diff --git a/lib/bcoin/chaindb.js b/lib/bcoin/chaindb.js
index 73cb36d9..8f76af4f 100644
--- a/lib/bcoin/chaindb.js
+++ b/lib/bcoin/chaindb.js
@@ -36,74 +36,131 @@ var Parser = bcoin.protocol.parser;
 var layout = {
   R: function R() {
     var p = new BufferWriter();
-    p.writeString('R', 'ascii');
+    p.writeU8(0x52); // R
+    if (utils.isBrowser)
+      return p.render().toString('hex');
     return p.render();
   },
   e: function e(hash) {
     var p = new BufferWriter();
-    p.writeString('e', 'ascii');
+    p.writeU8(0x65); // e
     p.writeHash(hash);
+    if (utils.isBrowser)
+      return p.render().toString('hex');
     return p.render();
   },
   h: function h(hash) {
     var p = new BufferWriter();
-    p.writeString('h', 'ascii');
+    p.writeU8(0x68); // h
     p.writeHash(hash);
+    if (utils.isBrowser)
+      return p.render().toString('hex');
     return p.render();
   },
   H: function H(height) {
     var p = new BufferWriter();
-    p.writeString('H', 'ascii');
+    p.writeU8(0x48); // H
     p.writeU32(height);
+    if (utils.isBrowser)
+      return p.render().toString('hex');
     return p.render();
   },
   n: function n(hash) {
     var p = new BufferWriter();
-    p.writeString('n', 'ascii');
+    p.writeU8(0x6e); // n
     p.writeHash(hash);
+    if (utils.isBrowser)
+      return p.render().toString('hex');
     return p.render();
   },
   b: function b(hash) {
     var p = new BufferWriter();
-    p.writeString('b', 'ascii');
+    p.writeU8(0x62); // b
     p.writeHash(hash);
+    if (utils.isBrowser)
+      return p.render().toString('hex');
     return p.render();
   },
   t: function t(hash) {
     var p = new BufferWriter();
-    p.writeString('t', 'ascii');
+    p.writeU8(0x74); // t
     p.writeHash(hash);
+    if (utils.isBrowser)
+      return p.render().toString('hex');
     return p.render();
   },
   c: function c(hash) {
     var p = new BufferWriter();
-    p.writeString('c', 'ascii');
+    p.writeU8(0x63); // c
     p.writeHash(hash);
+    if (utils.isBrowser)
+      return p.render().toString('hex');
     return p.render();
   },
   u: function u(hash) {
     var p = new BufferWriter();
-    p.writeString('u', 'ascii');
+    p.writeU8(0x75); // u
     p.writeHash(hash);
+    if (utils.isBrowser)
+      return p.render().toString('hex');
+    return p.render();
+  },
+  q: function q(height) {
+    var p = new BufferWriter();
+    p.writeU8(0x71); // q
+    p.writeU32(height);
+    if (utils.isBrowser)
+      return p.render().toString('hex');
     return p.render();
   },
   T: function T(address, hash) {
     var p = new BufferWriter();
-    p.writeString('T', 'ascii');
-    p.writeString(address, 'hex');
-    p.writeString('\0', 'binary');
+    if (address.length === 64)
+      p.writeU8(0x41); // A
+    else
+      p.writeU8(0x54); // T
+    p.writeHash(address);
     p.writeHash(hash);
+    if (utils.isBrowser)
+      return p.render().toString('hex');
     return p.render();
   },
   C: function C(address, hash, index) {
     var p = new BufferWriter();
-    p.writeString('C', 'ascii');
-    p.writeString(address, 'hex');
-    p.writeString('\0', 'binary');
+    if (address.length === 64)
+      p.writeU8(0x42); // B
+    else
+      p.writeU8(0x43); // C
+    p.writeHash(address);
     p.writeHash(hash);
-    p.writeString('\0', 'binary');
     p.writeU32(index);
+    if (utils.isBrowser)
+      return p.render().toString('hex');
     return p.render();
+  },
+  Cc: function Cc(key) {
+    var hash, index;
+
+    if (utils.isBrowser)
+      key = new Buffer(key, 'hex');
+
+    if (key.length === 69) {
+      hash = key.slice(33, 65).toString('hex');
+      index = key.readUInt32LE(65, 0);
+    } else {
+      hash = key.slice(21, 53).toString('hex');
+      index = key.readUInt32LE(53, 0);
+    }
+
+    return [hash, index];
+  },
+  Tt: function Tt(key) {
+    if (utils.isBrowser)
+      key = new Buffer(key, 'hex');
+
+    return key.length === 65
+      ? key.slice(33).toString('hex')
+      : key.slice(21).toString('hex');
   }
 };
 
@@ -1082,7 +1139,7 @@ ChainDB.prototype.getCoin = function getCoin(hash, index, callback) {
     return callback(null, coins);
   }
 
-  this.db.fetch('c/' + hash, function(data) {
+  this.db.fetch(layout.c(hash), function(data) {
     self.coinCache.set(hash, data);
     return bcoin.coins.parseCoin(data, hash, index);
   }, callback);
@@ -1175,12 +1232,10 @@ ChainDB.prototype.getCoinsByAddress = function getCoinsByAddress(addresses, call
       return next();
 
     self.db.iterate({
-      gte: 'C/' + address,
-      lte: 'C/' + address + '~',
-      transform: function(key) {
-        key = key.split('/');
-        return [key[2], +key[3]];
-      }
+      gte: layout.C(address, constants.NULL_HASH, 0),
+      lte: layout.C(address, constants.MAX_HASH, 0xffffffff),
+      keyAsBuffer: !utils.isBrowser,
+      transform: layout.Cc
     }, function(err, keys) {
       if (err)
         return next(err);
@@ -1222,29 +1277,28 @@ ChainDB.prototype.getTXByAddress = function getTXByAddress(addresses, callback)
 
   utils.forEachSerial(addresses, function(address, next) {
     address = bcoin.address.getHash(address);
+
     if (!address)
       return next();
+
     self.db.lookup({
-      gte: 'T/' + address,
-      lte: 'T/' + address + '~',
+      gte: layout.T(address, constants.NULL_HASH),
+      lte: layout.T(address, constants.MAX_HASH),
+      keyAsBuffer: !utils.isBrowser,
       transform: function(key) {
-        var hash = key.split('/')[2];
-        if (addresses.length > 1) {
-          if (have[hash])
-            return false;
-          have[hash] = true;
-        }
-        return 't/' + hash;
+        var hash = layout.Tt(key);
+
+        if (have[hash])
+          return;
+
+        have[hash] = true;
+
+        return layout.t(hash);
       },
       parse: function(data, key) {
-        return bcoin.tx.fromRaw(data);
+        txs.push(bcoin.tx.fromRaw(data));
       }
-    }, function(err, tx) {
-      if (err)
-        return next(err);
-      txs = txs.concat(tx);
-      next();
-    });
+    }, next);
   }, function(err) {
     if (err)
       return callback(err);
@@ -1468,11 +1522,11 @@ ChainDB.prototype._pruneBlock = function _pruneBlock(block, batch, callback) {
   if (block.height <= this.network.block.pruneAfterHeight)
     return callback();
 
-  futureHeight = pad32(block.height + this.keepBlocks);
+  futureHeight = block.height + this.keepBlocks;
 
-  batch.put('q/' + futureHeight, block.hash());
+  batch.put(layout.q(futureHeight), block.hash());
 
-  key = 'q/' + pad32(block.height);
+  key = layout.q(block.height);
 
   this.db.fetch(key, function(data) {
     assert(data.length === 32, 'Database corruption.');
diff --git a/lib/bcoin/lowlevelup.js b/lib/bcoin/lowlevelup.js
index 8d1ff60c..e62a4d48 100644
--- a/lib/bcoin/lowlevelup.js
+++ b/lib/bcoin/lowlevelup.js
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ LowlevelUp.prototype.iterate = function iterate(options, callback) {
     keys: true,
     values: options.values,
     fillCache: false,
-    keyAsBuffer: false,
+    keyAsBuffer: options.keyAsBuffer || false,
     limit: options.limit,
     reverse: options.reverse
   };
diff --git a/lib/bcoin/protocol/constants.js b/lib/bcoin/protocol/constants.js
index 654daee5..8fcf5481 100644
--- a/lib/bcoin/protocol/constants.js
+++ b/lib/bcoin/protocol/constants.js
@@ -597,6 +597,15 @@ exports.ZERO_HASH = new Buffer(
 exports.NULL_HASH =
   '0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000';
 
+/**
+ * A hash of all 0xff.
+ * @const {String}
+ * @default
+ */
+
+exports.MAX_HASH =
+  'ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff';
+
 /**
  * BCoin version.
  * @const {String}