diff --git a/include/libssh/libssh.h b/include/libssh/libssh.h
index 0682af49..bfd68155 100644
--- a/include/libssh/libssh.h
+++ b/include/libssh/libssh.h
@@ -418,6 +418,8 @@ LIBSSH_API enum ssh_keytypes_e ssh_privatekey_type(ssh_private_key privatekey);
 LIBSSH_API ssh_key ssh_key_new(void);
 LIBSSH_API void ssh_key_free (ssh_key key);
 LIBSSH_API enum ssh_keytypes_e ssh_key_type(ssh_key key);
+LIBSSH_API const char *ssh_key_type_to_char(enum ssh_keytypes_e type);
+LIBSSH_API enum ssh_keytypes_e ssh_key_type_from_name(const char *name);
 LIBSSH_API int ssh_pki_import_privkey_base64(ssh_key key, ssh_session session,
                                 const char *b64_key, const char *passphrase);
 LIBSSH_API int ssh_userauth_pki_pubkey(ssh_session session, const char *username,
diff --git a/src/pki.c b/src/pki.c
index d03bd927..fe3b13b5 100644
--- a/src/pki.c
+++ b/src/pki.c
@@ -95,6 +95,61 @@ enum ssh_keytypes_e ssh_key_type(ssh_key key){
     return key->type;
 }
 
+/**
+ * @brief Convert a key type to a string.
+ *
+ * @param[in]  type     The type to convert.
+ *
+ * @return              A string for the keytype or NULL if unknown.
+ */
+const char *ssh_key_type_to_char(enum ssh_keytypes_e type) {
+  switch (type) {
+    case SSH_KEYTYPE_DSS:
+      return "ssh-dss";
+    case SSH_KEYTYPE_RSA:
+      return "ssh-rsa";
+    case SSH_KEYTYPE_RSA1:
+      return "ssh-rsa1";
+    case SSH_KEYTYPE_ECDSA:
+      return "ssh-ecdsa";
+    case SSH_KEYTYPE_UNKNOWN:
+      return NULL;
+  }
+
+  /* We should never reach this */
+  return NULL;
+}
+
+/**
+ * @brief Convert a ssh key name to a ssh key type.
+ *
+ * @param[in] name      The name to convert.
+ *
+ * @return              The enum ssh key type.
+ */
+enum ssh_keytypes_e ssh_key_type_from_name(const char *name) {
+  if (strcmp(name, "rsa1") == 0) {
+    return SSH_KEYTYPE_RSA1;
+  } else if (strcmp(name, "rsa") == 0) {
+    return SSH_KEYTYPE_RSA;
+  } else if (strcmp(name, "dsa") == 0) {
+    return SSH_KEYTYPE_DSS;
+  } else if (strcmp(name, "ssh-rsa1") == 0) {
+    return SSH_KEYTYPE_RSA1;
+  } else if (strcmp(name, "ssh-rsa") == 0) {
+    return SSH_KEYTYPE_RSA;
+  } else if (strcmp(name, "ssh-dss") == 0) {
+    return SSH_KEYTYPE_DSS;
+  } else if (strcmp(name, "ssh-ecdsa") == 0
+             || strcmp(name, "ecdsa") == 0
+             || strcmp(name, "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256") == 0
+             || strcmp(name, "ecdsa-sha2-nistp384") == 0
+             || strcmp(name, "ecdsa-sha2-nistp521") == 0) {
+  }
+
+  return SSH_KEYTYPE_UNKNOWN;
+}
+
 /**
  * @brief import a key from a file
  * @param[out]  key      the ssh_key to update