diff --git a/include/fmt/compile.h b/include/fmt/compile.h
index d7e6449e..2a07d2f6 100644
--- a/include/fmt/compile.h
+++ b/include/fmt/compile.h
@@ -608,8 +608,7 @@ template <typename CompiledFormat, typename... Args,
 std::basic_string<Char> format(const CompiledFormat& cf, const Args&... args) {
   basic_memory_buffer<Char> buffer;
   using context = buffer_context<Char>;
-  detail::buffer<Char>& base = buffer;
-  detail::cf::vformat_to<context>(std::back_inserter(base), cf,
+  detail::cf::vformat_to<context>(detail::buffer_appender<Char>(buffer), cf,
                                   make_format_args<context>(args...));
   return to_string(buffer);
 }
diff --git a/include/fmt/core.h b/include/fmt/core.h
index 761162eb..f71e00b6 100644
--- a/include/fmt/core.h
+++ b/include/fmt/core.h
@@ -722,6 +722,17 @@ class container_buffer : public buffer<typename Container::value_type> {
       : buffer<typename Container::value_type>(c.size()), container_(c) {}
 };
 
+// An output iterator that appends to the buffer.
+// It is used to reduce symbol sizes for the common case.
+template <typename T>
+class buffer_appender : public std::back_insert_iterator<buffer<T>> {
+ public:
+  explicit buffer_appender(buffer<T>& buf)
+    : std::back_insert_iterator<buffer<T>>(buf) {}
+  buffer_appender(std::back_insert_iterator<buffer<T>> it)
+    : std::back_insert_iterator<buffer<T>>(it) {}
+};
+
 // Extracts a reference to the container from back_insert_iterator.
 template <typename Container>
 inline Container& get_container(std::back_insert_iterator<Container> it) {
@@ -1356,13 +1367,13 @@ template <typename OutputIt, typename Char> class basic_format_context {
 
 template <typename Char>
 using buffer_context =
-    basic_format_context<std::back_insert_iterator<detail::buffer<Char>>, Char>;
+    basic_format_context<detail::buffer_appender<Char>, Char>;
 using format_context = buffer_context<char>;
 using wformat_context = buffer_context<wchar_t>;
 
-// Workaround a bug in gcc: https://stackoverflow.com/q/62767544/471164.
+// Workaround an alias issue: https://stackoverflow.com/q/62767544/471164.
 #define FMT_BUFFER_CONTEXT(Char) \
-  basic_format_context<std::back_insert_iterator<detail::buffer<Char>>, Char>
+  basic_format_context<detail::buffer_appender<Char>, Char>
 
 /**
   \rst
@@ -1772,7 +1783,7 @@ std::basic_string<Char> vformat(
 FMT_API std::string vformat(string_view format_str, format_args args);
 
 template <typename Char>
-typename FMT_BUFFER_CONTEXT(Char)::iterator vformat_to(
+buffer_appender<Char> vformat_to(
     buffer<Char>& buf, basic_string_view<Char> format_str,
     basic_format_args<FMT_BUFFER_CONTEXT(type_identity_t<Char>)> args);
 
diff --git a/include/fmt/format-inl.h b/include/fmt/format-inl.h
index d8c9c8a5..a0423c7f 100644
--- a/include/fmt/format-inl.h
+++ b/include/fmt/format-inl.h
@@ -1296,6 +1296,19 @@ FMT_FUNC const char* utf8_decode(const char* buf, uint32_t* c, int* e) {
 
   return next;
 }
+
+struct stringifier {
+  template <typename T> FMT_INLINE std::string operator()(T value) const {
+    return to_string(value);
+  }
+  std::string operator()(basic_format_arg<format_context>::handle h) const {
+    memory_buffer buf;
+    format_parse_context parse_ctx({});
+    format_context format_ctx(buffer_appender<char>(buf), {}, {});
+    h.format(parse_ctx, format_ctx);
+    return to_string(buf);
+  }
+};
 }  // namespace detail
 
 template <> struct formatter<detail::bigint> {
@@ -1384,20 +1397,6 @@ FMT_FUNC void report_system_error(int error_code,
   report_error(format_system_error, error_code, message);
 }
 
-struct stringifier {
-  template <typename T> FMT_INLINE std::string operator()(T value) const {
-    return to_string(value);
-  }
-  std::string operator()(basic_format_arg<format_context>::handle h) const {
-    memory_buffer buf;
-    detail::buffer<char>& base = buf;
-    format_parse_context parse_ctx({});
-    format_context format_ctx(std::back_inserter(base), {}, {});
-    h.format(parse_ctx, format_ctx);
-    return to_string(buf);
-  }
-};
-
 FMT_FUNC std::string detail::vformat(string_view format_str, format_args args) {
   if (format_str.size() == 2 && equal2(format_str.data(), "{}")) {
     auto arg = args.get(0);
diff --git a/include/fmt/format.h b/include/fmt/format.h
index ddf086f8..4e7f6aba 100644
--- a/include/fmt/format.h
+++ b/include/fmt/format.h
@@ -371,6 +371,11 @@ reserve(std::back_insert_iterator<Container> it, size_t n) {
   return make_checked(get_data(c) + size, n);
 }
 
+template <typename T>
+inline checked_ptr<T> reserve(buffer_appender<T> it, size_t n) {
+  return reserve(std::back_insert_iterator<buffer<T>>(it), n);
+}
+
 template <typename Iterator> inline Iterator& reserve(Iterator& it, size_t) {
   return it;
 }
@@ -2933,7 +2938,7 @@ class arg_formatter : public arg_formatter_base<OutputIt, Char> {
 
 template <typename OutputIt, typename Char>
 using arg_formatter FMT_DEPRECATED_ALIAS =
-  detail::arg_formatter<OutputIt, Char>;
+    detail::arg_formatter<OutputIt, Char>;
 
 /**
  An error returned by an operating system or a language runtime,
@@ -3445,11 +3450,11 @@ std::basic_string<Char> to_string(const basic_memory_buffer<Char, SIZE>& buf) {
 }
 
 template <typename Char>
-typename buffer_context<Char>::iterator detail::vformat_to(
+detail::buffer_appender<Char> detail::vformat_to(
     detail::buffer<Char>& buf, basic_string_view<Char> format_str,
     basic_format_args<buffer_context<type_identity_t<Char>>> args) {
   using af = arg_formatter<typename buffer_context<Char>::iterator, Char>;
-  return vformat_to<af>(std::back_inserter(buf), to_string_view(format_str),
+  return vformat_to<af>(buffer_appender<Char>(buf), to_string_view(format_str),
                         args);
 }
 
diff --git a/include/fmt/locale.h b/include/fmt/locale.h
index 988d15cd..8f1c7280 100644
--- a/include/fmt/locale.h
+++ b/include/fmt/locale.h
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ typename buffer_context<Char>::iterator vformat_to(
     basic_string_view<Char> format_str,
     basic_format_args<buffer_context<type_identity_t<Char>>> args) {
   using af = arg_formatter<typename buffer_context<Char>::iterator, Char>;
-  return vformat_to<af>(std::back_inserter(buf), to_string_view(format_str),
+  return vformat_to<af>(buffer_appender<Char>(buf), to_string_view(format_str),
                         args, detail::locale_ref(loc));
 }
 
diff --git a/test/core-test.cc b/test/core-test.cc
index 8a1ea83b..2655d78c 100644
--- a/test/core-test.cc
+++ b/test/core-test.cc
@@ -53,10 +53,7 @@ template <typename Char> struct formatter<test_struct, Char> {
     return ctx.begin();
   }
 
-  typedef std::back_insert_iterator<buffer<Char>> iterator;
-
-  auto format(test_struct, basic_format_context<iterator, char>& ctx)
-      -> decltype(ctx.out()) {
+  auto format(test_struct, format_context& ctx) -> decltype(ctx.out()) {
     const Char* test = "test";
     return std::copy_n(test, std::strlen(test), ctx.out());
   }
@@ -377,9 +374,9 @@ struct check_custom {
       test_buffer() : fmt::detail::buffer<char>(data, 0, 10) {}
       void grow(size_t) {}
     } buffer;
-    fmt::detail::buffer<char>& base = buffer;
     fmt::format_parse_context parse_ctx("");
-    fmt::format_context ctx(std::back_inserter(base), fmt::format_args());
+    fmt::format_context ctx{
+      fmt::detail::buffer_appender<char>(buffer), fmt::format_args()};
     h.format(parse_ctx, ctx);
     EXPECT_EQ("test", std::string(buffer.data, buffer.size()));
     return test_result();
@@ -388,8 +385,8 @@ struct check_custom {
 
 TEST(ArgTest, CustomArg) {
   test_struct test;
-  typedef mock_visitor<fmt::basic_format_arg<fmt::format_context>::handle>
-      visitor;
+  using visitor =
+    mock_visitor<fmt::basic_format_arg<fmt::format_context>::handle>;
   testing::StrictMock<visitor> v;
   EXPECT_CALL(v, visit(_)).WillOnce(testing::Invoke(check_custom()));
   fmt::visit_format_arg(v, make_arg<fmt::format_context>(test));
diff --git a/test/custom-formatter-test.cc b/test/custom-formatter-test.cc
index 1b0c1e13..f378bd78 100644
--- a/test/custom-formatter-test.cc
+++ b/test/custom-formatter-test.cc
@@ -39,10 +39,9 @@ class custom_arg_formatter
 
 std::string custom_vformat(fmt::string_view format_str, fmt::format_args args) {
   fmt::memory_buffer buffer;
-  fmt::detail::buffer<char>& base = buffer;
   // Pass custom argument formatter as a template arg to vwrite.
-  fmt::vformat_to<custom_arg_formatter>(std::back_inserter(base), format_str,
-                                        args);
+  fmt::vformat_to<custom_arg_formatter>(
+    fmt::detail::buffer_appender<char>(buffer), format_str, args);
   return std::string(buffer.data(), buffer.size());
 }
 
diff --git a/test/format b/test/format
index 11c58b96..76ac5476 100644
--- a/test/format
+++ b/test/format
@@ -38,9 +38,9 @@ namespace std {
   
   template<class Out, class charT> class basic_format_context;
   using format_context = basic_format_context<
-    /* unspecified */ std::back_insert_iterator<fmt::detail::buffer<char>>, char>;
+    /* unspecified */ fmt::detail::buffer_appender<char>, char>;
   using wformat_context = basic_format_context<
-    /* unspecified */ std::back_insert_iterator<fmt::detail::buffer<wchar_t>>, wchar_t>;
+    /* unspecified */ fmt::detail::buffer_appender<wchar_t>, wchar_t>;
 
   template<class T, class charT = char> struct formatter {
     formatter() = delete;
@@ -714,7 +714,7 @@ string vformat(string_view fmt, format_args args) {
   fmt::detail::buffer<char>& buf = mbuf;
   using af = detail::arg_formatter<fmt::format_context::iterator, char>;
   detail::format_handler<af, char, format_context>
-    h(std::back_inserter(buf), fmt, args, {});
+    h(fmt::detail::buffer_appender<char>(buf), fmt, args, {});
   fmt::detail::parse_format_string<false>(fmt::to_string_view(fmt), h);
   return to_string(mbuf);
 }
diff --git a/test/format-test.cc b/test/format-test.cc
index 978feef2..442ad7a7 100644
--- a/test/format-test.cc
+++ b/test/format-test.cc
@@ -1844,10 +1844,9 @@ class mock_arg_formatter
 };
 
 static void custom_vformat(fmt::string_view format_str, fmt::format_args args) {
-  fmt::memory_buffer buffer;
-  fmt::detail::buffer<char>& base = buffer;
-  fmt::vformat_to<mock_arg_formatter>(std::back_inserter(base), format_str,
-                                      args);
+  fmt::memory_buffer buf;
+  fmt::vformat_to<mock_arg_formatter>(fmt::detail::buffer_appender<char>(buf),
+                                      format_str, args);
 }
 
 template <typename... Args>
diff --git a/test/ostream-test.cc b/test/ostream-test.cc
index 1c87d46d..fccc9b0d 100644
--- a/test/ostream-test.cc
+++ b/test/ostream-test.cc
@@ -75,8 +75,8 @@ struct test_arg_formatter
 
 TEST(OStreamTest, CustomArg) {
   fmt::memory_buffer buffer;
-  fmt::detail::buffer<char>& base = buffer;
-  fmt::format_context ctx(std::back_inserter(base), fmt::format_args());
+  fmt::format_context ctx(
+    fmt::detail::buffer_appender<char>{buffer}, fmt::format_args());
   fmt::format_specs spec;
   test_arg_formatter af(ctx, spec);
   fmt::visit_format_arg(