diff --git a/.github/workflows/main.yml b/.github/workflows/main.yml
index 2ea6ba7..aab7e69 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/main.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/main.yml
@@ -15,5 +15,4 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/setup-go@v2
         with:
           go-version: ${{ matrix.go }}
-      - run: go test -v ./...
-      - run: go vet ./...
+      - run: make test
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index ba027da..7c05efb 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,10 +1,16 @@
 # gets last tag
 VERSION := $(shell git describe --abbrev=0 --tags)
 
-test:
-	go vet ./...
-	go test ./...
 .PHONY: test
+test: unit cover
+
+.PHONY: unit
+unit:
+	go test -v -timeout 30s -coverprofile=coverage.out ./pkg/...
+
+.PHONY: cover
+cover:
+	go tool cover -func=coverage.out
 
 build-cli:
 	go build -o dracula-cli cmd/cli/main.go
diff --git a/pkg/protocol/protocol.go b/pkg/protocol/protocol.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c3fe972
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/protocol/protocol.go
@@ -0,0 +1,177 @@
+package protocol
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/binary"
+	"errors"
+	"io"
+
+	"github.com/OneOfOne/xxhash"
+)
+
+const (
+	PacketSize int = 1500
+
+	CommandOffset   int = 0
+	MessageIDOffset int = 1
+	NamespaceOffset int = 5
+	DataValueOffset int = 69
+	HashOffset      int = 1492
+
+	CmdCount          byte = 'C'
+	CmdPut            byte = 'P'
+	CmdPutReplicate   byte = 'R'
+	CmdCountNamespace byte = 'N'
+	CmdCountServer    byte = 'S'
+
+	CmdTCPOnlyKeys       byte = 'K'
+	CmdTCPOnlyValues     byte = 'V'
+	CmdTCPOnlyStore      byte = 'T'
+	CmdTCPOnlyRetrieve   byte = 'I'
+	CmdTCPOnlyNamespaces byte = 'L'
+)
+
+var (
+	ErrInvalidPacketSizeTooSmall = errors.New("bad packet: too small, size must be 1500 bytes")
+	ErrInvalidPacketSizeTooLarge = errors.New("bad packet: too large, size must be 1500 bytes")
+	ErrInvalidCommandByte        = errors.New("bad packet: invalid command byte")
+	ErrProtocolSpace1            = errors.New("bad packet: expected space 1")
+	ErrProtocolSpace2            = errors.New("bad packet: expected space 1")
+	ErrProtocolSpace3            = errors.New("bad packet: expected space 3")
+	ErrBadHash                   = errors.New("auth failed: packet hash invalid")
+	ErrBadOutputSize             = errors.New("wrong data size during packet construction")
+	ErrBadReadCall               = errors.New("packet reader error")
+	ErrBadReadSize               = errors.New("invalid packet read size")
+	ErrBadWriteCall              = errors.New("packet writer error")
+	ErrBadWriteSize              = errors.New("invalid packet write size")
+)
+
+// Packet zero copy structure for 1500 byte messages
+type Packet struct {
+	buffer []byte
+}
+
+// NewPacket creates a packet from an existing slice of 1500 bytes or initializes. If
+// buffer is nil, a new buffer is allocated.
+func NewPacket(buffer []byte) *Packet {
+	packet := &Packet{
+		buffer: buffer,
+	}
+	if packet.buffer == nil {
+		packet.buffer = make([]byte, PacketSize)
+	}
+	return packet
+}
+
+// GetCommand gets command byte
+func (p *Packet) GetCommand() byte {
+	return p.buffer[CommandOffset]
+}
+
+// SetCommand sets command byte
+func (p *Packet) SetCommand(command byte) {
+	p.buffer[CommandOffset] = command
+}
+
+// GetMessageID gets message ID
+func (p *Packet) GetMessageID() uint32 {
+	return binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(p.buffer[MessageIDOffset:NamespaceOffset])
+}
+
+// SetMessageID sets message ID
+func (p *Packet) SetMessageID(messageID uint32) {
+	binary.LittleEndian.PutUint32(p.buffer[MessageIDOffset:NamespaceOffset], messageID)
+}
+
+// GetNamespace gets namespace
+func (p *Packet) GetNamespace() string {
+	return p.getString(NamespaceOffset, 64)
+}
+
+// SetNamespace sets namespace
+func (p *Packet) SetNamespace(namespace string) {
+	p.setString(NamespaceOffset, 64, namespace)
+}
+
+// GetDataValue gets data value
+func (p *Packet) GetDataValue() string {
+	return p.getString(DataValueOffset, 1423)
+}
+
+// SetDataValue sets data value
+func (p *Packet) SetDataValue(dataValue string) {
+	p.setString(DataValueOffset, 1423, dataValue)
+}
+
+// GetHash gets hash
+func (p *Packet) GetHash() uint64 {
+	return binary.LittleEndian.Uint64(p.buffer[HashOffset:PacketSize])
+}
+
+// GetHash sets hash
+func (p *Packet) SetHash(hash uint64) {
+	binary.LittleEndian.PutUint64(p.buffer[HashOffset:PacketSize], hash)
+}
+
+// Sign hashes the packet with a given key and stores it in the packet hash value
+func (p *Packet) Sign(key []byte) {
+	hash := p.hash(key)
+	p.SetHash(hash)
+}
+
+// Verify checks the stored hash from the packet using a given key
+func (p *Packet) Verify(key []byte) error {
+	hash := p.hash(key)
+	if hash != p.GetHash() {
+		return ErrBadHash
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// getString decodes string up to maxSize length starting from offset
+func (p *Packet) getString(offset, maxSize int) string {
+	stringSize := bytes.IndexByte(p.buffer[offset:offset+maxSize], 0)
+	if stringSize == -1 {
+		stringSize = maxSize
+	}
+	buffer := p.buffer[offset : offset+stringSize]
+	return string(buffer)
+}
+
+// setString encodes string up to maxSize length starting at offset
+func (p *Packet) setString(offset, maxSize int, value string) {
+	for index := offset; index < offset+maxSize; index++ {
+		p.buffer[index] = 0
+	}
+	_ = copy(p.buffer[offset:], []byte(value))
+}
+
+func (p *Packet) hash(key []byte) uint64 {
+	hasher := xxhash.New64()
+	_, _ = hasher.Write(key)
+	_, _ = hasher.Write(p.buffer[0:HashOffset])
+	return hasher.Sum64()
+}
+
+// ReadPacket extracts a packet from a reader. Returns error if the reader fails or less than 1500 bytes are read.
+func ReadPacket(reader io.Reader) (*Packet, error) {
+	buffer := make([]byte, PacketSize)
+	size, err := reader.Read(buffer)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, ErrBadReadCall
+	} else if size != PacketSize {
+		return nil, ErrBadReadSize
+	}
+	return NewPacket(buffer), nil
+}
+
+// ReadPacket insterts a packet into a writer. Returns error if the writer fails or less than 1500 bytes are written.
+func WritePacket(writer io.Writer, packet *Packet) error {
+	size, err := writer.Write(packet.buffer)
+	if err != nil {
+		return ErrBadWriteCall
+	} else if size != PacketSize {
+		return ErrBadWriteSize
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/protocol/protocol_test.go b/pkg/protocol/protocol_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e71292c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/protocol/protocol_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+package protocol
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"errors"
+	"math/rand"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+const (
+	success  int = 0
+	truncate int = 1
+	failure  int = 2
+
+	expectedCommand   byte   = CmdCount
+	expectedMessageID uint32 = 1
+	expectedHash      uint64 = 12345
+	expectedDataValue string = "datavalue"
+)
+
+var (
+	// test the edge case of having a string of max size
+	expectedNamespace string = generateAlphaNumericString(64)
+)
+
+// Packet buffer manager with configurable error states
+type MockPacketStorage struct {
+	state  int
+	buffer []byte
+}
+
+// NewMockPacketStorage creates a new MockPacketStorage with an empty buffer and no error state
+func NewMockPacketStorage() *MockPacketStorage {
+	return &MockPacketStorage{
+		state:  success,
+		buffer: make([]byte, PacketSize),
+	}
+}
+
+// Read either copies from the read buffer or simulates some read error
+func (m MockPacketStorage) Read(buffer []byte) (int, error) {
+	if m.state == truncate {
+		return len(buffer) / 2, nil
+	} else if m.state == failure {
+		return 0, errors.New("mock error")
+	}
+	return copy(buffer, m.buffer), nil
+}
+
+// Write either copies to the write buffer or simulates some write error
+func (m MockPacketStorage) Write(buffer []byte) (int, error) {
+	if m.state == truncate {
+		return len(buffer) / 2, nil
+	} else if m.state == failure {
+		return 0, errors.New("mock error")
+	}
+	return copy(m.buffer, buffer), nil
+}
+
+// TestWriteRead verifies that we can write and read a packet from the same block of bytes
+func TestWriteRead(t *testing.T) {
+	storage := NewMockPacketStorage()
+	writePacket := NewPacket(nil)
+	writePacket.SetCommand(expectedCommand)
+	writePacket.SetMessageID(expectedMessageID)
+	writePacket.SetNamespace(expectedNamespace)
+	writePacket.SetDataValue(expectedDataValue)
+	writePacket.SetHash(expectedHash)
+
+	storage.state = truncate
+	err := WritePacket(storage, writePacket)
+	assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrBadWriteSize)
+
+	storage.state = failure
+	err = WritePacket(storage, writePacket)
+	assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrBadWriteCall)
+
+	storage.state = success
+	err = WritePacket(storage, writePacket)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	storage.state = truncate
+	readPacket, err := ReadPacket(storage)
+	assert.Nil(t, readPacket)
+	assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrBadReadSize)
+
+	storage.state = failure
+	readPacket, err = ReadPacket(storage)
+	assert.Nil(t, readPacket)
+	assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrBadReadCall)
+
+	storage.state = success
+	readPacket, err = ReadPacket(storage)
+	assert.NotNil(t, readPacket)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, expectedCommand, readPacket.GetCommand())
+	assert.Equal(t, expectedMessageID, readPacket.GetMessageID())
+	assert.Equal(t, expectedNamespace, readPacket.GetNamespace())
+	assert.Equal(t, expectedDataValue, readPacket.GetDataValue())
+	assert.Equal(t, expectedHash, readPacket.GetHash())
+}
+
+// TestSignVerify checks the Sign/Verify functions using various keys and the hashes
+func TestSignVerify(t *testing.T) {
+	goodKey := []byte("this is the good key")
+	badKey := []byte("this is the bad key")
+	packet := NewPacket(nil)
+
+	packet.Sign(goodKey)
+
+	err := packet.Verify(badKey)
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+
+	err = packet.Verify(goodKey)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+}
+
+func generateAlphaNumericString(size int) string {
+	chars := []byte("ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789")
+	buffer := bytes.NewBuffer(nil)
+	buffer.Grow(size)
+	for buffer.Len() < size {
+		buffer.WriteByte(chars[rand.Intn(len(chars))])
+	}
+	return buffer.String()
+}
diff --git a/pkg/store/store.go b/pkg/store/store.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..620aef0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/store/store.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+package store
+
+type Store struct {
+}
+
+func Put(namespace, key, value string) error {
+	return nil
+}