diff --git a/source/adios2/engine/ssc/SscHelper.cpp b/source/adios2/engine/ssc/SscHelper.cpp
index da0b129dc9..b5cf30a550 100644
--- a/source/adios2/engine/ssc/SscHelper.cpp
+++ b/source/adios2/engine/ssc/SscHelper.cpp
@@ -122,14 +122,7 @@ void SerializeVariables(const BlockVec &input, Buffer &output, const int rank)
     for (const auto &b : input)
     {
         uint64_t pos = output.value<uint64_t>();
-        if (pos + 1024 > output.capacity())
-        {
-            output.reserve((pos + 1024) * 2);
-        }
-        if (pos == 0)
-        {
-            pos += 8;
-        }
+        output.resize(pos + 1024);
 
         output.value<uint8_t>(pos) = static_cast<uint8_t>(b.shapeId);
         ++pos;
@@ -189,14 +182,7 @@ void SerializeAttributes(IO &input, Buffer &output)
     for (const auto &attributePair : attributeMap)
     {
         uint64_t pos = output.value<uint64_t>();
-        if (pos + 1024 > output.capacity())
-        {
-            output.reserve((pos + 1024) * 2);
-        }
-        if (pos == 0)
-        {
-            pos += 8;
-        }
+        output.resize(pos + 1024);
 
         if (attributePair.second->m_Type == DataType::String)
         {
@@ -432,7 +418,7 @@ void AggregateMetadata(const Buffer &localBuffer, Buffer &globalBuffer,
     std::vector<int> localSizes(mpiSize);
     MPI_Gather(&localSize, 1, MPI_INT, localSizes.data(), 1, MPI_INT, 0, comm);
     int globalSize = std::accumulate(localSizes.begin(), localSizes.end(), 0);
-    globalBuffer.reserve(globalSize + 10);
+    globalBuffer.resize(globalSize + 10);
 
     std::vector<int> displs(mpiSize);
     for (size_t i = 1; i < mpiSize; ++i)
@@ -450,11 +436,11 @@ void AggregateMetadata(const Buffer &localBuffer, Buffer &globalBuffer,
 
 void BroadcastMetadata(Buffer &globalBuffer, const int root, MPI_Comm comm)
 {
-    int globalBufferSize = static_cast<int>(globalBuffer.capacity());
+    int globalBufferSize = static_cast<int>(globalBuffer.size());
     MPI_Bcast(&globalBufferSize, 1, MPI_INT, root, comm);
-    if (globalBuffer.capacity() < globalBufferSize)
+    if (globalBuffer.size() < globalBufferSize)
     {
-        globalBuffer.reserve(globalBufferSize);
+        globalBuffer.resize(globalBufferSize);
     }
     MPI_Bcast(globalBuffer.data(), globalBufferSize, MPI_CHAR, root, comm);
 }
diff --git a/source/adios2/engine/ssc/SscHelper.h b/source/adios2/engine/ssc/SscHelper.h
index 1c800045b4..1507323938 100644
--- a/source/adios2/engine/ssc/SscHelper.h
+++ b/source/adios2/engine/ssc/SscHelper.h
@@ -29,34 +29,38 @@ namespace ssc
 class Buffer
 {
 public:
-    Buffer()
-    {
-        m_Buffer = reinterpret_cast<uint8_t *>(malloc(1));
-        m_Capacity = 1;
-    }
-    Buffer(size_t capacity)
+    Buffer(const size_t capacity = 1)
     {
         m_Buffer = reinterpret_cast<uint8_t *>(malloc(capacity));
         m_Capacity = capacity;
+        m_Size = 0;
     }
     ~Buffer()
     {
         if (m_Buffer)
         {
             free(m_Buffer);
-            m_Capacity = 0;
-            m_Buffer = nullptr;
         }
     }
     void clear()
     {
         m_Buffer = reinterpret_cast<uint8_t *>(realloc(m_Buffer, 1));
         m_Capacity = 1;
+        m_Size = 0;
     }
-    void reserve(size_t capacity)
+    void resize(const size_t size)
     {
-        m_Buffer = reinterpret_cast<uint8_t *>(realloc(m_Buffer, capacity));
-        m_Capacity = capacity;
+        m_Size = size;
+        if (size > m_Capacity)
+        {
+            m_Capacity = size * 2;
+            m_Buffer =
+                reinterpret_cast<uint8_t *>(realloc(m_Buffer, m_Capacity));
+        }
+        if (m_Buffer == nullptr)
+        {
+            throw("ssc buffer realloc failed");
+        }
     }
     template <typename T>
     T &value(const size_t pos = 0)
@@ -94,7 +98,7 @@ class Buffer
     {
         return reinterpret_cast<const uint8_t *>(m_Buffer + pos);
     }
-    size_t capacity() const { return m_Capacity; }
+    size_t size() const { return m_Size; }
     uint8_t &operator[](const size_t pos) { return *(m_Buffer + pos); }
     const uint8_t &operator[](const size_t pos) const
     {
@@ -103,6 +107,7 @@ class Buffer
 
 private:
     size_t m_Capacity = 0;
+    size_t m_Size = 0;
     uint8_t *m_Buffer = nullptr;
 };
 
diff --git a/source/adios2/engine/ssc/SscReader.cpp b/source/adios2/engine/ssc/SscReader.cpp
index 71206571d2..0e4f0794d3 100644
--- a/source/adios2/engine/ssc/SscReader.cpp
+++ b/source/adios2/engine/ssc/SscReader.cpp
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ void SscReader::BeginStepConsequentFixed()
 void SscReader::BeginStepFlexible(StepStatus &status)
 {
     m_AllReceivingWriterRanks.clear();
-    m_Buffer.reserve(1);
+    m_Buffer.resize(1);
     m_Buffer[0] = 0;
     m_GlobalWritePattern.clear();
     m_GlobalWritePattern.resize(m_StreamSize);
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ void SscReader::PerformGets()
             {
                 totalDataSize += i.second.second;
             }
-            m_Buffer.reserve(totalDataSize);
+            m_Buffer.resize(totalDataSize);
             for (const auto &i : m_AllReceivingWriterRanks)
             {
                 MPI_Win_lock(MPI_LOCK_SHARED, i.first, 0, m_MpiWin);
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ void SscReader::EndStepFixed()
     {
         MPI_Win_free(&m_MpiWin);
         SyncReadPattern();
-        MPI_Win_create(m_Buffer.data(), m_Buffer.capacity(), 1, MPI_INFO_NULL,
+        MPI_Win_create(m_Buffer.data(), m_Buffer.size(), 1, MPI_INFO_NULL,
                        m_StreamComm, &m_MpiWin);
     }
     if (m_MpiMode == "twosided")
@@ -461,7 +461,7 @@ void SscReader::SyncReadPattern()
     }
 
     ssc::Buffer localBuffer(8);
-    localBuffer.value<uint64_t>() = 0;
+    localBuffer.value<uint64_t>() = 8;
 
     ssc::SerializeVariables(m_LocalReadPattern, localBuffer, m_StreamRank);
 
@@ -485,7 +485,7 @@ void SscReader::SyncReadPattern()
     {
         totalDataSize += i.second.second;
     }
-    m_Buffer.reserve(totalDataSize);
+    m_Buffer.resize(totalDataSize);
 
     if (m_Verbosity >= 20)
     {
diff --git a/source/adios2/engine/ssc/SscWriter.cpp b/source/adios2/engine/ssc/SscWriter.cpp
index a11c27e731..1d635e5548 100644
--- a/source/adios2/engine/ssc/SscWriter.cpp
+++ b/source/adios2/engine/ssc/SscWriter.cpp
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ void SscWriter::SyncWritePattern(bool finalStep)
     }
 
     ssc::Buffer localBuffer(8);
-    localBuffer.value<uint64_t>() = 0;
+    localBuffer.value<uint64_t>() = 8;
 
     ssc::SerializeVariables(m_GlobalWritePattern[m_StreamRank], localBuffer,
                             m_StreamRank);