diff --git a/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/api/Buf.java b/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/api/Buf.java
index 98404a1..4eb9f15 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/api/Buf.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/api/Buf.java
@@ -417,4 +417,11 @@ public interface Buf extends Rc<Buf>, BufAccessors {
      * @return A new buffer with independent and exclusive ownership over the read and readable bytes from this buffer.
      */
     Buf bifurcate();
+
+    /**
+     * Discards the read bytes, and moves the buffer contents to the beginning of the buffer.
+     *
+     * The buffer must be {@linkplain #isOwned() owned}, or an exception will be thrown.
+     */
+    void compact();
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/api/CompositeBuf.java b/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/api/CompositeBuf.java
index d3c4f07..676d844 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/api/CompositeBuf.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/api/CompositeBuf.java
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@ import java.nio.ByteOrder;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Objects;
 
+import static jdk.incubator.foreign.MemoryAccess.setByteAtOffset;
+import static jdk.incubator.foreign.MemoryAccess.setLongAtOffset;
+
 final class CompositeBuf extends RcSupport<Buf, CompositeBuf> implements Buf {
     /**
      * The max array size is JVM implementation dependant, but most seem to settle on {@code Integer.MAX_VALUE - 8}.
@@ -600,6 +603,35 @@ final class CompositeBuf extends RcSupport<Buf, CompositeBuf> implements Buf {
         }
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public void compact() {
+        if (!isOwned()) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException("Buffer must be owned in order to compact.");
+        }
+        int distance = roff;
+        if (distance == 0) {
+            return;
+        }
+        int pos = 0;
+        var oldOrder = order;
+        order = ByteOrder.BIG_ENDIAN;
+        try {
+            var cursor = openCursor();
+            while (cursor.readLong()) {
+                setLong(pos, cursor.getLong());
+                pos += Long.BYTES;
+            }
+            while (cursor.readByte()) {
+                setByte(pos, cursor.getByte());
+                pos++;
+            }
+        } finally {
+            order = oldOrder;
+        }
+        readerOffset(0);
+        writerOffset(woff - distance);
+    }
+
     // <editor-fold defaultstate="collapsed" desc="Primitive accessors.">
     @Override
     public byte readByte() {
diff --git a/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/api/memseg/MemSegBuf.java b/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/api/memseg/MemSegBuf.java
index 6631824..84ea60f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/api/memseg/MemSegBuf.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/netty/buffer/api/memseg/MemSegBuf.java
@@ -384,6 +384,29 @@ class MemSegBuf extends RcSupport<Buf, MemSegBuf> implements Buf {
         return bifurcatedBuf;
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public void compact() {
+        if (!isOwned()) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException("Buffer must be owned in order to compact.");
+        }
+        int distance = roff;
+        if (distance == 0) {
+            return;
+        }
+        int pos = 0;
+        var cursor = openCursor();
+        while (cursor.readLong()) {
+            setLongAtOffset(seg, pos, ByteOrder.BIG_ENDIAN, cursor.getLong());
+            pos += Long.BYTES;
+        }
+        while (cursor.readByte()) {
+            setByteAtOffset(seg, pos, cursor.getByte());
+            pos++;
+        }
+        roff -= distance;
+        woff -= distance;
+    }
+
     // <editor-fold defaultstate="collapsed" desc="Primitive accessors implementation.">
     @Override
     public byte readByte() {
diff --git a/src/test/java/io/netty/buffer/api/BufTest.java b/src/test/java/io/netty/buffer/api/BufTest.java
index bb5da96..a832ed8 100644
--- a/src/test/java/io/netty/buffer/api/BufTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/io/netty/buffer/api/BufTest.java
@@ -2195,6 +2195,43 @@ public class BufTest {
         }
     }
 
+    @ParameterizedTest
+    @MethodSource("nonSliceAllocators")
+    public void compactMustDiscardReadBytes(Fixture fixture) {
+        try (Allocator allocator = fixture.createAllocator();
+             Buf buf = allocator.allocate(16, ByteOrder.BIG_ENDIAN)) {
+            buf.writeLong(0x0102030405060708L).writeInt(0x090A0B0C);
+            assertEquals(0x01020304, buf.readInt());
+            assertEquals(12, buf.writerOffset());
+            assertEquals(4, buf.readerOffset());
+            assertEquals(4, buf.writableBytes());
+            assertEquals(8, buf.readableBytes());
+            assertEquals(16, buf.capacity());
+            buf.compact();
+            assertEquals(8, buf.writerOffset());
+            assertEquals(0, buf.readerOffset());
+            assertEquals(8, buf.writableBytes());
+            assertEquals(8, buf.readableBytes());
+            assertEquals(16, buf.capacity());
+            assertEquals(0x05060708090A0B0CL, buf.readLong());
+        }
+    }
+
+    @ParameterizedTest
+    @MethodSource("nonSliceAllocators")
+    public void compactMustThrowForUnownedBuffer(Fixture fixture) {
+        try (Allocator allocator = fixture.createAllocator();
+             Buf buf = allocator.allocate(8, ByteOrder.BIG_ENDIAN)) {
+            buf.writeLong(0x0102030405060708L);
+            assertEquals((byte) 0x01, buf.readByte());
+            try (Buf ignore = buf.acquire()) {
+                assertThrows(IllegalStateException.class, () -> buf.compact());
+                assertEquals(1, buf.readerOffset());
+            }
+            assertEquals((byte) 0x02, buf.readByte());
+        }
+    }
+
     // <editor-fold defaultstate="collapsed" desc="Primitive accessors tests.">
     @ParameterizedTest
     @MethodSource("allocators")