diff --git a/asyncbuffer/buffer.go b/asyncbuffer/buffer.go
index e36611cd..387b7497 100644
--- a/asyncbuffer/buffer.go
+++ b/asyncbuffer/buffer.go
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ func (ab *AsyncBuffer) Error() error {
 // Chunk must be available when this method is called.
 // Returns the number of bytes copied to the slice or 0 if chunk has no data
 // (eg. offset is beyond the end of the stream).
-func (ab *AsyncBuffer) readChunkAt(p []byte, off, rem int64) int {
+func (ab *AsyncBuffer) readChunkAt(p []byte, off int64) int {
 	// If the chunk is not available, we return 0
 	if off >= ab.len.Load() {
 		return 0
@@ -286,17 +286,9 @@ func (ab *AsyncBuffer) readChunkAt(p []byte, off, rem int64) int {
 		return 0
 	}
 
-	// How many bytes we could read from the chunk. No more than:
-	// - left to read totally
-	// - chunk size minus the start offset
-	// - chunk has
-	size := min(rem, ChunkSize-startOffset, int64(len(chunk.data)))
-
-	if size == 0 {
-		return 0
-	}
-
-	return copy(p, chunk.data[startOffset:startOffset+size])
+	// Copy data to the target slice. The number of bytes to copy is limited by the
+	// size of the target slice and the size of the data in the chunk.
+	return copy(p, chunk.data[startOffset:])
 }
 
 // readAt reads data from the AsyncBuffer at the given offset.
@@ -333,7 +325,7 @@ func (ab *AsyncBuffer) readAt(p []byte, off int64) (int, error) {
 	}
 
 	// Read data from the first chunk
-	n := ab.readChunkAt(p, off, size)
+	n := ab.readChunkAt(p, off)
 	if n == 0 {
 		return 0, io.EOF // Failed to read any data: means we tried to read beyond the end of the stream
 	}
@@ -350,7 +342,7 @@ func (ab *AsyncBuffer) readAt(p []byte, off int64) (int, error) {
 		}
 
 		// Read data from the next chunk
-		nX := ab.readChunkAt(p[n:], off, size)
+		nX := ab.readChunkAt(p[n:], off)
 		n += nX
 		size -= int64(nX)
 		off += int64(nX)
@@ -402,13 +394,11 @@ func (ab *AsyncBuffer) Reader() *Reader {
 // Read reads data from the AsyncBuffer.
 func (r *Reader) Read(p []byte) (int, error) {
 	n, err := r.ab.readAt(p, r.pos)
-	if err != nil {
-		return n, err
+	if err == nil {
+		r.pos += int64(n)
 	}
 
-	r.pos += int64(n)
-
-	return n, nil
+	return n, err
 }
 
 // Seek sets the position of the reader to the given offset and returns the new position
diff --git a/asyncbuffer/buffer_test.go b/asyncbuffer/buffer_test.go
index 059604ae..815e646b 100644
--- a/asyncbuffer/buffer_test.go
+++ b/asyncbuffer/buffer_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"crypto/rand"
 	"errors"
 	"io"
+	"os"
 	"sync"
 	"sync/atomic"
 	"testing"
@@ -346,3 +347,15 @@ func TestAsyncBufferReadAsync(t *testing.T) {
 	require.ErrorIs(t, io.EOF, err)
 	assert.Equal(t, 0, n)
 }
+
+// TestAsyncBufferReadAllCompability tests that ReadAll methods works as expected
+func TestAsyncBufferReadAllCompability(t *testing.T) {
+	source, err := os.ReadFile("../testdata/test1.jpg")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	asyncBuffer := FromReader(bytes.NewReader(source))
+	defer asyncBuffer.Close()
+
+	b, err := io.ReadAll(asyncBuffer.Reader())
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Len(t, b, len(source))
+}
diff --git a/etag/etag.go b/etag/etag.go
index a2a39886..2dc7b129 100644
--- a/etag/etag.go
+++ b/etag/etag.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"hash"
+	"io"
 	"net/textproto"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
@@ -105,7 +106,7 @@ func (h *Handler) ImageEtagExpected() string {
 	return h.imgEtagExpected
 }
 
-func (h *Handler) SetActualImageData(imgdata *imagedata.ImageData) bool {
+func (h *Handler) SetActualImageData(imgdata *imagedata.ImageData) (bool, error) {
 	var haveActualImgETag bool
 	h.imgEtagActual, haveActualImgETag = imgdata.Headers["ETag"]
 	haveActualImgETag = haveActualImgETag && len(h.imgEtagActual) > 0
@@ -113,7 +114,7 @@ func (h *Handler) SetActualImageData(imgdata *imagedata.ImageData) bool {
 	// Just in case server didn't check ETag properly and returned the same one
 	// as we expected
 	if haveActualImgETag && h.imgEtagExpected == h.imgEtagActual {
-		return true
+		return true, nil
 	}
 
 	haveExpectedImgHash := len(h.imgHashExpected) != 0
@@ -123,14 +124,18 @@ func (h *Handler) SetActualImageData(imgdata *imagedata.ImageData) bool {
 		defer eTagCalcPool.Put(c)
 
 		c.hash.Reset()
-		c.hash.Write(imgdata.Data)
+
+		_, err := io.Copy(c.hash, imgdata.Reader())
+		if err != nil {
+			return false, err
+		}
 
 		h.imgHashActual = base64.RawURLEncoding.EncodeToString(c.hash.Sum(nil))
 
-		return haveExpectedImgHash && h.imgHashActual == h.imgHashExpected
+		return haveExpectedImgHash && h.imgHashActual == h.imgHashExpected, nil
 	}
 
-	return false
+	return false, nil
 }
 
 func (h *Handler) GenerateActualETag() string {
diff --git a/etag/etag_test.go b/etag/etag_test.go
index aa307289..1d20e6f9 100644
--- a/etag/etag_test.go
+++ b/etag/etag_test.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package etag
 
 import (
 	"io"
+	"net/http"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
@@ -14,29 +15,36 @@ import (
 	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/options"
 )
 
-var (
-	po = options.NewProcessingOptions()
-
-	imgWithETag = imagedata.ImageData{
-		Data:    []byte("Hello Test"),
-		Headers: map[string]string{"ETag": `"loremipsumdolor"`},
-	}
-	imgWithoutETag = imagedata.ImageData{
-		Data: []byte("Hello Test"),
-	}
-
+const (
 	etagReq  = `"yj0WO6sFU4GCciYUBWjzvvfqrBh869doeOC2Pp5EI1Y/RImxvcmVtaXBzdW1kb2xvciI"`
-	etagData = `"yj0WO6sFU4GCciYUBWjzvvfqrBh869doeOC2Pp5EI1Y/DvyChhMNu_sFX7jrjoyrgQbnFwfoOVv7kzp_Fbs6hQBg"`
+	etagData = `"yj0WO6sFU4GCciYUBWjzvvfqrBh869doeOC2Pp5EI1Y/D3t8wWhX4piqDCV4ZMEZsKvOaIO6onhKjbf9f-ZfYUV0"`
 )
 
 type EtagTestSuite struct {
 	suite.Suite
 
+	po             *options.ProcessingOptions
+	imgWithETag    *imagedata.ImageData
+	imgWithoutETag *imagedata.ImageData
+
 	h Handler
 }
 
 func (s *EtagTestSuite) SetupSuite() {
 	logrus.SetOutput(io.Discard)
+	s.po = options.NewProcessingOptions()
+
+	d, err := os.ReadFile("../testdata/test1.jpg")
+	s.Require().NoError(err)
+
+	imgWithETag, err := imagedata.NewFromBytes(d, http.Header{"ETag": []string{`"loremipsumdolor"`}})
+	s.Require().NoError(err)
+
+	imgWithoutETag, err := imagedata.NewFromBytes(d, make(http.Header))
+	s.Require().NoError(err)
+
+	s.imgWithETag = imgWithETag
+	s.imgWithoutETag = imgWithoutETag
 }
 
 func (s *EtagTestSuite) TeardownSuite() {
@@ -49,15 +57,15 @@ func (s *EtagTestSuite) SetupTest() {
 }
 
 func (s *EtagTestSuite) TestGenerateActualReq() {
-	s.h.SetActualProcessingOptions(po)
-	s.h.SetActualImageData(&imgWithETag)
+	s.h.SetActualProcessingOptions(s.po)
+	s.h.SetActualImageData(s.imgWithETag)
 
 	s.Require().Equal(etagReq, s.h.GenerateActualETag())
 }
 
 func (s *EtagTestSuite) TestGenerateActualData() {
-	s.h.SetActualProcessingOptions(po)
-	s.h.SetActualImageData(&imgWithoutETag)
+	s.h.SetActualProcessingOptions(s.po)
+	s.h.SetActualImageData(s.imgWithoutETag)
 
 	s.Require().Equal(etagData, s.h.GenerateActualETag())
 }
@@ -75,7 +83,7 @@ func (s *EtagTestSuite) TestGenerateExpectedData() {
 func (s *EtagTestSuite) TestProcessingOptionsCheckSuccess() {
 	s.h.ParseExpectedETag(etagReq)
 
-	s.Require().True(s.h.SetActualProcessingOptions(po))
+	s.Require().True(s.h.SetActualProcessingOptions(s.po))
 	s.Require().True(s.h.ProcessingOptionsMatch())
 }
 
@@ -85,7 +93,7 @@ func (s *EtagTestSuite) TestProcessingOptionsCheckFailure() {
 
 	s.h.ParseExpectedETag(wrongEtag)
 
-	s.Require().False(s.h.SetActualProcessingOptions(po))
+	s.Require().False(s.h.SetActualProcessingOptions(s.po))
 	s.Require().False(s.h.ProcessingOptionsMatch())
 }
 
@@ -93,7 +101,7 @@ func (s *EtagTestSuite) TestImageETagExpectedPresent() {
 	s.h.ParseExpectedETag(etagReq)
 
 	//nolint:testifylint // False-positive expected-actual
-	s.Require().Equal(imgWithETag.Headers["ETag"], s.h.ImageEtagExpected())
+	s.Require().Equal(s.imgWithETag.Headers["ETag"], s.h.ImageEtagExpected())
 }
 
 func (s *EtagTestSuite) TestImageETagExpectedBlank() {
@@ -104,7 +112,7 @@ func (s *EtagTestSuite) TestImageETagExpectedBlank() {
 
 func (s *EtagTestSuite) TestImageDataCheckDataToDataSuccess() {
 	s.h.ParseExpectedETag(etagData)
-	s.Require().True(s.h.SetActualImageData(&imgWithoutETag))
+	s.Require().True(s.h.SetActualImageData(s.imgWithoutETag))
 }
 
 func (s *EtagTestSuite) TestImageDataCheckDataToDataFailure() {
@@ -112,12 +120,12 @@ func (s *EtagTestSuite) TestImageDataCheckDataToDataFailure() {
 	wrongEtag := etagData[:i] + `/Dwrongimghash"`
 
 	s.h.ParseExpectedETag(wrongEtag)
-	s.Require().False(s.h.SetActualImageData(&imgWithoutETag))
+	s.Require().False(s.h.SetActualImageData(s.imgWithoutETag))
 }
 
 func (s *EtagTestSuite) TestImageDataCheckDataToReqSuccess() {
 	s.h.ParseExpectedETag(etagData)
-	s.Require().True(s.h.SetActualImageData(&imgWithETag))
+	s.Require().True(s.h.SetActualImageData(s.imgWithETag))
 }
 
 func (s *EtagTestSuite) TestImageDataCheckDataToReqFailure() {
@@ -125,19 +133,19 @@ func (s *EtagTestSuite) TestImageDataCheckDataToReqFailure() {
 	wrongEtag := etagData[:i] + `/Dwrongimghash"`
 
 	s.h.ParseExpectedETag(wrongEtag)
-	s.Require().False(s.h.SetActualImageData(&imgWithETag))
+	s.Require().False(s.h.SetActualImageData(s.imgWithETag))
 }
 
 func (s *EtagTestSuite) TestImageDataCheckReqToDataFailure() {
 	s.h.ParseExpectedETag(etagReq)
-	s.Require().False(s.h.SetActualImageData(&imgWithoutETag))
+	s.Require().False(s.h.SetActualImageData(s.imgWithoutETag))
 }
 
 func (s *EtagTestSuite) TestETagBusterFailure() {
 	config.ETagBuster = "busted"
 
 	s.h.ParseExpectedETag(etagReq)
-	s.Require().False(s.h.SetActualImageData(&imgWithoutETag))
+	s.Require().False(s.h.SetActualImageData(s.imgWithoutETag))
 }
 
 func TestEtag(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/imagedata/factory.go b/imagedata/factory.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8d1be5d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/imagedata/factory.go
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+package imagedata
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"net/http"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/imagemeta"
+)
+
+// NewFromBytes creates a new ImageData instance from the provided byte slice.
+func NewFromBytes(b []byte, headers http.Header) (*ImageData, error) {
+	r := bytes.NewReader(b)
+
+	meta, err := imagemeta.DecodeMeta(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	// Temporary workaround for the old ImageData interface
+	h := make(map[string]string, len(headers))
+	for k, v := range headers {
+		h[k] = strings.Join(v, ", ")
+	}
+
+	return &ImageData{
+		data:    b,
+		meta:    meta,
+		Headers: h,
+	}, nil
+}
diff --git a/imagedata/image_data.go b/imagedata/image_data.go
index 0bdabc3f..e8106b72 100644
--- a/imagedata/image_data.go
+++ b/imagedata/image_data.go
@@ -1,15 +1,18 @@
 package imagedata
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"encoding/base64"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/config"
 	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/ierrors"
+	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/imagemeta"
 	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/imagetype"
 	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/security"
 )
@@ -20,20 +23,43 @@ var (
 )
 
 type ImageData struct {
-	Type    imagetype.Type
-	Data    []byte
+	meta    imagemeta.Meta
+	data    []byte
 	Headers map[string]string
 
 	cancel     context.CancelFunc
 	cancelOnce sync.Once
 }
 
-func (d *ImageData) Close() {
+func (d *ImageData) Close() error {
 	d.cancelOnce.Do(func() {
 		if d.cancel != nil {
 			d.cancel()
 		}
 	})
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Meta returns the image metadata
+func (d *ImageData) Meta() imagemeta.Meta {
+	return d.meta
+}
+
+// Format returns the image format based on the metadata
+func (d *ImageData) Format() imagetype.Type {
+	return d.meta.Format()
+}
+
+// Reader returns an io.ReadSeeker for the image data
+func (d *ImageData) Reader() io.ReadSeeker {
+	return bytes.NewReader(d.data)
+}
+
+// Size returns the size of the image data in bytes.
+// NOTE: asyncbuffer implementation will .Wait() for the data to be fully read
+func (d *ImageData) Size() (int, error) {
+	return len(d.data), nil
 }
 
 func (d *ImageData) SetCancel(cancel context.CancelFunc) {
diff --git a/imagedata/image_data_test.go b/imagedata/image_data_test.go
index 9fc7e1ec..12809bbb 100644
--- a/imagedata/image_data_test.go
+++ b/imagedata/image_data_test.go
@@ -94,8 +94,8 @@ func (s *ImageDataTestSuite) TestDownloadStatusOK() {
 
 	s.Require().NoError(err)
 	s.Require().NotNil(imgdata)
-	s.Require().Equal(s.defaultData, imgdata.Data)
-	s.Require().Equal(imagetype.JPEG, imgdata.Type)
+	s.Require().Equal(s.defaultData, imgdata.data)
+	s.Require().Equal(imagetype.JPEG, imgdata.Format())
 }
 
 func (s *ImageDataTestSuite) TestDownloadStatusPartialContent() {
@@ -165,8 +165,8 @@ func (s *ImageDataTestSuite) TestDownloadStatusPartialContent() {
 			} else {
 				s.Require().NoError(err)
 				s.Require().NotNil(imgdata)
-				s.Require().Equal(s.defaultData, imgdata.Data)
-				s.Require().Equal(imagetype.JPEG, imgdata.Type)
+				s.Require().Equal(s.defaultData, imgdata.data)
+				s.Require().Equal(imagetype.JPEG, imgdata.Format())
 			}
 		})
 	}
@@ -278,8 +278,8 @@ func (s *ImageDataTestSuite) TestDownloadGzip() {
 
 	s.Require().NoError(err)
 	s.Require().NotNil(imgdata)
-	s.Require().Equal(s.defaultData, imgdata.Data)
-	s.Require().Equal(imagetype.JPEG, imgdata.Type)
+	s.Require().Equal(s.defaultData, imgdata.data)
+	s.Require().Equal(imagetype.JPEG, imgdata.Format())
 }
 
 func (s *ImageDataTestSuite) TestFromFile() {
@@ -287,8 +287,8 @@ func (s *ImageDataTestSuite) TestFromFile() {
 
 	s.Require().NoError(err)
 	s.Require().NotNil(imgdata)
-	s.Require().Equal(s.defaultData, imgdata.Data)
-	s.Require().Equal(imagetype.JPEG, imgdata.Type)
+	s.Require().Equal(s.defaultData, imgdata.data)
+	s.Require().Equal(imagetype.JPEG, imgdata.Format())
 }
 
 func (s *ImageDataTestSuite) TestFromBase64() {
@@ -298,8 +298,8 @@ func (s *ImageDataTestSuite) TestFromBase64() {
 
 	s.Require().NoError(err)
 	s.Require().NotNil(imgdata)
-	s.Require().Equal(s.defaultData, imgdata.Data)
-	s.Require().Equal(imagetype.JPEG, imgdata.Type)
+	s.Require().Equal(s.defaultData, imgdata.data)
+	s.Require().Equal(imagetype.JPEG, imgdata.Format())
 }
 
 func TestImageData(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/imagedata/read.go b/imagedata/read.go
index 988df8dd..20be72d0 100644
--- a/imagedata/read.go
+++ b/imagedata/read.go
@@ -50,8 +50,8 @@ func readAndCheckImage(r io.Reader, contentLength int, secopts security.Options)
 	}
 
 	return &ImageData{
-		Data:   buf.Bytes(),
-		Type:   meta.Format(),
+		data:   buf.Bytes(),
+		meta:   meta,
 		cancel: cancel,
 	}, nil
 }
diff --git a/imagedatanew/image_data.go b/imagedatanew/image_data.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6e65247d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/imagedatanew/image_data.go
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+package imagedatanew
+
+import (
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+
+	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/imagemeta"
+	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/imagetype"
+)
+
+// ImageData is an interface that defines methods for reading image data and metadata
+type ImageData interface {
+	io.Closer               // Close closes the image data and releases any resources held by it
+	Reader() io.ReadSeeker  // Reader returns a new ReadSeeker for the image data
+	Meta() imagemeta.Meta   // Meta returns the metadata of the image data
+	Format() imagetype.Type // Format returns the image format from the metadata (shortcut)
+	Size() (int, error)     // Size returns the size of the image data in bytes
+
+	// This will be removed in the future
+	Headers() http.Header // Headers returns the HTTP headers of the image data, will be removed in the future
+}
diff --git a/processing/prepare.go b/processing/prepare.go
index c5813375..ce1085af 100644
--- a/processing/prepare.go
+++ b/processing/prepare.go
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ func (pctx *pipelineContext) limitScale(widthToScale, heightToScale int, po *opt
 func prepare(pctx *pipelineContext, img *vips.Image, po *options.ProcessingOptions, imgdata *imagedata.ImageData) error {
 	pctx.imgtype = imagetype.Unknown
 	if imgdata != nil {
-		pctx.imgtype = imgdata.Type
+		pctx.imgtype = imgdata.Format()
 	}
 
 	pctx.srcWidth, pctx.srcHeight, pctx.angle, pctx.flip = extractMeta(img, po.Rotate, po.AutoRotate)
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@ func prepare(pctx *pipelineContext, img *vips.Image, po *options.ProcessingOptio
 
 	// The size of a vector image is not checked during download, yet it can be very large.
 	// So we should scale it down to the maximum allowed resolution
-	if !pctx.trimmed && imgdata != nil && imgdata.Type.IsVector() && !po.Enlarge {
+	if !pctx.trimmed && imgdata != nil && imgdata.Format().IsVector() && !po.Enlarge {
 		resolution := imath.Round((float64(img.Width()*img.Height()) * pctx.wscale * pctx.hscale))
 		if resolution > po.SecurityOptions.MaxSrcResolution {
 			scale := math.Sqrt(float64(po.SecurityOptions.MaxSrcResolution) / float64(resolution))
diff --git a/processing/processing.go b/processing/processing.go
index d15249a6..c71e93c8 100644
--- a/processing/processing.go
+++ b/processing/processing.go
@@ -217,7 +217,16 @@ func saveImageToFitBytes(ctx context.Context, po *options.ProcessingOptions, img
 
 	for {
 		imgdata, err := img.Save(po.Format, quality)
-		if err != nil || len(imgdata.Data) <= po.MaxBytes || quality <= 10 {
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
+		size, err := imgdata.Size()
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
+		if size <= po.MaxBytes || quality <= 10 {
 			return imgdata, err
 		}
 		imgdata.Close()
@@ -226,7 +235,7 @@ func saveImageToFitBytes(ctx context.Context, po *options.ProcessingOptions, img
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
-		delta := float64(len(imgdata.Data)) / float64(po.MaxBytes)
+		delta := float64(size) / float64(po.MaxBytes)
 		switch {
 		case delta > 3:
 			diff = 0.25
@@ -247,7 +256,7 @@ func ProcessImage(ctx context.Context, imgdata *imagedata.ImageData, po *options
 
 	animationSupport :=
 		po.SecurityOptions.MaxAnimationFrames > 1 &&
-			imgdata.Type.SupportsAnimationLoad() &&
+			imgdata.Format().SupportsAnimationLoad() &&
 			(po.Format == imagetype.Unknown || po.Format.SupportsAnimationSave())
 
 	pages := 1
@@ -258,7 +267,7 @@ func ProcessImage(ctx context.Context, imgdata *imagedata.ImageData, po *options
 	img := new(vips.Image)
 	defer img.Clear()
 
-	if po.EnforceThumbnail && imgdata.Type.SupportsThumbnail() {
+	if po.EnforceThumbnail && imgdata.Format().SupportsThumbnail() {
 		if err := img.LoadThumbnail(imgdata); err != nil {
 			log.Debugf("Can't load thumbnail: %s", err)
 			// Failed to load thumbnail, rollback to the full image
@@ -286,10 +295,10 @@ func ProcessImage(ctx context.Context, imgdata *imagedata.ImageData, po *options
 			po.Format = imagetype.AVIF
 		case po.PreferWebP:
 			po.Format = imagetype.WEBP
-		case isImageTypePreferred(imgdata.Type):
-			po.Format = imgdata.Type
+		case isImageTypePreferred(imgdata.Format()):
+			po.Format = imgdata.Format()
 		default:
-			po.Format = findBestFormat(imgdata.Type, animated, expectAlpha)
+			po.Format = findBestFormat(imgdata.Format(), animated, expectAlpha)
 		}
 	case po.EnforceJxl && !animated:
 		po.Format = imagetype.JXL
diff --git a/processing/scale_on_load.go b/processing/scale_on_load.go
index 309e840d..4d2c3f88 100644
--- a/processing/scale_on_load.go
+++ b/processing/scale_on_load.go
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ func canScaleOnLoad(pctx *pipelineContext, imgdata *imagedata.ImageData, scale f
 		return false
 	}
 
-	if imgdata.Type.IsVector() {
+	if imgdata.Format().IsVector() {
 		return true
 	}
 
@@ -26,10 +26,10 @@ func canScaleOnLoad(pctx *pipelineContext, imgdata *imagedata.ImageData, scale f
 		return false
 	}
 
-	return imgdata.Type == imagetype.JPEG ||
-		imgdata.Type == imagetype.WEBP ||
-		imgdata.Type == imagetype.HEIC ||
-		imgdata.Type == imagetype.AVIF
+	return imgdata.Format() == imagetype.JPEG ||
+		imgdata.Format() == imagetype.WEBP ||
+		imgdata.Format() == imagetype.HEIC ||
+		imgdata.Format() == imagetype.AVIF
 }
 
 func calcJpegShink(shrink float64) int {
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ func scaleOnLoad(pctx *pipelineContext, img *vips.Image, po *options.ProcessingO
 
 	var newWidth, newHeight int
 
-	if imgdata.Type.SupportsThumbnail() {
+	if imgdata.Format().SupportsThumbnail() {
 		thumbnail := new(vips.Image)
 		defer thumbnail.Clear()
 
diff --git a/processing/trim.go b/processing/trim.go
index 77cd72a6..d19a02b9 100644
--- a/processing/trim.go
+++ b/processing/trim.go
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ func trim(pctx *pipelineContext, img *vips.Image, po *options.ProcessingOptions,
 
 	// The size of a vector image is not checked during download, yet it can be very large.
 	// So we should scale it down to the maximum allowed resolution
-	if imgdata != nil && imgdata.Type.IsVector() {
+	if imgdata != nil && imgdata.Format().IsVector() {
 		if resolution := img.Width() * img.Height(); resolution > po.SecurityOptions.MaxSrcResolution {
 			scale := math.Sqrt(float64(po.SecurityOptions.MaxSrcResolution) / float64(resolution))
 			if err := img.Load(imgdata, 1, scale, 1); err != nil {
diff --git a/processing/watermark.go b/processing/watermark.go
index 7ad37e77..bff5aabe 100644
--- a/processing/watermark.go
+++ b/processing/watermark.go
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ func prepareWatermark(wm *vips.Image, wmData *imagedata.ImageData, opts *options
 	po.ResizingType = options.ResizeFit
 	po.Dpr = 1
 	po.Enlarge = true
-	po.Format = wmData.Type
+	po.Format = wmData.Format()
 
 	if opts.Scale > 0 {
 		po.Width = imath.Max(imath.ScaleToEven(imgWidth, opts.Scale), 1)
diff --git a/processing_handler.go b/processing_handler.go
index 32ab014b..edf43a95 100644
--- a/processing_handler.go
+++ b/processing_handler.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/url"
 	"slices"
@@ -121,12 +122,12 @@ func setCanonical(rw http.ResponseWriter, originURL string) {
 func respondWithImage(reqID string, r *http.Request, rw http.ResponseWriter, statusCode int, resultData *imagedata.ImageData, po *options.ProcessingOptions, originURL string, originData *imagedata.ImageData) {
 	var contentDisposition string
 	if len(po.Filename) > 0 {
-		contentDisposition = resultData.Type.ContentDisposition(po.Filename, po.ReturnAttachment)
+		contentDisposition = resultData.Format().ContentDisposition(po.Filename, po.ReturnAttachment)
 	} else {
-		contentDisposition = resultData.Type.ContentDispositionFromURL(originURL, po.ReturnAttachment)
+		contentDisposition = resultData.Format().ContentDispositionFromURL(originURL, po.ReturnAttachment)
 	}
 
-	rw.Header().Set("Content-Type", resultData.Type.Mime())
+	rw.Header().Set("Content-Type", resultData.Format().Mime())
 	rw.Header().Set("Content-Disposition", contentDisposition)
 
 	setCacheControl(rw, po.Expires, originData.Headers)
@@ -135,7 +136,12 @@ func respondWithImage(reqID string, r *http.Request, rw http.ResponseWriter, sta
 	setCanonical(rw, originURL)
 
 	if config.EnableDebugHeaders {
-		rw.Header().Set("X-Origin-Content-Length", strconv.Itoa(len(originData.Data)))
+		originSize, err := originData.Size()
+		if err != nil {
+			checkErr(r.Context(), "image_data_size", err)
+		}
+
+		rw.Header().Set("X-Origin-Content-Length", strconv.Itoa(originSize))
 		rw.Header().Set("X-Origin-Width", resultData.Headers["X-Origin-Width"])
 		rw.Header().Set("X-Origin-Height", resultData.Headers["X-Origin-Height"])
 		rw.Header().Set("X-Result-Width", resultData.Headers["X-Result-Width"])
@@ -144,9 +150,15 @@ func respondWithImage(reqID string, r *http.Request, rw http.ResponseWriter, sta
 
 	rw.Header().Set("Content-Security-Policy", "script-src 'none'")
 
-	rw.Header().Set("Content-Length", strconv.Itoa(len(resultData.Data)))
+	resultSize, err := resultData.Size()
+	if err != nil {
+		checkErr(r.Context(), "image_data_size", err)
+	}
+
+	rw.Header().Set("Content-Length", strconv.Itoa(resultSize))
 	rw.WriteHeader(statusCode)
-	_, err := rw.Write(resultData.Data)
+
+	_, err = io.Copy(rw, resultData.Reader())
 
 	var ierr *ierrors.Error
 	if err != nil {
@@ -404,13 +416,14 @@ func handleProcessing(reqID string, rw http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	checkErr(ctx, "timeout", router.CheckTimeout(ctx))
 
 	if config.ETagEnabled && statusCode == http.StatusOK {
-		imgDataMatch := etagHandler.SetActualImageData(originData)
+		imgDataMatch, terr := etagHandler.SetActualImageData(originData)
+		if terr == nil {
+			rw.Header().Set("ETag", etagHandler.GenerateActualETag())
 
-		rw.Header().Set("ETag", etagHandler.GenerateActualETag())
-
-		if imgDataMatch && etagHandler.ProcessingOptionsMatch() {
-			respondWithNotModified(reqID, r, rw, po, imageURL, originData.Headers)
-			return
+			if imgDataMatch && etagHandler.ProcessingOptionsMatch() {
+				respondWithNotModified(reqID, r, rw, po, imageURL, originData.Headers)
+				return
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -419,12 +432,12 @@ func handleProcessing(reqID string, rw http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	// Skip processing svg with unknown or the same destination imageType
 	// if it's not forced by AlwaysRasterizeSvg option
 	// Also skip processing if the format is in SkipProcessingFormats
-	shouldSkipProcessing := (originData.Type == po.Format || po.Format == imagetype.Unknown) &&
-		(slices.Contains(po.SkipProcessingFormats, originData.Type) ||
-			originData.Type == imagetype.SVG && !config.AlwaysRasterizeSvg)
+	shouldSkipProcessing := (originData.Format() == po.Format || po.Format == imagetype.Unknown) &&
+		(slices.Contains(po.SkipProcessingFormats, originData.Format()) ||
+			originData.Format() == imagetype.SVG && !config.AlwaysRasterizeSvg)
 
 	if shouldSkipProcessing {
-		if originData.Type == imagetype.SVG && config.SanitizeSvg {
+		if originData.Format() == imagetype.SVG && config.SanitizeSvg {
 			sanitized, svgErr := svg.Sanitize(originData)
 			checkErr(ctx, "svg_processing", svgErr)
 
@@ -438,10 +451,10 @@ func handleProcessing(reqID string, rw http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	if !vips.SupportsLoad(originData.Type) {
+	if !vips.SupportsLoad(originData.Format()) {
 		sendErrAndPanic(ctx, "processing", newInvalidURLErrorf(
 			http.StatusUnprocessableEntity,
-			"Source image format is not supported: %s", originData.Type,
+			"Source image format is not supported: %s", originData.Format(),
 		))
 	}
 
diff --git a/processing_handler_test.go b/processing_handler_test.go
index cfb00b6c..d1134c41 100644
--- a/processing_handler_test.go
+++ b/processing_handler_test.go
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package main
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
@@ -25,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/options"
 	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/router"
 	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/svg"
+	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/testutil"
 	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/vips"
 )
 
@@ -86,8 +86,21 @@ func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) readTestFile(name string) []byte {
 	return data
 }
 
-func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) readBody(res *http.Response) []byte {
-	data, err := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
+func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) readTestImageData(name string) *imagedata.ImageData {
+	wd, err := os.Getwd()
+	s.Require().NoError(err)
+
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(wd, "testdata", name))
+	s.Require().NoError(err)
+
+	imgdata, err := imagedata.NewFromBytes(data, make(http.Header))
+	s.Require().NoError(err)
+
+	return imgdata
+}
+
+func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) readImageData(imgdata *imagedata.ImageData) []byte {
+	data, err := io.ReadAll(imgdata.Reader())
 	s.Require().NoError(err)
 	return data
 }
@@ -100,10 +113,7 @@ func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) sampleETagData(imgETag string) (string, *im
 	po.Width = 4
 	po.Height = 4
 
-	imgdata := imagedata.ImageData{
-		Type: imagetype.PNG,
-		Data: s.readTestFile("test1.png"),
-	}
+	imgdata := s.readTestImageData("test1.png")
 
 	if len(imgETag) != 0 {
 		imgdata.Headers = map[string]string{"ETag": imgETag}
@@ -112,8 +122,8 @@ func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) sampleETagData(imgETag string) (string, *im
 	var h etag.Handler
 
 	h.SetActualProcessingOptions(po)
-	h.SetActualImageData(&imgdata)
-	return poStr, &imgdata, h.GenerateActualETag()
+	h.SetActualImageData(imgdata)
+	return poStr, imgdata, h.GenerateActualETag()
 }
 
 func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestRequest() {
@@ -262,10 +272,9 @@ func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestSkipProcessingConfig() {
 
 	s.Require().Equal(200, res.StatusCode)
 
-	actual := s.readBody(res)
-	expected := s.readTestFile("test1.png")
+	expected := s.readTestImageData("test1.png")
 
-	s.Require().True(bytes.Equal(expected, actual))
+	s.Require().True(testutil.ReadersEqual(s.T(), expected.Reader(), res.Body))
 }
 
 func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestSkipProcessingPO() {
@@ -274,10 +283,9 @@ func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestSkipProcessingPO() {
 
 	s.Require().Equal(200, res.StatusCode)
 
-	actual := s.readBody(res)
-	expected := s.readTestFile("test1.png")
+	expected := s.readTestImageData("test1.png")
 
-	s.Require().True(bytes.Equal(expected, actual))
+	s.Require().True(testutil.ReadersEqual(s.T(), expected.Reader(), res.Body))
 }
 
 func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestSkipProcessingSameFormat() {
@@ -288,10 +296,9 @@ func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestSkipProcessingSameFormat() {
 
 	s.Require().Equal(200, res.StatusCode)
 
-	actual := s.readBody(res)
-	expected := s.readTestFile("test1.png")
+	expected := s.readTestImageData("test1.png")
 
-	s.Require().True(bytes.Equal(expected, actual))
+	s.Require().True(testutil.ReadersEqual(s.T(), expected.Reader(), res.Body))
 }
 
 func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestSkipProcessingDifferentFormat() {
@@ -302,10 +309,9 @@ func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestSkipProcessingDifferentFormat() {
 
 	s.Require().Equal(200, res.StatusCode)
 
-	actual := s.readBody(res)
-	expected := s.readTestFile("test1.png")
+	expected := s.readTestImageData("test1.png")
 
-	s.Require().False(bytes.Equal(expected, actual))
+	s.Require().False(testutil.ReadersEqual(s.T(), expected.Reader(), res.Body))
 }
 
 func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestSkipProcessingSVG() {
@@ -314,12 +320,10 @@ func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestSkipProcessingSVG() {
 
 	s.Require().Equal(200, res.StatusCode)
 
-	actual := s.readBody(res)
-	expected, err := svg.Sanitize(&imagedata.ImageData{Data: s.readTestFile("test1.svg")})
-
+	expected, err := svg.Sanitize(s.readTestImageData("test1.svg"))
 	s.Require().NoError(err)
 
-	s.Require().True(bytes.Equal(expected.Data, actual))
+	s.Require().True(testutil.ReadersEqual(s.T(), expected.Reader(), res.Body))
 }
 
 func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestNotSkipProcessingSVGToJPG() {
@@ -328,10 +332,9 @@ func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestNotSkipProcessingSVGToJPG() {
 
 	s.Require().Equal(200, res.StatusCode)
 
-	actual := s.readBody(res)
-	expected := s.readTestFile("test1.svg")
+	expected := s.readTestImageData("test1.svg")
 
-	s.Require().False(bytes.Equal(expected, actual))
+	s.Require().False(testutil.ReadersEqual(s.T(), expected.Reader(), res.Body))
 }
 
 func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestErrorSavingToSVG() {
@@ -435,7 +438,7 @@ func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestETagDataNoIfNotModified() {
 		s.Empty(r.Header.Get("If-None-Match"))
 
 		rw.WriteHeader(200)
-		rw.Write(imgdata.Data)
+		rw.Write(s.readImageData(imgdata))
 	}))
 	defer ts.Close()
 
@@ -477,7 +480,7 @@ func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestETagDataMatch() {
 		s.Empty(r.Header.Get("If-None-Match"))
 
 		rw.WriteHeader(200)
-		rw.Write(imgdata.Data)
+		rw.Write(s.readImageData(imgdata))
 	}))
 	defer ts.Close()
 
@@ -502,7 +505,7 @@ func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestETagReqNotMatch() {
 
 		rw.Header().Set("ETag", imgdata.Headers["ETag"])
 		rw.WriteHeader(200)
-		rw.Write(imgdata.Data)
+		rw.Write(s.readImageData(imgdata))
 	}))
 	defer ts.Close()
 
@@ -527,7 +530,7 @@ func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestETagDataNotMatch() {
 		s.Empty(r.Header.Get("If-None-Match"))
 
 		rw.WriteHeader(200)
-		rw.Write(imgdata.Data)
+		rw.Write(s.readImageData(imgdata))
 	}))
 	defer ts.Close()
 
@@ -553,7 +556,7 @@ func (s *ProcessingHandlerTestSuite) TestETagProcessingOptionsNotMatch() {
 
 		rw.Header().Set("ETag", imgdata.Headers["ETag"])
 		rw.WriteHeader(200)
-		rw.Write(imgdata.Data)
+		rw.Write(s.readImageData(imgdata))
 	}))
 	defer ts.Close()
 
diff --git a/svg/svg.go b/svg/svg.go
index 103c5089..82415306 100644
--- a/svg/svg.go
+++ b/svg/svg.go
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 package svg
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"io"
+	"net/http"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/tdewolff/parse/v2"
@@ -11,21 +11,17 @@ import (
 	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/imagedata"
 )
 
-func cloneHeaders(src map[string]string) map[string]string {
-	if src == nil {
-		return nil
-	}
-
-	dst := make(map[string]string, len(src))
+func cloneHeaders(src map[string]string) http.Header {
+	h := make(http.Header, len(src))
 	for k, v := range src {
-		dst[k] = v
+		h.Set(k, v)
 	}
 
-	return dst
+	return h
 }
 
 func Sanitize(data *imagedata.ImageData) (*imagedata.ImageData, error) {
-	r := bytes.NewReader(data.Data)
+	r := data.Reader()
 	l := xml.NewLexer(parse.NewInput(r))
 
 	buf, cancel := imagedata.BorrowBuffer()
@@ -58,14 +54,13 @@ func Sanitize(data *imagedata.ImageData) (*imagedata.ImageData, error) {
 				return nil, l.Err()
 			}
 
-			newData := imagedata.ImageData{
-				Data:    buf.Bytes(),
-				Type:    data.Type,
-				Headers: cloneHeaders(data.Headers),
+			newData, err := imagedata.NewFromBytes(buf.Bytes(), cloneHeaders(data.Headers))
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
 			}
 			newData.SetCancel(cancel)
 
-			return &newData, nil
+			return newData, nil
 		case xml.StartTagToken:
 			curTagName = strings.ToLower(string(l.Text()))
 
diff --git a/svg/svg_test.go b/svg/svg_test.go
index c141ef3f..e818e623 100644
--- a/svg/svg_test.go
+++ b/svg/svg_test.go
@@ -1,15 +1,17 @@
 package svg
 
 import (
+	"net/http"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/suite"
+	"go.withmatt.com/httpheaders"
 
 	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/config"
 	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/imagedata"
-	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/imagetype"
+	"github.com/imgproxy/imgproxy/v3/testutil"
 )
 
 type SvgTestSuite struct {
@@ -30,24 +32,23 @@ func (s *SvgTestSuite) readTestFile(name string) *imagedata.ImageData {
 	data, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(wd, "..", "testdata", name))
 	s.Require().NoError(err)
 
-	return &imagedata.ImageData{
-		Type: imagetype.SVG,
-		Data: data,
-		Headers: map[string]string{
-			"Content-Type":  "image/svg+xml",
-			"Cache-Control": "public, max-age=12345",
-		},
-	}
+	h := make(http.Header)
+	h.Set(httpheaders.ContentType, "image/svg+xml")
+	h.Set(httpheaders.CacheControl, "public, max-age=12345")
+
+	d, err := imagedata.NewFromBytes(data, h)
+	s.Require().NoError(err)
+
+	return d
 }
 
 func (s *SvgTestSuite) TestSanitize() {
 	origin := s.readTestFile("test1.svg")
 	expected := s.readTestFile("test1.sanitized.svg")
-
 	actual, err := Sanitize(origin)
 
 	s.Require().NoError(err)
-	s.Require().Equal(string(expected.Data), string(actual.Data))
+	s.Require().True(testutil.ReadersEqual(s.T(), expected.Reader(), actual.Reader()))
 	s.Require().Equal(origin.Headers, actual.Headers)
 }
 
diff --git a/testutil/testutil.go b/testutil/testutil.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..aeca6701
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testutil/testutil.go
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+package testutil
+
+import (
+	"io"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+const bufSize = 4096
+
+// RequireReadersEqual compares two io.Reader contents in a streaming manner.
+// It fails the test if contents differ or if reading fails.
+func ReadersEqual(t require.TestingT, expected, actual io.Reader) bool {
+	if h, ok := t.(interface{ Helper() }); ok {
+		h.Helper()
+	}
+
+	buf1 := make([]byte, bufSize)
+	buf2 := make([]byte, bufSize)
+
+	for {
+		n1, err1 := expected.Read(buf1)
+		n2, err2 := actual.Read(buf2)
+
+		if n1 != n2 {
+			return false
+		}
+
+		require.Equal(t, buf1[:n1], buf2[:n1])
+
+		if err1 == io.EOF && err2 == io.EOF {
+			return true
+		}
+
+		require.NoError(t, err1)
+		require.NoError(t, err2)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/vips/vips.go b/vips/vips.go
index 58b7f581..e7b18968 100644
--- a/vips/vips.go
+++ b/vips/vips.go
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ package vips
 */
 import "C"
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 	"math"
@@ -359,11 +358,11 @@ func (img *Image) Load(imgdata *imagedata.ImageData, shrink int, scale float64,
 
 	err := C.int(0)
 
-	reader := bytes.NewReader(imgdata.Data)
+	reader := imgdata.Reader()
 	source := newVipsImgproxySource(reader)
 	defer C.unref_imgproxy_source(source)
 
-	switch imgdata.Type {
+	switch imgdata.Format() {
 	case imagetype.JPEG:
 		err = C.vips_jpegload_source_go(source, C.int(shrink), &tmp)
 	case imagetype.JXL:
@@ -393,7 +392,7 @@ func (img *Image) Load(imgdata *imagedata.ImageData, shrink int, scale float64,
 
 	C.swap_and_clear(&img.VipsImage, tmp)
 
-	if imgdata.Type == imagetype.TIFF {
+	if imgdata.Format() == imagetype.TIFF {
 		if C.vips_fix_float_tiff(img.VipsImage, &tmp) == 0 {
 			C.swap_and_clear(&img.VipsImage, tmp)
 		} else {
@@ -405,13 +404,13 @@ func (img *Image) Load(imgdata *imagedata.ImageData, shrink int, scale float64,
 }
 
 func (img *Image) LoadThumbnail(imgdata *imagedata.ImageData) error {
-	if imgdata.Type != imagetype.HEIC && imgdata.Type != imagetype.AVIF {
+	if imgdata.Format() != imagetype.HEIC && imgdata.Format() != imagetype.AVIF {
 		return newVipsError("Usupported image type to load thumbnail")
 	}
 
 	var tmp *C.VipsImage
 
-	reader := bytes.NewReader(imgdata.Data)
+	reader := imgdata.Reader()
 	source := newVipsImgproxySource(reader)
 	defer C.unref_imgproxy_source(source)
 
@@ -469,14 +468,17 @@ func (img *Image) Save(imgtype imagetype.Type, quality int) (*imagedata.ImageDat
 	var blob_ptr = C.vips_blob_get(target.blob, &imgsize)
 	var ptr unsafe.Pointer = unsafe.Pointer(blob_ptr)
 
-	imgdata := imagedata.ImageData{
-		Type: imgtype,
-		Data: ptrToBytes(ptr, int(imgsize)),
+	b := ptrToBytes(ptr, int(imgsize))
+
+	imgdata, ierr := imagedata.NewFromBytes(b, make(http.Header))
+	if ierr != nil {
+		cancel()
+		return nil, ierr
 	}
 
 	imgdata.SetCancel(cancel)
 
-	return &imgdata, nil
+	return imgdata, nil
 }
 
 func (img *Image) Clear() {