diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 0d6523b9..a027e9f9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
-js-multihash
-============
+# js-multihash <!-- omit in toc -->
 
 [![](https://img.shields.io/badge/made%20by-Protocol%20Labs-blue.svg?style=flat-square)](http://ipn.io)
 [![](https://img.shields.io/badge/project-multiformats-blue.svg?style=flat-square)](https://github.com/multiformats/multiformats)
@@ -17,18 +16,18 @@ It is extended by [js-multihashing](https://github.com/multiformats/js-multihash
 and [js-multihashing-async](https://github.com/multiformats/js-multihashing-async),
 so give those a look as well.
 
-## Lead Maintainer
+## Lead Maintainer <!-- omit in toc -->
 
 [Hugo Dias](http://github.com/hugomrdias/)
 
-## Table of Contents
+## Table of Contents <!-- omit in toc -->
 
 - [Install](#install)
-  - [In Node.js through npm](#in-nodejs-through-npm)
-  - [Browser: Browserify, Webpack, other bundlers](#browser-browserify-webpack-other-bundlers)
-  - [In the Browser through `<script>` tag](#in-the-browser-through-script-tag)
+  - [Using npm](#using-npm)
+  - [Using a `<script>` tag](#using-a-script-tag)
 - [Usage](#usage)
 - [API](#api)
+- [Update Constants](#update-constants)
 - [Contribute](#contribute)
 - [License](#license)
 
@@ -60,17 +59,17 @@ Loading this module through a script tag will make the ```Multihashes``` obj ava
 
 ```js
 > var multihash = require('multihashes')
-> var buf = new Buffer('0beec7b5ea3f0fdbc95d0dd47f3c5bc275da8a33', 'hex')
+> var bytes = Uint8Array.from([0, 1, 2, 3...])
 
-> var encoded = multihash.encode(buf, 'sha1')
+> var encoded = multihash.encode(bytes, 'sha1')
 > console.log(encoded)
-<Buffer 11 14 0b ee c7 b5 ea 3f 0f db c9 5d 0d d4 7f 3c 5b c2 75 da 8a 33>
+<Uint8Array 11 14 0b ee c7 b5 ea 3f 0f db c9 5d 0d d4 7f 3c 5b c2 75 da 8a 33>
 
 > multihash.decode(encoded)
 { code: 17,
   name: 'sha1',
   length: 20,
-  digest: <Buffer 0b ee c7 b5 ea 3f 0f db c9 5d 0d d4 7f 3c 5b c2 75 da 8a 33> }
+  digest: <Uint8Array 0b ee c7 b5 ea 3f 0f db c9 5d 0d d4 7f 3c 5b c2 75 da 8a 33> }
 ```
 
 ## API
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 8da5bc1d..6f9b9e5f 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -31,15 +31,12 @@
   "main": "src/index.js",
   "repository": "github:multiformats/js-multihash",
   "dependencies": {
-    "buffer": "^5.6.0",
-    "multibase": "^2.0.0",
-    "varint": "^5.0.0",
-    "web-encoding": "^1.0.2"
+    "multibase": "^3.0.0",
+    "uint8arrays": "^1.0.0",
+    "varint": "^5.0.0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
-    "aegir": "^24.0.0",
-    "chai": "^4.1.2",
-    "dirty-chai": "^2.0.1",
+    "aegir": "^25.0.0",
     "ipfs-utils": "^2.3.1"
   },
   "contributors": [
diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index a095597c..dec299dc 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -7,11 +7,12 @@
  */
 'use strict'
 
-const { Buffer } = require('buffer')
 const multibase = require('multibase')
 const varint = require('varint')
 const { names } = require('./constants')
-const { TextDecoder } = require('web-encoding')
+const uint8ArrayToString = require('uint8arrays/to-string')
+const uint8ArrayFromString = require('uint8arrays/from-string')
+const uint8ArrayConcat = require('uint8arrays/concat')
 
 const textDecoder = new TextDecoder()
 const codes = {}
@@ -33,21 +34,17 @@ exports.toHexString = function toHexString (hash) {
     throw new Error('must be passed a Uint8Array')
   }
 
-  const buffer = Buffer.isBuffer(hash)
-    ? hash
-    : Buffer.from(hash.buffer, hash.byteOffset, hash.byteLength)
-
-  return buffer.toString('hex')
+  return uint8ArrayToString(hash, 'base16')
 }
 
 /**
  * Convert the given hex encoded string to a multihash.
  *
  * @param {string} hash
- * @returns {Buffer}
+ * @returns {Uint8Array}
  */
 exports.fromHexString = function fromHexString (hash) {
-  return Buffer.from(hash, 'hex')
+  return uint8ArrayFromString(hash, 'base16')
 }
 
 /**
@@ -68,7 +65,7 @@ exports.toB58String = function toB58String (hash) {
  * Convert the given base58 encoded string to a multihash.
  *
  * @param {string|Uint8Array} hash
- * @returns {Buffer}
+ * @returns {Uint8Array}
  */
 exports.fromB58String = function fromB58String (hash) {
   const encoded = hash instanceof Uint8Array
@@ -82,41 +79,38 @@ exports.fromB58String = function fromB58String (hash) {
  * Decode a hash from the given multihash.
  *
  * @param {Uint8Array} bytes
- * @returns {{code: number, name: string, length: number, digest: Buffer}} result
+ * @returns {{code: number, name: string, length: number, digest: Uint8Array}} result
  */
 exports.decode = function decode (bytes) {
   if (!(bytes instanceof Uint8Array)) {
     throw new Error('multihash must be a Uint8Array')
   }
-  let buf = Buffer.isBuffer(bytes)
-    ? bytes
-    : Buffer.from(bytes.buffer, bytes.byteOffset, bytes.byteLength)
 
-  if (buf.length < 2) {
+  if (bytes.length < 2) {
     throw new Error('multihash too short. must be > 2 bytes.')
   }
 
-  const code = varint.decode(buf)
+  const code = varint.decode(bytes)
   if (!exports.isValidCode(code)) {
     throw new Error(`multihash unknown function code: 0x${code.toString(16)}`)
   }
-  buf = buf.slice(varint.decode.bytes)
+  bytes = bytes.slice(varint.decode.bytes)
 
-  const len = varint.decode(buf)
+  const len = varint.decode(bytes)
   if (len < 0) {
     throw new Error(`multihash invalid length: ${len}`)
   }
-  buf = buf.slice(varint.decode.bytes)
+  bytes = bytes.slice(varint.decode.bytes)
 
-  if (buf.length !== len) {
-    throw new Error(`multihash length inconsistent: 0x${buf.toString('hex')}`)
+  if (bytes.length !== len) {
+    throw new Error(`multihash length inconsistent: 0x${uint8ArrayToString(bytes, 'base16')}`)
   }
 
   return {
     code,
     name: codes[code],
     length: len,
-    digest: buf
+    digest: bytes
   }
 }
 
@@ -128,7 +122,7 @@ exports.decode = function decode (bytes) {
  * @param {Uint8Array} digest
  * @param {string|number} code
  * @param {number} [length]
- * @returns {Buffer}
+ * @returns {Uint8Array}
  */
 exports.encode = function encode (digest, code, length) {
   if (!digest || code === undefined) {
@@ -152,11 +146,7 @@ exports.encode = function encode (digest, code, length) {
 
   const hash = varint.encode(hashfn)
   const len = varint.encode(length)
-  const buffer = Buffer.alloc(hash.length + len.length + digest.length)
-  buffer.set(hash, 0)
-  buffer.set(len, hash.length)
-  buffer.set(digest, hash.length + len.length)
-  return buffer
+  return uint8ArrayConcat([hash, len, digest], hash.length + len.length + digest.length)
 }
 
 /**
@@ -230,11 +220,11 @@ exports.validate = validate
  * Returns a prefix from a valid multihash. Throws an error if it is not valid.
  *
  * @param {Uint8Array} multihash
- * @returns {Buffer}
+ * @returns {Uint8Array}
  * @throws {Error}
  */
 exports.prefix = function prefix (multihash) {
   validate(multihash)
 
-  return Buffer.from(multihash.buffer, multihash.byteOffset, 2)
+  return multihash.subarray(0, 2)
 }
diff --git a/test/index.spec.js b/test/index.spec.js
index 32bc7f22..62ef36de 100644
--- a/test/index.spec.js
+++ b/test/index.spec.js
@@ -2,17 +2,15 @@
 /* eslint max-nested-callbacks: off */
 'use strict'
 
-const chai = require('chai')
-const dirtyChai = require('dirty-chai')
-chai.use(dirtyChai)
-const expect = chai.expect
+const { expect } = require('aegir/utils/chai')
 const multibase = require('multibase')
-const { Buffer } = require('buffer')
 const mh = require('../src')
 const constants = require('../src/constants')
 const validCases = require('./fixtures/valid')
 const invalidCases = require('./fixtures/invalid')
-const { TextEncoder } = require('web-encoding')
+const uint8ArrayToString = require('uint8arrays/to-string')
+const uint8ArrayFromString = require('uint8arrays/from-string')
+const uint8ArrayEquals = require('uint8arrays/equals')
 
 function sample (code, size, hex) {
   const toHex = (i) => {
@@ -22,22 +20,13 @@ function sample (code, size, hex) {
     const h = i.toString(16)
     return h.length % 2 === 1 ? `0${h}` : h
   }
-  return Buffer.from(`${toHex(code)}${toHex(size)}${hex}`, 'hex')
+  return uint8ArrayFromString(`${toHex(code)}${toHex(size)}${hex}`, 'base16')
 }
 
 const they = (description, test) => {
-  it(`${description} (Buffer)`, () => test({
-    encodeText: Buffer.from,
-    encodeHex: (text) => Buffer.from(text, 'hex')
-  }))
-
-  const textEncoder = new TextEncoder()
-  it(`${description} (Uint8Array)`, () => test({
-    encodeText: (text) => textEncoder.encode(text),
-    encodeHex: (text) => {
-      const { buffer, byteOffset, byteLength } = Buffer.from(text, 'hex')
-      return new Uint8Array(buffer, byteOffset, byteLength)
-    }
+  it(description, () => test({
+    encodeText: (text) => uint8ArrayFromString(text),
+    encodeHex: (text) => uint8ArrayFromString(text, 'base16')
   }))
 }
 
@@ -50,7 +39,7 @@ describe('multihash', () => {
         expect(
           mh.toHexString(buf)
         ).to.be.eql(
-          buf.toString('hex')
+          uint8ArrayToString(buf, 'base16')
         )
       })
     })
@@ -70,9 +59,9 @@ describe('multihash', () => {
         const code = test.encoding.code
         const buf = mh.encode(encodeHex(test.hex), code)
         expect(
-          mh.fromHexString(buf.toString('hex')).toString('hex')
+          uint8ArrayToString(mh.fromHexString(uint8ArrayToString(buf, 'base16')), 'base16')
         ).to.be.eql(
-          buf.toString('hex')
+          uint8ArrayToString(buf, 'base16')
         )
       })
     })
@@ -86,7 +75,7 @@ describe('multihash', () => {
         expect(
           mh.toB58String(buf)
         ).to.be.eql(
-          multibase.encode('base58btc', buf).toString().slice(1)
+          uint8ArrayToString(multibase.encode('base58btc', buf)).slice(1)
         )
       })
     })
@@ -125,7 +114,7 @@ describe('multihash', () => {
         const code = test.encoding.code
         const buf = sample(test.encoding.varint || code, test.size, test.hex)
         const name = test.encoding.name
-        const d1 = Buffer.from(test.hex, 'hex')
+        const d1 = uint8ArrayFromString(test.hex, 'base16')
         const length = d1.length
 
         const r = mh.decode(buf)
@@ -134,7 +123,7 @@ describe('multihash', () => {
         expect(r.code).to.equal(code)
         expect(r.name).to.equal(name)
         expect(r.length).to.equal(length)
-        expect(d1.equals(d2)).to.equal(true)
+        expect(uint8ArrayEquals(d1, d2)).to.equal(true)
       })
     })
 
@@ -160,9 +149,9 @@ describe('multihash', () => {
 
         results.forEach((res) => {
           expect(
-            res.toString('hex')
+            uint8ArrayToString(res, 'base16')
           ).to.be.eql(
-            buf.toString('hex')
+            uint8ArrayToString(buf, 'base16')
           )
         })
       })
@@ -205,7 +194,7 @@ describe('multihash', () => {
         ).to.throw()
       })
 
-      const longBuffer = Uint8Array.from(Buffer.alloc(150, 'a'))
+      const longBuffer = new Uint8Array(150).fill(0)
       expect(
         () => mh.validate(longBuffer)
       ).to.throw()
@@ -326,7 +315,7 @@ describe('multihash', () => {
   they('prefix', ({ encodeText }) => {
     const multihash = mh.encode(encodeText('hey'), 0x11, 3)
     const prefix = mh.prefix(multihash)
-    expect(prefix.toString('hex')).to.eql('1103')
+    expect(uint8ArrayToString(prefix, 'base16')).to.eql('1103')
   })
 
   they('prefix throws on invalid multihash', ({ encodeText }) => {