diff --git a/.github/workflows/enforce-linking-issues.yml b/.github/workflows/enforce-linking-issues.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index ebeddd9ee..000000000
--- a/.github/workflows/enforce-linking-issues.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-name: Enforce linking issues
-
-on:
-  pull_request_target:
-    types: [opened, edited, labeled]
-
-jobs:
-  main:
-    uses: eclipse-zenoh/zenoh/.github/workflows/enforce-linking-issues.yml@main
-    secrets: inherit
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index f633f9d71..7599b0ba4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -14,188 +14,160 @@
 name: Release
 
 on:
-  release:
-    types: [published]
   schedule:
     - cron: "0 0 * * 1-5"
   workflow_dispatch:
-
+    inputs:
+      live-run:
+        type: boolean
+        description: Live-run
+        required: false
+      version:
+        type: string
+        description: Release number
+        required: false
 jobs:
-  preps:
-    name: Preparation
+  tag:
+    name: Branch, Bump & tag
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    outputs:
+      version: ${{ steps.create-release-branch.outputs.version }}
+      branch: ${{ steps.create-release-branch.outputs.branch }}
     steps:
-      - name: Clone this repository
+      - id: create-release-branch
+        uses: eclipse-zenoh/ci/create-release-branch@main
+        with:
+          repo: ${{ github.repository }}
+          live-run: ${{ inputs.live-run || false }}
+          # NOTE(fuzzypixelz): When the version is undefined (e.g. on schedule
+          # events) we cannot use git-describe as CMake doesn't support it.
+          # However, we still need some placeholder version to test that the
+          # version can be reliably bumped.
+          version: ${{ inputs.version || '0.0.0' }}
+          github-token: ${{ secrets.BOT_TOKEN_WORKFLOW }}
+
+      - name: Checkout this repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ steps.create-release-branch.outputs.branch }}
+
+      - name: Bump and tag project
+        run: bash ci/scripts/bump-and-tag.bash
+        env:
+          VERSION: ${{ steps.create-release-branch.outputs.version }}
+          GIT_USER_NAME: eclipse-zenoh-bot
+          GIT_USER_EMAIL: eclipse-zenoh-bot@users.noreply.github.com
 
-      - name: Environment setup
-        id: env
-        shell: bash
-        run: |
-          echo "GITHUB_REF=${GITHUB_REF}"
-          echo "GITHUB_SHA=${GITHUB_SHA:0:8}"
-          GIT_BRANCH=`[[ $GITHUB_REF =~ ^refs/heads/.* ]] && echo ${GITHUB_REF/refs\/heads\//} || true`
-          echo "GIT_BRANCH=${GIT_BRANCH}"
-          echo "GIT_BRANCH=${GIT_BRANCH}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          GIT_TAG=`[[ $GITHUB_REF =~ ^refs/tags/.* ]] && echo ${GITHUB_REF/refs\/tags\//} || true`
-          echo "GIT_TAG=${GIT_TAG}"
-          echo "GIT_TAG=${GIT_TAG}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-
-          ZENOH_VERSION=$(sed -n 's/^project(libzenohpico VERSION \(.*\) LANGUAGES C)/\1/p' CMakeLists.txt | head -n1)
-          echo "ZENOH_VERSION=${ZENOH_VERSION}"
-          echo "ZENOH_VERSION=${ZENOH_VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          if [ -n "${GIT_TAG}" ]; then
-            IS_RELEASE="true"
-            echo "IS_RELEASE=${IS_RELEASE}"
-            echo "IS_RELEASE=${IS_RELEASE}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-            PKG_VERSION=${GIT_TAG}
-          elif [ -n "${GIT_BRANCH}" ]; then
-            PKG_VERSION=${GIT_BRANCH}-${GITHUB_SHA:0:8}
-          else
-            PKG_VERSION=${ZENOH_VERSION}-${GITHUB_SHA:0:8}
-          fi
-          echo "PKG_VERSION=${PKG_VERSION}"
-          echo "PKG_VERSION=${PKG_VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-
-          CROSSBUILD_TARGETS=$(sed -n 's/^CROSSBUILD_TARGETS=\(.*\)/\1/p' GNUmakefile | head -n1)
-          echo "CROSSBUILD_TARGETS=$CROSSBUILD_TARGETS"
-          TARGET_MATRIX="{\"target\": [\"${CROSSBUILD_TARGETS// /\",\"}\"]}"
-          echo "TARGET_MATRIX=$TARGET_MATRIX"
-          echo "TARGET_MATRIX=$TARGET_MATRIX" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+  pre-build:
+    name: Pre-Build
+    needs: tag
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     outputs:
-      GIT_BRANCH: ${{ steps.env.outputs.GIT_BRANCH }}
-      GIT_TAG: ${{ steps.env.outputs.GIT_TAG }}
-      IS_RELEASE: ${{ steps.env.outputs.IS_RELEASE }}
-      ZENOH_VERSION: ${{ steps.env.outputs.ZENOH_VERSION }}
-      PKG_VERSION: ${{ steps.env.outputs.PKG_VERSION }}
-      TARGET_MATRIX: ${{ steps.env.outputs.TARGET_MATRIX }}
-
-  macos-build:
-    name: Build on macos-x64
-    needs: preps
+      build-linux-matrix: ${{ steps.pre-build.outputs.build-linux-matrix }}
+    steps:
+      - name: Clone this repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ needs.tag.outputs.branch }}
+
+      - id: pre-build
+        run: bash ci/scripts/pre-build.bash
+
+  build-macos:
+    name: Build for macOS (x64)
+    needs: [tag, pre-build]
     runs-on: macos-latest
     steps:
       - name: Clone this repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ needs.tag.outputs.branch }}
 
-      - name: MacOS build
-        run: make
+      - id: build-macos
+        run: bash ci/scripts/build-macos.bash
         env:
-          BUILD_TYPE: RELEASE
-
-      - name: Packaging
-        id: package
-        shell: bash
-        run: |
-          LIB_PKG_NAME=${PWD}/zenoh-pico-${{ needs.preps.outputs.PKG_VERSION }}-macos-x64.zip
-          echo "Packaging ${LIB_PKG_NAME}:"
-          cd build && zip -r ${LIB_PKG_NAME} lib && cd -
-          zip -r ${LIB_PKG_NAME} include
-          echo "LIB_PKG_NAME=${LIB_PKG_NAME}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-
-          EXP_PKG_NAME=${PWD}/zenoh-pico-${{ needs.preps.outputs.PKG_VERSION }}-macos-x64-examples.zip
-          echo "Packaging ${EXP_PKG_NAME}:"
-          cd build/examples && zip ${EXP_PKG_NAME} * && cd -
-          echo "EXP_PKG_NAME=${EXP_PKG_NAME}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-
-      - name: "Upload x86_64 macos package"
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
+          REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
+          VERSION: ${{ needs.tag.outputs.version }}
+
+      - name: Upload macOS library archive
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
         with:
-          name: macos-x64
-          path: |
-            ${{ steps.package.outputs.LIB_PKG_NAME }}
-            ${{ steps.package.outputs.EXP_PKG_NAME }}
+          name: ${{ steps.build-macos.outputs.archive-lib }}
+          path: ${{ steps.build-macos.outputs.archive-lib }}
 
-  linux-builds:
+      - name: Upload macOS examples archive
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: ${{ steps.build-macos.outputs.archive-examples }}
+          path: ${{ steps.build-macos.outputs.archive-examples }}
+
+  build-linux:
     name: Crossbuild for ${{ matrix.target }}
-    needs: preps
+    needs: [tag, pre-build]
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
-      matrix: ${{fromJson(needs.preps.outputs.TARGET_MATRIX)}}
+      matrix: ${{ fromJson(needs.pre-build.outputs.build-linux-matrix) }}
     steps:
       - name: Clone this repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ needs.tag.outputs.branch }}
 
-      - name: make for ${{ matrix.target }}
+      - id: build-linux
+        run: bash ci/scripts/build-linux.bash
         env:
-          BUILD_TYPE: RELEASE
-        run: make ${{ matrix.target }}
-
-      - name: Packaging
-        id: package
-        shell: bash
-        run: |
-          TARGET=${{ matrix.target }}
-          LIB_PKG_NAME=${PWD}/zenoh-pico-${{ needs.preps.outputs.PKG_VERSION }}-${TARGET}.zip
-          DEB_PKG_NAME=${PWD}/zenoh-pico-${{ needs.preps.outputs.PKG_VERSION }}-${TARGET}-deb-pkgs.zip
-          RPM_PKG_NAME=${PWD}/zenoh-pico-${{ needs.preps.outputs.PKG_VERSION }}-${TARGET}-rpm-pkgs.zip
-          EXP_PKG_NAME=${PWD}/zenoh-pico-${{ needs.preps.outputs.PKG_VERSION }}-${TARGET}-examples.zip
-
-          echo "Packaging ${LIB_PKG_NAME}:"
-          cd crossbuilds/${TARGET} && zip -r ${LIB_PKG_NAME} lib && cd -
-          zip -r ${LIB_PKG_NAME} include
-          echo "LIB_PKG_NAME=${LIB_PKG_NAME}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-
-          cd crossbuilds/${TARGET}/packages
-          echo "Packaging ${DEB_PKG_NAME}:"
-          zip ${DEB_PKG_NAME} *.deb
-          echo "DEB_PKG_NAME=${DEB_PKG_NAME}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          echo "Packaging ${RPM_PKG_NAME}:"
-          zip ${RPM_PKG_NAME} *.rpm
-          echo "RPM_PKG_NAME=${RPM_PKG_NAME}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          cd -
-
-          echo "Packaging ${EXP_PKG_NAME}:"
-          cd crossbuilds/${TARGET}/examples && zip ${EXP_PKG_NAME} * && cd -
-          echo "EXP_PKG_NAME=${EXP_PKG_NAME}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-
-      - name: "Upload packages"
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
+          REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
+          VERSION: ${{ needs.tag.outputs.version }}
+          TARGET: ${{ matrix.target }}
+
+      - name: Upload Linux library archive for ${{ matrix.target }}
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
         with:
-          name: ${{ matrix.target }}
-          path: |
-            ${{ steps.package.outputs.LIB_PKG_NAME }}
-            ${{ steps.package.outputs.DEB_PKG_NAME }}
-            ${{ steps.package.outputs.RPM_PKG_NAME }}
-            ${{ steps.package.outputs.EXP_PKG_NAME }}
-
-  publication:
-    name: Publish the release
-    if: needs.preps.outputs.IS_RELEASE == 'true'
-    needs: [preps, macos-build, linux-builds]
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Download result of previous builds
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
+          name: ${{ steps.build-linux.outputs.archive-lib }}
+          path: ${{ steps.build-linux.outputs.archive-lib }}
+
+      - name: Upload Linux examples archive for ${{ matrix.target }}
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
         with:
-          path: ARTIFACTS
+          name: ${{ steps.build-linux.outputs.archive-examples }}
+          path: ${{ steps.build-linux.outputs.archive-examples }}
 
-      - name: Publish as github release
-        uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v1
+      - name: Upload Linux RPM archive for ${{ matrix.target }}
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
         with:
-          files: ARTIFACTS/*/*.*
+          name: ${{ steps.build-linux.outputs.archive-rpm }}
+          path: ${{ steps.build-linux.outputs.archive-rpm }}
 
-      - name: Publish to download.eclipse.org/zenoh
-        env:
-          SSH_TARGET: genie.zenoh@projects-storage.eclipse.org
-          ECLIPSE_BASE_DIR: /home/data/httpd/download.eclipse.org/zenoh/zenoh-pico
-        shell: bash
-        run: |
-          echo "--- setup ssh-agent"
-          eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
-          echo 'echo "${{ secrets.SSH_PASSPHRASE }}"' > ~/.ssh_askpass && chmod +x ~/.ssh_askpass
-          echo "${{ secrets.SSH_PRIVATE_KEY }}" | tr -d '\r' | DISPLAY=NONE SSH_ASKPASS=~/.ssh_askpass ssh-add - > /dev/null 2>&1
-          rm -f ~/.ssh_askpass
-          echo "--- test ssh:"
-          ssh -o "StrictHostKeyChecking=no" ${SSH_TARGET} ls -al
-          echo "---- list artifacts to upload:"
-          ls -R ARTIFACTS || true
-          DOWNLOAD_DIR=${ECLIPSE_BASE_DIR}/${{ needs.preps.outputs.PKG_VERSION }}
-          echo "---- copy artifacts into ${DOWNLOAD_DIR}"
-          ssh -o "StrictHostKeyChecking=no" ${SSH_TARGET} mkdir -p ${DOWNLOAD_DIR}
-          cd ARTIFACTS
-          sha256sum */* > sha256sums.txt
-          scp -o "StrictHostKeyChecking=no" -r * ${SSH_TARGET}:${DOWNLOAD_DIR}/
-          echo "---- cleanup identity"
-          ssh-add -D
+      - name: Upload Linux DEB archive for ${{ matrix.target }}
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: ${{ steps.build-linux.outputs.archive-deb }}
+          path: ${{ steps.build-linux.outputs.archive-deb }}
+
+  eclipse:
+    needs: [tag, build-macos, build-linux]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: eclipse-zenoh/ci/publish-crates-eclipse@main
+        with:
+          live-run: ${{ inputs.live-run || false }}
+          version: ${{ needs.tag.outputs.version }}
+          ssh-host: genie.zenoh@projects-storage.eclipse.org
+          ssh-host-path: /home/data/httpd/download.eclipse.org/zenoh/zenoh-pico
+          ssh-private-key: ${{ secrets.SSH_PRIVATE_KEY }}
+          ssh-passphrase: ${{ secrets.SSH_PASSPHRASE }}
+          archive-patterns: '.*\.zip'
+
+  github:
+    needs: [tag, build-macos, build-linux]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: eclipse-zenoh/ci/publish-crates-github@main
+        with:
+          repo: ${{ github.repository }}
+          live-run: ${{ inputs.live-run || false }}
+          version: ${{ needs.tag.outputs.version }}
+          branch: ${{ needs.tag.outputs.branch }}
+          github-token: ${{ secrets.BOT_TOKEN_WORKFLOW }}
+          archive-patterns: '.*\.zip'
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index ae356975d..46661a4eb 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # CMake
 build
 crossbuilds
+CMakeFiles
 
 # vscode
 .vscode 
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 0da6badd7..7d35cb139 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -13,7 +13,34 @@
 #
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.13)
 
-project(zenohpico VERSION 0.11.0.0 LANGUAGES C)
+file(READ ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/version.txt version)
+
+project(zenohpico VERSION ${version} LANGUAGES C)
+
+set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake" ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH})
+include(helpers)
+
+# Configure header file to define the project version
+set(ZENOH_PICO ${PROJECT_VERSION})
+set(ZENOH_PICO_MAJOR ${PROJECT_VERSION_MAJOR})
+set(ZENOH_PICO_MINOR ${PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR})
+set(ZENOH_PICO_PATCH ${PROJECT_VERSION_PATCH})
+set(ZENOH_PICO_TWEAK ${PROJECT_VERSION_TWEAK})
+configure_file(
+  ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/include/zenoh-pico.h.in
+  ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/include/zenoh-pico.h
+  @ONLY
+)
+set(project_version "${PROJECT_VERSION_MAJOR}.${PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR}.${PROJECT_VERSION_PATCH}")
+if(NOT DEFINED PROJECT_VERSION_TWEAK)
+	set(project_version "${project_version}")
+elseif(PROJECT_VERSION_TWEAK EQUAL 0)
+	set(project_version "${project_version}-dev")
+elseif(PROJECT_VERSION_TWEAK GREATER 1)
+	set(project_version "${project_version}-pre.${PROJECT_VERSION_TWEAK}")
+endif()
+status_print(project_version)
+
 
 include(CMakePackageConfigHelpers)
 include(GNUInstallDirs)
diff --git a/ci/scripts/build-linux.bash b/ci/scripts/build-linux.bash
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..00b9f97df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ci/scripts/build-linux.bash
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -xeo pipefail
+
+# Repository
+readonly repo=${REPO:?input REPO is required}
+# Release number
+readonly version=${VERSION:?input TARGET is required}
+# Build target
+readonly target=${TARGET:?input TARGET is required}
+
+BUILD_TYPE=RELEASE make "$target"
+
+readonly out=$GITHUB_WORKSPACE
+readonly repo_name=${repo#*/}
+readonly archive_lib=$out/$repo_name-$version-$target.zip
+readonly archive_deb=$out/$repo_name-$version-$target-deb-pkgs.zip
+readonly archive_rpm=$out/$repo_name-$version-$target-rpm-pkgs.zip
+readonly archive_examples=$out/$repo_name-$version-$target-examples.zip
+
+cd crossbuilds/"$target"
+zip -r "$archive_lib" lib
+cd -
+zip -r "$archive_lib" include
+
+cd crossbuilds/"$target"/packages
+zip "$archive_deb" ./*.deb
+zip "$archive_rpm" ./*.rpm
+cd -
+
+cd crossbuilds/"$target"/examples
+zip "$archive_examples" ./*
+cd -
+
+{ echo "archive-lib=$(basename "$archive_lib")";
+  echo "archive-deb=$(basename "$archive_deb")";
+  echo "archive-rpm=$(basename "$archive_rpm")";
+  echo "archive-examples=$(basename "$archive_examples")";
+} >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
diff --git a/ci/scripts/build-macos.bash b/ci/scripts/build-macos.bash
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b04714283
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ci/scripts/build-macos.bash
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -xeo pipefail
+
+# Repository
+readonly repo=${REPO:?input REPO is required}
+# Release number
+readonly version=${VERSION:?input VERSION is required}
+
+BUILD_TYPE=RELEASE make
+
+readonly out=$GITHUB_WORKSPACE
+readonly repo_name=${repo#*/}
+readonly archive_lib=$out/$repo_name-$version-macos-x64.zip
+readonly archive_examples=$out/$repo_name-$version-macos-x64-examples.zip
+
+cd build
+zip -r "$archive_lib" lib
+cd ..
+zip -r "$archive_lib" include
+
+cd build/examples
+zip "$archive_examples" ./*
+cd ..
+
+{ echo "archive-lib=$(basename "$archive_lib")";
+  echo "archive-examples=$(basename "$archive_examples")";
+} >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
diff --git a/ci/scripts/bump-and-tag.bash b/ci/scripts/bump-and-tag.bash
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..58883d627
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ci/scripts/bump-and-tag.bash
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -xeo pipefail
+
+# Release number
+readonly version=${VERSION:-input VERSION is required}
+# Git actor name
+readonly git_user_name=${GIT_USER_NAME:?input GIT_USER_NAME is required}
+# Git actor email
+readonly git_user_email=${GIT_USER_EMAIL:?input GIT_USER_EMAIL is required}
+
+export GIT_AUTHOR_NAME=$git_user_name
+export GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL=$git_user_email
+export GIT_COMMITTER_NAME=$git_user_name
+export GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL=$git_user_email
+
+# Bump CMake project version
+printf '%s' "$version" > version.txt
+
+git commit version.txt -m "chore: Bump version to $version"
+git tag --force "$version" -m "v$version"
+git log -10
+git show-ref --tags
+git push --force origin
+git push --force origin "$version"
diff --git a/ci/scripts/pre-build.bash b/ci/scripts/pre-build.bash
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c541076a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ci/scripts/pre-build.bash
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -xeo pipefail
+
+# Extract cross-compilation targets from the Makefile
+crossbuild_targets=$(sed -n 's/^CROSSBUILD_TARGETS=\(.*\)/\1/p' GNUmakefile | head -n1)
+target_matrix="{\"target\": [\"${crossbuild_targets// /\",\"}\"]}"
+echo "build-linux-matrix=$target_matrix" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
diff --git a/docs/api.rst b/docs/api.rst
index 7d75a8ac1..c51bb4e07 100644
--- a/docs/api.rst
+++ b/docs/api.rst
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ Enums
 .. autocenum:: constants.h::z_whatami_t
 .. autocenum:: constants.h::zp_keyexpr_canon_status_t
 .. autocenum:: constants.h::z_sample_kind_t
-.. autocenum:: constants.h::z_encoding_id_t
 .. autocenum:: constants.h::z_consolidation_mode_t
 .. autocenum:: constants.h::z_reliability_t
 .. autocenum:: constants.h::z_reply_tag_t
@@ -293,14 +292,14 @@ Primitives
 .. autocfunction:: primitives.h::z_scouting_config_from
 .. autocfunction:: primitives.h::zp_scouting_config_get
 .. autocfunction:: primitives.h::zp_scouting_config_insert
-.. autocfunction:: primitives.h::zp_encoding_make
-.. autocfunction:: primitives.h::zp_encoding_default
 .. autocfunction:: primitives.h::z_encoding_check
 .. autocfunction:: primitives.h::z_encoding_drop
 .. autocfunction:: primitives.h::z_encoding_loan
 .. autocfunction:: primitives.h::z_encoding_loan_mut
 .. autocfunction:: primitives.h::z_encoding_move
 .. autocfunction:: primitives.h::z_encoding_null
+.. autocfunction:: primitives.h::z_encoding_from_str
+.. autocfunction:: primitives.h::z_encoding_to_string
 .. autocfunction:: primitives.h::z_reply_err_payload
 .. autocfunction:: primitives.h::z_reply_err_encoding
 .. autocfunction:: primitives.h::z_slice_data
diff --git a/docs/conf.py b/docs/conf.py
index 37caaf948..adaff5535 100644
--- a/docs/conf.py
+++ b/docs/conf.py
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@
 project = 'zenoh-pico'
 copyright = '2017, 2022 ZettaScale Technology Inc'
 author = 'ZettaScale Zenoh team'
-release = '0.11.0.0'
+with open("../version.txt", "rt") as f:
+    release = f.read()
 
 # -- General configuration ---------------------------------------------------
 master_doc = 'index'
diff --git a/examples/unix/c11/z_pub.c b/examples/unix/c11/z_pub.c
index f65f7a172..958806740 100644
--- a/examples/unix/c11/z_pub.c
+++ b/examples/unix/c11/z_pub.c
@@ -116,14 +116,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
         z_owned_bytes_t payload;
         z_bytes_serialize_from_string(&payload, buf);
 
-        // Create encoding
-        z_owned_encoding_t encoding;
-        zp_encoding_make(&encoding, Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_PLAIN, "utf8");
-        z_publisher_put_options_t options;
-        z_publisher_put_options_default(&options);
-        options.encoding = z_move(encoding);
-
-        z_publisher_put(z_loan(pub), z_move(payload), &options);
+        z_publisher_put(z_loan(pub), z_move(payload), NULL);
     }
     // Clean up
     z_undeclare_publisher(z_move(pub));
diff --git a/examples/unix/c11/z_pub_attachment.c b/examples/unix/c11/z_pub_attachment.c
index 023c31dea..b9e793e2e 100644
--- a/examples/unix/c11/z_pub_attachment.c
+++ b/examples/unix/c11/z_pub_attachment.c
@@ -141,6 +141,9 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     // Allocate buffer
     char buf_ind[16];
 
+    // Create encoding
+    z_owned_encoding_t encoding;
+
     // Publish data
     printf("Press CTRL-C to quit...\n");
     char buf[256];
@@ -160,6 +163,10 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
         z_bytes_serialize_from_iter(&attachment, create_attachment_iter, (void *)&ctx);
         options.attachment = z_move(attachment);
 
+        // Add encoding value
+        z_encoding_from_str(&encoding, "text/plain;utf8");
+        options.encoding = z_move(encoding);
+
         z_publisher_put(z_loan(pub), z_move(payload), &options);
     }
     // Clean up
diff --git a/examples/unix/c11/z_put.c b/examples/unix/c11/z_put.c
index 90efbb848..26d8023a6 100644
--- a/examples/unix/c11/z_put.c
+++ b/examples/unix/c11/z_put.c
@@ -101,15 +101,8 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     z_owned_bytes_t payload;
     z_bytes_serialize_from_string(&payload, value);
 
-    // Create encoding
-    z_owned_encoding_t encoding;
-    zp_encoding_make(&encoding, Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_PLAIN, NULL);
-
     printf("Putting Data ('%s': '%s')...\n", keyexpr, value);
-    z_put_options_t options;
-    z_put_options_default(&options);
-    options.encoding = z_move(encoding);
-    if (z_put(z_loan(s), z_loan(ke), z_move(payload), &options) < 0) {
+    if (z_put(z_loan(s), z_loan(ke), z_move(payload), NULL) < 0) {
         printf("Oh no! Put has failed...\n");
     }
     // Clean up
diff --git a/examples/unix/c11/z_queryable.c b/examples/unix/c11/z_queryable.c
index 394b6cd0e..84ac4e59f 100644
--- a/examples/unix/c11/z_queryable.c
+++ b/examples/unix/c11/z_queryable.c
@@ -39,19 +39,11 @@ void query_handler(const z_loaned_query_t *query, void *ctx) {
     }
     z_drop(z_move(payload_string));
 
-    // Create encoding
-    z_owned_encoding_t encoding;
-    zp_encoding_make(&encoding, Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_PLAIN, NULL);
-
-    z_query_reply_options_t options;
-    z_query_reply_options_default(&options);
-    options.encoding = z_move(encoding);
-
     // Reply value encoding
     z_owned_bytes_t reply_payload;
     z_bytes_serialize_from_string(&reply_payload, value);
 
-    z_query_reply(query, z_query_keyexpr(query), z_move(reply_payload), &options);
+    z_query_reply(query, z_query_keyexpr(query), z_move(reply_payload), NULL);
     z_drop(z_move(keystr));
     msg_nb++;
 }
diff --git a/examples/unix/c11/z_queryable_attachment.c b/examples/unix/c11/z_queryable_attachment.c
index 807870ec4..dba0810e8 100644
--- a/examples/unix/c11/z_queryable_attachment.c
+++ b/examples/unix/c11/z_queryable_attachment.c
@@ -126,14 +126,6 @@ void query_handler(const z_loaned_query_t *query, void *ctx) {
     drop_attachment(&kvp);
     z_drop(z_move(payload_string));
 
-    // Create encoding
-    z_owned_encoding_t encoding;
-    zp_encoding_make(&encoding, Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_PLAIN, NULL);
-
-    z_query_reply_options_t options;
-    z_query_reply_options_default(&options);
-    options.encoding = z_move(encoding);
-
     // Reply value encoding
     z_owned_bytes_t reply_payload;
     z_bytes_serialize_from_string(&reply_payload, value);
@@ -144,6 +136,9 @@ void query_handler(const z_loaned_query_t *query, void *ctx) {
     kv_pairs_tx_t kv_ctx = (kv_pairs_tx_t){.data = kvs, .current_idx = 0, .len = 1};
     z_owned_bytes_t attachment;
     z_bytes_serialize_from_iter(&attachment, create_attachment_iter, (void *)&kv_ctx);
+
+    z_query_reply_options_t options;
+    z_query_reply_options_default(&options);
     options.attachment = z_move(attachment);
 
     z_query_reply(query, z_query_keyexpr(query), z_move(reply_payload), &options);
diff --git a/examples/unix/c11/z_sub_attachment.c b/examples/unix/c11/z_sub_attachment.c
index c5dd40782..5038c2ae6 100644
--- a/examples/unix/c11/z_sub_attachment.c
+++ b/examples/unix/c11/z_sub_attachment.c
@@ -73,7 +73,11 @@ void data_handler(const z_loaned_sample_t *sample, void *ctx) {
     z_keyexpr_to_string(z_sample_keyexpr(sample), &keystr);
     z_owned_string_t value;
     z_bytes_deserialize_into_string(z_sample_payload(sample), &value);
+    z_owned_string_t encoding;
+    z_encoding_to_string(z_sample_encoding(sample), &encoding);
+
     printf(">> [Subscriber] Received ('%s': '%s')\n", z_string_data(z_loan(keystr)), z_string_data(z_loan(value)));
+    printf("    with encoding: %s\n", z_string_data(z_loan(encoding)));
     // Check attachment
     kv_pairs_t kvp = {.current_idx = 0, .len = KVP_LEN, .data = (kv_pair_t *)malloc(KVP_LEN * sizeof(kv_pair_t))};
     parse_attachment(&kvp, z_sample_attachment(sample));
@@ -83,6 +87,7 @@ void data_handler(const z_loaned_sample_t *sample, void *ctx) {
     drop_attachment(&kvp);
     z_drop(z_move(keystr));
     z_drop(z_move(value));
+    z_drop(z_move(encoding));
     msg_nb++;
 }
 
diff --git a/examples/unix/c99/z_pub.c b/examples/unix/c99/z_pub.c
index 5395865c3..840bb11c0 100644
--- a/examples/unix/c99/z_pub.c
+++ b/examples/unix/c99/z_pub.c
@@ -106,14 +106,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
         z_owned_bytes_t payload;
         z_bytes_serialize_from_string(&payload, buf);
 
-        // Create encoding
-        z_owned_encoding_t encoding;
-        zp_encoding_make(&encoding, Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_PLAIN, NULL);
-        z_publisher_put_options_t options;
-        z_publisher_put_options_default(&options);
-        options.encoding = z_encoding_move(&encoding);
-
-        z_publisher_put(z_publisher_loan(&pub), z_bytes_move(&payload), &options);
+        z_publisher_put(z_publisher_loan(&pub), z_bytes_move(&payload), NULL);
     }
     // Clean up
     z_undeclare_publisher(z_publisher_move(&pub));
diff --git a/examples/unix/c99/z_put.c b/examples/unix/c99/z_put.c
index dff0186e1..1a68f33b0 100644
--- a/examples/unix/c99/z_put.c
+++ b/examples/unix/c99/z_put.c
@@ -97,15 +97,8 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     z_owned_bytes_t payload;
     z_bytes_serialize_from_string(&payload, value);
 
-    // Create encoding
-    z_owned_encoding_t encoding;
-    zp_encoding_make(&encoding, Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_PLAIN, NULL);
-
     printf("Putting Data ('%s': '%s')...\n", keyexpr, value);
-    z_put_options_t options;
-    z_put_options_default(&options);
-    options.encoding = z_encoding_move(&encoding);
-    if (z_put(z_session_loan(&s), z_keyexpr_loan(&ke), z_bytes_move(&payload), &options) < 0) {
+    if (z_put(z_session_loan(&s), z_keyexpr_loan(&ke), z_bytes_move(&payload), NULL) < 0) {
         printf("Oh no! Put has failed...\n");
     }
 
diff --git a/examples/unix/c99/z_queryable.c b/examples/unix/c99/z_queryable.c
index 22f1e4cd3..bc098b63e 100644
--- a/examples/unix/c99/z_queryable.c
+++ b/examples/unix/c99/z_queryable.c
@@ -38,18 +38,11 @@ void query_handler(const z_loaned_query_t *query, void *ctx) {
     }
     z_string_drop(z_string_move(&payload_string));
 
-    // Create encoding
-    z_owned_encoding_t encoding;
-    zp_encoding_make(&encoding, Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_PLAIN, NULL);
-
-    z_query_reply_options_t options;
-    z_query_reply_options_default(&options);
-    options.encoding = z_encoding_move(&encoding);
     // Reply value encoding
     z_owned_bytes_t reply_payload;
     z_bytes_serialize_from_string(&reply_payload, value);
 
-    z_query_reply(query, z_query_keyexpr(query), z_bytes_move(&reply_payload), &options);
+    z_query_reply(query, z_query_keyexpr(query), z_bytes_move(&reply_payload), NULL);
     z_string_drop(z_string_move(&keystr));
 }
 
diff --git a/examples/windows/z_pub.c b/examples/windows/z_pub.c
index 13e748a22..6b0c4bd28 100644
--- a/examples/windows/z_pub.c
+++ b/examples/windows/z_pub.c
@@ -68,14 +68,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
         z_owned_bytes_t payload;
         z_bytes_serialize_from_string(&payload, buf);
 
-        // Create encoding
-        z_owned_encoding_t encoding;
-        zp_encoding_make(&encoding, Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_PLAIN, NULL);
-        z_publisher_put_options_t options;
-        z_publisher_put_options_default(&options);
-        options.encoding = z_move(encoding);
-
-        z_publisher_put(z_loan(pub), z_move(payload), &options);
+        z_publisher_put(z_loan(pub), z_move(payload), NULL);
     }
 
     // Clean-up
diff --git a/examples/windows/z_put.c b/examples/windows/z_put.c
index 4b3a76dda..3fa50939b 100644
--- a/examples/windows/z_put.c
+++ b/examples/windows/z_put.c
@@ -64,15 +64,8 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     z_owned_bytes_t payload;
     z_bytes_serialize_from_string(&payload, value);
 
-    // Create encoding
-    z_owned_encoding_t encoding;
-    zp_encoding_make(&encoding, Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_PLAIN, NULL);
-
     printf("Putting Data ('%s': '%s')...\n", keyexpr, value);
-    z_put_options_t options;
-    z_put_options_default(&options);
-    options.encoding = z_move(encoding);
-    if (z_put(z_loan(s), z_loan(ke), z_move(payload), &options) < 0) {
+    if (z_put(z_loan(s), z_loan(ke), z_move(payload), NULL) < 0) {
         printf("Oh no! Put has failed...\n");
     }
 
diff --git a/examples/windows/z_queryable.c b/examples/windows/z_queryable.c
index 294afd37e..3415e2260 100644
--- a/examples/windows/z_queryable.c
+++ b/examples/windows/z_queryable.c
@@ -38,18 +38,11 @@ void query_handler(const z_loaned_query_t *query, void *ctx) {
     }
     z_drop(z_move(payload_string));
 
-    // Create encoding
-    z_owned_encoding_t encoding;
-    zp_encoding_make(&encoding, Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_PLAIN, NULL);
-
-    z_query_reply_options_t options;
-    z_query_reply_options_default(&options);
-    options.encoding = z_move(encoding);
     // Reply value encoding
     z_owned_bytes_t reply_payload;
     z_bytes_serialize_from_string(&reply_payload, value);
 
-    z_query_reply(query, z_query_keyexpr(query), z_move(reply_payload), &options);
+    z_query_reply(query, z_query_keyexpr(query), z_move(reply_payload), NULL);
 
     z_drop(z_move(keystr));
 }
diff --git a/include/zenoh-pico.h b/include/zenoh-pico.h
index 4f9ebb636..26569f564 100644
--- a/include/zenoh-pico.h
+++ b/include/zenoh-pico.h
@@ -12,12 +12,14 @@
 //   ZettaScale Zenoh Team, <zenoh@zettascale.tech>
 //
 
+// ⚠️ This file is auto-generated from include/zenoh-pico.h.in
+
 #ifndef ZENOH_PICO_H
 #define ZENOH_PICO_H
 
-#define ZENOH_PICO "0.11.0.0"
-#define ZENOH_PICO_MAJOR 0
-#define ZENOH_PICO_MINOR 11
+#define ZENOH_PICO "1.0.0.0"
+#define ZENOH_PICO_MAJOR 1
+#define ZENOH_PICO_MINOR 0
 #define ZENOH_PICO_PATCH 0
 #define ZENOH_PICO_TWEAK 0
 
diff --git a/include/zenoh-pico.h.in b/include/zenoh-pico.h.in
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..86e4ffc57
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/zenoh-pico.h.in
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+//
+// Copyright (c) 2022 ZettaScale Technology
+//
+// This program and the accompanying materials are made available under the
+// terms of the Eclipse Public License 2.0 which is available at
+// http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-2.0, or the Apache License, Version 2.0
+// which is available at https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.
+//
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: EPL-2.0 OR Apache-2.0
+//
+// Contributors:
+//   ZettaScale Zenoh Team, <zenoh@zettascale.tech>
+//
+
+// ⚠️ This file is auto-generated from include/zenoh-pico.h.in
+
+#ifndef ZENOH_PICO_H
+#define ZENOH_PICO_H
+
+#define ZENOH_PICO "@ZENOH_PICO@"
+#define ZENOH_PICO_MAJOR @ZENOH_PICO_MAJOR@
+#define ZENOH_PICO_MINOR @ZENOH_PICO_MINOR@
+#define ZENOH_PICO_PATCH @ZENOH_PICO_PATCH@
+#define ZENOH_PICO_TWEAK @ZENOH_PICO_TWEAK@
+
+#include "zenoh-pico/api/constants.h"
+#include "zenoh-pico/api/handlers.h"
+#include "zenoh-pico/api/macros.h"
+#include "zenoh-pico/api/primitives.h"
+#include "zenoh-pico/api/types.h"
+
+#endif /* ZENOH_PICO_H */
diff --git a/include/zenoh-pico/api/constants.h b/include/zenoh-pico/api/constants.h
index 58fecb460..579da9cda 100644
--- a/include/zenoh-pico/api/constants.h
+++ b/include/zenoh-pico/api/constants.h
@@ -96,69 +96,81 @@ typedef enum { Z_SAMPLE_KIND_PUT = 0, Z_SAMPLE_KIND_DELETE = 1 } z_sample_kind_t
  * different operations depending on the encoding value.
  *
  * A set of associated constants are provided to cover the most common encodings for user convenience.
- * This is particularly useful in helping Zenoh to perform additional network optimizations.
+ * This is particularly useful in helping Zenoh to perform additional wire-level optimizations.
+ *
+ * Register your encoding metadata from a string with :c:func:`z_encoding_from_str`. To get the optimization, you need
+ * Z_FEATURE_ENCODING_VALUES to 1 and your string should follow the format: "<constant>;<optional additional data>"
+ *
+ * E.g: "text/plain;utf8"
+ *
+ * Here is the list of constants:
  */
-typedef enum {
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_BYTES = 0,             // Primitives types supported in all Zenoh bindings, just some bytes.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_INT = 1,               // A VLE-encoded signed little-endian integer.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_UINT = 2,              // A VLE-encoded little-endian unsigned integer.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_FLOAT = 3,             // A VLE-encoded float.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_BOOL = 4,              // A boolean.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_STRING = 5,            // A UTF-8 string.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_ERROR = 6,             // A zenoh error.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_OCTET_STREAM = 7,  // An application-specific stream of bytes.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_PLAIN = 8,        // A textual file.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_JSON = 9,          // JSON data intended to be consumed by an application.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_JSON = 10,        // JSON data intended to be human readable.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_CDR = 11,          // A Common Data Representation (CDR)-encoded data.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_CBOR = 12,         // A Concise Binary Object Representation (CBOR)-encoded data.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_YAML = 13,         // YAML data intended to be consumed by an application.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_YAML = 14,        // YAML data intended to be human readable.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_JSON5 = 15,       // JSON5 encoded data that are human readable.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_PYTHON_SERIALIZED_OBJECT = 16,  // A Python object serialized using pickle.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_PROTOBUF = 17,                  // An application-specific protobuf-encoded data.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_JAVA_SERIALIZED_OBJECT = 18,    // A Java serialized object.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_OPENMETRICS_TEXT = 19,          // An openmetrics data.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_IMAGE_PNG = 20,                     // A Portable Network Graphics (PNG) image.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_IMAGE_JPEG = 21,                    // A Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) image.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_IMAGE_GIF = 22,                     // A Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) image.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_IMAGE_BMP = 23,                     // A BitMap (BMP) image.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_IMAGE_WEBP = 24,                    // A Web Portable (WebP) image.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_XML = 25,                       // An XML file intended to be consumed by an application.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_X_WWW_FORM_URLENCODED = 26,     // An encoded a list of tuples.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_HTML = 27,                     // An HTML file.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_XML = 28,                      // An XML file that is human readable.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_CSS = 29,                      // A CSS file.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_JAVASCRIPT = 30,               // A JavaScript file.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_MARKDOWN = 31,                 // A MarkDown file.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_CSV = 32,                      // A CSV file.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_SQL = 33,                       // An application-specific SQL query.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_COAP_PAYLOAD = 34,              // Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) data.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_JSON_PATCH_JSON = 35,           // Defines a JSON document structure.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_JSON_SEQ = 36,                  // A JSON text sequence.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_JSONPATH = 37,                  // A JSONPath defines a string syntax.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_JWT = 38,                       // A JSON Web Token (JWT).
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_MP4 = 39,                       // An application-specific MPEG-4 encoded data.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_SOAP_XML = 40,                  // A SOAP 1.2 message serialized as XML 1.0.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_APP_YANG = 41,                      // A YANG-encoded data.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_AUDIO_AAC = 42,                     // A MPEG-4 Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) media.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_AUDIO_FLAC = 43,                    // A Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) media.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_AUDIO_MP4 = 44,                     // An audio codec defined in MPEG-4.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_AUDIO_OGG = 45,                     // An Ogg-encapsulated audio stream.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_AUDIO_VORBIS = 46,                  // A Vorbis-encoded audio stream.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_VIDEO_H261 = 47,                    // A h261-encoded video stream.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_VIDEO_H263 = 48,                    // A h263-encoded video stream.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_VIDEO_H264 = 49,                    // A h264-encoded video stream.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_VIDEO_H265 = 50,                    // A h265-encoded video stream.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_VIDEO_H266 = 51,                    // A h266-encoded video stream.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_VIDEO_MP4 = 52,                     // A video codec defined in MPEG-4.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_VIDEO_OGG = 53,                     // An Ogg-encapsulated video stream.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_VIDEO_RAW = 54,                     // An uncompressed, studio-quality video stream.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_VIDEO_VP8 = 55,                     // A VP8-encoded video stream.
-    Z_ENCODING_ID_VIDEO_VP9 = 56                      // A VP9-encoded video stream.
-} z_encoding_id_t;
-
-#define Z_ENCODING_ID_DEFAULT Z_ENCODING_ID_BYTES
+//     "zenoh/bytes"
+//     "zenoh/int8"
+//     "zenoh/int16"
+//     "zenoh/int32"
+//     "zenoh/int64"
+//     "zenoh/int128"
+//     "zenoh/uint8"
+//     "zenoh/uint16"
+//     "zenoh/uint32"
+//     "zenoh/uint64"
+//     "zenoh/uint128"
+//     "zenoh/float32"
+//     "zenoh/float64"
+//     "zenoh/bool"
+//     "zenoh/string"
+//     "zenoh/error"
+//     "application/octet-stream"
+//     "text/plain"
+//     "application/json"
+//     "text/json"
+//     "application/cdr"
+//     "application/cbor"
+//     "application/yaml"
+//     "text/yaml"
+//     "text/json5"
+//     "application/python-serialized-object"
+//     "application/protobuf"
+//     "application/java-serialized-object"
+//     "application/openmetrics-text"
+//     "image/png"
+//     "image/jpeg"
+//     "image/gif"
+//     "image/bmp"
+//     "image/webp"
+//     "application/xml"
+//     "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"
+//     "text/html"
+//     "text/xml"
+//     "text/css"
+//     "text/javascript"
+//     "text/markdown"
+//     "text/csv"
+//     "application/sql"
+//     "application/coap-payload"
+//     "application/json-patch+json"
+//     "application/json-seq"
+//     "application/jsonpath"
+//     "application/jwt"
+//     "application/mp4"
+//     "application/soap+xml"
+//     "application/yang"
+//     "audio/aac"
+//     "audio/flac"
+//     "audio/mp4"
+//     "audio/ogg"
+//     "audio/vorbis"
+//     "video/h261"
+//     "video/h263"
+//     "video/h264"
+//     "video/h265"
+//     "video/h266"
+//     "video/mp4"
+//     "video/ogg"
+//     "video/raw"
+//     "video/vp8"
+//     "video/vp9"
 
 /**
  * Consolidation mode values.
diff --git a/include/zenoh-pico/api/macros.h b/include/zenoh-pico/api/macros.h
index aad0dd4e9..a17d40c41 100644
--- a/include/zenoh-pico/api/macros.h
+++ b/include/zenoh-pico/api/macros.h
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #ifndef ZENOH_PICO_API_MACROS_H
 #define ZENOH_PICO_API_MACROS_H
 
+#include "zenoh-pico/api/handlers.h"
 #include "zenoh-pico/api/primitives.h"
 #include "zenoh-pico/api/types.h"
 
diff --git a/include/zenoh-pico/api/primitives.h b/include/zenoh-pico/api/primitives.h
index dfbd7ba55..c5f680025 100644
--- a/include/zenoh-pico/api/primitives.h
+++ b/include/zenoh-pico/api/primitives.h
@@ -338,30 +338,6 @@ const char *zp_scouting_config_get(const z_loaned_scouting_config_t *config, uin
  */
 int8_t zp_scouting_config_insert(z_loaned_scouting_config_t *config, uint8_t key, const char *value);
 
-/**
- * Builds a new :c:type:`z_owned_encoding_t`.
- *
- * Parameters:
- *   encoding: Pointer to an uninitialized :c:type:`z_owned_encoding_t`.
- *   id: A known :c:type:`z_encoding_id_t` value.
- *   schema: Pointer to a custom schema string value.
- *
- * Return:
- *   ``0`` if creation successful, ``negative value`` otherwise.
- */
-int8_t zp_encoding_make(z_owned_encoding_t *encoding, z_encoding_id_t id, const char *schema);
-
-/**
- * Builds a new a :c:type:`z_owned_encoding_t` with default value.
- *
- * Parameters:
- *   encoding: Pointer to an uninitialized :c:type:`z_owned_encoding_t`.
- *
- * Return:
- *   ``0`` if creation successful, ``negative value`` otherwise.
- */
-int8_t zp_encoding_default(z_owned_encoding_t *encoding);
-
 /**
  * Checks if a :c:type:`z_owned_encoding_t` has non-default values.
  *
@@ -411,15 +387,36 @@ z_loaned_encoding_t *z_encoding_loan_mut(z_owned_encoding_t *encoding);
 z_owned_encoding_t *z_encoding_move(z_owned_encoding_t *encoding);
 
 /**
- * Builds a :c:type:`z_owned_encoding_t` with default value.
+ * Initialize a :c:type:`z_owned_encoding_t` with default value.
+ *
+ * Parameters:
+ *   encoding: Pointer to an uninitialized :c:type:`z_owned_encoding_t`.
+ */
+void z_encoding_null(z_owned_encoding_t *encoding);
+
+/**
+ * Builds a :c:type:`z_owned_encoding_t` from a null terminated string.
  *
  * Parameters:
  *   encoding: Pointer to an uninitialized :c:type:`z_owned_encoding_t`.
+ *   s: Pointer to the null terminated string to use.
+ *
+ * Return:
+ *   ``0`` if creation successful,``negative value`` otherwise.
+ */
+int8_t z_encoding_from_str(z_owned_encoding_t *encoding, const char *s);
+
+/**
+ * Builds a string from a :c:type:`z_loaned_encoding_t`.
+ *
+ * Parameters:
+ *   encoding: Pointer to the :c:type:`z_loaned_encoding_t` to use.
+ *   string: Pointer to an uninitialized :c:type:`z_owned_string_t` to store the string.
  *
  * Return:
  *   ``0`` if creation successful,``negative value`` otherwise.
  */
-int8_t z_encoding_null(z_owned_encoding_t *encoding);
+int8_t z_encoding_to_string(const z_loaned_encoding_t *encoding, z_owned_string_t *string);
 
 /**
  * Gets the bytes data from a reply error payload by aliasing it.
diff --git a/include/zenoh-pico/api/types.h b/include/zenoh-pico/api/types.h
index 4cfb71e14..305dacbc7 100644
--- a/include/zenoh-pico/api/types.h
+++ b/include/zenoh-pico/api/types.h
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ _Z_LOANED_TYPE(_z_query_rc_t, query)
  * Represents the encoding of a payload, in a MIME-like format.
  *
  * Members:
- *   z_encoding_id_t prefix: The integer prefix of this encoding.
+ *   uint16_t prefix: The integer prefix of this encoding.
  *   z_loaned_slice_t* suffix: The suffix of this encoding. It MUST be a valid UTF-8 string.
  */
 _Z_OWNED_TYPE_PTR(_z_encoding_t, encoding)
diff --git a/include/zenoh-pico/collections/string.h b/include/zenoh-pico/collections/string.h
index 24546d00f..a37ffa110 100644
--- a/include/zenoh-pico/collections/string.h
+++ b/include/zenoh-pico/collections/string.h
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ typedef struct {
 } _z_string_t;
 
 _z_string_t _z_string_null(void);
+_Bool _z_string_check(_z_string_t value);
 _z_string_t _z_string_make(const char *value);
 _z_string_t _z_string_wrap(char *value);
 _z_string_t *_z_string_make_as_ptr(const char *value);
diff --git a/include/zenoh-pico/config.h b/include/zenoh-pico/config.h
index d7137b3b2..71613d41b 100644
--- a/include/zenoh-pico/config.h
+++ b/include/zenoh-pico/config.h
@@ -239,6 +239,13 @@
 #define Z_FEATURE_INTEREST 0
 #endif
 
+/**
+ * Enable encoding values.
+ */
+#ifndef Z_FEATURE_ENCODING_VALUES
+#define Z_FEATURE_ENCODING_VALUES 1
+#endif
+
 /*------------------ Compile-time configuration properties ------------------*/
 /**
  * Default length for Zenoh ID. Maximum size is 16 bytes.
diff --git a/include/zenoh-pico/net/encoding.h b/include/zenoh-pico/net/encoding.h
index cb17a1622..25e6c6260 100644
--- a/include/zenoh-pico/net/encoding.h
+++ b/include/zenoh-pico/net/encoding.h
@@ -15,18 +15,20 @@
 #define ZENOH_PICO_ENCODING_NETAPI_H
 
 #include "zenoh-pico/api/constants.h"
-#include "zenoh-pico/collections/slice.h"
+#include "zenoh-pico/collections/string.h"
+
+#define _Z_ENCODING_ID_DEFAULT 0
 
 /**
  * A zenoh encoding.
  */
 typedef struct _z_encoding_t {
-    _z_slice_t schema;
+    _z_string_t schema;
     uint16_t id;
 } _z_encoding_t;
 
-int8_t _z_encoding_make(_z_encoding_t *encoding, z_encoding_id_t id, const char *schema);
-_z_encoding_t _z_encoding_wrap(z_encoding_id_t id, const char *schema);
+int8_t _z_encoding_make(_z_encoding_t *encoding, uint16_t id, const char *schema);
+_z_encoding_t _z_encoding_wrap(uint16_t id, const char *schema);
 _z_encoding_t _z_encoding_null(void);
 void _z_encoding_clear(_z_encoding_t *encoding);
 _Bool _z_encoding_check(const _z_encoding_t *encoding);
diff --git a/include/zenoh-pico/protocol/codec/core.h b/include/zenoh-pico/protocol/codec/core.h
index 706e7d9ab..e4354aade 100644
--- a/include/zenoh-pico/protocol/codec/core.h
+++ b/include/zenoh-pico/protocol/codec/core.h
@@ -57,15 +57,15 @@ int8_t _z_slice_val_decode(_z_slice_t *bs, _z_zbuf_t *buf);
 int8_t _z_slice_val_decode_na(_z_slice_t *bs, _z_zbuf_t *zbf);
 
 int8_t _z_slice_encode(_z_wbuf_t *buf, const _z_slice_t *bs);
-size_t _z_slice_encode_len(const _z_slice_t *bs);
 int8_t _z_slice_decode(_z_slice_t *bs, _z_zbuf_t *buf);
 int8_t _z_bytes_decode(_z_bytes_t *bs, _z_zbuf_t *zbf);
 int8_t _z_bytes_encode(_z_wbuf_t *wbf, const _z_bytes_t *bs);
 int8_t _z_zbuf_read_exact(_z_zbuf_t *zbf, uint8_t *dest, size_t length);
 
 int8_t _z_str_encode(_z_wbuf_t *buf, const char *s);
-int8_t _z_zstr_encode(_z_wbuf_t *wbf, const _z_string_t *s);
 int8_t _z_str_decode(char **str, _z_zbuf_t *buf);
+int8_t _z_string_encode(_z_wbuf_t *wbf, const _z_string_t *s);
+int8_t _z_string_decode(_z_string_t *str, _z_zbuf_t *zbf);
 
 size_t _z_encoding_len(const _z_encoding_t *en);
 int8_t _z_encoding_encode(_z_wbuf_t *wbf, const _z_encoding_t *en);
diff --git a/src/api/api.c b/src/api/api.c
index 4ad100328..bd7ca283c 100644
--- a/src/api/api.c
+++ b/src/api/api.c
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
+#include "zenoh-pico/api/constants.h"
 #include "zenoh-pico/api/olv_macros.h"
 #include "zenoh-pico/api/primitives.h"
 #include "zenoh-pico/api/types.h"
@@ -221,18 +222,151 @@ int8_t zp_scouting_config_insert(z_loaned_scouting_config_t *sc, uint8_t key, co
     return _zp_config_insert(sc, key, value);
 }
 
-int8_t zp_encoding_make(z_owned_encoding_t *encoding, z_encoding_id_t id, const char *schema) {
-    // Init encoding
-    encoding->_val = (_z_encoding_t *)z_malloc(sizeof(_z_encoding_t));
-    if (encoding->_val == NULL) {
+#if Z_FEATURE_ENCODING_VALUES == 1
+#define ENCODING_SCHEMA_SEPARATOR ';'
+
+const char *ENCODING_VALUES_ID_TO_STR[] = {
+    "zenoh/bytes",
+    "zenoh/int8",
+    "zenoh/int16",
+    "zenoh/int32",
+    "zenoh/int64",
+    "zenoh/int128",
+    "zenoh/uint8",
+    "zenoh/uint16",
+    "zenoh/uint32",
+    "zenoh/uint64",
+    "zenoh/uint128",
+    "zenoh/float32",
+    "zenoh/float64",
+    "zenoh/bool",
+    "zenoh/string",
+    "zenoh/error",
+    "application/octet-stream",
+    "text/plain",
+    "application/json",
+    "text/json",
+    "application/cdr",
+    "application/cbor",
+    "application/yaml",
+    "text/yaml",
+    "text/json5",
+    "application/python-serialized-object",
+    "application/protobuf",
+    "application/java-serialized-object",
+    "application/openmetrics-text",
+    "image/png",
+    "image/jpeg",
+    "image/gif",
+    "image/bmp",
+    "image/webp",
+    "application/xml",
+    "application/x-www-form-urlencoded",
+    "text/html",
+    "text/xml",
+    "text/css",
+    "text/javascript",
+    "text/markdown",
+    "text/csv",
+    "application/sql",
+    "application/coap-payload",
+    "application/json-patch+json",
+    "application/json-seq",
+    "application/jsonpath",
+    "application/jwt",
+    "application/mp4",
+    "application/soap+xml",
+    "application/yang",
+    "audio/aac",
+    "audio/flac",
+    "audio/mp4",
+    "audio/ogg",
+    "audio/vorbis",
+    "video/h261",
+    "video/h263",
+    "video/h264",
+    "video/h265",
+    "video/h266",
+    "video/mp4",
+    "video/ogg",
+    "video/raw",
+    "video/vp8",
+    "video/vp9",
+};
+
+static uint16_t _z_encoding_values_str_to_int(const char *schema, size_t len) {
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < _ZP_ARRAY_SIZE(ENCODING_VALUES_ID_TO_STR); i++) {
+        if (strncmp(schema, ENCODING_VALUES_ID_TO_STR[i], len) == 0) {
+            return (uint16_t)i;
+        }
+    }
+    return UINT16_MAX;
+}
+
+static int8_t _z_encoding_convert_from_string(z_owned_encoding_t *encoding, const char *s) {
+    const char *id_end = strchr(s, ENCODING_SCHEMA_SEPARATOR);
+    // Check id_end value + corner cases
+    if ((id_end != NULL) && (id_end != s)) {
+        // Calc length of the segment before separator
+        size_t len = (size_t)(id_end - 1 - s);
+        uint16_t id = _z_encoding_values_str_to_int(s, len);
+        // Check id
+        if (id != UINT16_MAX) {
+            return _z_encoding_make(encoding->_val, id, (id_end[1] == '\0') ? NULL : ++id_end);
+        }
+    }
+    // By default store the string as schema
+    return _z_encoding_make(encoding->_val, _Z_ENCODING_ID_DEFAULT, s);
+}
+
+static int8_t _z_encoding_convert_into_string(const z_loaned_encoding_t *encoding, z_owned_string_t *s) {
+    const char *prefix = NULL;
+    size_t prefix_len = 0;
+    // Convert id
+    if (encoding->id < _ZP_ARRAY_SIZE(ENCODING_VALUES_ID_TO_STR)) {
+        prefix = ENCODING_VALUES_ID_TO_STR[encoding->id];
+        prefix_len = strlen(prefix);
+    }
+    _Bool has_schema = encoding->schema.len > 0;
+    // Size include null terminator
+    size_t total_len = prefix_len + encoding->schema.len + 1;
+    // Check for schema separator
+    if (has_schema) {
+        total_len += 1;
+    }
+    // Allocate string
+    char *value = (char *)z_malloc(sizeof(char) * total_len);
+    if (value == NULL) {
         return _Z_ERR_SYSTEM_OUT_OF_MEMORY;
     }
-    return _z_encoding_make(encoding->_val, id, schema);
+    // Copy prefix
+    char sep = ENCODING_SCHEMA_SEPARATOR;
+    (void)strncpy(value, prefix, prefix_len);
+    // Copy schema and separator
+    if (has_schema) {
+        (void)strncat(value, &sep, 1);
+        (void)strncat(value, encoding->schema.val, encoding->schema.len);
+    }
+    // Fill container
+    *s->_val = _z_string_wrap(value);
+    return _Z_RES_OK;
+}
+
+#else
+static int8_t _z_encoding_convert_from_string(z_owned_encoding_t *encoding, const char *s) {
+    return _z_encoding_make(encoding->_val, _Z_ENCODING_ID_DEFAULT, s);
+}
+
+static int8_t _z_encoding_convert_into_string(const z_loaned_encoding_t *encoding, z_owned_string_t *s) {
+    _z_string_copy(s->_val, &encoding->schema);
+    return _Z_RES_OK;
 }
 
+#endif
+
 z_owned_encoding_t *z_encoding_move(z_owned_encoding_t *encoding) { return encoding; }
 
-int8_t z_encoding_null(z_owned_encoding_t *encoding) { return zp_encoding_make(encoding, Z_ENCODING_ID_DEFAULT, NULL); }
+void z_encoding_null(z_owned_encoding_t *encoding) { encoding->_val = NULL; }
 
 _Bool z_encoding_check(const z_owned_encoding_t *encoding) { return _z_encoding_check(encoding->_val); }
 
@@ -240,8 +374,8 @@ void z_encoding_drop(z_owned_encoding_t *encoding) {
     if (encoding == NULL) {
         return;
     }
-    if (!_z_slice_is_empty(&encoding->_val->schema)) {
-        _z_slice_clear(&encoding->_val->schema);
+    if (_z_string_check(encoding->_val->schema)) {
+        _z_string_clear(&encoding->_val->schema);
     }
     z_free(encoding->_val);
 }
@@ -259,6 +393,33 @@ const z_loaned_encoding_t *z_encoding_loan(const z_owned_encoding_t *encoding) {
 
 z_loaned_encoding_t *z_encoding_loan_mut(z_owned_encoding_t *encoding) { return encoding->_val; }
 
+int8_t z_encoding_from_str(z_owned_encoding_t *encoding, const char *s) {
+    // Init owned encoding
+    z_encoding_null(encoding);
+    encoding->_val = (_z_encoding_t *)z_malloc(sizeof(_z_encoding_t));
+    if (encoding->_val == NULL) {
+        return _Z_ERR_SYSTEM_OUT_OF_MEMORY;
+    }
+    // Convert string to encoding
+    if (s != NULL) {
+        return _z_encoding_convert_from_string(encoding, s);
+    }
+    return _Z_RES_OK;
+}
+
+int8_t z_encoding_to_string(const z_loaned_encoding_t *encoding, z_owned_string_t *s) {
+    // Init owned string
+    z_string_null(s);
+    // Allocate owned string
+    s->_val = (_z_string_t *)z_malloc(sizeof(_z_string_t));
+    if (s->_val == NULL) {
+        return _Z_ERR_SYSTEM_OUT_OF_MEMORY;
+    }
+    // Convert encoding to string
+    _z_encoding_convert_into_string(encoding, s);
+    return _Z_RES_OK;
+}
+
 const uint8_t *z_slice_data(const z_loaned_slice_t *slice) { return slice->start; }
 
 size_t z_slice_len(const z_loaned_slice_t *slice) { return slice->len; }
diff --git a/src/collections/string.c b/src/collections/string.c
index 52352b3d3..3d2ff0069 100644
--- a/src/collections/string.c
+++ b/src/collections/string.c
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ _z_string_t _z_string_null(void) {
     return s;
 }
 
+_Bool _z_string_check(_z_string_t value) { return value.val != NULL; }
+
 _z_string_t _z_string_make(const char *value) {
     _z_string_t s;
     s.val = _z_str_clone(value);
diff --git a/src/link/endpoint.c b/src/link/endpoint.c
index b2464ba10..d3274fd97 100644
--- a/src/link/endpoint.c
+++ b/src/link/endpoint.c
@@ -450,6 +450,6 @@ char *_z_endpoint_to_str(const _z_endpoint_t *endpoint) {
         }
     }
     // Clean up
-    _z_string_clear(locator);
+    _z_string_free(&locator);
     return ret;
 }
diff --git a/src/net/encoding.c b/src/net/encoding.c
index 406d10437..45d0b9e75 100644
--- a/src/net/encoding.c
+++ b/src/net/encoding.c
@@ -19,41 +19,39 @@
 #include "zenoh-pico/utils/logging.h"
 #include "zenoh-pico/utils/result.h"
 
-int8_t _z_encoding_make(_z_encoding_t *encoding, z_encoding_id_t id, const char *schema) {
+int8_t _z_encoding_make(_z_encoding_t *encoding, uint16_t id, const char *schema) {
     encoding->id = id;
     // Clone schema
     if (schema != NULL) {
-        encoding->schema = _z_slice_make(strlen(schema) + 1);
-        if (encoding->schema.start == NULL) {
+        encoding->schema = _z_string_make(schema);
+        if (encoding->schema.val == NULL) {
             return _Z_ERR_SYSTEM_OUT_OF_MEMORY;
         }
-        strcpy((char *)encoding->schema.start, schema);
     } else {
-        encoding->schema = _z_slice_empty();
+        encoding->schema = _z_string_null();
     }
     return _Z_RES_OK;
 }
 
-_z_encoding_t _z_encoding_wrap(z_encoding_id_t id, const char *schema) {
-    return (_z_encoding_t){
-        .id = id, .schema = _z_slice_wrap((const uint8_t *)schema, (schema == NULL) ? (size_t)0 : strlen(schema))};
+_z_encoding_t _z_encoding_wrap(uint16_t id, const char *schema) {
+    return (_z_encoding_t){.id = id, .schema = (schema == NULL) ? _z_string_null() : _z_string_wrap((char *)schema)};
 }
 
-_z_encoding_t _z_encoding_null(void) { return _z_encoding_wrap(Z_ENCODING_ID_DEFAULT, NULL); }
+_z_encoding_t _z_encoding_null(void) { return _z_encoding_wrap(_Z_ENCODING_ID_DEFAULT, NULL); }
 
-void _z_encoding_clear(_z_encoding_t *encoding) { _z_slice_clear(&encoding->schema); }
+void _z_encoding_clear(_z_encoding_t *encoding) { _z_string_clear(&encoding->schema); }
 
 _Bool _z_encoding_check(const _z_encoding_t *encoding) {
-    return ((encoding->id != Z_ENCODING_ID_DEFAULT) || _z_slice_check(encoding->schema));
+    return ((encoding->id != _Z_ENCODING_ID_DEFAULT) || _z_string_check(encoding->schema));
 }
 
 void _z_encoding_copy(_z_encoding_t *dst, const _z_encoding_t *src) {
     dst->id = src->id;
-    _z_slice_copy(&dst->schema, &src->schema);
+    _z_string_copy(&dst->schema, &src->schema);
 }
 
 void _z_encoding_move(_z_encoding_t *dst, _z_encoding_t *src) {
     dst->id = src->id;
-    src->id = Z_ENCODING_ID_DEFAULT;
-    _z_slice_move(&dst->schema, &src->schema);
+    src->id = _Z_ENCODING_ID_DEFAULT;
+    _z_string_move(&dst->schema, &src->schema);
 }
diff --git a/src/protocol/codec.c b/src/protocol/codec.c
index cac24c15f..ab4211713 100644
--- a/src/protocol/codec.c
+++ b/src/protocol/codec.c
@@ -246,7 +246,6 @@ int8_t _z_slice_encode(_z_wbuf_t *wbf, const _z_slice_t *bs) {
 
     return ret;
 }
-size_t _z_slice_encode_len(const _z_slice_t *bs) { return _z_zint_len(bs->len) + bs->len; }
 
 int8_t _z_slice_val_decode_na(_z_slice_t *bs, _z_zbuf_t *zbf) {
     int8_t ret = _Z_RES_OK;
@@ -311,13 +310,6 @@ int8_t _z_str_encode(_z_wbuf_t *wbf, const char *s) {
     return _z_wbuf_write_bytes(wbf, (const uint8_t *)s, 0, len);
 }
 
-int8_t _z_zstr_encode(_z_wbuf_t *wbf, const _z_string_t *s) {
-    size_t len = s->len - (size_t)1;
-    _Z_RETURN_IF_ERR(_z_zsize_encode(wbf, len))
-    // Note that this does not put the string terminator on the wire.
-    return _z_wbuf_write_bytes(wbf, (const uint8_t *)s->val, 0, len);
-}
-
 int8_t _z_str_decode(char **str, _z_zbuf_t *zbf) {
     int8_t ret = _Z_RES_OK;
 
@@ -342,30 +334,58 @@ int8_t _z_str_decode(char **str, _z_zbuf_t *zbf) {
         *str = NULL;
         ret |= _Z_ERR_MESSAGE_DESERIALIZATION_FAILED;
     }
-
     return ret;
 }
 
+int8_t _z_string_encode(_z_wbuf_t *wbf, const _z_string_t *s) {
+    _Z_RETURN_IF_ERR(_z_zsize_encode(wbf, s->len))
+    // Note that this does not put the string terminator on the wire.
+    return _z_wbuf_write_bytes(wbf, (const uint8_t *)s->val, 0, s->len);
+}
+
+int8_t _z_string_decode(_z_string_t *str, _z_zbuf_t *zbf) {
+    *str = _z_string_null();
+    _z_zint_t len = 0;
+    // Decode string length
+    _Z_RETURN_IF_ERR(_z_zsize_decode(&len, zbf));
+    // Check if we have enough bytes to read
+    if (_z_zbuf_len(zbf) < len) {
+        _Z_DEBUG("WARNING: Not enough bytes to read");
+        return _Z_ERR_MESSAGE_DESERIALIZATION_FAILED;
+    }
+    // Allocate space for the string terminator
+    str->val = (char *)z_malloc(len + (size_t)1);
+    if (str->val == NULL) {
+        return _Z_ERR_SYSTEM_OUT_OF_MEMORY;
+    }
+    str->len = len;
+    // Add null terminator
+    str->val[len] = '\0';
+    // Read bytes
+    _z_zbuf_read_bytes(zbf, (uint8_t *)str->val, 0, len);
+    return _Z_RES_OK;
+}
+
 /*------------------ encoding ------------------*/
 #define _Z_ENCODING_FLAG_S 0x01
 
 size_t _z_encoding_len(const _z_encoding_t *en) {
     size_t en_len = _z_zint_len((uint32_t)(en->id) << 1);
-    if (_z_slice_check(en->schema)) {
-        en_len += _z_slice_encode_len(&en->schema);
+    if (_z_string_check(en->schema)) {
+        en_len += _z_zint_len(en->schema.len) + en->schema.len;
     }
     return en_len;
 }
 
 int8_t _z_encoding_encode(_z_wbuf_t *wbf, const _z_encoding_t *en) {
-    _Bool has_schema = _z_slice_check(en->schema);
+    _Bool has_schema = _z_string_check(en->schema);
     uint32_t id = (uint32_t)(en->id) << 1;
     if (has_schema) {
         id |= _Z_ENCODING_FLAG_S;
     }
     _Z_RETURN_IF_ERR(_z_zint32_encode(wbf, id));
     if (has_schema) {
-        _Z_RETURN_IF_ERR(_z_slice_encode(wbf, &en->schema));
+        _Z_RETURN_IF_ERR(_z_string_encode(wbf, &en->schema));
     }
     return _Z_RES_OK;
 }
@@ -379,7 +399,7 @@ int8_t _z_encoding_decode(_z_encoding_t *en, _z_zbuf_t *zbf) {
     }
     en->id = (uint16_t)(id >> 1);
     if (has_schema) {
-        _Z_RETURN_IF_ERR(_z_slice_decode(&en->schema, zbf));
+        _Z_RETURN_IF_ERR(_z_string_decode(&en->schema, zbf));
     }
     return _Z_RES_OK;
 }
diff --git a/src/protocol/codec/message.c b/src/protocol/codec/message.c
index 608f9ba0f..f6cbadfa7 100644
--- a/src/protocol/codec/message.c
+++ b/src/protocol/codec/message.c
@@ -151,8 +151,8 @@ int8_t _z_locators_encode(_z_wbuf_t *wbf, const _z_locator_array_t *la) {
     _Z_RETURN_IF_ERR(_z_zsize_encode(wbf, la->_len))
     for (size_t i = 0; i < la->_len; i++) {
         _z_string_t *s = _z_locator_to_string(&la->_val[i]);
-        _Z_RETURN_IF_ERR(_z_zstr_encode(wbf, s))
-        z_free(s);
+        _Z_RETURN_IF_ERR(_z_string_encode(wbf, s))
+        _z_string_free(&s);
     }
 
     return ret;
diff --git a/tests/attachment.py b/tests/attachment.py
index b4f477541..8624939ce 100644
--- a/tests/attachment.py
+++ b/tests/attachment.py
@@ -30,22 +30,27 @@ def pub_and_sub():
 Declaring Subscriber on 'demo/example/**'...
 Press CTRL-C to quit...
 >> [Subscriber] Received ('demo/example/zenoh-pico-pub': '[   0] Pub from Pico!')
+    with encoding: text/plain;utf8
    with attachment:
      0: source, C
      1: index, 0
 >> [Subscriber] Received ('demo/example/zenoh-pico-pub': '[   1] Pub from Pico!')
+    with encoding: text/plain;utf8
    with attachment:
      0: source, C
      1: index, 1
 >> [Subscriber] Received ('demo/example/zenoh-pico-pub': '[   2] Pub from Pico!')
+    with encoding: text/plain;utf8
    with attachment:
      0: source, C
      1: index, 2
 >> [Subscriber] Received ('demo/example/zenoh-pico-pub': '[   3] Pub from Pico!')
+    with encoding: text/plain;utf8
    with attachment:
      0: source, C
      1: index, 3
 >> [Subscriber] Received ('demo/example/zenoh-pico-pub': '[   4] Pub from Pico!')
+    with encoding: text/plain;utf8
    with attachment:
      0: source, C
      1: index, 4'''
diff --git a/tests/z_api_alignment_test.c b/tests/z_api_alignment_test.c
index be7bc2c36..21c9087d7 100644
--- a/tests/z_api_alignment_test.c
+++ b/tests/z_api_alignment_test.c
@@ -77,9 +77,7 @@ void query_handler(const z_loaned_query_t *query, void *arg) {
     z_query_parameters(query, &pred);
     (void)(pred);
     const z_loaned_bytes_t *payload = z_query_payload(query);
-    const z_loaned_encoding_t *encoding = z_query_encoding(query);
     (void)(payload);
-    (void)(encoding);
     z_query_reply_options_t _ret_qreply_opt;
     z_query_reply_options_default(&_ret_qreply_opt);
 
@@ -319,9 +317,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     z_put_options_t _ret_put_opt;
     z_put_options_default(&_ret_put_opt);
     _ret_put_opt.congestion_control = Z_CONGESTION_CONTROL_BLOCK;
-    z_owned_encoding_t _ret_encoding;
-    zp_encoding_make(&_ret_encoding, Z_ENCODING_ID_TEXT_PLAIN, NULL);
-    _ret_put_opt.encoding = z_move(_ret_encoding);
 
     // Create payload
     z_owned_bytes_t payload;
diff --git a/tests/z_msgcodec_test.c b/tests/z_msgcodec_test.c
index d6720e7fe..fef9c7998 100644
--- a/tests/z_msgcodec_test.c
+++ b/tests/z_msgcodec_test.c
@@ -233,6 +233,8 @@ _z_string_vec_t gen_str_array(size_t size) {
     return sa;
 }
 
+_z_string_t gen_string(size_t len) { return _z_string_wrap(gen_str(len)); }
+
 _z_locator_array_t gen_locator_array(size_t size) {
     _z_locator_array_t la = _z_locator_array_make(size);
     for (size_t i = 0; i < size; i++) {
@@ -249,9 +251,9 @@ _z_encoding_t gen_encoding(void) {
     _z_encoding_t en;
     en.id = gen_uint16();
     if (gen_bool()) {
-        en.schema = gen_slice(16);
+        en.schema = gen_string(16);
     } else {
-        en.schema = _z_slice_empty();
+        en.schema = _z_string_null();
     }
     return en;
 }
@@ -342,8 +344,8 @@ void assert_eq_locator_array(const _z_locator_array_t *left, const _z_locator_ar
         printf("%s:%s", ls->val, rs->val);
         if (i < left->_len - 1) printf(" ");
 
-        z_free(ls);
-        z_free(rs);
+        _z_string_free(&ls);
+        _z_string_free(&rs);
 
         assert(_z_locator_eq(l, r) == true);
     }
@@ -507,6 +509,13 @@ void zbuf_extension(void) {
 /*------------------ Payload field ------------------*/
 void assert_eq_slice(const _z_slice_t *left, const _z_slice_t *right) { assert_eq_uint8_array(left, right); }
 
+void assert_eq_string(const _z_string_t *left, const _z_string_t *right) {
+    assert(left->len == right->len);
+    if (left->len > 0) {
+        assert(_z_str_eq(left->val, right->val) == true);
+    }
+}
+
 void assert_eq_bytes(const _z_bytes_t *left, const _z_bytes_t *right) {
     size_t len_left = _z_bytes_len(left);
     size_t len_right = _z_bytes_len(right);
@@ -571,7 +580,7 @@ void assert_eq_source_info(const _z_source_info_t *left, const _z_source_info_t
 }
 void assert_eq_encoding(const _z_encoding_t *left, const _z_encoding_t *right) {
     assert(left->id == right->id);
-    assert_eq_slice(&left->schema, &right->schema);
+    assert_eq_string(&left->schema, &right->schema);
 }
 void assert_eq_value(const _z_value_t *left, const _z_value_t *right) {
     assert_eq_encoding(&left->encoding, &right->encoding);
diff --git a/version.txt b/version.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bd2666abb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/version.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+1.0.0.0
\ No newline at end of file