Abstract: The enclosed system and method provides a means by which metadata-encoded or otherwise self-describing messages can be communicated, stored or otherwise utilized at a greatly reduced message size. This is accomplished for a given message through decomposing it into message metadata and message data, using a hash of the message metadata along with the message data to represent the message while in its decomposed form absent of original message metadata, and subsequently recomposing the message from the message metadata and message data using the hash as a reference. The method disclosed herein exploits detected repetition of sets of metadata, deriving benefit each time a hash is communicated, stored or otherwise used in lieu of a set of metadata, the hash being smaller in size than the set of metadata itself.