Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for implementing delta encoding for distribution of content. In one aspect, a canonical reference file that is common to a server and to each client to which the server distributes content, and which represents a portion of particular content, is generated and transmitted to the associated clients. A delta file, which represents the difference between the current state of the content and the canonical reference file, is transmitted to the requesting client so that it can be applied to the canonical reference file to construct the current state of the content. A client can receive the canonical reference file during a period in which the current state of the content differs from the reference file. Furthermore, the canonical reference file can be transmitted during a period in which the current state of the content changes.