diff --git a/aya-obj/src/btf/helpers.rs b/aya-obj/src/btf/helpers.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..87c492ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/aya-obj/src/btf/helpers.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,352 @@
+use super::*;
+use alloc::{
+    borrow::Cow,
+    string::{String, ToString},
+    vec,
+    vec::Vec,
+};
+
+/// Helper structure used to describe a BTF structure
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct StructHelper {
+    /// structure's name
+    pub name: String,
+    /// structure's BTF type
+    pub btf_type: BtfType,
+    /// members of the structure
+    pub members: Vec<MemberHelper>,
+}
+
+impl Default for StructHelper {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        StructHelper {
+            name: "".into(),
+            btf_type: BtfType::Unknown,
+            members: vec![],
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl StructHelper {
+    pub(crate) fn with_type(name: String, bt: BtfType) -> Self {
+        StructHelper {
+            name,
+            btf_type: bt,
+            ..Default::default()
+        }
+    }
+
+    // resolve structure members recursively
+    fn resolve_members_rec(
+        &mut self,
+        btf: &Btf,
+        t: &BtfType,
+        member_path: &MemberPath,
+        base_offset: u32,
+    ) -> Result<(), BtfError> {
+        if let Some(members) = t.members() {
+            let mut member_offset = base_offset;
+            for m in members {
+                let member_name = btf.string_at(m.name_offset)?;
+                // we get the member type
+                let member_type = btf.type_by_id(m.btf_type)?;
+                let member_size = member_type.size().unwrap_or_default();
+                let p = MemberPath::from_other_with_name(member_path, member_name.to_string());
+
+                match member_type {
+                    BtfType::Struct(_) => {
+                        // we push the structure name
+                        self.members.push(MemberHelper::new(
+                            p.clone(),
+                            member_offset,
+                            member_type.clone(),
+                            None,
+                        ));
+                        // we process all members of the structure
+                        self.resolve_members_rec(btf, member_type, &p, member_offset)?;
+                    }
+
+                    BtfType::Union(_) => {
+                        // unions don't have names so path is unchanged
+                        self.resolve_members_rec(btf, member_type, member_path, member_offset)?;
+                    }
+
+                    BtfType::Array(array) => {
+                        self.members.push(MemberHelper::new(
+                            p,
+                            member_offset,
+                            member_type.clone(),
+                            Some(btf.type_by_id(array.array.element_type)?.clone()),
+                        ));
+                    }
+                    _ => {
+                        self.members.push(MemberHelper::new(
+                            p,
+                            member_offset,
+                            member_type.clone(),
+                            None,
+                        ));
+                    }
+                }
+
+                // members of unions all have the same offset
+                if !matches!(t.kind(), BtfKind::Union) {
+                    member_offset += member_size;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    /// Creates a new structure descriptor for structure named `struct_name` from a [`Btf`]
+    /// # Arguments
+    /// * `struct_name` - must be a valid name of a structure defined inside the [`Btf`] object.
+    pub fn from_btf<T: AsRef<str>>(btf: &Btf, struct_name: T) -> Result<Self, BtfError> {
+        let struct_name = struct_name.as_ref();
+        let i_struct = btf.id_by_type_name_kind(struct_name, BtfKind::Struct)?;
+        let st = btf.type_by_id(i_struct)?;
+
+        let mut struct_desc: Self = Self::with_type(struct_name.into(), st.clone());
+        //let mp = MemberPath::with_struct_name(struct_name.into());
+        let mp = MemberPath::new();
+
+        struct_desc.resolve_members_rec(btf, st, &mp, 0)?;
+        Ok(struct_desc)
+    }
+
+    /// Get the member located at path relative to the top level structure
+    /// # Arguments
+    /// * `p` - must be a string containing dots (.) as path separators
+    pub fn get_member<P: AsRef<str>>(&self, path: P) -> Option<&MemberHelper> {
+        let path = path.as_ref();
+        self.members.iter().find(|m| m.is_path(path))
+    }
+
+    /// Returns the size of the [`StructHelper`]. This might not be the real size of
+    /// the structure as it does not take alignement into account. In order to have
+    /// the size of aligned structure use [`size_of_aligned`] method.
+    ///
+    /// [`size_of_aligned`]: #size_of_aligned
+    pub fn size_of(&self) -> usize {
+        // a simple way to get the size of the structure is to
+        // get the last member offset and add the member's size to it
+        if let Some(last) = self.members.last() {
+            return last.offset as usize + last.size_of();
+        }
+        // if there is no member the structure size must be 0
+        0
+    }
+
+    /// Return aligned size of structure according to architecture pointer size
+    pub fn size_of_aligned(&self) -> usize {
+        let un_size = self.size_of();
+        let align = core::mem::size_of::<*const usize>();
+        let modulo = un_size % align;
+        if un_size == 0 {
+            return 0;
+        }
+
+        if modulo == 0 {
+            // we are already aligned
+            return un_size;
+        }
+
+        // compute aligned size_of
+        (un_size - modulo) + align
+    }
+}
+
+/// Path of a member inside a structure
+#[derive(Clone)]
+pub struct MemberPath(Vec<String>);
+
+impl MemberPath {
+    pub(crate) fn new() -> Self {
+        MemberPath(vec![])
+    }
+
+    pub(crate) fn with_struct_name(struct_name: String) -> Self {
+        MemberPath(vec![struct_name])
+    }
+
+    pub(crate) fn from_other_with_name(o: &Self, name: String) -> Self {
+        let mut new = o.clone();
+        new.push_name(name);
+        new
+    }
+
+    pub(crate) fn push_name(&mut self, name: String) {
+        self.0.push(name)
+    }
+
+    pub(crate) fn eq_str<T: AsRef<str>>(&self, s: T) -> bool {
+        s.as_ref() == self.to_string().as_str()
+    }
+}
+
+impl core::fmt::Display for MemberPath {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut core::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> core::fmt::Result {
+        write!(f, "{}", self.0.join("."))
+    }
+}
+
+impl core::fmt::Debug for MemberPath {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut core::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> core::fmt::Result {
+        write!(f, "{}", self.0.join("."))
+    }
+}
+
+/// Structure holding information about BTF structure offset
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct MemberHelper {
+    /// full path of the structure member, starting with top level structure name (ex: task_struct.thread_info)
+    pub path: MemberPath,
+    /// relative offset (to the top level structure) of that member
+    pub offset: u32,
+    /// [BtfType] associated to the member
+    pub btf_type: BtfType,
+    /// if btf_type is a [BtfType::Array] this is the [BtfType] of the element
+    pub element_type: Option<BtfType>,
+}
+
+impl MemberHelper {
+    pub(crate) fn new(
+        path: MemberPath,
+        offset: u32,
+        btf_type: BtfType,
+        element_type: Option<BtfType>,
+    ) -> Self {
+        MemberHelper {
+            path,
+            offset,
+            btf_type,
+            element_type,
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Checks if member path matches string
+    /// # Arguments
+    /// * `p` - must be a string containing dots (.) as path separators
+    pub fn is_path<T: AsRef<str>>(&self, p: T) -> bool {
+        self.path.eq_str(p)
+    }
+
+    /// Returns member's name
+    pub fn member_name(&self) -> Cow<str> {
+        Cow::from(self.path.0.last().unwrap())
+    }
+
+    /// Returns the size of the BTF member
+    pub fn size_of(&self) -> usize {
+        // different size computation for arrays
+        if let BtfType::Array(a) = &self.btf_type {
+            let etype = self
+                .element_type
+                .as_ref()
+                .expect("element type should not be missing");
+            // we multiply the size of the element with the length of the array
+            return (etype.size().unwrap_or_default() * a.array.len) as usize;
+        }
+
+        self.btf_type.size().unwrap_or_default() as usize
+    }
+
+    /// Returns the size of aligned member
+    pub fn size_of_aligned(&self) -> usize {
+        let un_size = self.size_of();
+        let align = core::mem::size_of::<*const usize>();
+        let modulo = un_size % align;
+        if un_size == 0 {
+            return 0;
+        }
+
+        if modulo == 0 {
+            // we are already aligned
+            return un_size;
+        }
+
+        // compute aligned size_of
+        (un_size - modulo) + align
+    }
+}
+
+mod test {
+    use std::println;
+
+    use alloc::task;
+
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_offsets() {
+        let btf = Btf::from_sys_fs().unwrap();
+        let ptr_size = core::mem::size_of::<*const u32>() as u32;
+
+        let hlist_head = StructHelper::from_btf(&btf, "hlist_head").unwrap();
+        // hlist_h ead is only one pointer
+        assert_eq!(hlist_head.get_member("first").unwrap().offset, 0);
+
+        // hlist_node is a structure of two pointers
+        let hlist_node = StructHelper::from_btf(&btf, "hlist_node").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(hlist_node.get_member("next").unwrap().offset, 0);
+        assert_eq!(hlist_node.get_member("pprev").unwrap().offset, ptr_size);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_get_member() {
+        let btf = Btf::from_sys_fs().unwrap();
+
+        let mount = StructHelper::from_btf(&btf, "mount").unwrap();
+
+        assert!(mount.get_member("mnt").is_some());
+        assert!(mount.get_member("mnt.mnt_root").is_some());
+        assert!(mount.get_member("mnt.mnt_sb").is_some());
+        assert!(mount.get_member("mnt_parent").is_some());
+
+        // testing unexisting members
+        assert!(mount.get_member("").is_none());
+        assert!(mount.get_member("mnt.unkwnown_member").is_none());
+        assert!(mount.get_member("mnt.mnt_root.unk").is_none());
+
+        let task_struct = StructHelper::from_btf(&btf, "task_struct").unwrap();
+        for m in &task_struct.members {
+            assert!(task_struct.get_member(m.path.to_string()).is_some());
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_validate_size_of() {
+        // the structures used in this test are relatively small and
+        // are supposed not to change a lot accross kernels
+
+        let btf = Btf::from_sys_fs().unwrap();
+        let ptr_size = core::mem::size_of::<*const u32>();
+
+        // hlist_h ead is only one pointer
+        assert_eq!(
+            StructHelper::from_btf(&btf, "hlist_head")
+                .unwrap()
+                .size_of_aligned(),
+            ptr_size
+        );
+
+        // hlist_node is two pointers
+        assert_eq!(
+            StructHelper::from_btf(&btf, "hlist_node")
+                .unwrap()
+                .size_of_aligned(),
+            ptr_size * 2
+        );
+
+        // this is a struct with a int and an array of 4 int
+        let trs = StructHelper::from_btf(&btf, "task_rss_stat").unwrap();
+        // unaligned size is 20
+        assert_eq!(trs.size_of(), 20);
+        // aligned size is 24
+        if ptr_size == 8 {
+            assert_eq!(trs.size_of_aligned(), 24);
+        } else if ptr_size == 4 {
+            assert_eq!(trs.size_of_aligned(), 20);
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/aya-obj/src/btf/mod.rs b/aya-obj/src/btf/mod.rs
index a5606e5e..d08f81fb 100644
--- a/aya-obj/src/btf/mod.rs
+++ b/aya-obj/src/btf/mod.rs
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ mod info;
 mod relocation;
 mod types;
 
+pub mod helpers;
+
 pub use btf::*;
 pub use info::*;
 pub use relocation::BtfRelocationError;