diff --git a/SharpNBT.Tests/ConversionTest.cs b/SharpNBT.Tests/ConversionTest.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5d47860
--- /dev/null
+++ b/SharpNBT.Tests/ConversionTest.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+using Xunit;
+using Xunit.Abstractions;
+
+namespace SharpNBT.Tests
+{
+    public class ConversionTest
+    {
+        private readonly ITestOutputHelper output;
+        
+        public ConversionTest(ITestOutputHelper output)
+        {
+            this.output = output;
+        }
+        
+        [Fact]
+        public void JsonOutput1()
+        {
+            var bigtest = TestHelper.GetTag("bigtest.nbt", CompressionType.GZip);
+            output.WriteLine(bigtest.ToJsonString(true));
+        }
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/SharpNBT.Tests/ParseTest.cs b/SharpNBT.Tests/ParseTest.cs
index fb64e6c..362061d 100644
--- a/SharpNBT.Tests/ParseTest.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT.Tests/ParseTest.cs
@@ -15,28 +15,17 @@ namespace SharpNBT.Tests
             this.output = output;
         }
 
-        private static Stream GetFile(string filename)
-        {
-            var assembly = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly();
-            return assembly.GetManifestResourceStream($"SharpNBT.Tests.Data.{filename}");
-        }
-
         [Fact]
         public void ReadUncompressed()
         {
-            using var stream = GetFile("hello_world.nbt");
-            using var reader = new TagReader(stream, FormatOptions.Java);
-            var compound = reader.ReadTag<CompoundTag>();
+            var compound = TestHelper.GetTag("hello_world.nbt", CompressionType.None);
             output.WriteLine(compound.PrettyPrinted());
         }
         
         [Fact]
         public void ReadGZipped()
         {
-            using var stream = GetFile("bigtest.nbt");
-            using var gzip = new GZipStream(stream, CompressionMode.Decompress);
-            using var reader = new TagReader(gzip, FormatOptions.Java);
-            var compound = reader.ReadTag<CompoundTag>();
+            var compound = TestHelper.GetTag("bigtest.nbt", CompressionType.GZip);
             output.WriteLine(compound.PrettyPrinted());
         }
         
diff --git a/SharpNBT.Tests/TestHelper.cs b/SharpNBT.Tests/TestHelper.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..809a86e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/SharpNBT.Tests/TestHelper.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+using System;
+using System.IO;
+using System.IO.Compression;
+using System.Reflection;
+using SharpNBT.ZLib;
+
+namespace SharpNBT.Tests
+{
+    public class TestHelper
+    {
+        public static Stream GetFile(string filename, CompressionType compression)
+        {
+            var assembly = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly();
+            var stream = assembly.GetManifestResourceStream($"SharpNBT.Tests.Data.{filename}");
+            if (stream is null)
+                throw new FileNotFoundException(filename);
+            
+            return compression switch
+            {
+                CompressionType.None => stream,
+                CompressionType.GZip => new GZipStream(stream, CompressionMode.Decompress),
+                CompressionType.ZLib => new ZLibStream(stream, CompressionMode.Decompress),
+                _ => throw new Exception()
+            };
+        }
+
+        public static CompoundTag GetTag(string filename, CompressionType compression)
+        {
+            using var stream = GetFile(filename, compression);
+            using var reader = new TagReader(stream, FormatOptions.Java);
+            return reader.ReadTag<CompoundTag>();
+        }
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/SharpNBT/TagReader.cs b/SharpNBT/TagReader.cs
index 410ad6f..a02a701 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/TagReader.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/TagReader.cs
@@ -423,7 +423,7 @@ namespace SharpNBT
             return Encoding.UTF8.GetString(utf8);
         }
 
-        private int ReadCount() => UseVarInt ? ReadInt32() : VarInt.Read(BaseStream, ZigZagEncoding);
+        private int ReadCount() => UseVarInt ? VarInt.Read(BaseStream, ZigZagEncoding) : ReadInt32();
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Reads a 64-bit signed (big-endian) integer from the stream, converting to native endian when necessary.
diff --git a/SharpNBT/Tags/ByteArrayTag.cs b/SharpNBT/Tags/ByteArrayTag.cs
index 0b068fa..e84cb05 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/Tags/ByteArrayTag.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/Tags/ByteArrayTag.cs
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// While this class uses the CLS compliant <see cref="byte"/> (0..255), the NBT specification uses a signed value with a range of -128..127, so ensure
     /// the bits are equivalent for your values.
     /// </remarks>
-    [PublicAPI][DataContract(Name = "byte_array")]
+    [PublicAPI][Serializable]
     public class ByteArrayTag : EnumerableTag<byte>
     {
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/SharpNBT/Tags/ByteTag.cs b/SharpNBT/Tags/ByteTag.cs
index 24a052b..bceb7fa 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/Tags/ByteTag.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/Tags/ByteTag.cs
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// recommended to use the <see cref="SignedValue"/> property if your language supports a signed 8-bit value, otherwise simply ensure the bits are
     /// equivalent.
     /// </remarks>
-    [PublicAPI][DataContract(Name = "byte")]
+    [PublicAPI][Serializable]
     public class ByteTag : Tag<byte>
     {
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/SharpNBT/Tags/CompoundTag.cs b/SharpNBT/Tags/CompoundTag.cs
index b84541f..796ee13 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/Tags/CompoundTag.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/Tags/CompoundTag.cs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Runtime.Serialization;
 using System.Text;
@@ -12,7 +13,7 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// This along with the <see cref="ListTag"/> class define the structure of the NBT format. Children are not order-dependent, nor is order guaranteed. The
     /// closing <see cref="EndTag"/> does not require to be explicitly added, it will be added automatically during serialization. 
     /// </remarks>
-    [PublicAPI][DataContract(Name = "compound")]
+    [PublicAPI][Serializable]
     public class CompoundTag :  TagContainer
     {
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/SharpNBT/Tags/DoubleTag.cs b/SharpNBT/Tags/DoubleTag.cs
index 1ed5844..089d5e2 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/Tags/DoubleTag.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/Tags/DoubleTag.cs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+using System;
 using System.Runtime.Serialization;
 using JetBrains.Annotations;
 
@@ -6,7 +7,7 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// <summary>
     /// A tag that contains a single IEEE-754 double-precision floating point number.
     /// </summary>
-    [PublicAPI][DataContract(Name = "double")]
+    [PublicAPI][Serializable]
     public class DoubleTag : Tag<double>
     {
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/SharpNBT/Tags/EndTag.cs b/SharpNBT/Tags/EndTag.cs
index 98e7592..45842ee 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/Tags/EndTag.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/Tags/EndTag.cs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// <summary>
     /// Represents the end of <see cref="CompoundTag"/>.
     /// </summary>
-    [PublicAPI][DataContract(Name = "end")]
+    [PublicAPI]
     public class EndTag : Tag
     {
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/SharpNBT/Tags/EnumerableTag.cs b/SharpNBT/Tags/EnumerableTag.cs
index 183c6b0..a1bbd83 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/Tags/EnumerableTag.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/Tags/EnumerableTag.cs
@@ -12,13 +12,12 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// Base class for tags that contain a collection of values and can be enumerated.
     /// </summary>
     /// <typeparam name="T">The type of the item the tag contains.</typeparam>
-    [PublicAPI][DataContract(Name = "array")]
+    [PublicAPI][Serializable]
     public abstract class EnumerableTag<T> : Tag, IList<T>
     {
         /// <summary>
         /// Internal list implementation.
         /// </summary>
-        [DataMember(Name = "values")] 
         private readonly List<T> internalList = new List<T>();
 
         /// <summary>
@@ -63,6 +62,23 @@ namespace SharpNBT
             internalList.AddRange(values.ToArray());
         }
 
+        protected EnumerableTag(SerializationInfo info, StreamingContext context) : base(info, context)
+        {
+            var dummy = info.GetInt32("count");
+            internalList.AddRange((T[]) info.GetValue("values", typeof(T[])));
+        }
+
+        /// <summary>Populates a <see cref="T:System.Runtime.Serialization.SerializationInfo" /> with the data needed to serialize the target object.</summary>
+        /// <param name="info">The <see cref="T:System.Runtime.Serialization.SerializationInfo" /> to populate with data.</param>
+        /// <param name="context">The destination (see <see cref="T:System.Runtime.Serialization.StreamingContext" />) for this serialization.</param>
+        /// <exception cref="T:System.Security.SecurityException">The caller does not have the required permission.</exception>
+        public override void GetObjectData(SerializationInfo info, StreamingContext context)
+        {
+            base.GetObjectData(info, context);
+            info.AddValue("count", Count);
+            info.AddValue("values", internalList.ToArray(), typeof(T[]));
+        }
+
         /// <summary>Returns an enumerator that iterates through the collection.</summary>
         /// <returns>An enumerator that can be used to iterate through the collection.</returns>
         /// <footer><a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerable-1.GetEnumerator?view=netcore-5.0">`IEnumerable.GetEnumerator` on docs.microsoft.com</a></footer>
diff --git a/SharpNBT/Tags/FloatTag.cs b/SharpNBT/Tags/FloatTag.cs
index d115a0a..a800993 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/Tags/FloatTag.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/Tags/FloatTag.cs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+using System;
 using System.Runtime.Serialization;
 using JetBrains.Annotations;
 
@@ -6,7 +7,7 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// <summary>
     /// A tag that contains a single IEEE-754 single-precision floating point number.
     /// </summary>
-    [PublicAPI][DataContract(Name = "float")]
+    [PublicAPI][Serializable]
     public class FloatTag : Tag<float>
     {
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/SharpNBT/Tags/IntArrayTag.cs b/SharpNBT/Tags/IntArrayTag.cs
index 1f9a088..33ffd80 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/Tags/IntArrayTag.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/Tags/IntArrayTag.cs
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// <summary>
     /// A tag that whose value is a contiguous sequence of 32-bit integers.
     /// </summary>
-    [PublicAPI][DataContract(Name = "int_array")]
+    [PublicAPI][Serializable]
     public class IntArrayTag : EnumerableTag<int>
     {
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/SharpNBT/Tags/IntTag.cs b/SharpNBT/Tags/IntTag.cs
index 431d186..7ffd5db 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/Tags/IntTag.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/Tags/IntTag.cs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// <summary>
     /// A tag that contains a single 32-bit integer value.
     /// </summary>
-    [PublicAPI][DataContract(Name = "int")]
+    [PublicAPI][Serializable]
     public class IntTag : Tag<int>
     {
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/SharpNBT/Tags/ListTag.cs b/SharpNBT/Tags/ListTag.cs
index 65bfa63..e7abc6a 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/Tags/ListTag.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/Tags/ListTag.cs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Runtime.Serialization;
 using System.Text;
@@ -11,13 +12,12 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// <remarks>
     /// All child tags <b>must</b> be have the same <see cref="Tag.Type"/> value, and their <see cref="Tag.Name"/> value will be omitted during serialization.
     /// </remarks>
-    [PublicAPI][DataContract(Name = "list")]
+    [PublicAPI][Serializable]
     public class ListTag : TagContainer
     {
         /// <summary>
         /// Gets the NBT type of this tag's children.
         /// </summary>
-        [DataMember(IsRequired = true, Name = "child_type", Order = 2)]
         public TagType ChildType { get; private set; }
 
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/SharpNBT/Tags/LongArrayTag.cs b/SharpNBT/Tags/LongArrayTag.cs
index 33f1fcb..9110ad8 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/Tags/LongArrayTag.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/Tags/LongArrayTag.cs
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// <summary>
     /// A tag that whose value is a contiguous sequence of 64-bit integers.
     /// </summary>
-    [PublicAPI][DataContract(Name = "long_array")]
+    [PublicAPI][Serializable]
     public class LongArrayTag : EnumerableTag<long>
     {
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/SharpNBT/Tags/LongTag.cs b/SharpNBT/Tags/LongTag.cs
index a538eba..60fe51f 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/Tags/LongTag.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/Tags/LongTag.cs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// <summary>
     /// A tag that contains a single 64-bit integer value.
     /// </summary>
-    [PublicAPI][DataContract(Name = "long")]
+    [PublicAPI][Serializable]
     public class LongTag : Tag<long>
     {
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/SharpNBT/Tags/ShortTag.cs b/SharpNBT/Tags/ShortTag.cs
index 2d2fec6..426d838 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/Tags/ShortTag.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/Tags/ShortTag.cs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// <summary>
     /// A tag that contains a single 16-bit integer value.
     /// </summary>
-    [PublicAPI][DataContract(Name = "short")]
+    [PublicAPI][Serializable]
     public class ShortTag : Tag<short>
     {
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/SharpNBT/Tags/StringTag.cs b/SharpNBT/Tags/StringTag.cs
index f3ef54e..058535a 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/Tags/StringTag.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/Tags/StringTag.cs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+using System;
 using System.Runtime.Serialization;
 using JetBrains.Annotations;
 
@@ -6,7 +7,7 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// <summary>
     /// A tag the contains a UTF-8 string.
     /// </summary>
-    [PublicAPI][DataContract(Name = "string")]
+    [PublicAPI][Serializable]
     public class StringTag : Tag<string>
     {
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/SharpNBT/Tags/Tag.cs b/SharpNBT/Tags/Tag.cs
index 52abac0..3577842 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/Tags/Tag.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/Tags/Tag.cs
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// <summary>
     /// Abstract base class that all NBT tags inherit from.
     /// </summary>
-    [PublicAPI][DataContract][KnownType("GetKnownTypes")]
-    public abstract class Tag : IEquatable<Tag>
+    [PublicAPI][Serializable]
+    public abstract class Tag : IEquatable<Tag>, ISerializable
     {
         private static IEnumerable<Type> GetKnownTypes()
         {
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@ namespace SharpNBT
         /// <summary>
         /// Gets a constant describing the NBT type this object represents.
         /// </summary>
-        [DataMember(IsRequired = true, Name = "type", Order = 0)]
         public TagType Type { get; private set; }
         
         /// <summary>
@@ -59,7 +58,6 @@ namespace SharpNBT
         /// <summary>
         /// Gets the name assigned to this <see cref="Tag"/>.
         /// </summary>
-        [DataMember(IsRequired = false, EmitDefaultValue = false, Name = "name")]
         [CanBeNull]
         public string Name { get; set; }
 
@@ -169,6 +167,22 @@ namespace SharpNBT
             }
         }
 
+        protected Tag(SerializationInfo info, StreamingContext context)
+        {
+            Type = (TagType) info.GetByte("type");
+            Name = info.GetString("name");
+        }
+
+        /// <summary>Populates a <see cref="T:System.Runtime.Serialization.SerializationInfo" /> with the data needed to serialize the target object.</summary>
+        /// <param name="info">The <see cref="T:System.Runtime.Serialization.SerializationInfo" /> to populate with data.</param>
+        /// <param name="context">The destination (see <see cref="T:System.Runtime.Serialization.StreamingContext" />) for this serialization.</param>
+        /// <exception cref="T:System.Security.SecurityException">The caller does not have the required permission.</exception>
+        public virtual void GetObjectData(SerializationInfo info, StreamingContext context)
+        {
+            info.AddValue("type", (byte) Type);
+            info.AddValue("name", Name);
+        }
+
         public static bool operator ==(Tag left, Tag right) => Equals(left, right);
 
         public static bool operator !=(Tag left, Tag right) => !Equals(left, right);
@@ -178,14 +192,28 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// Abstract base class for <see cref="Tag"/> types that contain a single primitive value.
     /// </summary>
     /// <typeparam name="T">The type of the value the tag represents.</typeparam>
-    [PublicAPI][DataContract]
+    [PublicAPI][Serializable]
     public abstract class Tag<T> : Tag, IEquatable<Tag<T>>
     {
         /// <summary>
         /// Gets or sets the value of the tag.
         /// </summary>
-        [DataMember(IsRequired = false, Name = "value")]
         public T Value { get; set; }
+        
+        protected Tag(SerializationInfo info, StreamingContext context) : base(info, context)
+        {
+            Value = (T)info.GetValue("value", typeof(T));
+        }
+
+        /// <summary>Populates a <see cref="T:System.Runtime.Serialization.SerializationInfo" /> with the data needed to serialize the target object.</summary>
+        /// <param name="info">The <see cref="T:System.Runtime.Serialization.SerializationInfo" /> to populate with data.</param>
+        /// <param name="context">The destination (see <see cref="T:System.Runtime.Serialization.StreamingContext" />) for this serialization.</param>
+        /// <exception cref="T:System.Security.SecurityException">The caller does not have the required permission.</exception>
+        public override void GetObjectData(SerializationInfo info, StreamingContext context)
+        {
+            base.GetObjectData(info, context);
+            info.AddValue("value", Value, typeof(T));
+        }
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Creates a new instance of the <see cref="DoubleTag"/> class with the specified <paramref name="value"/>.
diff --git a/SharpNBT/Tags/TagContainer.cs b/SharpNBT/Tags/TagContainer.cs
index 9e6ec09..5a33389 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/Tags/TagContainer.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/Tags/TagContainer.cs
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// <summary>
     /// Base class for tags that contain a collection of other <see cref="Tag"/> objects and can be enumerated.
     /// </summary>
-    [PublicAPI][DataContract]
+    [PublicAPI][Serializable]
     public abstract class TagContainer : EnumerableTag<Tag>
     {
         protected bool NamedChildren;
@@ -34,6 +34,23 @@ namespace SharpNBT
         protected TagContainer(TagType type, [CanBeNull] string name, [NotNull][ItemNotNull] IEnumerable<Tag> values) : base(type, name, values)
         {
         }
+        
+        protected TagContainer(SerializationInfo info, StreamingContext context) : base(info, context)
+        {
+            RequiredType = (TagType?) info.GetValue("child_type", typeof(TagType?));
+            NamedChildren = !RequiredType.HasValue;
+        }
+
+        /// <summary>Populates a <see cref="T:System.Runtime.Serialization.SerializationInfo" /> with the data needed to serialize the target object.</summary>
+        /// <param name="info">The <see cref="T:System.Runtime.Serialization.SerializationInfo" /> to populate with data.</param>
+        /// <param name="context">The destination (see <see cref="T:System.Runtime.Serialization.StreamingContext" />) for this serialization.</param>
+        /// <exception cref="T:System.Security.SecurityException">The caller does not have the required permission.</exception>
+        public override void GetObjectData(SerializationInfo info, StreamingContext context)
+        {
+            base.GetObjectData(info, context);
+            if (RequiredType.HasValue)
+                info.AddValue("child_type", RequiredType.Value);
+        }
 
         /// <summary>Adds an item to the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1" />.</summary>
         /// <param name="item">The object to add to the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1" />.</param>
diff --git a/SharpNBT/Tags/TagType.cs b/SharpNBT/Tags/TagType.cs
index ee3c4f5..607e69e 100644
--- a/SharpNBT/Tags/TagType.cs
+++ b/SharpNBT/Tags/TagType.cs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+using System;
 using JetBrains.Annotations;
 
 namespace SharpNBT
@@ -5,7 +6,7 @@ namespace SharpNBT
     /// <summary>
     /// Strongly-typed numerical constants that are prefixed to tags to denote their type.
     /// </summary>
-    [PublicAPI]
+    [PublicAPI][Serializable]
     public enum TagType : byte
     {
         /// <summary>