diff --git a/app/server.py b/app/server.py
index 5a16ad3..656f23f 100644
--- a/app/server.py
+++ b/app/server.py
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
-import gzip
 import json
 import logging
 import os
 import redis
 import traceback
 import warnings
+import zstandard
 
 from fastapi import HTTPException, status, Request
 from fastapi.responses import JSONResponse, Response
@@ -22,10 +22,10 @@
 
 openapi_args = dict(
     title="SRI Answer Appraiser",
-    version="0.7.0",
+    version="0.8.0",
     terms_of_service="",
     description="SRI service that provides metrics for scoring and ordering of results",
-    trapi="1.5.0",
+    trapi="1.6.0",
     biolink_version="4.2.0",
     contact={
         "name": "Max Wang",
@@ -155,10 +155,10 @@ async def sync_get_appraisal(request: Request):
     logger = get_logger(qid, "INFO")
     logger.info("Starting sync appraisal")
     compressed = False
-    if request.headers.get("content-encoding") == "gzip":
+    if request.headers.get("content-encoding") == "zstd":
         try:
             raw_body = await request.body()
-            query = json.loads(gzip.decompress(raw_body))
+            query = json.loads(zstandard.decompress(raw_body))
             compressed = True
         except Exception:
             return Response("Invalid request. Failed to decompress and ingest.", 400)
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ async def sync_get_appraisal(request: Request):
     except Exception:
         logger.error(f"Something went wrong while appraising: {traceback.format_exc()}")
     if compressed:
-        query = gzip.compress(json.dumps(query).encode())
+        query = zstandard.compress(json.dumps(query).encode())
     else:
         query = json.dumps(query)
     logger.info("Done appraising")
diff --git a/requirements-lock.txt b/requirements-lock.txt
index 252cd45..da57046 100644
--- a/requirements-lock.txt
+++ b/requirements-lock.txt
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ pydantic==1.10.18
 python-dateutil==2.9.0.post0
 pytz==2024.2
 rdkit==2024.3.5
-reasoner-pydantic==5.0.6
 redis==5.1.1
 scikit-learn==1.5.2
 scipy==1.14.1
@@ -50,3 +49,4 @@ uvicorn==0.31.0
 wheel==0.43.0
 wrapt==1.16.0
 zipp==3.20.2
+zstandard==0.23.0
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 713544d..508a031 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -8,9 +8,9 @@ opentelemetry-exporter-jaeger
 opentelemetry-instrumentation-httpx
 pandas
 rdkit
-reasoner-pydantic
 redis
 scipy
 scikit-learn
 tqdm
-uvicorn
\ No newline at end of file
+uvicorn
+zstandard
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/test_server.py b/tests/test_server.py
index 783ce30..c5e87e8 100644
--- a/tests/test_server.py
+++ b/tests/test_server.py
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+import json
+import zstandard
+
 from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
 
 from app.server import APP
@@ -12,3 +15,28 @@ def test_sync_get_appraisal_400():
         json={"message": {}},
     )
     assert response.status_code == 400
+
+
+def test_zstd_compression():
+    """Test that server decompressed zstandard payloads."""
+    message = {
+        "message": {
+            "query_graph": {},
+            "knowledge_graph": {},
+            "results": [],
+        }
+    }
+    payload = zstandard.compress(json.dumps(message).encode())
+    response = testclient.post(
+        "/get_appraisal",
+        headers={
+            "Content-Encoding": "zstd",
+            "Content-Type": "application/json",
+        },
+        data=payload,
+    )
+
+    assert response.status_code == 400
+    err = response.json()
+    # we were able to parse the zipped payload and found no results
+    assert err["description"] == "No Results."