diff --git a/c_api/index_io_c_ex.cpp b/c_api/index_io_c_ex.cpp
index 03525c0a37..22fd748e9d 100644
--- a/c_api/index_io_c_ex.cpp
+++ b/c_api/index_io_c_ex.cpp
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ using faiss::IndexBinary;
 int faiss_write_index_buf(const FaissIndex* idx, int* size, unsigned char** buf) {
     try {
         faiss::VectorIOWriter writer;
-
         faiss::write_index(reinterpret_cast<const Index*>(idx), &writer);
         unsigned char* tempBuf = (unsigned char*)malloc((writer.data.size()) * sizeof(uint8_t));
         std::copy(writer.data.begin(), writer.data.end(), tempBuf);
@@ -31,10 +30,11 @@ int faiss_write_index_buf(const FaissIndex* idx, int* size, unsigned char** buf)
     CATCH_AND_HANDLE
 }
 
-int faiss_read_index_buf(const unsigned char* buf, int size, int io_flags, FaissIndex** p_out) {
+int faiss_read_index_buf(const uint8_t* buf, int size, int io_flags, FaissIndex** p_out) {
     try {
-        faiss::VectorIOReader reader;
-        reader.data.assign(buf, buf + size);
+        faiss::BufIOReader reader;
+        reader.buf = buf;
+        reader.buf_size = size;
         auto index = faiss::read_index(&reader, io_flags);
         *p_out = reinterpret_cast<FaissIndex*>(index);
     }
diff --git a/faiss/impl/io.cpp b/faiss/impl/io.cpp
index 3837525138..9d29b0b807 100644
--- a/faiss/impl/io.cpp
+++ b/faiss/impl/io.cpp
@@ -55,6 +55,35 @@ size_t VectorIOReader::operator()(void* ptr, size_t size, size_t nitems) {
     return nitems;
 }
 
+/***********************************************************************
+ * IO Buffer
+ ***********************************************************************/
+
+size_t BufIOReader::operator()(void* ptr, size_t size, size_t nitems) {
+    // if the read pointer has passed the buffer size, exit out since we've
+    // read the complete index
+    if (rp >= buf_size)
+        return 0;
+
+    // check how many "items" of a particular size are to be read from the buffer
+    // the size of the item depends on the datatype of field being populated.
+    size_t nremain = (buf_size - rp) / size;
+    if (nremain < nitems) // we don't have enough items to be read, in which case
+        nitems = nremain; // read all the remaining ones
+    if (size * nitems > 0) {
+        // finally memcpy the data from buffer to the field of the index being
+        // populated and increment the read pointer.
+        memcpy(ptr, &buf[rp], size * nitems);
+        rp += size * nitems;
+    }
+
+    return nitems;
+}
+
+BufIOReader::~BufIOReader() {
+    buf = NULL;
+}
+
 /***********************************************************************
  * IO File
  ***********************************************************************/
diff --git a/faiss/impl/io.h b/faiss/impl/io.h
index 8d0605a5a6..bcc97f5ab9 100644
--- a/faiss/impl/io.h
+++ b/faiss/impl/io.h
@@ -61,6 +61,14 @@ struct VectorIOWriter : IOWriter {
     size_t operator()(const void* ptr, size_t size, size_t nitems) override;
 };
 
+struct BufIOReader : IOReader {
+    const uint8_t* buf;
+    size_t rp = 0;
+    size_t buf_size;
+    size_t operator()(void* ptr, size_t size, size_t nitems) override;
+    ~BufIOReader() override;
+};
+
 struct FileIOReader : IOReader {
     FILE* f = nullptr;
     bool need_close = false;