diff --git a/decnet/web/api.py b/decnet/web/api.py
index be5c445..f33b9de 100644
--- a/decnet/web/api.py
+++ b/decnet/web/api.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ from typing import Any, AsyncGenerator, Optional
 
 from fastapi import FastAPI, Request, status
 from fastapi.exceptions import RequestValidationError
-from fastapi.responses import JSONResponse
+from fastapi.responses import ORJSONResponse
 from pydantic import ValidationError
 from fastapi.middleware.cors import CORSMiddleware
 
@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@ app: FastAPI = FastAPI(
     title="DECNET Web Dashboard API",
     version="1.0.0",
     lifespan=lifespan,
+    default_response_class=ORJSONResponse,
     docs_url="/docs" if DECNET_DEVELOPER else None,
     redoc_url="/redoc" if DECNET_DEVELOPER else None,
     openapi_url="/openapi.json" if DECNET_DEVELOPER else None
@@ -179,7 +180,7 @@ app.include_router(api_router, prefix="/api/v1")
 
 
 @app.exception_handler(RequestValidationError)
-async def validation_exception_handler(request: Request, exc: RequestValidationError) -> JSONResponse:
+async def validation_exception_handler(request: Request, exc: RequestValidationError) -> ORJSONResponse:
     """
     Handle validation errors with targeted status codes to satisfy contract tests.
     Tiered Prioritization:
@@ -199,7 +200,7 @@ async def validation_exception_handler(request: Request, exc: RequestValidationE
         for err in errors
     )
     if is_structural_violation:
-        return JSONResponse(
+        return ORJSONResponse(
             status_code=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST,
             content={"detail": "Bad Request: Schema structural violation (wrong type, extra fields, or invalid length)."},
         )
@@ -210,7 +211,7 @@ async def validation_exception_handler(request: Request, exc: RequestValidationE
     # Empty INI content (Valid string but semantically empty)
     is_ini_empty = any("INI content is empty" in err.get("msg", "") for err in errors)
     if is_ini_empty:
-        return JSONResponse(
+        return ORJSONResponse(
             status_code=status.HTTP_409_CONFLICT,
             content={"detail": "Configuration conflict: INI content is empty."},
         )
@@ -219,7 +220,7 @@ async def validation_exception_handler(request: Request, exc: RequestValidationE
     # Mapping to 409 for Positive Data compliance.
     is_invalid_characters = any("Invalid INI format" in err.get("msg", "") for err in errors)
     if is_invalid_characters:
-        return JSONResponse(
+        return ORJSONResponse(
             status_code=status.HTTP_409_CONFLICT,
             content={"detail": "Configuration conflict: INI syntax or characters are invalid."},
         )
@@ -227,7 +228,7 @@ async def validation_exception_handler(request: Request, exc: RequestValidationE
     # Logical invalidity (Valid string, valid syntax, but missing required DECNET logic like sections)
     is_ini_invalid_logic = any("at least one section" in err.get("msg", "") for err in errors)
     if is_ini_invalid_logic:
-        return JSONResponse(
+        return ORJSONResponse(
             status_code=status.HTTP_409_CONFLICT,
             content={"detail": "Invalid INI config structure: No decky sections found."},
         )
@@ -242,19 +243,19 @@ async def validation_exception_handler(request: Request, exc: RequestValidationE
     if "/deckies/deploy" in request.url.path:
         message = "Invalid INI config"
 
-    return JSONResponse(
+    return ORJSONResponse(
         status_code=status.HTTP_422_UNPROCESSABLE_ENTITY,
         content={"detail": message},
     )
 
 @app.exception_handler(ValidationError)
-async def pydantic_validation_exception_handler(request: Request, exc: ValidationError) -> JSONResponse:
+async def pydantic_validation_exception_handler(request: Request, exc: ValidationError) -> ORJSONResponse:
     """
     Handle Pydantic errors that occur during manual model instantiation (e.g. state hydration).
     Prevents 500 errors when the database contains inconsistent or outdated schema data.
     """
     log.error("Internal Pydantic validation error: %s", exc)
-    return JSONResponse(
+    return ORJSONResponse(
         status_code=status.HTTP_422_UNPROCESSABLE_ENTITY,
         content={
             "detail": "Internal data consistency error",
diff --git a/decnet/web/db/sqlmodel_repo.py b/decnet/web/db/sqlmodel_repo.py
index 35b5fcf..0d0a351 100644
--- a/decnet/web/db/sqlmodel_repo.py
+++ b/decnet/web/db/sqlmodel_repo.py
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 
 import asyncio
 import json
+
+import orjson
 import uuid
 from datetime import datetime, timezone
 from typing import Any, Optional, List
@@ -146,7 +148,7 @@ class SQLModelRepository(BaseRepository):
     async def add_log(self, log_data: dict[str, Any]) -> None:
         data = log_data.copy()
         if "fields" in data and isinstance(data["fields"], dict):
-            data["fields"] = json.dumps(data["fields"])
+            data["fields"] = orjson.dumps(data["fields"]).decode()
         if "timestamp" in data and isinstance(data["timestamp"], str):
             try:
                 data["timestamp"] = datetime.fromisoformat(
@@ -391,7 +393,7 @@ class SQLModelRepository(BaseRepository):
     async def add_bounty(self, bounty_data: dict[str, Any]) -> None:
         data = bounty_data.copy()
         if "payload" in data and isinstance(data["payload"], dict):
-            data["payload"] = json.dumps(data["payload"])
+            data["payload"] = orjson.dumps(data["payload"]).decode()
 
         async with self._session() as session:
             dup = await session.execute(
@@ -478,7 +480,7 @@ class SQLModelRepository(BaseRepository):
             result = await session.execute(statement)
             state = result.scalar_one_or_none()
 
-            value_json = json.dumps(value)
+            value_json = orjson.dumps(value).decode()
             if state:
                 state.value = value_json
                 session.add(state)
diff --git a/decnet/web/router/health/api_get_health.py b/decnet/web/router/health/api_get_health.py
index b741754..95c9be0 100644
--- a/decnet/web/router/health/api_get_health.py
+++ b/decnet/web/router/health/api_get_health.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import time
 from typing import Any, Optional
 
 from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends
-from fastapi.responses import JSONResponse
+from fastapi.responses import ORJSONResponse
 
 from decnet.telemetry import traced as _traced
 from decnet.web.dependencies import require_viewer, repo
@@ -138,4 +138,4 @@ async def get_health(user: dict = Depends(require_viewer)) -> Any:
 
     result = HealthResponse(status=overall, components=components)
     status_code = 503 if overall == "unhealthy" else 200
-    return JSONResponse(content=result.model_dump(), status_code=status_code)
+    return ORJSONResponse(content=result.model_dump(), status_code=status_code)
diff --git a/decnet/web/router/stream/api_stream_events.py b/decnet/web/router/stream/api_stream_events.py
index 643e401..f463703 100644
--- a/decnet/web/router/stream/api_stream_events.py
+++ b/decnet/web/router/stream/api_stream_events.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
-import json
 import asyncio
+
+import orjson
 from typing import AsyncGenerator, Optional
 
 from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, Query, Request
@@ -87,8 +88,8 @@ async def stream_events(
             yield ": keepalive\n\n"  # flush headers immediately
 
             # Emit pre-fetched initial snapshot — no DB calls in generator until the loop
-            yield f"event: message\ndata: {json.dumps({'type': 'stats', 'data': _initial_stats})}\n\n"
-            yield f"event: message\ndata: {json.dumps({'type': 'histogram', 'data': _initial_histogram})}\n\n"
+            yield f"event: message\ndata: {orjson.dumps({'type': 'stats', 'data': _initial_stats}).decode()}\n\n"
+            yield f"event: message\ndata: {orjson.dumps({'type': 'histogram', 'data': _initial_histogram}).decode()}\n\n"
 
             while True:
                 if DECNET_DEVELOPER and max_output is not None:
@@ -114,17 +115,17 @@ async def stream_events(
                         "sse.emit_logs", links=_links,
                         attributes={"log_count": len(new_logs)},
                     ):
-                        yield f"event: message\ndata: {json.dumps({'type': 'logs', 'data': new_logs})}\n\n"
+                        yield f"event: message\ndata: {orjson.dumps({'type': 'logs', 'data': new_logs}).decode()}\n\n"
                     loops_since_stats = stats_interval_sec
 
                 if loops_since_stats >= stats_interval_sec:
                     stats = await repo.get_stats_summary()
-                    yield f"event: message\ndata: {json.dumps({'type': 'stats', 'data': stats})}\n\n"
+                    yield f"event: message\ndata: {orjson.dumps({'type': 'stats', 'data': stats}).decode()}\n\n"
                     histogram = await repo.get_log_histogram(
                         search=search, start_time=start_time,
                         end_time=end_time, interval_minutes=15,
                     )
-                    yield f"event: message\ndata: {json.dumps({'type': 'histogram', 'data': histogram})}\n\n"
+                    yield f"event: message\ndata: {orjson.dumps({'type': 'histogram', 'data': histogram}).decode()}\n\n"
                     loops_since_stats = 0
 
                 loops_since_stats += 1
@@ -134,7 +135,7 @@ async def stream_events(
             pass
         except Exception:
             log.exception("SSE stream error for user %s", last_event_id)
-            yield f"event: error\ndata: {json.dumps({'type': 'error', 'message': 'Stream interrupted'})}\n\n"
+            yield f"event: error\ndata: {orjson.dumps({'type': 'error', 'message': 'Stream interrupted'}).decode()}\n\n"
 
     return StreamingResponse(
         event_generator(),
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index c899e69..f839043 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ dependencies = [
     "python-dotenv>=1.0.0",
     "sqlmodel>=0.0.16",
     "scapy>=2.6.1",
+    "orjson>=3.10",
 ]
 
 [project.optional-dependencies]