diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 4ec7f70..669a9cf 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 use async_std::net::TcpListener;
 use async_std::net::TcpStream;
 use async_std::prelude::*;
+use std::convert::{TryFrom, TryInto};
+
+use packet::{Message, Packet, PacketType};
 
 mod packet;
 
@@ -17,9 +20,15 @@ pub async fn server(port: u16) -> Result<()> {
 
     while let Some(stream) = incoming.next().await {
         let mut stream = stream?;
-        // handle stream
         println!("new stream from: {}", stream.peer_addr()?.ip());
-        stream.write_all(b"hello world").await?;
+        // handle stream
+
+        // testing
+        let packet = Packet::read(&mut stream).await?;
+        let message = match packet.packet_type {
+            PacketType::Message => Message::try_from(packet),
+        };
+        println!("{:?}", message);
     }
 
     Ok(())
@@ -33,6 +42,11 @@ pub async fn client(port: u16) -> Result<()> {
         port
     );
 
+    // testing stuffs
+    let message: Packet =
+        Message::new("Isabelle".to_owned(), "Hello Server".to_owned()).try_into()?;
+    message.write(&mut stream).await?;
+
     /*let mut buf = vec![0u8; 1024];
     stream.read(&mut buf).await?;
     println!("{}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&mut buf));*/
diff --git a/src/packet.rs b/src/packet.rs
index 56ac7aa..0524dc8 100644
--- a/src/packet.rs
+++ b/src/packet.rs
@@ -1,50 +1,84 @@
 // namespacing
+use crate::Result;
+use async_std::net::TcpStream;
+use async_std::prelude::*;
 use chrono::prelude::*;
-use serde::Serialize;
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use std::convert::TryInto;
 
 /// structured [packet type byte][four bytes of packet length][contents of packet]
-struct NetworkPacket(Vec<u8>);
+pub struct NetworkPacket(Vec<u8>);
 
-impl std::convert::TryInto<NetworkPacket> for Packet {
-    type Error = Box<dyn std::error::Error>;
-
-    fn try_into(self) -> crate::Result<NetworkPacket> {
+impl std::convert::Into<NetworkPacket> for Packet {
+    fn into(self) -> NetworkPacket {
         let mut contents: Vec<u8> = Vec::new();
 
         // packet type byte
         contents.push(self.packet_type as u8);
-        // create room for the packet length
-        (1..5).for_each(|_| contents.push(0x00));
+        // write the packet length
+        let contents_length = self.packet_contents.len() as u32;
+        contents.extend_from_slice(&contents_length.to_le_bytes());
         // write the rest of the contents
-        self.packet_contents
-            .iter()
-            .for_each(|byte| contents.push(*byte));
-        // write the packet len bytes
-        let packet_length = ((self.packet_contents.len() + 5) as u32).to_le_bytes();
-        (1..5).for_each(|i| contents[i] = packet_length[i - 1]);
-
-        Ok(NetworkPacket(contents))
+        contents.extend_from_slice(&self.packet_contents);
+        NetworkPacket(contents)
     }
 }
 
-struct Packet {
-    packet_type: PacketType,
+pub struct Packet {
+    pub packet_type: PacketType,
     packet_contents: Vec<u8>,
 }
 
+impl Packet {
+    pub fn new(packet_type: PacketType, packet_contents: Vec<u8>) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            packet_type,
+            packet_contents,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn read(stream: &mut TcpStream) -> Result<Packet> {
+        let mut info_buf = [0u8; 5];
+        stream.read(&mut info_buf).await?;
+        let packet_type = PacketType::from_u8(info_buf[0]).unwrap();
+
+        let length = u32::from_le_bytes(info_buf[1..5].try_into().unwrap()) as usize;
+
+        let mut contents: Vec<u8> = vec![0; length];
+        stream.read(&mut contents).await?;
+
+        Ok(Packet::new(packet_type, contents))
+    }
+
+    pub async fn write(self, stream: &mut TcpStream) -> Result<()> {
+        let network_packet: NetworkPacket = self.into();
+        let _ = stream.write(&network_packet.0).await?;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+}
+
 #[repr(u8)]
-enum PacketType {
-    NewMessage = 0,
+pub enum PacketType {
+    Message = 0,
+}
+
+impl PacketType {
+    pub fn from_u8(packet_type: u8) -> Option<Self> {
+        match packet_type {
+            0 => Some(Self::Message),
+            _ => None,
+        }
+    }
 }
 
-#[derive(Serialize)]
-struct NewMessage {
+#[derive(Deserialize, Serialize, Debug)]
+pub struct Message {
     user: String,
     contents: String,
     timestamp: i64,
 }
 
-impl NewMessage {
+impl Message {
     pub fn new(user: String, contents: String) -> Self {
         let timestamp = Utc::now().timestamp();
         Self {
@@ -55,12 +89,22 @@ impl NewMessage {
     }
 }
 
-impl std::convert::TryInto<Packet> for NewMessage {
+impl std::convert::TryFrom<Packet> for Message {
+    type Error = Box<dyn std::error::Error>;
+
+    fn try_from(packet: Packet) -> crate::Result<Self> {
+        let packet_contents = &String::from_utf8(packet.packet_contents)?;
+        let message: Message = serde_json::from_str(packet_contents)?;
+        Ok(message)
+    }
+}
+
+impl std::convert::TryInto<Packet> for Message {
     type Error = Box<dyn std::error::Error>;
 
     fn try_into(self) -> crate::Result<Packet> {
         let packet_contents: Vec<u8> = serde_json::to_string(&self)?.into_bytes();
-        let packet_type = PacketType::NewMessage;
+        let packet_type = PacketType::Message;
         Ok(Packet {
             packet_type,
             packet_contents,