diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 78662375b..e6505b14f 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ target/
 .project
 .settings
 
+src/test/resources/integration.local.properties
+
 *.iml
 .idea
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/cache/CouchbaseCacheConfiguration.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/cache/CouchbaseCacheConfiguration.java
index 03913ce1f..0f9d1e2ed 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/cache/CouchbaseCacheConfiguration.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/cache/CouchbaseCacheConfiguration.java
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 
 package org.springframework.data.couchbase.cache;
 
-import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import org.springframework.data.couchbase.core.util.ByteUtils;
 import java.time.Duration;
 
 import org.springframework.cache.Cache;
@@ -60,7 +60,8 @@ public static CouchbaseCacheConfiguration defaultCacheConfig() {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Registers default cache key converters. The following converters get registered:
+	 * Registers default cache key converters. The following converters get
+	 * registered:
 	 * <ul>
 	 * <li>{@link String} to byte using UTF-8 encoding.</li>
 	 * <li>{@link SimpleKey} to {@link String}</li>
@@ -70,12 +71,13 @@ public static CouchbaseCacheConfiguration defaultCacheConfig() {
 	 */
 	public static void registerDefaultConverters(final ConverterRegistry registry) {
 		Assert.notNull(registry, "ConverterRegistry must not be null!");
-		registry.addConverter(String.class, byte[].class, source -> source.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8));
+		registry.addConverter(String.class, byte[].class, ByteUtils::getBytes);
 		registry.addConverter(SimpleKey.class, String.class, SimpleKey::toString);
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Set the expiry to apply for cache entries. Use {@link Duration#ZERO} to declare an eternal cache.
+	 * Set the expiry to apply for cache entries. Use {@link Duration#ZERO} to
+	 * declare an eternal cache.
 	 *
 	 * @param expiry must not be {@literal null}.
 	 * @return new {@link CouchbaseCacheConfiguration}.
@@ -112,9 +114,13 @@ public CouchbaseCacheConfiguration valueTranscoder(final Transcoder valueTransco
 
 	/**
 	 * Disable caching {@literal null} values. <br />
-	 * <strong>NOTE</strong> any {@link org.springframework.cache.Cache#put(Object, Object)} operation involving
-	 * {@literal null} value will error. Nothing will be written to Couchbase, nothing will be removed. An already
-	 * existing key will still be there afterwards with the very same value as before.
+	 * <strong>NOTE</strong> any
+	 * {@link org.springframework.cache.Cache#put(Object, Object)} operation
+	 * involving
+	 * {@literal null} value will error. Nothing will be written to Couchbase,
+	 * nothing will be removed. An already
+	 * existing key will still be there afterwards with the very same value as
+	 * before.
 	 *
 	 * @return new {@link CouchbaseCacheConfiguration}.
 	 */
@@ -124,8 +130,10 @@ public CouchbaseCacheConfiguration disableCachingNullValues() {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Prefix the {@link CouchbaseCache#getName() cache name} with the given value. <br />
-	 * The generated cache key will be: {@code prefix + cache name + "::" + cache entry key}.
+	 * Prefix the {@link CouchbaseCache#getName() cache name} with the given value.
+	 * <br />
+	 * The generated cache key will be:
+	 * {@code prefix + cache name + "::" + cache entry key}.
 	 *
 	 * @param prefix the prefix to prepend to the cache name.
 	 * @return this.
@@ -137,7 +145,8 @@ public CouchbaseCacheConfiguration prefixCacheNameWith(final String prefix) {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Use the given {@link CacheKeyPrefix} to compute the prefix for the actual Couchbase {@literal key} given the
+	 * Use the given {@link CacheKeyPrefix} to compute the prefix for the actual
+	 * Couchbase {@literal key} given the
 	 * {@literal cache name} as function input.
 	 *
 	 * @param cacheKeyPrefix must not be {@literal null}.
@@ -165,14 +174,16 @@ public boolean getAllowCacheNullValues() {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * @return The {@link ConversionService} used for cache key to {@link String} conversion. Never {@literal null}.
+	 * @return The {@link ConversionService} used for cache key to {@link String}
+	 *         conversion. Never {@literal null}.
 	 */
 	public ConversionService getConversionService() {
 		return conversionService;
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * @return {@literal true} if cache keys need to be prefixed with the {@link #getKeyPrefixFor(String)} if present or
+	 * @return {@literal true} if cache keys need to be prefixed with the
+	 *         {@link #getKeyPrefixFor(String)} if present or
 	 *         the default which resolves to {@link Cache#getName()}.
 	 */
 	public boolean usePrefix() {
@@ -197,7 +208,8 @@ public Transcoder getValueTranscoder() {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * The name of the collection to use for this cache - if empty uses the default collection.
+	 * The name of the collection to use for this cache - if empty uses the default
+	 * collection.
 	 */
 	public String getCollectionName() {
 		return collectionName;
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/AbstractTemplateSupport.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/AbstractTemplateSupport.java
index 23936f53d..235368da1 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/AbstractTemplateSupport.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/AbstractTemplateSupport.java
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@
 import java.time.Instant;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.function.BiFunction;
 
-import com.couchbase.client.core.annotation.Stability;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 import org.springframework.context.ApplicationContext;
@@ -40,13 +40,14 @@
 import org.springframework.data.mapping.model.ConvertingPropertyAccessor;
 import org.springframework.util.ClassUtils;
 
+import com.couchbase.client.core.annotation.Stability;
 import com.couchbase.client.core.error.CouchbaseException;
 
-
 /**
  * Base shared by Reactive and non-Reactive TemplateSupport
  *
  * @author Michael Reiche
+ * @author Emilien Bevierre
  */
 @Stability.Internal
 public abstract class AbstractTemplateSupport {
@@ -70,61 +71,96 @@ public AbstractTemplateSupport(ReactiveCouchbaseTemplate template, CouchbaseConv
 
 	public <T> T decodeEntityBase(Object id, String source, Long cas, Instant expiryTime, Class<T> entityClass,
 			String scope, String collection, Object txResultHolder, CouchbaseResourceHolder holder) {
+		return decodeEntityBase(id, cas, expiryTime, entityClass, scope, collection, txResultHolder, holder,
+				(ts, converted) -> (CouchbaseDocument) ts.decode(source, converted));
+	}
 
-		// this is the entity class defined for the repository. It may not be the class of the document that was read
-		// we will reset it after reading the document
-		//
-		// This will fail for the case where:
-		// 1) The version is defined in the concrete class, but not in the abstract class; and
-		// 2) The constructor takes a "long version" argument resulting in an exception would be thrown if version in
-		// the source is null.
-		// We could expose from the MappingCouchbaseConverter determining the persistent entity from the source,
-		// but that is a lot of work to do every time just for this very rare and avoidable case.
-		// TypeInformation<? extends R> typeToUse = typeMapper.readType(source, type);
+	public <T> T decodeEntityBase(Object id, byte[] source, Long cas, Instant expiryTime, Class<T> entityClass,
+			String scope, String collection, Object txResultHolder, CouchbaseResourceHolder holder) {
+		return decodeEntityBase(id, cas, expiryTime, entityClass, scope, collection, txResultHolder, holder,
+				(ts, converted) -> (CouchbaseDocument) ts.decode(source, converted));
+	}
 
+	private <T> T decodeEntityBase(Object id, Long cas, Instant expiryTime, Class<T> entityClass, String scope,
+			String collection, Object txResultHolder, CouchbaseResourceHolder holder,
+			BiFunction<TranslationService, CouchbaseDocument, CouchbaseDocument> translatorFn) {
 		CouchbasePersistentEntity persistentEntity = couldBePersistentEntity(entityClass);
 
-		if (persistentEntity == null) { // method could return a Long, Boolean, String etc.
-			// QueryExecutionConverters.unwrapWrapperTypes will recursively unwrap until there is nothing left
-			// to unwrap. This results in List<String[]> being unwrapped past String[] to String, so this may also be a
-			// Collection (or Array) of entityClass. We have no way of knowing - so just assume it is what we are told.
-			// if this is a Collection or array, only the first element will be returned.
-			final CouchbaseDocument converted = new CouchbaseDocument(id);
-			Set<Map.Entry<String, Object>> set = ((CouchbaseDocument) translationService.decode(source, converted))
-					.getContent().entrySet();
+		if (persistentEntity == null) {
+            CouchbaseDocument converted = new CouchbaseDocument(id);
+			Set<Map.Entry<String, Object>> set = translatorFn.apply(translationService, converted).getContent()
+					.entrySet();
 			return (T) set.iterator().next().getValue();
 		}
 
+        CouchbaseDocument converted = prepareConvertedDocument(id, cas, persistentEntity);
+		T readEntity = converter.read(entityClass, translatorFn.apply(translationService, converted));
+		return finalizeEntity(readEntity, id, cas, expiryTime, scope, collection, txResultHolder, holder);
+	}
+
+	private CouchbaseDocument prepareConvertedDocument(Object id, Long cas,
+			CouchbasePersistentEntity persistentEntity) {
+		// persistentEntity is derived from the entityClass declared in the
+		// repository definition. It may be an abstract class rather than the
+		// concrete class of the document being read. The concrete type is only
+		// known after converter.read() is called, therefore version/cas is set again
+		// on the final entity in finalizeEntity().
+		//
+		// Pre-populating the CAS/version into the source document (done in getDocument)
+		// is a best-effort step to avoid a construction failure when the concrete
+		// class constructor takes a primitive "long version" argument (null is not a
+		// valid value for a primitive). If the version property is only declared on the
+		// concrete subclass and not on the abstract base, pre-population is not
+		// possible here and the issue can be avoided by using "Long" instead of "long".
+		//
+		// An alternative would be to resolve the actual concrete type from the source
+		// document's type metadata before constructing it (see the comment
+		// below), but that adds overhead for every decode to solve a rare and avoidable
+		// case.
+		// TypeInformation<? extends R> typeToUse = typeMapper.readType(source, type);
+
 		if (id == null) {
-			throw new CouchbaseException(TemplateUtils.SELECT_ID + " was null. Either use #{#n1ql.selectEntity} or project "
-					+ TemplateUtils.SELECT_ID);
+			throw new CouchbaseException("%s was null. Either use #{#n1ql.selectEntity} or project %s"
+					.formatted(TemplateUtils.SELECT_ID, TemplateUtils.SELECT_ID));
 		}
 
-		final CouchbaseDocument converted = new CouchbaseDocument(id);
-
-		// if possible, set the version property in the source so that if the constructor has a long version argument,
-		// it will have a value and not fail (as null is not a valid argument for a long argument). This possible failure
-		// can be avoid by defining the argument as Long instead of long.
-		// persistentEntity is still the (possibly abstract) class specified in the repository definition
-		// it's possible that the abstract class does not have a version property, and this won't be able to set the version
-		if (persistentEntity.getVersionProperty() != null) {
-			if (cas == null) {
-				throw new CouchbaseException("version/cas in the entity but " + TemplateUtils.SELECT_CAS
-						+ " was not in result. Either use #{#n1ql.selectEntity} or project " + TemplateUtils.SELECT_CAS);
-			}
-			if (cas != 0) {
-				converted.put(persistentEntity.getVersionProperty().getName(), cas);
-			}
-		}
+        return getDocument(id, cas, persistentEntity);
+	}
 
-		// if the constructor has an argument that is long version, then construction will fail if the 'version'
-		// is not available as 'null' is not a legal value for a long. Changing the arg to "Long version" would solve this.
-		// (Version doesn't come from 'source', it comes from the cas argument to decodeEntity)
-		T readEntity = converter.read(entityClass, (CouchbaseDocument) translationService.decode(source, converted));
-		final ConvertingPropertyAccessor<T> accessor = getPropertyAccessor(readEntity);
+    private static CouchbaseDocument getDocument(Object id, Long cas, CouchbasePersistentEntity persistentEntity) {
+        CouchbaseDocument converted = new CouchbaseDocument(id);
+
+        // If possible, set the version property in the source so that if the
+        // constructor has a long version argument, it will have a value and succeed,
+        // as null is not a valid argument for a long. This failure can be avoided by
+        // defining the argument as Long instead of long.
+        // Note that persistentEntity is still the (possibly abstract) class specified
+        // in the repository definition, so it's possible that the abstract class does
+        // not have a version property, in which case this won't be able to set the version.
+        if (persistentEntity.getVersionProperty() != null) {
+            if (cas == null) {
+				throw new CouchbaseException(
+						"version/cas in the entity but %s was not in result. Either use #{#n1ql.selectEntity} or project %s"
+								.formatted(TemplateUtils.SELECT_CAS, TemplateUtils.SELECT_CAS));
+            }
+            if (cas != 0) {
+                converted.put(persistentEntity.getVersionProperty().getName(), cas);
+            }
+        }
+        return converted;
+    }
+
+    private <T> T finalizeEntity(T readEntity, Object id, Long cas, Instant expiryTime, String scope, String collection,
+			Object txResultHolder, CouchbaseResourceHolder holder) {
+        ConvertingPropertyAccessor<T> accessor = getPropertyAccessor(readEntity);
 
-		persistentEntity = couldBePersistentEntity(readEntity.getClass());
+		CouchbasePersistentEntity persistentEntity = couldBePersistentEntity(readEntity.getClass());
 
+		// If the constructor has a long version argument, construction will fail if
+		// 'version' is not available, as null is not a legal value for a long.
+		// We therefore use the object-wrapped Long type.
+		// (Version doesn't come from 'source', it comes from the cas argument to
+		// decodeEntity.)
 		if (cas != null && cas != 0 && persistentEntity.getVersionProperty() != null) {
 			accessor.setProperty(persistentEntity.getVersionProperty(), cas);
 		}
@@ -133,7 +169,8 @@ public <T> T decodeEntityBase(Object id, String source, Long cas, Instant expiry
 			accessor.setProperty(persistentEntity.getExpiryProperty(), expiryTime);
 		}
 
-		N1qlJoinResolver.handleProperties(persistentEntity, accessor, getReactiveTemplate(), id.toString(), scope, collection);
+		N1qlJoinResolver.handleProperties(persistentEntity, accessor, getReactiveTemplate(), id.toString(), scope,
+				collection);
 
 		if (holder != null) {
 			holder.transactionResultHolder(txResultHolder, (T) accessor.getBean());
@@ -158,15 +195,15 @@ public <T> T applyResultBase(T entity, CouchbaseDocument converted, Object id, l
 			Object txResultHolder, CouchbaseResourceHolder holder) {
 		ConvertingPropertyAccessor<Object> accessor = getPropertyAccessor(entity);
 
-		final CouchbasePersistentEntity<?> persistentEntity = converter.getMappingContext()
+		CouchbasePersistentEntity<?> persistentEntity = converter.getMappingContext()
 				.getRequiredPersistentEntity(entity.getClass());
 
-		final CouchbasePersistentProperty idProperty = persistentEntity.getIdProperty();
+        CouchbasePersistentProperty idProperty = persistentEntity.getIdProperty();
 		if (idProperty != null) {
 			accessor.setProperty(idProperty, id);
 		}
 
-		final CouchbasePersistentProperty versionProperty = persistentEntity.getVersionProperty();
+        CouchbasePersistentProperty versionProperty = persistentEntity.getVersionProperty();
 		if (versionProperty != null) {
 			accessor.setProperty(versionProperty, cas);
 		}
@@ -179,10 +216,11 @@ public <T> T applyResultBase(T entity, CouchbaseDocument converted, Object id, l
 
 	}
 
-	public Long getCas(final Object entity) {
-		final ConvertingPropertyAccessor<Object> accessor = getPropertyAccessor(entity);
-		final CouchbasePersistentEntity<?> persistentEntity = mappingContext.getRequiredPersistentEntity(entity.getClass());
-		final CouchbasePersistentProperty versionProperty = persistentEntity.getVersionProperty();
+	public Long getCas(Object entity) {
+        ConvertingPropertyAccessor<Object> accessor = getPropertyAccessor(entity);
+        CouchbasePersistentEntity<?> persistentEntity = mappingContext
+				.getRequiredPersistentEntity(entity.getClass());
+        CouchbasePersistentProperty versionProperty = persistentEntity.getVersionProperty();
 		long cas = 0;
 		if (versionProperty != null) {
 			Object casObject = accessor.getProperty(versionProperty);
@@ -193,10 +231,11 @@ public Long getCas(final Object entity) {
 		return cas;
 	}
 
-	public Object getId(final Object entity) {
-		final ConvertingPropertyAccessor<Object> accessor = getPropertyAccessor(entity);
-		final CouchbasePersistentEntity<?> persistentEntity = mappingContext.getRequiredPersistentEntity(entity.getClass());
-		final CouchbasePersistentProperty idProperty = persistentEntity.getIdProperty();
+	public Object getId(Object entity) {
+        ConvertingPropertyAccessor<Object> accessor = getPropertyAccessor(entity);
+        CouchbasePersistentEntity<?> persistentEntity = mappingContext
+				.getRequiredPersistentEntity(entity.getClass());
+        CouchbasePersistentProperty idProperty = persistentEntity.getIdProperty();
 		Object id = null;
 		if (idProperty != null) {
 			id = accessor.getProperty(idProperty);
@@ -204,13 +243,13 @@ public Object getId(final Object entity) {
 		return id;
 	}
 
-	public String getJavaNameForEntity(final Class<?> clazz) {
-		final CouchbasePersistentEntity<?> persistentEntity = mappingContext.getRequiredPersistentEntity(clazz);
+	public String getJavaNameForEntity(Class<?> clazz) {
+        CouchbasePersistentEntity<?> persistentEntity = mappingContext.getRequiredPersistentEntity(clazz);
 		MappingCouchbaseEntityInformation<?, Object> info = new MappingCouchbaseEntityInformation<>(persistentEntity);
 		return info.getJavaType().getName();
 	}
 
-	<T> ConvertingPropertyAccessor<T> getPropertyAccessor(final T source) {
+	<T> ConvertingPropertyAccessor<T> getPropertyAccessor(T source) {
 		CouchbasePersistentEntity<?> entity = mappingContext.getRequiredPersistentEntity(source.getClass());
 		PersistentPropertyAccessor<T> accessor = entity.getPropertyAccessor(source);
 		return new ConvertingPropertyAccessor<>(accessor, converter.getConversionService());
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/CouchbaseTemplateSupport.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/CouchbaseTemplateSupport.java
index 7464abfb0..d6971083c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/CouchbaseTemplateSupport.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/CouchbaseTemplateSupport.java
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
  * @author Michael Reiche
  * @author Jorge Rodriguez Martin
  * @author Carlos Espinaco
+ * @author Emilien Bevierre
  * @since 3.0
  */
 class CouchbaseTemplateSupport extends AbstractTemplateSupport implements ApplicationContextAware, TemplateSupport {
@@ -69,6 +70,12 @@ public <T> T decodeEntity(Object id, String source, Long cas, Instant expiryTime
 		return decodeEntityBase(id, source, cas, expiryTime, entityClass, scope, collection, txHolder, holder);
 	}
 
+	@Override
+	public <T> T decodeEntity(Object id, byte[] source, Long cas, Instant expiryTime, Class<T> entityClass,
+			String scope, String collection, Object txHolder, CouchbaseResourceHolder holder) {
+		return decodeEntityBase(id, source, cas, expiryTime, entityClass, scope, collection, txHolder, holder);
+	}
+
 	@Override
 	public <T> T applyResult(T entity, CouchbaseDocument converted, Object id, long cas,
 			Object txResultHolder, CouchbaseResourceHolder holder) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/NonReactiveSupportWrapper.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/NonReactiveSupportWrapper.java
index f104c8839..8ab1687c4 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/NonReactiveSupportWrapper.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/NonReactiveSupportWrapper.java
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
  *
  * @author Carlos Espinaco
  * @author Michael Reiche
+ * @author Emilien Bevierre
  * @since 4.2
  */
 public class NonReactiveSupportWrapper implements ReactiveTemplateSupport {
@@ -50,6 +51,13 @@ public <T> Mono<T> decodeEntity(Object id, String source, Long cas, Instant expi
 				txResultHolder, holder));
 	}
 
+	@Override
+	public <T> Mono<T> decodeEntity(Object id, byte[] source, Long cas, Instant expiryTime, Class<T> entityClass,
+			String scope, String collection, Object txResultHolder, CouchbaseResourceHolder holder) {
+		return Mono.fromSupplier(() -> support.decodeEntity(id, source, cas, expiryTime, entityClass, scope, collection,
+				txResultHolder, holder));
+	}
+
 	@Override
 	public <T> Mono<T> applyResult(T entity, CouchbaseDocument converted, Object id, Long cas,
 								   Object txResultHolder, CouchbaseResourceHolder holder) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveCouchbaseTemplateSupport.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveCouchbaseTemplateSupport.java
index 69a06c217..4acc91075 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveCouchbaseTemplateSupport.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveCouchbaseTemplateSupport.java
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
  *
  * @author Carlos Espinaco
  * @author Michael Reiche
+ * @author Emilien Bevierre
  * @since 4.2
  */
 class ReactiveCouchbaseTemplateSupport extends AbstractTemplateSupport
@@ -78,6 +79,14 @@ public <T> Mono<T> decodeEntity(Object id, String source, Long cas, Instant expi
 						txResultHolder, holder));
 	}
 
+	@Override
+	public <T> Mono<T> decodeEntity(Object id, byte[] source, Long cas, Instant expiryTime, Class<T> entityClass,
+			String scope, String collection, Object txResultHolder, CouchbaseResourceHolder holder) {
+		return Mono
+				.fromSupplier(() -> decodeEntityBase(id, source, cas, expiryTime, entityClass, scope, collection,
+						txResultHolder, holder));
+	}
+
 	@Override
 	public <T> Mono<T> applyResult(T entity, CouchbaseDocument converted, Object id, Long cas,
 			Object txResultHolder, CouchbaseResourceHolder holder) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveFindByIdOperationSupport.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveFindByIdOperationSupport.java
index b8fbff560..5b00a95fc 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveFindByIdOperationSupport.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveFindByIdOperationSupport.java
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 import reactor.core.publisher.Flux;
 import reactor.core.publisher.Mono;
 
-import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+
 import java.time.Duration;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collection;
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@
  *
  * @author Michael Reiche
  * @author Tigran Babloyan
+ * @author Emilien Bevierre
  */
 public class ReactiveFindByIdOperationSupport implements ReactiveFindByIdOperation {
 
@@ -111,26 +112,26 @@ public Mono<T> one(final Object id) {
 						return rc
 								.getAndTouch(id.toString(), expiryToUse,
 										buildOptions((GetAndTouchOptions) pArgs.getOptions()))
-								.flatMap(result -> support.decodeEntity(id, result.contentAs(String.class),
+								.flatMap(result -> support.decodeEntity(id, result.contentAsBytes(),
 										result.cas(), result.expiryTime().orElse(null), domainType, pArgs.getScope(),
 										pArgs.getCollection(), null, null));
 					} else if (pArgs.getOptions() instanceof GetAndLockOptions options) {
 						return rc
 								.getAndLock(id.toString(), Optional.of(lockDuration).orElse(Duration.ZERO),
 										buildOptions((GetAndLockOptions) pArgs.getOptions()))
-								.flatMap(result -> support.decodeEntity(id, result.contentAs(String.class),
+								.flatMap(result -> support.decodeEntity(id, result.contentAsBytes(),
 										result.cas(), result.expiryTime().orElse(null), domainType, pArgs.getScope(),
 										pArgs.getCollection(), null, null));
 					} else {
 						return rc.get(id.toString(), buildOptions((GetOptions) pArgs.getOptions()))
-								.flatMap(result -> support.decodeEntity(id, result.contentAs(String.class),
+								.flatMap(result -> support.decodeEntity(id, result.contentAsBytes(),
 										result.cas(), result.expiryTime().orElse(null), domainType,
 										pArgs.getScope(), pArgs.getCollection(), null, null));
 					}
 				} else {
 					rejectInvalidTransactionalOptions();
 					return ctxOpt.get().getCore().get(makeCollectionIdentifier(rc.async()), id.toString())
-							.flatMap(result -> support.decodeEntity(id, new String(result.contentAsBytes(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8),
+							.flatMap(result -> support.decodeEntity(id, result.contentAsBytes(),
 									result.cas(), null, domainType, pArgs.getScope(), pArgs.getCollection(), null,
 									null));
 				}
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveFindFromReplicasByIdOperationSupport.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveFindFromReplicasByIdOperationSupport.java
index 150a2d513..364960616 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveFindFromReplicasByIdOperationSupport.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveFindFromReplicasByIdOperationSupport.java
@@ -27,13 +27,13 @@
 import org.springframework.data.couchbase.core.query.OptionsBuilder;
 import org.springframework.data.couchbase.core.support.PseudoArgs;
 
-import com.couchbase.client.java.codec.RawJsonTranscoder;
 import com.couchbase.client.java.kv.GetAnyReplicaOptions;
 
 /**
  * {@link ReactiveFindFromReplicasByIdOperation} implementations for Couchbase.
  *
  * @author Michael Reiche
+ * @author Emilien Bevierre
  */
 public class ReactiveFindFromReplicasByIdOperationSupport implements ReactiveFindFromReplicasByIdOperation {
 
@@ -75,9 +75,6 @@ static class ReactiveFindFromReplicasByIdSupport<T> implements ReactiveFindFromR
 		@Override
 		public Mono<T> any(final String id) {
 			GetAnyReplicaOptions garOptions = options != null ? options : getAnyReplicaOptions();
-			if (garOptions.build().transcoder() == null) {
-				garOptions.transcoder(RawJsonTranscoder.INSTANCE);
-			}
 			PseudoArgs<GetAnyReplicaOptions> pArgs = new PseudoArgs<>(template, scope, collection, garOptions, domainType);
 			if (LOG.isDebugEnabled()) {
 				LOG.debug("getAnyReplica key={} {}", id, pArgs);
@@ -85,7 +82,7 @@ public Mono<T> any(final String id) {
 			return TransactionalSupport.verifyNotInTransaction("findFromReplicasById").then(Mono.just(id))
 					.flatMap(docId -> template.getCouchbaseClientFactory().withScope(pArgs.getScope())
 							.getCollection(pArgs.getCollection()).reactive().getAnyReplica(docId, pArgs.getOptions()))
-					.flatMap(result -> support.decodeEntity(id, result.contentAs(String.class), result.cas(),
+					.flatMap(result -> support.decodeEntity(id, result.contentAsBytes(), result.cas(),
 							result.expiryTime().orElse(null), returnType, pArgs.getScope(), pArgs.getCollection(), null,
 							null))
 					.onErrorMap(throwable -> {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveInsertByIdOperationSupport.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveInsertByIdOperationSupport.java
index 4d8f78e21..4c5841bcd 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveInsertByIdOperationSupport.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveInsertByIdOperationSupport.java
@@ -43,9 +43,9 @@
 /**
  * {@link ReactiveInsertByIdOperation} implementations for Couchbase.
  *
- * @author Emilien Bevierre
  * @author Michael Reiche
  * @author Tigran Babloyan
+ * @author Emilien Bevierre
  */
 public class ReactiveInsertByIdOperationSupport implements ReactiveInsertByIdOperation {
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveRangeScanOperationSupport.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveRangeScanOperationSupport.java
index 8352f4404..9234dd081 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveRangeScanOperationSupport.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveRangeScanOperationSupport.java
@@ -17,8 +17,6 @@
 
 import reactor.core.publisher.Flux;
 
-import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
-
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 import org.springframework.data.couchbase.core.query.OptionsBuilder;
@@ -30,6 +28,12 @@
 import com.couchbase.client.java.kv.ScanTerm;
 import com.couchbase.client.java.kv.ScanType;
 
+/**
+ * {@link ReactiveRangeScanOperationSupport} implementations for Couchbase.
+ *
+ * @author Michael Reiche
+ * @author Emilien Bevierre
+ */
 public class ReactiveRangeScanOperationSupport implements ReactiveRangeScanOperation {
 
 	private final ReactiveCouchbaseTemplate template;
@@ -162,7 +166,7 @@ Flux<T> rangeScan(String lower, String upper, boolean isSamplingScan, Long limit
 			Flux<T> reactiveEntities = TransactionalSupport.verifyNotInTransaction("rangeScan")
 					.thenMany(rc.scan(scanType, buildScanOptions(pArgs.getOptions(), false))
 							.flatMap(result -> support.decodeEntity(result.id(),
-									new String(result.contentAsBytes(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8), result.cas(),
+									result.contentAsBytes(), result.cas(),
 									result.expiryTime().orElse(null), domainType, pArgs.getScope(),
 									pArgs.getCollection(), null, null)));
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveRemoveByIdOperationSupport.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveRemoveByIdOperationSupport.java
index 236ad2945..8f60a6601 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveRemoveByIdOperationSupport.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveRemoveByIdOperationSupport.java
@@ -44,9 +44,9 @@
 /**
  * {@link ReactiveRemoveByIdOperation} implementations for Couchbase.
  *
- * @author Emilien Bevierre
  * @author Michael Reiche
  * @author Tigran Babloyan
+ * @author Emilien Bevierre
  */
 public class ReactiveRemoveByIdOperationSupport implements ReactiveRemoveByIdOperation {
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveReplaceByIdOperationSupport.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveReplaceByIdOperationSupport.java
index ec6c57271..5c5be3de4 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveReplaceByIdOperationSupport.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveReplaceByIdOperationSupport.java
@@ -46,9 +46,9 @@
 /**
  * {@link ReactiveReplaceByIdOperation} implementations for Couchbase.
  *
- * @author Emilien Bevierre
  * @author Michael Reiche
  * @author Tigran Babloyan
+ * @author Emilien Bevierre
  */
 public class ReactiveReplaceByIdOperationSupport implements ReactiveReplaceByIdOperation {
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveTemplateSupport.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveTemplateSupport.java
index 05d725969..f5955b17c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveTemplateSupport.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/ReactiveTemplateSupport.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 
 import reactor.core.publisher.Mono;
 
+import org.springframework.data.couchbase.core.util.ByteUtils;
 import java.time.Instant;
 
 import org.springframework.data.couchbase.core.convert.translation.TranslationService;
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@
  * ReactiveTemplateSupport
  *
  * @author Michael Reiche
+ * @author Emilien Bevierre
  */
 public interface ReactiveTemplateSupport {
 
@@ -35,6 +37,12 @@ public interface ReactiveTemplateSupport {
 	<T> Mono<T> decodeEntity(Object id, String source, Long cas, Instant expiryTime, Class<T> entityClass, String scope,
 			String collection, Object txResultHolder, CouchbaseResourceHolder holder);
 
+	default <T> Mono<T> decodeEntity(Object id, byte[] source, Long cas, Instant expiryTime, Class<T> entityClass,
+			String scope, String collection, Object txResultHolder, CouchbaseResourceHolder holder) {
+		return decodeEntity(id, ByteUtils.getString(source), cas, expiryTime, entityClass, scope,
+				collection, txResultHolder, holder);
+	}
+
 	<T> Mono<T> applyResult(T entity, CouchbaseDocument converted, Object id, Long cas,
 			Object txResultHolder, CouchbaseResourceHolder holder);
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/TemplateSupport.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/TemplateSupport.java
index 1e002192a..449168c14 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/TemplateSupport.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/TemplateSupport.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.data.couchbase.core;
 
+import org.springframework.data.couchbase.core.util.ByteUtils;
 import java.time.Instant;
 
 import org.springframework.data.couchbase.core.convert.translation.TranslationService;
@@ -23,14 +24,22 @@
 
 /**
  * @author Michael Reiche
+ * @author Emilien Bevierre
  */
 public interface TemplateSupport {
 
 	CouchbaseDocument encodeEntity(Object entityToEncode);
 
-	<T> T decodeEntity(Object id, String source, Long cas, Instant expiryTIme, Class<T> entityClass, String scope,
+	<T> T decodeEntity(Object id, String source, Long cas, Instant expiryTime, Class<T> entityClass, String scope,
 			String collection, Object txResultHolder, CouchbaseResourceHolder holder);
 
+	default <T> T decodeEntity(Object id, byte[] source, Long cas, Instant expiryTime, Class<T> entityClass,
+			String scope,
+			String collection, Object txResultHolder, CouchbaseResourceHolder holder) {
+		return decodeEntity(id, ByteUtils.getString(source), cas, expiryTime, entityClass, scope,
+				collection, txResultHolder, holder);
+	}
+
 	<T> T applyResult(T entity, CouchbaseDocument converted, Object id, long cas, Object txResultHolder,
 			CouchbaseResourceHolder holder);
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/CryptoConverter.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/CryptoConverter.java
index 9f642ecc6..eaafd1b32 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/CryptoConverter.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/CryptoConverter.java
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.data.couchbase.core.convert;
 
-import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import org.springframework.data.couchbase.core.util.ByteUtils;
 import java.util.Locale;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Optional;
@@ -97,7 +97,8 @@ private Object coerceToValueRead(byte[] decrypted, CouchbaseConversionContext co
 			String jsonString = "{\"" + property.getFieldName() + "\":" + decryptedString + "}";
 			try {
 				CouchbaseDocument decryptedDoc = new CouchbaseDocument().setContent(JsonObject.fromJson(jsonString));
-				return context.getConverter().getPotentiallyConvertedSimpleRead(decryptedDoc.get(property.getFieldName()),
+				return context.getConverter().getPotentiallyConvertedSimpleRead(
+						decryptedDoc.get(property.getFieldName()),
 						property);
 			} catch (InvalidArgumentException | ConverterNotFoundException | ConversionFailedException e) {
 				throw new RuntimeException(decryptedString, e);
@@ -114,7 +115,7 @@ private byte[] coerceToBytesWrite(CouchbasePersistentProperty property, Converti
 		Class<?> targetType = cnvs.getCustomWriteTarget(property.getType()).orElse(null);
 		Object value = context.getConverter().getPotentiallyConvertedSimpleWrite(property, accessor, false);
 		if (value == null) { // null
-			plainText = "null".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+			plainText = ByteUtils.getBytes("null");
 		} else if (value.getClass().isArray()) { // array
 			JsonArray ja;
 			if (value.getClass().getComponentType().isPrimitive()) {
@@ -133,7 +134,7 @@ private byte[] coerceToBytesWrite(CouchbasePersistentProperty property, Converti
 					throw new RuntimeException(e);
 				}
 			}
-			plainText = plainString.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+			plainText = ByteUtils.getBytes(plainString);
 		} else { // an entity
 			CouchbaseDocument doc = new CouchbaseDocument();
 			context.getConverter().writeInternalRoot(value, doc, property.getTypeInformation(), false, property, false);
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/OtherConverters.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/OtherConverters.java
index a6bdba578..aa4a6c10e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/OtherConverters.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/OtherConverters.java
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 import java.io.Writer;
 import java.math.BigDecimal;
 import java.math.BigInteger;
-import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import org.springframework.data.couchbase.core.util.ByteUtils;
 import java.time.YearMonth;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Base64;
@@ -54,7 +54,8 @@
  */
 public final class OtherConverters {
 
-	private OtherConverters() {}
+	private OtherConverters() {
+	}
 
 	/**
 	 * Returns all converters by this class that can be registered.
@@ -82,9 +83,11 @@ private OtherConverters() {}
 		converters.add(CouchbaseListToJsonArray.INSTANCE);
 		converters.add(YearMonthToStringConverter.INSTANCE);
 		converters.add(StringToYearMonthConverter.INSTANCE);
-		// EnumToObject, IntegerToEnumConverterFactory and StringToEnumConverterFactory are
+		// EnumToObject, IntegerToEnumConverterFactory and StringToEnumConverterFactory
+		// are
 		// registered in
-		// {@link org.springframework.data.couchbase.config.AbstractCouchbaseConfiguration#customConversions(
+		// {@link
+		// org.springframework.data.couchbase.config.AbstractCouchbaseConfiguration#customConversions(
 		// CryptoManager)} as they require an ObjectMapper
 		return converters;
 	}
@@ -109,7 +112,8 @@ public UUID convert(String source) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	// to support reading BigIntegers that were written as Strings (now discontinued)
+	// to support reading BigIntegers that were written as Strings (now
+	// discontinued)
 	@ReadingConverter
 	public enum StringToBigInteger implements Converter<String, BigInteger> {
 		INSTANCE;
@@ -120,7 +124,8 @@ public BigInteger convert(String source) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	// to support reading BigDecimals that were written as Strings (now discontinued)
+	// to support reading BigDecimals that were written as Strings (now
+	// discontinued)
 	@ReadingConverter
 	public enum StringToBigDecimal implements Converter<String, BigDecimal> {
 		INSTANCE;
@@ -147,7 +152,7 @@ public enum StringToByteArray implements Converter<String, byte[]> {
 
 		@Override
 		public byte[] convert(String source) {
-			return source == null ? null : Base64.getDecoder().decode(source.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8));
+			return source == null ? null : Base64.getDecoder().decode(ByteUtils.getBytes(source));
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -198,7 +203,8 @@ public Class<?> convert(String source) {
 	/**
 	 * Writing converter for Enums. This is registered in
 	 * {@link org.springframework.data.couchbase.config.AbstractCouchbaseConfiguration#customConversions( CryptoManager, ObjectMapper)}.
-	 * The corresponding reading converters are in {@link IntegerToEnumConverterFactory} and
+	 * The corresponding reading converters are in
+	 * {@link IntegerToEnumConverterFactory} and
 	 * {@link StringToEnumConverterFactory}
 	 */
 
@@ -232,24 +238,29 @@ public Object convert(Enum<?> source) {
 	@WritingConverter
 	public enum JsonNodeToMap implements Converter<JsonNode, CouchbaseDocument> {
 		INSTANCE;
-		static ObjectMapper mapper= new ObjectMapper().registerModule(new JsonValueModule());
+
+		static ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper().registerModule(new JsonValueModule());
+
 		@Override
 		public CouchbaseDocument convert(JsonNode source) {
-			if( source == null ){
+			if (source == null) {
 				return null;
 			}
-			return new CouchbaseDocument().setContent((Map)mapper.convertValue(source, new TypeReference<Map<String, Object>>(){}));
+			return new CouchbaseDocument()
+					.setContent((Map) mapper.convertValue(source, new TypeReference<Map<String, Object>>() {
+					}));
 		}
 	}
 
 	@ReadingConverter
 	public enum MapToJsonNode implements Converter<CouchbaseDocument, JsonNode> {
 		INSTANCE;
-		static ObjectMapper mapper= new ObjectMapper().registerModule(new JsonValueModule());
+
+		static ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper().registerModule(new JsonValueModule());
 
 		@Override
 		public JsonNode convert(CouchbaseDocument source) {
-			if( source == null ){
+			if (source == null) {
 				return null;
 			}
 			return mapper.valueToTree(source.export());
@@ -262,7 +273,7 @@ public enum JsonObjectToMap implements Converter<JsonObject, CouchbaseDocument>
 
 		@Override
 		public CouchbaseDocument convert(JsonObject source) {
-			if( source == null ){
+			if (source == null) {
 				return null;
 			}
 			return new CouchbaseDocument().setContent(source);
@@ -272,11 +283,12 @@ public CouchbaseDocument convert(JsonObject source) {
 	@ReadingConverter
 	public enum MapToJsonObject implements Converter<CouchbaseDocument, JsonObject> {
 		INSTANCE;
-		static ObjectMapper mapper= new ObjectMapper();
+
+		static ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
 
 		@Override
 		public JsonObject convert(CouchbaseDocument source) {
-			if( source == null ){
+			if (source == null) {
 				return null;
 			}
 			return JsonObject.from(source.export());
@@ -289,7 +301,7 @@ public enum JsonArrayToCouchbaseList implements Converter<JsonArray, CouchbaseLi
 
 		@Override
 		public CouchbaseList convert(JsonArray source) {
-			if( source == null ){
+			if (source == null) {
 				return null;
 			}
 			return new CouchbaseList(source.toList());
@@ -299,11 +311,12 @@ public CouchbaseList convert(JsonArray source) {
 	@ReadingConverter
 	public enum CouchbaseListToJsonArray implements Converter<CouchbaseList, JsonArray> {
 		INSTANCE;
-		static ObjectMapper mapper= new ObjectMapper();
+
+		static ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
 
 		@Override
 		public JsonArray convert(CouchbaseList source) {
-			if( source == null ){
+			if (source == null) {
 				return null;
 			}
 			return JsonArray.from(source.export());
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/translation/JacksonTranslationService.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/translation/JacksonTranslationService.java
index 7a31ef6da..9cd8689e3 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/translation/JacksonTranslationService.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/translation/JacksonTranslationService.java
@@ -36,12 +36,14 @@
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
 
 /**
- * A Jackson JSON Translator that implements the {@link TranslationService} contract.
+ * A Jackson JSON Translator that implements the {@link TranslationService}
+ * contract.
  *
  * @author Michael Nitschinger
  * @author Simon Baslé
  * @author Anastasiia Smirnova
  * @author Mark Paluch
+ * @author Emilien Bevierre
  */
 public class JacksonTranslationService implements TranslationService, InitializingBean {
 
@@ -67,7 +69,7 @@ public class JacksonTranslationService implements TranslationService, Initializi
 	 * @return the encoded JSON String.
 	 */
 	@Override
-	public final String encode(final CouchbaseStorable source) {
+	public final String encode(CouchbaseStorable source) {
 		Writer writer = new StringWriter();
 
 		try {
@@ -85,11 +87,11 @@ public final String encode(final CouchbaseStorable source) {
 	/**
 	 * Recursively iterates through the sources and adds it to the JSON generator.
 	 *
-	 * @param source the source document
+	 * @param source    the source document
 	 * @param generator the JSON generator.
 	 * @throws IOException
 	 */
-	private void encodeRecursive(final CouchbaseStorable source, final JsonGenerator generator) throws IOException {
+	private void encodeRecursive(CouchbaseStorable source, JsonGenerator generator) throws IOException {
 		generator.writeStartObject();
 
 		for (Map.Entry<String, Object> entry : ((CouchbaseDocument) source).export().entrySet()) {
@@ -101,7 +103,7 @@ private void encodeRecursive(final CouchbaseStorable source, final JsonGenerator
 				continue;
 			}
 
-			final Class<?> clazz = value.getClass();
+			Class<?> clazz = value.getClass();
 
 			if (simpleTypeHolder.isSimpleType(clazz) && !isEnumOrClass(clazz)) {
 				generator.writeObject(value);
@@ -114,7 +116,7 @@ private void encodeRecursive(final CouchbaseStorable source, final JsonGenerator
 		generator.writeEndObject();
 	}
 
-	private boolean isEnumOrClass(final Class<?> clazz) {
+	private boolean isEnumOrClass(Class<?> clazz) {
 		return Enum.class.isAssignableFrom(clazz) || Class.class.isAssignableFrom(clazz);
 	}
 
@@ -126,24 +128,44 @@ private boolean isEnumOrClass(final Class<?> clazz) {
 	 * @return the decoded structure.
 	 */
 	@Override
-	public final CouchbaseStorable decode(final String source, final CouchbaseStorable target) {
-		try {
-			JsonParser parser = factory.createParser((String) source);
-			while (parser.nextToken() != null) {
-				JsonToken currentToken = parser.getCurrentToken();
-
-				if (currentToken == JsonToken.START_OBJECT) {
-					return decodeObject(parser, (CouchbaseDocument) target);
-				} else if (currentToken == JsonToken.START_ARRAY) {
-					return decodeArray(parser, new CouchbaseList());
-				} else {
-					throw new MappingException("JSON to decode needs to start as array or object!");
-				}
-			}
-			parser.close();
+	public final CouchbaseStorable decode(String source, CouchbaseStorable target) {
+		try (JsonParser parser = factory.createParser(source)) {
+			return decodeWithParser(parser, target);
 		} catch (IOException ex) {
 			throw new RuntimeException("Could not decode JSON", ex);
 		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Decode a JSON byte array into the {@link CouchbaseStorable} structure.
+	 * This avoids the intermediate String allocation by parsing directly from
+	 * bytes.
+	 *
+	 * @param source the source formatted document as bytes (UTF-8 encoded).
+	 * @param target the target of the populated data.
+	 * @return the decoded structure.
+	 */
+	@Override
+	public final CouchbaseStorable decode(byte[] source, CouchbaseStorable target) {
+		try (JsonParser parser = factory.createParser(source)) {
+			return decodeWithParser(parser, target);
+		} catch (IOException ex) {
+			throw new RuntimeException("Could not decode JSON", ex);
+		}
+	}
+
+	private CouchbaseStorable decodeWithParser(JsonParser parser, CouchbaseStorable target) throws IOException {
+		while (parser.nextToken() != null) {
+			JsonToken currentToken = parser.getCurrentToken();
+
+			if (currentToken == JsonToken.START_OBJECT) {
+				return decodeObject(parser, (CouchbaseDocument) target);
+			} else if (currentToken == JsonToken.START_ARRAY) {
+				return decodeArray(parser, new CouchbaseList());
+			} else {
+				throw new MappingException("JSON to decode needs to start as array or object!");
+			}
+		}
 		return target;
 	}
 
@@ -155,7 +177,7 @@ public final CouchbaseStorable decode(final String source, final CouchbaseStorab
 	 * @throws IOException
 	 * @returns the decoded object.
 	 */
-	private CouchbaseDocument decodeObject(final JsonParser parser, final CouchbaseDocument target) throws IOException {
+	private CouchbaseDocument decodeObject(JsonParser parser, CouchbaseDocument target) throws IOException {
 		JsonToken currentToken = parser.nextToken();
 
 		String fieldName = "";
@@ -184,7 +206,7 @@ private CouchbaseDocument decodeObject(final JsonParser parser, final CouchbaseD
 	 * @throws IOException
 	 * @returns the decoded list.
 	 */
-	private CouchbaseList decodeArray(final JsonParser parser, final CouchbaseList target) throws IOException {
+	private CouchbaseList decodeArray(JsonParser parser, CouchbaseList target) throws IOException {
 		JsonToken currentToken = parser.nextToken();
 
 		while (currentToken != null && currentToken != JsonToken.END_ARRAY) {
@@ -205,12 +227,12 @@ private CouchbaseList decodeArray(final JsonParser parser, final CouchbaseList t
 	/**
 	 * Helper method to decode and assign a primitive.
 	 *
-	 * @param token the type of token.
+	 * @param token  the type of token.
 	 * @param parser the parser with the content.
 	 * @return the decoded primitve.
 	 * @throws IOException
 	 */
-	private Object decodePrimitive(final JsonToken token, final JsonParser parser) throws IOException {
+	private Object decodePrimitive(JsonToken token, JsonParser parser) throws IOException {
 		switch (token) {
 			case VALUE_TRUE:
 			case VALUE_FALSE:
@@ -237,7 +259,7 @@ public <T> T decodeFragment(String source, Class<T> target) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	public void setObjectMapper(final ObjectMapper objectMapper) {
+	public void setObjectMapper(ObjectMapper objectMapper) {
 		this.objectMapper = objectMapper;
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/translation/TranslationService.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/translation/TranslationService.java
index 5be23ffc0..a2f9e64b3 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/translation/TranslationService.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/translation/TranslationService.java
@@ -16,13 +16,17 @@
 
 package org.springframework.data.couchbase.core.convert.translation;
 
+import org.springframework.data.couchbase.core.util.ByteUtils;
+
 import org.springframework.data.couchbase.core.mapping.CouchbaseDocument;
 import org.springframework.data.couchbase.core.mapping.CouchbaseStorable;
 
 /**
- * Defines a translation service to encode/decode responses into the {@link CouchbaseStorable} format.
+ * Defines a translation service to encode/decode responses into the
+ * {@link CouchbaseStorable} format.
  *
  * @author Michael Nitschinger
+ * @author Emilien Bevierre
  */
 public interface TranslationService {
 
@@ -43,13 +47,30 @@ public interface TranslationService {
 	 */
 	CouchbaseStorable decode(String source, CouchbaseStorable target);
 
+	/**
+	 * Decodes the target format from a byte array into a {@link CouchbaseDocument}.
+	 * The default implementation converts the bytes to a String via UTF-8 before
+	 * decoding.
+	 * Implementations may override this to parse bytes directly and avoid the
+	 * intermediate String allocation.
+	 *
+	 * @param source the source formatted document as bytes (UTF-8 encoded).
+	 * @param target the target of the populated data.
+	 * @return a properly populated document to work with.
+	 */
+	default CouchbaseStorable decode(byte[] source, CouchbaseStorable target) {
+		return decode(ByteUtils.getString(source), target);
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Decodes an ad-hoc JSON object into a corresponding "case" class.
 	 *
-	 * @param source the JSON for the ad-hoc JSON object (from a N1QL query for instance).
+	 * @param source the JSON for the ad-hoc JSON object (from a N1QL query for
+	 *               instance).
 	 * @param target the target class information.
-	 * @param <T> the target class.
-	 * @return an ad-hoc instance of the decoded JSON into the corresponding "case" class.
+	 * @param <T>    the target class.
+	 * @return an ad-hoc instance of the decoded JSON into the corresponding "case"
+	 *         class.
 	 */
 	<T> T decodeFragment(String source, Class<T> target);
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/util/ByteUtils.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/util/ByteUtils.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0a042fd0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/util/ByteUtils.java
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2012-present the original author or authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *        https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package org.springframework.data.couchbase.core.util;
+
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+
+/**
+ * Utility class for common byte array and String conversions using UTF-8.
+ *
+ * @author Emilien Bevierre
+ */
+public abstract class ByteUtils {
+
+    private ByteUtils() {
+        // Private constructor to prevent instantiation
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Decodes a given byte array into a String using UTF-8 charset.
+     *
+     * @param source the byte array to decode, can be null
+     * @return the decoded string, or null if source is null
+     */
+    public static String getString(byte[] source) {
+        return source == null ? null : new String(source, StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Encodes a given String into a byte array using UTF-8 charset.
+     *
+     * @param source the string to encode, can be null
+     * @return the encoded byte array, or null if source is null
+     */
+    public static byte[] getBytes(String source) {
+        return source == null ? null : source.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/translation/JacksonTranslationServiceTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/translation/JacksonTranslationServiceTests.java
index 5e136eea9..c681791e8 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/translation/JacksonTranslationServiceTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/core/convert/translation/JacksonTranslationServiceTests.java
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;
 
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeAll;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 import org.springframework.data.couchbase.core.mapping.CouchbaseDocument;
@@ -26,6 +28,7 @@
  * Verifies the functionality of a {@link JacksonTranslationService}.
  *
  * @author Michael Nitschinger
+ * @author Emilien Bevierre
  */
 public class JacksonTranslationServiceTests {
 
@@ -61,6 +64,40 @@ void shouldDecodeAdHocFragment() {
 		assertEquals("french", f.language);
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	void shouldDecodeFromBytes() {
+		String source = "{\"language\":\"english\",\"count\":42}";
+		byte[] bytes = source.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+
+		CouchbaseDocument targetFromString = new CouchbaseDocument();
+		service.decode(source, targetFromString);
+
+		CouchbaseDocument targetFromBytes = new CouchbaseDocument();
+		service.decode(bytes, targetFromBytes);
+
+		assertEquals(targetFromString.get("language"), targetFromBytes.get("language"));
+		assertEquals(targetFromString.get("count"), targetFromBytes.get("count"));
+		assertEquals("english", targetFromBytes.get("language"));
+		assertEquals(42, targetFromBytes.get("count"));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	void shouldDecodeNonASCIIFromBytes() {
+		String source = "{\"language\":\"русский\",\"greeting\":\"Привет мир\"}";
+		byte[] bytes = source.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+
+		CouchbaseDocument targetFromString = new CouchbaseDocument();
+		service.decode(source, targetFromString);
+
+		CouchbaseDocument targetFromBytes = new CouchbaseDocument();
+		service.decode(bytes, targetFromBytes);
+
+		assertEquals(targetFromString.get("language"), targetFromBytes.get("language"));
+		assertEquals(targetFromString.get("greeting"), targetFromBytes.get("greeting"));
+		assertEquals("русский", targetFromBytes.get("language"));
+		assertEquals("Привет мир", targetFromBytes.get("greeting"));
+	}
+
 	static class LanguageFragment {
 		public String language;
 	}
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/repository/query/ReactiveCouchbaseRepositoryQueryCollectionIntegrationTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/repository/query/ReactiveCouchbaseRepositoryQueryCollectionIntegrationTests.java
index 03607c6ed..1fd17c7cb 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/repository/query/ReactiveCouchbaseRepositoryQueryCollectionIntegrationTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/couchbase/repository/query/ReactiveCouchbaseRepositoryQueryCollectionIntegrationTests.java
@@ -132,10 +132,10 @@ void testThreadLocal() throws InterruptedException {
     String id = UUID.randomUUID().toString();
 
     Airport airport = new Airport(id, "testThreadLocal", "icao");
-    Disposable s = reactiveAirportMustScopeRepository.withScope(scopeName).findById(airport.getId()).doOnNext(u -> {
+    reactiveAirportMustScopeRepository.withScope(scopeName).findById(airport.getId()).doOnNext(u -> {
         throw new RuntimeException("User already Exists! " + u);
     }).then(reactiveAirportMustScopeRepository.withScope(scopeName).save(airport))
-        .subscribe(u -> LOGGER.info("User Persisted Successfully! {}", u));
+        .block();
 
     reactiveAirportMustScopeRepository.withScope(scopeName).deleteById(id).block();
     }