diff --git a/python/pmtiles/tile.py b/python/pmtiles/tile.py
index 0f063e0..cbcdcd3 100644
--- a/python/pmtiles/tile.py
+++ b/python/pmtiles/tile.py
@@ -1,9 +1,21 @@
 from collections import namedtuple
+from enum import Enum
+import io
+import gzip
 
-Entry = namedtuple("Entry", ["tile_id", "offset", "length", "run_length"])
 Header = namedtuple("Header", [])
 
 
+class Entry:
+    __slots__ = ("tile_id", "offset", "length", "run_length")
+
+    def __init__(self, tile_id, offset, length, run_length):
+        self.tile_id = tile_id
+        self.offset = offset
+        self.length = length
+        self.run_length = run_length
+
+
 def rotate(n, xy, rx, ry):
     if ry == 0:
         if rx == 1:
@@ -87,12 +99,89 @@ def find_tile(entries, tile_id):
             return entries[n]
 
 
-def deserialize_directory(bytes):
-    pass
+def read_varint(b_io):
+    shift = 0
+    result = 0
+    while True:
+        raw = b_io.read(1)
+        if raw == b"":
+            raise EOFError("unexpectedly reached end of varint stream")
+        i = ord(raw)
+        result |= (i & 0x7F) << shift
+        shift += 7
+        if not (i & 0x80):
+            break
+    return result
 
 
-def serialize_directory(bytes):
-    pass
+def write_varint(b_io, i):
+    while True:
+        towrite = i & 0x7F
+        i >>= 7
+        if i:
+            b_io.write(bytes([towrite | 0x80]))
+        else:
+            b_io.write(bytes([towrite]))
+            break
+
+
+class Compression(Enum):
+    UNKNOWN = 0
+    NONE = 1
+    GZIP = 2
+    BROTLI = 3
+    ZSTD = 4
+
+
+def deserialize_directory(buf):
+    b_io = io.BytesIO(gzip.decompress(buf))
+    entries = []
+    num_entries = read_varint(b_io)
+
+    last_id = 0
+    for i in range(num_entries):
+        tmp = read_varint(b_io)
+        entries.append(Entry(last_id + tmp, 0, 0, 0))
+        last_id += tmp
+
+    for i in range(num_entries):
+        entries[i].run_length = read_varint(b_io)
+
+    for i in range(num_entries):
+        entries[i].length = read_varint(b_io)
+
+    for i in range(num_entries):
+        tmp = read_varint(b_io)
+        if i > 0 and tmp == 0:
+            entries[i].offset = entries[i - 1].offset + entries[i - 1].length
+        else:
+            entries[i].offset = tmp - 1
+
+    return entries
+
+
+def serialize_directory(entries):
+    b_io = io.BytesIO()
+    write_varint(b_io, len(entries))
+
+    last_id = 0
+    for e in entries:
+        write_varint(b_io, e.tile_id - last_id)
+        last_id = e.tile_id
+
+    for e in entries:
+        write_varint(b_io, e.run_length)
+
+    for e in entries:
+        write_varint(b_io, e.length)
+
+    for i, e in enumerate(entries):
+        if i > 0 and e.offset == entries[i - 1].offset + entries[i - 1].length:
+            write_varint(b_io, 0)
+        else:
+            write_varint(b_io, e.offset + 1)
+
+    return gzip.compress(b_io.getvalue())
 
 
 def deserialize_header(bytes):
diff --git a/python/test/test_tile.py b/python/test/test_tile.py
index 7a4505c..5ef429b 100644
--- a/python/test/test_tile.py
+++ b/python/test/test_tile.py
@@ -1,5 +1,30 @@
 import unittest
-from pmtiles.tile import zxy_to_tileid, tileid_to_zxy, Entry, find_tile
+from pmtiles.tile import zxy_to_tileid, tileid_to_zxy, Entry
+from pmtiles.tile import read_varint, write_varint
+from pmtiles.tile import Entry, find_tile
+from pmtiles.tile import serialize_directory, deserialize_directory
+import io
+
+
+class TestVarint(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_read_varint(self):
+        buf = io.BytesIO(b"\x00\x01\x7f\xe5\x8e\x26")
+        self.assertEqual(read_varint(buf), 0)
+        self.assertEqual(read_varint(buf), 1)
+        self.assertEqual(read_varint(buf), 127)
+        self.assertEqual(read_varint(buf), 624485)
+
+    def test_read_varint_eof(self):
+        buf = io.BytesIO(b"")
+        self.assertRaises(EOFError, read_varint, buf)
+
+    def test_write_varint(self):
+        buf = io.BytesIO()
+        write_varint(buf, 0)
+        write_varint(buf, 1)
+        write_varint(buf, 127)
+        write_varint(buf, 624485)
+        self.assertEqual(buf.getvalue(), b"\x00\x01\x7f\xe5\x8e\x26")
 
 
 class TestTileId(unittest.TestCase):
@@ -58,3 +83,23 @@ class TestFindTile(unittest.TestCase):
         result = find_tile(entries, 150)
         self.assertEqual(result.offset, 1)
         self.assertEqual(result.length, 1)
+
+
+class TestDirectory(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_roundtrip(self):
+        entries = [Entry(0, 0, 0, 0), Entry(1, 1, 1, 1), Entry(2, 2, 2, 2)]
+        serialized = serialize_directory(entries)
+        result = deserialize_directory(serialized)
+        self.assertEqual(len(result), 3)
+        self.assertEqual(result[0].tile_id, 0)
+        self.assertEqual(result[0].offset, 0)
+        self.assertEqual(result[0].length, 0)
+        self.assertEqual(result[0].run_length, 0)
+        self.assertEqual(result[1].tile_id, 1)
+        self.assertEqual(result[1].offset, 1)
+        self.assertEqual(result[1].length, 1)
+        self.assertEqual(result[1].run_length, 1)
+        self.assertEqual(result[2].tile_id, 2)
+        self.assertEqual(result[2].offset, 2)
+        self.assertEqual(result[2].length, 2)
+        self.assertEqual(result[2].run_length, 2)