric format
+func scanTime(buf []byte, i int) (int, []byte, error) {
+	start := skipWhitespace(buf, i)
+	i = start
+	for {
+		// reached the end of buf?
+		if i >= len(buf) {
+			break
+		}
+
+		// Timestamps should integers, make sure they are so we don't need to actually
+		// parse the timestamp until needed
+		if buf[i] < '0' || buf[i] > '9' {
+			return i, buf[start:i], fmt.Errorf("bad timestamp")
+		}
+
+		// reached end of block?
+		if buf[i] == '\n' {
+			break
+		}
+		i += 1
+	}
+	return i, buf[start:i], nil
+}
+
+// skipWhitespace returns the end position within buf, starting at i after
+// scanning over spaces in tags
+func skipWhitespace(buf []byte, i int) int {
+	for {
+		if i >= len(buf) {
+			return i
+		}
+
+		if buf[i] == ' ' || buf[i] == '\t' {
+			i += 1
+			continue
+		}
+		break
+	}
+	return i
+}
+
+// scanTo returns the end position in buf and the next consecutive block
+// of bytes, starting from i and ending with stop byte.  If there are leading
+// spaces, they are skipped.
+func scanTo(buf []byte, i int, stop byte) (int, []byte) {
+	start := i
+	for {
+		// reached the end of buf?
+		if i >= len(buf) {
+			break
+		}
+
+		// reached end of block?
+		if buf[i] == stop {
+			break
+		}
+		i += 1
+	}
+
+	return i, buf[start:i]
+}
+
+// scanTo returns the end position in buf and the next consecutive block
+// of bytes, starting from i and ending with stop byte.  If there are leading
+// spaces, they are skipped.
+func scanToSpaceOr(buf []byte, i int, stop byte) (int, []byte) {
+	start := i
+	for {
+		// reached the end of buf?
+		if i >= len(buf) {
+			break
+		}
+
+		// reached end of block?
+		if buf[i] == stop || buf[i] == ' ' {
+			break
+		}
+		i += 1
+	}
+
+	return i, buf[start:i]
+}
+
+func scanTagValue(buf []byte, i int) (int, []byte) {
+	start := i
+	for {
+		if i >= len(buf) {
+			break
+		}
+
+		if buf[i] == '\\' {
+			i += 2
+			continue
+		}
+
+		if buf[i] == ',' {
+			break
+		}
+		i += 1
+	}
+	return i, buf[start:i]
+}
+
+func escape(in []byte) []byte {
+	for b, esc := range escapeCodes {
+		in = bytes.Replace(in, []byte{b}, esc, -1)
+	}
+	return in
+}
+
+func escapeString(in string) string {
+	for b, esc := range escapeCodesStr {
+		in = strings.Replace(in, b, esc, -1)
+	}
+	return in
+}
+
+func unescape(in []byte) []byte {
+	for b, esc := range escapeCodes {
+		in = bytes.Replace(in, esc, []byte{b}, -1)
+	}
+	return in
+}
+
+func unescapeString(in string) string {
+	for b, esc := range escapeCodesStr {
+		in = strings.Replace(in, esc, b, -1)
+	}
+	return in
 }
 
 // NewPoint returns a new point with the given measurement name, tags, fiels and timestamp
-func NewPoint(name string, tags Tags, fields map[string]interface{}, time time.Time) Point {
+func NewPoint(name string, tags Tags, fields Fields, time time.Time) Point {
 	return &point{
-		name:   name,
-		tags:   tags,
+		key:    makeKey([]byte(name), tags),
 		time:   time,
-		fields: fields,
+		fields: fields.MarshalBinary(),
 	}
 }
 
@@ -57,25 +475,39 @@ func (p *point) SetData(b []byte) {
 	p.data = b
 }
 
-func (p *point) Key() string {
-	if p.key == "" {
-		p.key = p.Name() + "," + string(p.tags.HashKey())
-	}
+func (p *point) Key() []byte {
 	return p.key
 }
 
+func (p *point) name() []byte {
+	_, name := scanTo(p.key, 0, ',')
+	return name
+}
+
 // Name return the measurement name for the point
 func (p *point) Name() string {
-	return p.name
+	return string(unescape(p.name()))
 }
 
 // SetName updates the measurement name for the point
 func (p *point) SetName(name string) {
-	p.name = name
+	p.key = makeKey([]byte(name), p.Tags())
 }
 
 // Time return the timesteamp for the point
 func (p *point) Time() time.Time {
+	if !p.time.IsZero() {
+		return p.time
+	}
+
+	if len(p.ts) > 0 {
+		ts, err := strconv.ParseInt(string(p.ts), 10, 64)
+		if err != nil {
+			return p.time
+		}
+		p.time = time.Unix(0, ts)
+	}
+
 	return p.time
 }
 
@@ -86,88 +518,273 @@ func (p *point) SetTime(t time.Time) {
 
 // Tags returns the tag set for the point
 func (p *point) Tags() Tags {
-	return p.tags
+	tags := map[string]string{}
+
+	if len(p.key) != 0 {
+		pos, name := scanTo(p.key, 0, ',')
+
+		// it's an empyt key, so there are no tags
+		if len(name) == 0 {
+			return tags
+		}
+
+		i := pos + 1
+		var key, value []byte
+		for {
+			if i >= len(p.key) {
+				break
+			}
+			i, key = scanTo(p.key, i, '=')
+			i, value = scanTagValue(p.key, i+1)
+
+			tags[string(unescape(key))] = string(unescape(value))
+
+			i += 1
+		}
+	}
+	return tags
+}
+
+func makeKey(name []byte, tags Tags) []byte {
+	return append(escape(name), tags.hashKey()...)
 }
 
 // SetTags replaces the tags for the point
 func (p *point) SetTags(tags Tags) {
-	p.tags = tags
+	p.key = makeKey(p.name(), tags)
 }
 
 // AddTag adds or replaces a tag value for a point
 func (p *point) AddTag(key, value string) {
-	p.tags[key] = value
+	tags := p.Tags()
+	tags[key] = value
+	p.key = makeKey(p.name(), tags)
 }
 
 // Fields returns the fiels for the point
-func (p *point) Fields() map[string]interface{} {
-	return p.fields
+func (p *point) Fields() Fields {
+	return p.unmarshalBinary()
 }
 
 // AddField adds or replaces a field value for a point
 func (p *point) AddField(name string, value interface{}) {
-	p.fields[name] = value
+	fields := p.Fields()
+	fields[name] = value
+	p.fields = fields.MarshalBinary()
 }
 
-func (p *point) HashID() uint64 {
+// SetPrecision will round a time to the specified precision
+func (p *point) SetPrecision(precision string) {
+	switch precision {
+	case "n":
+	case "u":
+		p.SetTime(p.Time().Round(time.Microsecond))
+	case "ms":
+		p.SetTime(p.Time().Round(time.Millisecond))
+	case "s":
+		p.SetTime(p.Time().Round(time.Second))
+	case "m":
+		p.SetTime(p.Time().Round(time.Minute))
+	case "h":
+		p.SetTime(p.Time().Round(time.Hour))
+	}
+}
 
-	// <measurementName>|<tagKey>|<tagKey>|<tagValue>|<tagValue>
-	// cpu|host|servera
-	encodedTags := p.tags.HashKey()
-	size := len(p.Name()) + len(encodedTags)
-	if len(encodedTags) > 0 {
-		size++
-	}
-	b := make([]byte, 0, size)
-	b = append(b, p.Name()...)
-	if len(encodedTags) > 0 {
-		b = append(b, '|')
-	}
-	b = append(b, encodedTags...)
-	// TODO pick a better hashing that guarantees uniqueness
-	// TODO create a cash for faster lookup
+func (p *point) String() string {
+	if p.Time().IsZero() {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%s %s", p.Key(), string(p.fields))
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s %s %d", p.Key(), string(p.fields), p.UnixNano())
+}
+
+func (p *point) unmarshalBinary() Fields {
+	return newFieldsFromBinary(p.fields)
+}
+
+func (p *point) HashID() uint64 {
 	h := fnv.New64a()
-	h.Write(b)
+	h.Write(p.key)
 	sum := h.Sum64()
 	return sum
 }
 
-func (p *point) UnixNano() uint64 {
-	return uint64(p.time.UnixNano())
+func (p *point) UnixNano() int64 {
+	return p.Time().UnixNano()
 }
 
 type Tags map[string]string
 
-func (t Tags) HashKey() []byte {
+func (t Tags) hashKey() []byte {
 	// Empty maps marshal to empty bytes.
 	if len(t) == 0 {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	// Extract keys and determine final size.
-	sz := (len(t) * 2) - 1 // separators
-	keys := make([]string, 0, len(t))
+	escaped := Tags{}
 	for k, v := range t {
-		keys = append(keys, k)
+		ek := escapeString(k)
+		ev := escapeString(v)
+		escaped[ek] = ev
+	}
+
+	// Extract keys and determine final size.
+	sz := len(escaped) + (len(escaped) * 2) // separators
+	keys := make([]string, len(escaped)+1)
+	i := 0
+	for k, v := range escaped {
+		keys[i] = k
+		i += 1
 		sz += len(k) + len(v)
 	}
+	keys = keys[:i]
 	sort.Strings(keys)
-
 	// Generate marshaled bytes.
 	b := make([]byte, sz)
 	buf := b
+	idx := 0
 	for _, k := range keys {
-		copy(buf, k)
-		buf[len(k)] = '|'
-		buf = buf[len(k)+1:]
+		buf[idx] = ','
+		idx += 1
+		copy(buf[idx:idx+len(k)], k)
+		idx += len(k)
+		buf[idx] = '='
+		idx += 1
+		v := escaped[k]
+		copy(buf[idx:idx+len(v)], v)
+		idx += len(v)
 	}
-	for i, k := range keys {
-		v := t[k]
-		copy(buf, v)
-		if i < len(keys)-1 {
-			buf[len(v)] = '|'
-			buf = buf[len(v)+1:]
+	return b[:idx]
+}
+
+type Fields map[string]interface{}
+
+func parseNumber(val []byte) (interface{}, error) {
+	for i := 0; i < len(val); i++ {
+		if val[i] == '.' {
+			return strconv.ParseFloat(string(val), 64)
+		}
+		if val[i] < '0' && val[i] > '9' {
+			return string(val), nil
 		}
 	}
+	return strconv.ParseInt(string(val), 10, 64)
+}
+
+func newFieldsFromBinary(buf []byte) Fields {
+	fields := Fields{}
+	var (
+		i              int
+		name, valueBuf []byte
+		value          interface{}
+		err            error
+	)
+	for {
+		if i >= len(buf) {
+			break
+		}
+
+		i, name = scanTo(buf, i, '=')
+		if len(name) == 0 {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		i, valueBuf = scanTo(buf, i+1, ',')
+		if len(valueBuf) == 0 {
+			fields[string(name)] = nil
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// If the first char is a double-quote, then unmarshal as string
+		if valueBuf[0] == '"' {
+			value = unescapeString(string(valueBuf[1 : len(valueBuf)-1]))
+			// Check for numeric characters
+		} else if (valueBuf[0] >= '0' && valueBuf[0] <= '9') || valueBuf[0] == '-' || valueBuf[0] == '.' {
+			value, err = parseNumber(valueBuf)
+			if err != nil {
+				fmt.Printf("unable to parse number value '%v': %v\n", string(valueBuf), err)
+				value = float64(0)
+			}
+
+			// Otherwise parse it as bool
+		} else {
+			value, err = strconv.ParseBool(string(valueBuf))
+			if err != nil {
+				fmt.Printf("unable to parse bool value '%v': %v\n", string(valueBuf), err)
+				value = false
+			}
+		}
+		fields[string(unescape(name))] = value
+		i += 1
+	}
+	return fields
+}
+
+func (p Fields) MarshalBinary() []byte {
+	b := []byte{}
+	keys := make([]string, len(p))
+	i := 0
+	for k, _ := range p {
+		keys[i] = k
+		i += 1
+	}
+	sort.Strings(keys)
+
+	for _, k := range keys {
+		v := p[k]
+		b = append(b, []byte(escapeString(k))...)
+		b = append(b, '=')
+		switch t := v.(type) {
+		case int:
+			b = append(b, []byte(strconv.FormatFloat(float64(t), 'g', -1, 64))...)
+		case int32:
+			b = append(b, []byte(strconv.FormatFloat(float64(t), 'g', -1, 64))...)
+		case int64:
+			b = append(b, []byte(strconv.FormatFloat(float64(t), 'g', -1, 64))...)
+		case float64:
+			// ensure there is a decimal in the encoded for
+
+			val := []byte(strconv.FormatFloat(t, 'f', -1, 64))
+			hasDecimal := t-float64(int64(t)) > 0
+			b = append(b, val...)
+			if !hasDecimal {
+				b = append(b, []byte(".0")...)
+			}
+		case bool:
+			b = append(b, []byte(strconv.FormatBool(t))...)
+		case []byte:
+			b = append(b, t...)
+		case string:
+			b = append(b, '"')
+			b = append(b, []byte(t)...)
+			b = append(b, '"')
+		case nil:
+			// skip
+		default:
+			panic(fmt.Sprintf("unknown type: %T", v))
+		}
+		b = append(b, ',')
+	}
+	if len(b) > 0 {
+		return b[0 : len(b)-1]
+	}
 	return b
 }
+
+type indexedSlice struct {
+	indices []int
+	b       []byte
+}
+
+func (s *indexedSlice) Less(i, j int) bool {
+	_, a := scanTo(s.b, s.indices[i], '=')
+	_, b := scanTo(s.b, s.indices[j], '=')
+	return bytes.Compare(a, b) < 0
+}
+
+func (s *indexedSlice) Swap(i, j int) {
+	s.indices[i], s.indices[j] = s.indices[j], s.indices[i]
+}
+
+func (s *indexedSlice) Len() int {
+	return len(s.indices)
+}
diff --git a/tsdb/points_test.go b/tsdb/points_test.go
index fee5f700188..9884c200de4 100644
--- a/tsdb/points_test.go
+++ b/tsdb/points_test.go
@@ -1,12 +1,18 @@
 package tsdb
 
-import "testing"
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"reflect"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
 
 var tags = Tags{"foo": "bar", "apple": "orange", "host": "serverA", "region": "uswest"}
 
 func TestMarshal(t *testing.T) {
-	got := tags.HashKey()
-	if exp := "apple|foo|host|region|orange|bar|serverA|uswest"; string(got) != exp {
+	got := tags.hashKey()
+	if exp := ",apple=orange,foo=bar,host=serverA,region=uswest"; string(got) != exp {
 		t.Log("got: ", string(got))
 		t.Log("exp: ", exp)
 		t.Error("invalid match")
@@ -15,6 +21,469 @@ func TestMarshal(t *testing.T) {
 
 func BenchmarkMarshal(b *testing.B) {
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-		tags.HashKey()
+		tags.hashKey()
 	}
 }
+
+func BenchmarkParsePointNoTags(b *testing.B) {
+	line := `cpu value=1 1000000000`
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		ParsePoints([]byte(line))
+		b.SetBytes(int64(len(line)))
+	}
+}
+
+func BenchmarkParsePointsTagsSorted2(b *testing.B) {
+	line := `cpu,host=serverA,region=us-west value=1 1000000000`
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		ParsePoints([]byte(line))
+		b.SetBytes(int64(len(line)))
+	}
+}
+
+func BenchmarkParsePointsTagsSorted5(b *testing.B) {
+	line := `cpu,env=prod,host=serverA,region=us-west,target=servers,zone=1c value=1 1000000000`
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		ParsePoints([]byte(line))
+		b.SetBytes(int64(len(line)))
+	}
+}
+
+func BenchmarkParsePointsTagsSorted10(b *testing.B) {
+	line := `cpu,env=prod,host=serverA,region=us-west,tag1=value1,tag2=value2,tag3=value3,tag4=value4,tag5=value5,target=servers,zone=1c value=1 1000000000`
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		ParsePoints([]byte(line))
+		b.SetBytes(int64(len(line)))
+	}
+}
+
+func BenchmarkParsePointsTagsUnSorted2(b *testing.B) {
+	line := `cpu,region=us-west,host=serverA value=1 1000000000`
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		pt, _ := ParsePoints([]byte(line))
+		b.SetBytes(int64(len(line)))
+		pt[0].Key()
+	}
+}
+
+func BenchmarkParsePointsTagsUnSorted5(b *testing.B) {
+	line := `cpu,region=us-west,host=serverA,env=prod,target=servers,zone=1c value=1 1000000000`
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		pt, _ := ParsePoints([]byte(line))
+		b.SetBytes(int64(len(line)))
+		pt[0].Key()
+	}
+}
+
+func BenchmarkParsePointsTagsUnSorted10(b *testing.B) {
+	line := `cpu,region=us-west,host=serverA,env=prod,target=servers,zone=1c,tag1=value1,tag2=value2,tag3=value3,tag4=value4,tag5=value5 value=1 1000000000`
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		pt, _ := ParsePoints([]byte(line))
+		b.SetBytes(int64(len(line)))
+		pt[0].Key()
+	}
+}
+
+func test(t *testing.T, line string, point Point) {
+	pts, err := ParsePointsWithPrecision([]byte(line), time.Unix(0, 0), "n")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf(`ParsePoints("%s") mismatch. got %v, exp nil`, line, err)
+	}
+
+	if exp := 1; len(pts) != exp {
+		t.Fatalf(`ParsePoints("%s") len mismatch. got %d, exp %d`, line, len(pts), exp)
+	}
+
+	if exp := point.Key(); !bytes.Equal(pts[0].Key(), exp) {
+		t.Errorf("ParsePoints(\"%s\") key mismatch.\ngot %v\nexp %v", line, string(pts[0].Key()), string(exp))
+	}
+
+	if exp := len(point.Tags()); len(pts[0].Tags()) != exp {
+		t.Errorf(`ParsePoints("%s") tags mismatch. got %v, exp %v`, line, pts[0].Tags(), exp)
+	}
+
+	for tag, value := range point.Tags() {
+		if pts[0].Tags()[tag] != value {
+			t.Errorf(`ParsePoints("%s") tags mismatch. got %v, exp %v`, line, pts[0].Tags()[tag], value)
+		}
+	}
+
+	for name, value := range point.Fields() {
+		if !reflect.DeepEqual(pts[0].Fields()[name], value) {
+			t.Errorf(`ParsePoints("%s") field '%s' mismatch. got %v, exp %v`, line, name, pts[0].Fields()[name], value)
+		}
+	}
+
+	if !pts[0].Time().Equal(point.Time()) {
+		t.Errorf(`ParsePoints("%s") time mismatch. got %v, exp %v`, line, pts[0].Time(), point.Time())
+	}
+
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(pts[0].String(), line) {
+		t.Errorf("ParsePoints string mismatch.\ngot: %v\nexp: %v", pts[0].String(), line)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParsePointNoValue(t *testing.T) {
+	pts, err := ParsePointsString("")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf(`ParsePoints("%s") mismatch. got %v, exp nil`, "", err)
+	}
+
+	if exp := 0; len(pts) != exp {
+		t.Errorf(`ParsePoints("%s") len mismatch. got %v, exp %vr`, "", len(pts), exp)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParsePointNoFields(t *testing.T) {
+	_, err := ParsePointsString("cpu")
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Errorf(`ParsePoints("%s") mismatch. got nil, exp error`, "cpu")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParsePointNoTimestamp(t *testing.T) {
+	test(t, "cpu value=1", NewPoint("cpu", nil, nil, time.Unix(0, 0)))
+}
+
+func TestParsePointMissingQuote(t *testing.T) {
+	_, err := ParsePointsString(`cpu,host=serverA value="test`)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Errorf(`ParsePoints("%s") mismatch. got nil, exp error`, "cpu")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParsePointMissingTagValue(t *testing.T) {
+	_, err := ParsePointsString(`cpu,host=serverA,region value=1`)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Errorf(`ParsePoints("%s") mismatch. got nil, exp error`, "cpu")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParsePointUnescape(t *testing.T) {
+	// commas in measuremnt name
+	test(t, `cpu\,main,regions=east\,west value=1.0`,
+		NewPoint(
+			"cpu,main", // comma in the name
+			Tags{
+				"regions": "east,west",
+			},
+			Fields{
+				"value": 1.0,
+			},
+			time.Unix(0, 0)))
+
+	// spaces in measurement name
+	test(t, `cpu\ load,region=east value=1.0`,
+		NewPoint(
+			"cpu load", // space in the name
+			Tags{
+				"region": "east",
+			},
+			Fields{
+				"value": 1.0,
+			},
+			time.Unix(0, 0)))
+
+	// commas in tag names
+	test(t, `cpu,region\,zone=east value=1.0`,
+		NewPoint("cpu",
+			Tags{
+				"region,zone": "east", // comma in the tag name
+			},
+			Fields{
+				"value": 1.0,
+			},
+			time.Unix(0, 0)))
+
+	// spaces in tag names
+	test(t, `cpu,region\ zone=east value=1.0`,
+		NewPoint("cpu",
+			Tags{
+				"region zone": "east", // comma in the tag name
+			},
+			Fields{
+				"value": 1.0,
+			},
+			time.Unix(0, 0)))
+
+	// commas in tag values
+	test(t, `cpu,regions=east\,west value=1.0`,
+		NewPoint("cpu",
+			Tags{
+				"regions": "east,west", // comma in the tag value
+			},
+			Fields{
+				"value": 1.0,
+			},
+			time.Unix(0, 0)))
+
+	// spaces in tag values
+	test(t, `cpu,regions=east\ west value=1.0`,
+		NewPoint("cpu",
+			Tags{
+				"regions": "east west", // comma in the tag value
+			},
+			Fields{
+				"value": 1.0,
+			},
+			time.Unix(0, 0)))
+
+	// commas in field names
+	test(t, `cpu,regions=east value\,ms=1.0`,
+		NewPoint("cpu",
+			Tags{
+				"regions": "east",
+			},
+			Fields{
+				"value,ms": 1.0, // comma in the field name
+			},
+			time.Unix(0, 0)))
+
+	// spaces in field names
+	test(t, `cpu,regions=east value\ ms=1.0`,
+		NewPoint("cpu",
+			Tags{
+				"regions": "east",
+			},
+			Fields{
+				"value ms": 1.0, // comma in the field name
+			},
+			time.Unix(0, 0)))
+
+	// commas in field values
+	test(t, `cpu,regions=east value="1,0"`,
+		NewPoint("cpu",
+			Tags{
+				"regions": "east",
+			},
+			Fields{
+				"value": "1,0", // comma in the field value
+			},
+			time.Unix(0, 0)))
+
+	// random character escaped
+	test(t, `cpu,regions=eas\t value=1.0`,
+		NewPoint(
+			"cpu",
+			Tags{
+				"regions": "eas\\t",
+			},
+			Fields{
+				"value": 1.0,
+			},
+			time.Unix(0, 0)))
+}
+
+func TestParsePointWithTags(t *testing.T) {
+	test(t,
+		"cpu,host=serverA,region=us-east value=1.0 1000000000",
+		NewPoint("cpu",
+			Tags{"host": "serverA", "region": "us-east"},
+			Fields{"value": 1.0}, time.Unix(1, 0)))
+}
+
+func TestParsPointWithDuplicateTags(t *testing.T) {
+	_, err := ParsePoints([]byte(`cpu,host=serverA,host=serverB value=1 1000000000`))
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf(`ParsePoint() expected error. got nil`)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParsePointWithStringField(t *testing.T) {
+	test(t, `cpu,host=serverA,region=us-east value=1.0,str="foo",str2="bar" 1000000000`,
+		NewPoint("cpu",
+			Tags{
+				"host":   "serverA",
+				"region": "us-east",
+			},
+			Fields{
+				"value": 1.0,
+				"str":   "foo",
+				"str2":  "bar",
+			},
+			time.Unix(1, 0)),
+	)
+
+	test(t, `cpu,host=serverA,region=us-east str="foo \" bar" 1000000000`,
+		NewPoint("cpu",
+			Tags{
+				"host":   "serverA",
+				"region": "us-east",
+			},
+			Fields{
+				"str": `foo " bar`,
+			},
+			time.Unix(1, 0)),
+	)
+
+}
+
+func TestParsePointWithStringWithSpaces(t *testing.T) {
+	test(t, `cpu,host=serverA,region=us-east value=1.0,str="foo bar" 1000000000`,
+		NewPoint(
+			"cpu",
+			Tags{
+				"host":   "serverA",
+				"region": "us-east",
+			},
+			Fields{
+				"value": 1.0,
+				"str":   "foo bar", // spaces in string value
+			},
+			time.Unix(1, 0)),
+	)
+}
+
+func TestParsePointWithStringWithEquals(t *testing.T) {
+	test(t, `cpu,host=serverA,region=us-east str="foo=bar",value=1.0, 1000000000`,
+		NewPoint(
+			"cpu",
+			Tags{
+				"host":   "serverA",
+				"region": "us-east",
+			},
+			Fields{
+				"value": 1.0,
+				"str":   "foo=bar", // spaces in string value
+			},
+			time.Unix(1, 0)),
+	)
+}
+
+func TestParsePointWithBoolField(t *testing.T) {
+	test(t, `cpu,host=serverA,region=us-east bool=true,boolTrue=t,false=false,falseVal=f 1000000000`,
+		NewPoint(
+			"cpu",
+			Tags{
+				"host":   "serverA",
+				"region": "us-east",
+			},
+			Fields{
+				"bool":     true,
+				"boolTrue": true,
+				"false":    false,
+				"falseVal": false,
+			},
+			time.Unix(1, 0)),
+	)
+}
+
+func TestParsePointUnicodeString(t *testing.T) {
+	test(t, `cpu,host=serverA,region=us-east value="wè" 1000000000`,
+		NewPoint(
+			"cpu",
+			Tags{
+				"host":   "serverA",
+				"region": "us-east",
+			},
+			Fields{
+				"value": "wè",
+			},
+			time.Unix(1, 0)),
+	)
+}
+
+func TestParsePointIntsFloats(t *testing.T) {
+	pts, err := ParsePoints([]byte(`cpu,host=serverA,region=us-east int=10,float=11.0,float2=12.1 1000000000`))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf(`ParsePoints() failed. got %s`, err)
+	}
+
+	if exp := 1; len(pts) != exp {
+		t.Errorf("ParsePoint() len mismatch: got %v, exp %v", len(pts), exp)
+	}
+	pt := pts[0]
+
+	if _, ok := pt.Fields()["int"].(int64); !ok {
+		t.Errorf("ParsePoint() int field mismatch: got %T, exp %T", pt.Fields()["int"], int64(10))
+	}
+
+	if _, ok := pt.Fields()["float"].(float64); !ok {
+		t.Errorf("ParsePoint() float field mismatch: got %T, exp %T", pt.Fields()["float64"], float64(11.0))
+	}
+
+	if _, ok := pt.Fields()["float2"].(float64); !ok {
+		t.Errorf("ParsePoint() float field mismatch: got %T, exp %T", pt.Fields()["float64"], float64(12.1))
+	}
+
+}
+
+func TestParsePointKeyUnsorted(t *testing.T) {
+	pts, err := ParsePoints([]byte("cpu,last=1,first=2 value=1"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf(`ParsePoints() failed. got %s`, err)
+	}
+
+	if exp := 1; len(pts) != exp {
+		t.Errorf("ParsePoint() len mismatch: got %v, exp %v", len(pts), exp)
+	}
+	pt := pts[0]
+
+	if exp := "cpu,first=2,last=1"; string(pt.Key()) != exp {
+		t.Errorf("ParsePoint key not sorted. got %v, exp %v", pt.Key(), exp)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParsePointToString(t *testing.T) {
+	line := `cpu,host=serverA,region=us-east bool=false,float=11.0,float2=12.123,int=10,str="string val" 1000000000`
+	pts, err := ParsePoints([]byte(line))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf(`ParsePoints() failed. got %s`, err)
+	}
+	if exp := 1; len(pts) != exp {
+		t.Errorf("ParsePoint() len mismatch: got %v, exp %v", len(pts), exp)
+	}
+	pt := pts[0]
+
+	got := pt.String()
+	if line != got {
+		t.Errorf("ParsePoint() to string mismatch:\n got %v\n exp %v", got, line)
+	}
+
+	pt = NewPoint("cpu", Tags{"host": "serverA", "region": "us-east"},
+		Fields{"int": 10, "float": float64(11.0), "float2": float64(12.123), "bool": false, "str": "string val"},
+		time.Unix(1, 0))
+
+	got = pt.String()
+	if line != got {
+		t.Errorf("NewPoint() to string mismatch:\n got %v\n exp %v", got, line)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParsePointsWithPrecision(t *testing.T) {
+	line := `cpu,host=serverA,region=us-east value=1.0 20000000000`
+	pts, err := ParsePointsWithPrecision([]byte(line), time.Now().UTC(), "m")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf(`ParsePoints() failed. got %s`, err)
+	}
+	if exp := 1; len(pts) != exp {
+		t.Errorf("ParsePoint() len mismatch: got %v, exp %v", len(pts), exp)
+	}
+	pt := pts[0]
+
+	got := pt.String()
+	if exp := "cpu,host=serverA,region=us-east value=1.0 0"; got != exp {
+		t.Errorf("ParsePoint() to string mismatch:\n got %v\n exp %v", got, exp)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestNewPointEscaped(t *testing.T) {
+	// commas
+	pt := NewPoint("cpu,main", Tags{"tag,bar": "value"}, Fields{"name,bar": 1.0}, time.Unix(0, 0))
+	if exp := `cpu\,main,tag\,bar=value name\,bar=1.0 0`; pt.String() != exp {
+		t.Errorf("NewPoint().String() mismatch.\ngot %v\nexp %v", pt.String(), exp)
+	}
+
+	// spaces
+	pt = NewPoint("cpu main", Tags{"tag bar": "value"}, Fields{"name bar": 1.0}, time.Unix(0, 0))
+	if exp := `cpu\ main,tag\ bar=value name\ bar=1.0 0`; pt.String() != exp {
+		t.Errorf("NewPoint().String() mismatch.\ngot %v\nexp %v", pt.String(), exp)
+	}
+
+	// equals
+	pt = NewPoint("cpu=main", Tags{"tag=bar": "value=foo"}, Fields{"name=bar": 1.0}, time.Unix(0, 0))
+	if exp := `cpu\=main,tag\=bar=value\=foo name\=bar=1.0 0`; pt.String() != exp {
+		t.Errorf("NewPoint().String() mismatch.\ngot %v\nexp %v", pt.String(), exp)
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/tsdb/shard.go b/tsdb/shard.go
index 2409572a0d2..a2318b42d0b 100644
--- a/tsdb/shard.go
+++ b/tsdb/shard.go
@@ -146,11 +146,11 @@ func (s *Shard) WritePoints(points []Point) error {
 		// save the raw point data
 		b := tx.Bucket([]byte("values"))
 		for _, p := range points {
-			bp, err := b.CreateBucketIfNotExists([]byte(p.Key()))
+			bp, err := b.CreateBucketIfNotExists(p.Key())
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
-			if err := bp.Put(u64tob(p.UnixNano()), p.Data()); err != nil {
+			if err := bp.Put(u64tob(uint64(p.UnixNano())), p.Data()); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
 		}
@@ -217,8 +217,8 @@ func (s *Shard) validateSeriesAndFields(points []Point) ([]*seriesCreate, []*fie
 
 	for _, p := range points {
 		// see if the series should be added to the index
-		if ss := s.index.series[p.Key()]; ss == nil {
-			series := &Series{Key: p.Key(), Tags: p.Tags()}
+		if ss := s.index.series[string(p.Key())]; ss == nil {
+			series := &Series{Key: string(p.Key()), Tags: p.Tags()}
 			seriesToCreate = append(seriesToCreate, &seriesCreate{p.Name(), series})
 		}
 
diff --git a/tsdb/shard_test.go b/tsdb/shard_test.go
index d11fbc8c0a6..f4283e377d4 100644
--- a/tsdb/shard_test.go
+++ b/tsdb/shard_test.go
@@ -44,9 +44,9 @@ func TestShardWriteAndIndex(t *testing.T) {
 		if len(index.series) != 1 {
 			t.Fatalf("series wasn't in index")
 		}
-		seriesTags := index.series[pt.Key()].Tags
+		seriesTags := index.series[string(pt.Key())].Tags
 		if len(seriesTags) != len(pt.Tags()) || pt.Tags()["host"] != seriesTags["host"] {
-			t.Fatalf("tags weren't properly saved to series index: %v, %v", pt.Tags(), index.series[pt.Key()].Tags)
+			t.Fatalf("tags weren't properly saved to series index: %v, %v", pt.Tags(), index.series[string(pt.Key())].Tags)
 		}
 		if !reflect.DeepEqual(index.measurements["cpu"].tagKeys(), []string{"host"}) {
 			t.Fatalf("tag key wasn't saved to measurement index")