diff --git a/ctl/backup_tar.go b/ctl/backup_tar.go
index 0b0780b0d..d0c00b675 100644
--- a/ctl/backup_tar.go
+++ b/ctl/backup_tar.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/djherbis/buffer"
 	pilosa "github.com/featurebasedb/featurebase/v3"
 	"github.com/featurebasedb/featurebase/v3/authn"
 	"github.com/featurebasedb/featurebase/v3/disco"
@@ -231,24 +232,7 @@ func (cmd *BackupTarCommand) backupTarIDAllocData(ctx context.Context, tw *tar.W
 	}
 	defer rc.Close()
 
-	// Read to buffer to determine size.
-	if _, err := buf.ReadFrom(rc); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("copying id alloc data to memory: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	// Build header & copy data to archive.
-	if err = tw.WriteHeader(&tar.Header{
-		Name:    "idalloc",
-		Mode:    0o666,
-		Size:    int64(buf.Len()),
-		ModTime: time.Now(),
-	}); err != nil {
-		return err
-	} else if _, err := io.Copy(tw, buf); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("copying id alloc data to archive: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	return nil
+	return writeToTar(tw, "idalloc", rc)
 }
 
 // backupTarIndex backs up all shards for a given index.
@@ -332,26 +316,7 @@ func (cmd *BackupTarCommand) backupTarShardNode(ctx context.Context, tw *tar.Wri
 		return fmt.Errorf("fetching shard reader: %w", err)
 	}
 	defer rc.Close()
-
-	// Read to buffer to determine size.
-	// TODO: Provide size via the reader itself.
-	if _, err := buf.ReadFrom(rc); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("copying shard data to memory: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	// Build header & copy data to archive.
-	if err = tw.WriteHeader(&tar.Header{
-		Name:    filename,
-		Mode:    0o666,
-		Size:    int64(buf.Len()),
-		ModTime: time.Now(),
-	}); err != nil {
-		return err
-	} else if _, err := io.Copy(tw, buf); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("copying shard data to archive: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	return nil
+	return writeToTar(tw, filename, rc)
 }
 
 func (cmd *BackupTarCommand) backupTarShardDataframe(ctx context.Context, tw *tar.Writer, indexName string, shard uint64, node *disco.Node, buf *bytes.Buffer) error {
@@ -375,23 +340,7 @@ func (cmd *BackupTarCommand) backupTarShardDataframe(ctx context.Context, tw *ta
 	}
 
 	filename := filepath.Join("indexes", indexName, "dataframe", fmt.Sprintf("%04d", shard))
-	logger.Printf("writing %v", filename)
-	if _, err := buf.ReadFrom(resp.Body); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("copying shard data to memory: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	// Build header & copy data to archive.
-	if err = tw.WriteHeader(&tar.Header{
-		Name:    filename,
-		Mode:    0o666,
-		Size:    int64(buf.Len()),
-		ModTime: time.Now(),
-	}); err != nil {
-		return err
-	} else if _, err := io.Copy(tw, buf); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("copying shard data to archive: %w", err)
-	}
-	return nil
+	return writeToTar(tw, filename, resp.Body)
 }
 
 func (cmd *BackupTarCommand) backupTarIndexTranslateData(ctx context.Context, tw *tar.Writer, name string, buf *bytes.Buffer) error {
@@ -418,28 +367,11 @@ func (cmd *BackupTarCommand) backupTarIndexPartitionTranslateData(ctx context.Co
 	}
 	defer rc.Close()
 
-	// Read to buffer to determine size.
-	if _, err := buf.ReadFrom(rc); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("copying translate data to memory: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	// Build header & copy data to archive.
-	if err = tw.WriteHeader(&tar.Header{
-		Name:    path.Join("indexes", name, "translate", fmt.Sprintf("%04d", partitionID)),
-		Mode:    0o666,
-		Size:    int64(buf.Len()),
-		ModTime: time.Now(),
-	}); err != nil {
-		return err
-	} else if _, err := io.Copy(tw, buf); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("copying translate data to archive: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	return nil
+	return writeToTar(tw, path.Join("indexes", name, "translate", fmt.Sprintf("%04d", partitionID)), rc)
 }
 
-func (cmd *BackupTarCommand) backupTarFieldTranslateData(ctx context.Context, tw *tar.Writer, indexName, fieldName string, buf *bytes.Buffer) error {
-	buf.Reset()
+func (cmd *BackupTarCommand) backupTarFieldTranslateData(ctx context.Context, tw *tar.Writer, indexName, fieldName string, buff *bytes.Buffer) error {
+	// buf.Reset()
 	logger := cmd.Logger()
 	logger.Printf("backing up field translation data: %s/%s", indexName, fieldName)
 
@@ -450,17 +382,37 @@ func (cmd *BackupTarCommand) backupTarFieldTranslateData(ctx context.Context, tw
 		return fmt.Errorf("fetching translate data reader: %w", err)
 	}
 	defer rc.Close()
+	return writeToTar(tw, path.Join("indexes", indexName, "fields", fieldName, "translate"), rc)
+}
 
+func (cmd *BackupTarCommand) TLSHost() string { return cmd.Host }
+
+func (cmd *BackupTarCommand) TLSConfiguration() server.TLSConfig { return cmd.TLS }
+
+func writeToTar(tw *tar.Writer, entryName string, rc io.Reader) error {
+	spillFile, err := os.CreateTemp("", "spill")
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("creating temp file : %w", err)
+	}
+	defer func() {
+		spillFile.Close()
+		os.Remove(spillFile.Name())
+	}()
+	mb512 := int64(2 << 29)
+	buf := buffer.NewSpill(buffer.New(mb512), spillFile)
+
+	n, err := io.Copy(buf, rc)
 	// Read to buffer to determine size.
-	if _, err := buf.ReadFrom(rc); err != nil {
+	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("copying translate data to memory: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	// Build header & copy data to archive.
 	if err = tw.WriteHeader(&tar.Header{
-		Name:    path.Join("indexes", indexName, "fields", fieldName, "translate"),
-		Mode:    0o666,
-		Size:    int64(buf.Len()),
+		Name: entryName,
+		Mode: 0o666,
+		// Size:    int64(buf.Len()),
+		Size:    n,
 		ModTime: time.Now(),
 	}); err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -469,7 +421,3 @@ func (cmd *BackupTarCommand) backupTarFieldTranslateData(ctx context.Context, tw
 	}
 	return nil
 }
-
-func (cmd *BackupTarCommand) TLSHost() string { return cmd.Host }
-
-func (cmd *BackupTarCommand) TLSConfiguration() server.TLSConfig { return cmd.TLS }
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index f92aa51ab..862338d18 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/PaesslerAG/gval v1.0.0
 	github.com/PaesslerAG/jsonpath v0.1.1
 	github.com/apache/arrow/go/v10 v10.0.0-20221021053532-2f627c213fc3
+	github.com/djherbis/buffer v1.2.0
 	github.com/gomem/gomem v0.1.0
 	github.com/google/uuid v1.3.0
 	github.com/jaffee/commandeer v0.6.0
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index fdbd41d61..5f5151ba2 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -232,6 +232,8 @@ github.com/dgryski/go-farm v0.0.0-20190423205320-6a90982ecee2 h1:tdlZCpZ/P9DhczC
 github.com/dgryski/go-farm v0.0.0-20190423205320-6a90982ecee2/go.mod h1:SqUrOPUnsFjfmXRMNPybcSiG0BgUW2AuFH8PAnS2iTw=
 github.com/dgryski/go-rendezvous v0.0.0-20200823014737-9f7001d12a5f/go.mod h1:cuUVRXasLTGF7a8hSLbxyZXjz+1KgoB3wDUb6vlszIc=
 github.com/dgryski/go-sip13 v0.0.0-20181026042036-e10d5fee7954/go.mod h1:vAd38F8PWV+bWy6jNmig1y/TA+kYO4g3RSRF0IAv0no=
+github.com/djherbis/buffer v1.2.0 h1:PH5Dd2ss0C7CRRhQCZ2u7MssF+No9ide8Ye71nPHcrQ=
+github.com/djherbis/buffer v1.2.0/go.mod h1:fjnebbZjCUpPinBRD+TDwXSOeNQ7fPQWLfGQqiAiUyE=
 github.com/docker/spdystream v0.0.0-20160310174837-449fdfce4d96/go.mod h1:Qh8CwZgvJUkLughtfhJv5dyTYa91l1fOUCrgjqmcifM=
 github.com/dustin/go-humanize v0.0.0-20171111073723-bb3d318650d4/go.mod h1:HtrtbFcZ19U5GC7JDqmcUSB87Iq5E25KnS6fMYU6eOk=
 github.com/dustin/go-humanize v1.0.0 h1:VSnTsYCnlFHaM2/igO1h6X3HA71jcobQuxemgkq4zYo=