diff --git a/server/src/blocks.rs b/server/src/blocks.rs
index 44a188e..0ee0c3a 100644
--- a/server/src/blocks.rs
+++ b/server/src/blocks.rs
@@ -1,23 +1,24 @@
 extern crate test;
-use std::{sync::Arc, ops::Sub, collections::HashMap};
+use std::{collections::HashMap, num::NonZero, ops::Sub, sync::Arc};
 
-use anyhow::{Ok, anyhow};
+use anyhow::{anyhow, Context, Ok};
 use nalgebra::Vector3;
 use rstar::{PointDistance, RTree, RTreeObject, AABB, Envelope};
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use tokio::sync::{RwLock, OwnedRwLockReadGuard, OwnedRwLockWriteGuard};
 
-use crate::{turtle::TurtleCommand, paths::{self, TRANSPARENT}};
+use crate::{pallette::{self, Pallette}, paths::{self, TRANSPARENT}, turtle::TurtleCommand};
 
 const CHUNK_SIZE: usize = 8;
 const CHUNK_VOLUME: usize = CHUNK_SIZE * CHUNK_SIZE * CHUNK_SIZE;
 const CHUNK_VEC: Vec3  = Vec3::new(CHUNK_SIZE as i32, CHUNK_SIZE as i32, CHUNK_SIZE as i32);
 
 #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
-pub struct World { // TODO: make r-trees faster than this, for my sanity
+pub struct World {
     index: HashMap<Vec3, usize>,
     data: Vec<Chunk>,
     last: Option<usize>,
+    pallette: Pallette,
 }
 
 impl World {
@@ -26,11 +27,12 @@ impl World {
            index:  HashMap::new(),
            data: Vec::new(),
            last: None,
+           pallette: Pallette::new(),
         }
     }
     pub fn get(&self, block: Vec3) -> Option<Block> {
         let chunk = self.get_chunk(block)?;
-        Some(chunk.get(block)?)
+        Some(chunk.get(block, &self.pallette)?)
     }
 
     pub fn set(&mut self, block: Block) {
@@ -45,11 +47,11 @@ impl World {
 
         match chunk {
             Some(chunk) => {
-                self.data[chunk].set(block).unwrap();
+                self.data[chunk].set(block, &mut self.pallette).unwrap();
             },
             None => {
                 let mut new_chunk = Chunk::new(chunk_coords);
-                new_chunk.set(block).unwrap();
+                new_chunk.set(block, &mut self.pallette).unwrap();
                 self.data.push(new_chunk);
                 self.index.insert(chunk_coords, self.data.len() - 1);
             },
@@ -113,31 +115,33 @@ pub struct Block {
 #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize, Clone, Debug)]
 pub struct Chunk {
     pos: Vec3, /// position in chunk coordinates (world/16)
-    data: [[[Option<String>;CHUNK_SIZE];CHUNK_SIZE];CHUNK_SIZE]
+    data: [[[Option<NonZero<u32>>;CHUNK_SIZE];CHUNK_SIZE];CHUNK_SIZE]
 }
 
 impl Chunk {
     fn new(pos: Vec3) -> Self {
-        let data :[[[Option<String>;CHUNK_SIZE];CHUNK_SIZE];CHUNK_SIZE]= Default::default();
+        let data :[[[Option<NonZero<u32>>;CHUNK_SIZE];CHUNK_SIZE];CHUNK_SIZE]= Default::default();
         Self {
             pos,
             data
         }
     }
 
-    fn set(&mut self, pos: Block) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+    fn set(&mut self, pos: Block, pallette: &mut Pallette) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         let chunk = self.pos.component_mul(&CHUNK_VEC);
         if !self.contains(&pos.pos) {
             return Err(anyhow!("out of bounds"));
         }
         let local: Vector3<usize> = (pos.pos - chunk).map(|n| n as usize);
 
-        self.data[local.x][local.y][local.z] = Some(pos.name);
+        let idx = pallette.number(&pos.name);
+
+        self.data[local.x][local.y][local.z] = Some(idx);
 
         Ok(())
     }
 
-    fn get(&self, pos: Vec3) -> Option<Block> {
+    fn get(&self, pos: Vec3, pallette: &Pallette) -> Option<Block> {
         let chunk = self.pos.component_mul(&CHUNK_VEC);
         let local = pos - chunk;
         if !self.contains(&pos) {
@@ -145,8 +149,10 @@ impl Chunk {
         }
         let local = local.map(|n| n as usize);
 
+        let idx = self.data[local.x][local.y][local.z]?;
+
         Some(Block {
-            name: self.data[local.x][local.y][local.z].clone()?,
+            name: pallette.name(idx)?,
             pos,
         })
     }
diff --git a/server/src/main.rs b/server/src/main.rs
index 611aeba..ff1df8c 100644
--- a/server/src/main.rs
+++ b/server/src/main.rs
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ use indoc::formatdoc;
 use crate::blocks::Block;
 
 mod blocks;
+mod pallette;
 mod names;
 mod mine;
 mod fell;
diff --git a/server/src/pallette.rs b/server/src/pallette.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..539b161
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/pallette.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+use std::{collections::HashMap, hash::{DefaultHasher, Hasher, SipHasher}, num::NonZero};
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+
+#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct Pallette {
+    names: HashMap<u32, String>,
+}
+
+impl Pallette {
+    pub fn new() -> Self {
+        let names = HashMap::new();
+        Self { names }
+    }
+
+    pub fn number(&mut self, name: &str) -> NonZero<u32> {
+        let mut hasher = DefaultHasher::new();
+        hasher.write(name.as_bytes());
+
+        let mut key = hasher.finish() as u32;
+        if key == 0 {key += 1}; // double the collisions!
+        self.names.insert(key,name.to_owned());
+        let key = unsafe { NonZero::new_unchecked(key) }; // SAFETY: see 
+                                                                        // two lines above
+        key
+    }
+
+    pub fn name(&self, number: NonZero<u32>) -> Option<String> {
+        self.names.get(&number.get()).map(|s| s.to_owned())
+    }
+}