diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 0ed56e67..54e4fa72 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 Version 78:
 
+* Add span
+
 HTTP:
 
 * Tidy up basic_string_body
diff --git a/doc/quickref.xml b/doc/quickref.xml
index 7d80de55..d49491ba 100644
--- a/doc/quickref.xml
+++ b/doc/quickref.xml
@@ -192,6 +192,7 @@
             <member><link linkend="beast.ref.beast__iequal">iequal</link></member>
             <member><link linkend="beast.ref.beast__iless">iless</link></member>
             <member><link linkend="beast.ref.beast__multi_buffer">multi_buffer</link></member>
+            <member><link linkend="beast.ref.beast__span">span</link></member>
             <member><link linkend="beast.ref.beast__static_buffer">static_buffer</link></member>
             <member><link linkend="beast.ref.beast__static_buffer_n">static_buffer_n</link></member>
             <member><link linkend="beast.ref.beast__static_string">static_string</link></member>
diff --git a/include/beast/core.hpp b/include/beast/core.hpp
index 1a1c49c6..9e63e6df 100644
--- a/include/beast/core.hpp
+++ b/include/beast/core.hpp
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 #include <beast/core/multi_buffer.hpp>
 #include <beast/core/ostream.hpp>
 #include <beast/core/read_size.hpp>
+#include <beast/core/span.hpp>
 #include <beast/core/static_buffer.hpp>
 #include <beast/core/static_string.hpp>
 #include <beast/core/string_param.hpp>
diff --git a/include/beast/core/detail/type_traits.hpp b/include/beast/core/detail/type_traits.hpp
index f80f6fe4..e375b976 100644
--- a/include/beast/core/detail/type_traits.hpp
+++ b/include/beast/core/detail/type_traits.hpp
@@ -138,6 +138,28 @@ struct is_invocable<C, R(A...)>
 };
 /** @} */
 
+// for span
+template<class T, class E, class = void>
+struct is_contiguous_container: std::false_type {};
+
+template<class T, class E>
+struct is_contiguous_container<T, E, void_t<
+    decltype(
+        std::declval<std::size_t&>() = std::declval<T const&>().size(),
+        std::declval<E*&>() = std::declval<T&>().data(),
+        (void)0),
+    typename std::enable_if<
+        std::is_same<
+            typename std::remove_cv<E>::type,
+            typename std::remove_cv<
+                typename std::remove_pointer<
+                    decltype(std::declval<T&>().data())
+                >::type
+            >::type
+        >::value
+    >::type>>: std::true_type
+{};
+
 //------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 //
diff --git a/include/beast/core/span.hpp b/include/beast/core/span.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d6998ea8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/beast/core/span.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,211 @@
+//
+// Copyright (c) 2013-2017 Vinnie Falco (vinnie dot falco at gmail dot com)
+//
+// Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying
+// file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)
+//
+
+#ifndef BEAST_CORE_SPAN_HPP
+#define BEAST_CORE_SPAN_HPP
+
+#include <beast/config.hpp>
+#include <beast/core/detail/type_traits.hpp>
+#include <algorithm>
+#include <iterator>
+#include <string>
+#include <type_traits>
+
+namespace beast {
+
+/** A range of bytes expressed as a ContiguousContainer
+
+    This class implements a non-owning reference to a storage
+    area of a certain size and having an underlying integral
+    type with size of 1.
+
+    @tparam T The type pointed to by span iterators
+*/
+template<class T>
+class span
+{
+    T* data_ = nullptr;
+    std::size_t size_ = 0;
+
+public:
+    /// The type of value, including cv qualifiers
+    using element_type = T;
+
+    /// The type of value of each span element
+    using value_type = typename std::remove_const<T>::type;
+
+    /// The type of integer used to index the span
+    using index_type = std::ptrdiff_t;
+
+    /// A pointer to a span element
+    using pointer = T*;
+
+    /// A reference to a span element
+    using reference = T&;
+
+    /// The iterator used by the container
+    using iterator = pointer;
+
+    /// The const pointer used by the container
+    using const_pointer = T const*;
+
+    /// The const reference used by the container
+    using const_reference = T const&;
+
+    /// The const iterator used by the container
+    using const_iterator = const_pointer;
+
+    /// Constructor
+    span() = default;
+
+    /// Constructor
+    span(span const&) = default;
+
+    /// Assignment
+    span& operator=(span const&) = default;
+
+    /** Constructor
+
+        @param data A pointer to the beginning of the range of elements
+
+        @param size The number of elements pointed to by `data`
+    */
+    span(T* data, std::size_t size)
+        : data_(data), size_(size)
+    {
+    }
+
+    /** Constructor
+
+        @param container The container to construct from
+    */
+    template<class ContiguousContainer
+#if ! BEAST_DOXYGEN
+        , class = typename std::enable_if<
+          detail::is_contiguous_container<
+                ContiguousContainer, T>::value>::type
+#endif
+    >
+    explicit
+    span(ContiguousContainer&& container)
+        : data_(container.data())
+        , size_(container.size())
+    {
+    }
+
+#if ! BEAST_DOXYGEN
+    template<class CharT, class Traits, class Allocator>
+    explicit
+    span(std::basic_string<CharT, Traits, Allocator>& s)
+        : data_(&s[0])
+        , size_(s.size())
+    {
+    }
+
+    template<class CharT, class Traits, class Allocator>
+    explicit
+    span(std::basic_string<CharT, Traits, Allocator> const& s)
+        : data_(s.data())
+        , size_(s.size())
+    {
+    }
+#endif
+
+    /** Assignment
+
+        @param container The container to assign from
+    */
+    template<class ContiguousContainer>
+#if BEAST_DOXYGEN
+    span&
+#else
+    typename std::enable_if<detail::is_contiguous_container<
+        ContiguousContainer, T>::value,
+    span&>::type
+#endif
+    operator=(ContiguousContainer&& container)
+    {
+        data_ = container.data();
+        size_ = container.size();
+        return *this;
+    }
+
+#if ! BEAST_DOXYGEN
+    template<class CharT, class Traits, class Allocator>
+    span&
+    operator=(std::basic_string<
+        CharT, Traits, Allocator>& s)
+    {
+        data_ = &s[0];
+        size_ = s.size();
+        return *this;
+    }
+
+    template<class CharT, class Traits, class Allocator>
+    span&
+    operator=(std::basic_string<
+        CharT, Traits, Allocator> const& s)
+    {
+        data_ = s.data();
+        size_ = s.size();
+        return *this;
+    }
+#endif
+
+    /// Returns `true` if the span is empty
+    bool
+    empty() const
+    {
+        return size_ == 0;
+    }
+
+    /// Returns a pointer to the beginning of the span
+    T*
+    data() const
+    {
+        return data_;
+    }
+
+    /// Returns the number of elements in the span
+    std::size_t
+    size() const
+    {
+        return size_;
+    }
+
+    /// Returns an iterator to the beginning of the span
+    const_iterator
+    begin() const
+    {
+        return data_;
+    }
+                
+    /// Returns an iterator to the beginning of the span
+    const_iterator
+    cbegin() const
+    {
+        return data_;
+    }
+        
+    /// Returns an iterator to one past the end of the span
+    const_iterator
+    end() const
+    {
+        return data_ + size_;
+    }
+        
+    /// Returns an iterator to one past the end of the span
+    const_iterator
+    cend() const
+    {
+        return data_ + size_;
+    }
+};
+
+} // beast
+
+#endif
diff --git a/test/core/CMakeLists.txt b/test/core/CMakeLists.txt
index 595032bc..39749c57 100644
--- a/test/core/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/test/core/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ add_executable (core-tests
     multi_buffer.cpp
     ostream.cpp
     read_size.cpp
+    span.cpp
     static_buffer.cpp
     static_string.cpp
     string.cpp
diff --git a/test/core/Jamfile b/test/core/Jamfile
index 52218baa..159b7ae5 100644
--- a/test/core/Jamfile
+++ b/test/core/Jamfile
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ unit-test core-tests :
     multi_buffer.cpp
     ostream.cpp
     read_size.cpp
+    span.cpp
     static_buffer.cpp
     static_string.cpp
     string.cpp
diff --git a/test/core/span.cpp b/test/core/span.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..32892de3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/core/span.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+//
+// Copyright (c) 2013-2017 Vinnie Falco (vinnie dot falco at gmail dot com)
+//
+// Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying
+// file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)
+//
+
+// Test that header file is self-contained.
+#include <beast/core/span.hpp>
+
+#include <beast/unit_test/suite.hpp>
+
+namespace beast {
+
+class span_test : public beast::unit_test::suite
+{
+public:
+    struct base {};
+    struct derived : base {};
+
+    BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT(detail::is_contiguous_container<
+        std::vector<char>, char>::value);
+    
+    BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT(detail::is_contiguous_container<
+        std::vector<char>, char const>::value);
+
+    BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT(! detail::is_contiguous_container<
+        std::vector<derived>, base>::value);
+
+    BOOST_STATIC_ASSERT(! detail::is_contiguous_container<
+        std::vector<derived>, base const>::value);
+
+    void
+    testSpan()
+    {
+        span<char const> sp{"hello", 5};
+        BEAST_EXPECT(sp.size() == 5);
+        std::string s("world");
+        sp = s;
+    }
+
+    void
+    run() override
+    {
+        testSpan();
+    }
+};
+
+BEAST_DEFINE_TESTSUITE(span,core,beast);
+
+} // beast