diff --git a/examples/vhost_crypto/main.c b/examples/vhost_crypto/main.c
index 11b022e81..ef64e96de 100644
--- a/examples/vhost_crypto/main.c
+++ b/examples/vhost_crypto/main.c
@@ -598,7 +598,8 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 			rte_vhost_driver_callback_register(lo->socket_files[j],
 				&virtio_crypto_device_ops);
 
-			ret = rte_vhost_driver_start(lo->socket_files[j]);
+			ret = rte_vhost_crypto_driver_start(
+					lo->socket_files[j]);
 			if (ret < 0)  {
 				RTE_LOG(ERR, USER1, "failed to start vhost.\n");
 				goto error_exit;
diff --git a/lib/librte_vhost/rte_vhost_crypto.h b/lib/librte_vhost/rte_vhost_crypto.h
index b54d61db6..c809c46a2 100644
--- a/lib/librte_vhost/rte_vhost_crypto.h
+++ b/lib/librte_vhost/rte_vhost_crypto.h
@@ -20,6 +20,18 @@ enum rte_vhost_crypto_zero_copy {
 	RTE_VHOST_CRYPTO_MAX_ZERO_COPY_OPTIONS
 };
 
+/**
+ * Start vhost crypto driver
+ *
+ * @param path
+ *  The vhost-user socket file path
+ * @return
+ *  0 on success, -1 on failure
+ */
+__rte_experimental
+int
+rte_vhost_crypto_driver_start(const char *path);
+
 /**
  *  Create Vhost-crypto instance
  *
diff --git a/lib/librte_vhost/rte_vhost_version.map b/lib/librte_vhost/rte_vhost_version.map
index 20b4abcb4..a454d5f41 100644
--- a/lib/librte_vhost/rte_vhost_version.map
+++ b/lib/librte_vhost/rte_vhost_version.map
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ EXPERIMENTAL {
 	rte_vhost_get_vring_base;
 	rte_vhost_set_vring_base;
 	rte_vhost_crypto_create;
+	rte_vhost_crypto_driver_start;
 	rte_vhost_crypto_free;
 	rte_vhost_crypto_fetch_requests;
 	rte_vhost_crypto_finalize_requests;
diff --git a/lib/librte_vhost/socket.c b/lib/librte_vhost/socket.c
index 73e1dca95..3de2da836 100644
--- a/lib/librte_vhost/socket.c
+++ b/lib/librte_vhost/socket.c
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ struct vhost_user_socket {
 	bool reconnect;
 	bool dequeue_zero_copy;
 	bool iommu_support;
-	bool use_builtin_virtio_net;
+	enum virtio_backend_type backend_type;
 	bool extbuf;
 	bool linearbuf;
 	bool async_copy;
@@ -225,7 +225,15 @@ vhost_user_add_connection(int fd, struct vhost_user_socket *vsocket)
 	size = strnlen(vsocket->path, PATH_MAX);
 	vhost_set_ifname(vid, vsocket->path, size);
 
-	vhost_set_builtin_virtio_net(vid, vsocket->use_builtin_virtio_net);
+	vhost_set_builtin_virtio_net(vid,
+			vsocket->backend_type == VIRTIO_DEV_BUILTIN_NET ?
+					true : false);
+
+	if (vsocket->backend_type == VIRTIO_DEV_BUILTIN_CRYPTO) {
+		vhost_crypto_set_feature_flags(&vsocket->supported_features,
+				&vsocket->protocol_features);
+		vsocket->features = vsocket->supported_features;
+	}
 
 	vhost_attach_vdpa_device(vid, vsocket->vdpa_dev);
 
@@ -636,7 +644,7 @@ rte_vhost_driver_disable_features(const char *path, uint64_t features)
 	pthread_mutex_lock(&vhost_user.mutex);
 	vsocket = find_vhost_user_socket(path);
 
-	/* Note that use_builtin_virtio_net is not affected by this function
+	/* Note that backend type is not affected by this function
 	 * since callers may want to selectively disable features of the
 	 * built-in vhost net device backend.
 	 */
@@ -685,7 +693,7 @@ rte_vhost_driver_set_features(const char *path, uint64_t features)
 		/* Anyone setting feature bits is implementing their own vhost
 		 * device backend.
 		 */
-		vsocket->use_builtin_virtio_net = false;
+		vsocket->backend_type = VIRTIO_DEV_UNKNOWN;
 	}
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&vhost_user.mutex);
 
@@ -913,7 +921,7 @@ rte_vhost_driver_register(const char *path, uint64_t flags)
 	 * rte_vhost_driver_set_features(), which will overwrite following
 	 * two values.
 	 */
-	vsocket->use_builtin_virtio_net = true;
+	vsocket->backend_type = VIRTIO_DEV_BUILTIN_NET;
 	vsocket->supported_features = VIRTIO_NET_SUPPORTED_FEATURES;
 	vsocket->features           = VIRTIO_NET_SUPPORTED_FEATURES;
 	vsocket->protocol_features  = VHOST_USER_PROTOCOL_FEATURES;
@@ -1164,10 +1172,17 @@ vhost_driver_callback_get(const char *path)
 }
 
 int
-rte_vhost_driver_start(const char *path)
+vhost_driver_start(const char *path, enum virtio_backend_type backend_type)
 {
 	struct vhost_user_socket *vsocket;
 	static pthread_t fdset_tid;
+	int ret;
+
+	if (backend_type <= VIRTIO_DEV_UNKNOWN ||
+			backend_type > VIRTIO_DEV_BUILTIN_CRYPTO) {
+		VHOST_LOG_CONFIG(ERR, "Wrong backend type\n");
+		return -1;
+	}
 
 	pthread_mutex_lock(&vhost_user.mutex);
 	vsocket = find_vhost_user_socket(path);
@@ -1200,7 +1215,20 @@ rte_vhost_driver_start(const char *path)
 	}
 
 	if (vsocket->is_server)
-		return vhost_user_start_server(vsocket);
+		ret = vhost_user_start_server(vsocket);
 	else
-		return vhost_user_start_client(vsocket);
+		ret = vhost_user_start_client(vsocket);
+
+	if (ret < 0)
+		return ret;
+
+	vsocket->backend_type = backend_type;
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+int
+rte_vhost_driver_start(const char *path)
+{
+	return vhost_driver_start(path, VIRTIO_DEV_BUILTIN_NET);
 }
diff --git a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost.h b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost.h
index 73a1ed889..1da9ed871 100644
--- a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost.h
+++ b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost.h
@@ -352,7 +352,6 @@ struct vring_packed_desc_event {
 				(1ULL << VIRTIO_F_IOMMU_PLATFORM) | \
 				(1ULL << VIRTIO_F_RING_PACKED))
 
-
 struct guest_page {
 	uint64_t guest_phys_addr;
 	uint64_t host_phys_addr;
diff --git a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_crypto.c b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_crypto.c
index e08f9c6d7..e9c6702c2 100644
--- a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_crypto.c
+++ b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_crypto.c
@@ -35,13 +35,13 @@
 #define VC_LOG_DBG(fmt, args...)
 #endif
 
-#define VIRTIO_CRYPTO_FEATURES ((1 << VIRTIO_F_NOTIFY_ON_EMPTY) |	\
-		(1 << VIRTIO_RING_F_INDIRECT_DESC) |			\
-		(1 << VIRTIO_RING_F_EVENT_IDX) |			\
-		(1 << VIRTIO_CRYPTO_SERVICE_CIPHER) |			\
-		(1 << VIRTIO_CRYPTO_SERVICE_MAC) |			\
-		(1 << VIRTIO_NET_F_CTRL_VQ) |				\
-		(1 << VHOST_USER_PROTOCOL_F_CONFIG))
+#define VIRTIO_CRYPTO_FEATURES ((1ULL << VIRTIO_F_NOTIFY_ON_EMPTY) |	\
+		(1ULL << VIRTIO_RING_F_INDIRECT_DESC) |			\
+		(1ULL << VIRTIO_RING_F_EVENT_IDX) |			\
+		(1ULL << VIRTIO_NET_F_CTRL_VQ) |			\
+		(1ULL << VIRTIO_F_VERSION_1) |				\
+		(1ULL << VHOST_USER_PROTOCOL_F_CONFIG) |		\
+		(1ULL << VHOST_USER_F_PROTOCOL_FEATURES))
 
 #define IOVA_TO_VVA(t, r, a, l, p)					\
 	((t)(uintptr_t)vhost_iova_to_vva(r->dev, r->vq, a, l, p))
@@ -1400,6 +1400,20 @@ vhost_crypto_complete_one_vm_requests(struct rte_crypto_op **ops,
 	return processed;
 }
 
+void
+vhost_crypto_set_feature_flags(uint64_t *feature_flags,
+		uint64_t *protocol_feature_flags)
+{
+	*feature_flags = VIRTIO_CRYPTO_FEATURES;
+	*protocol_feature_flags |= (1ULL << VHOST_USER_PROTOCOL_F_CONFIG);
+}
+
+int
+rte_vhost_crypto_driver_start(const char *path)
+{
+	return vhost_driver_start(path, VIRTIO_DEV_BUILTIN_CRYPTO);
+}
+
 int
 rte_vhost_crypto_create(int vid, uint8_t cryptodev_id,
 		struct rte_mempool *sess_pool,
@@ -1417,13 +1431,6 @@ rte_vhost_crypto_create(int vid, uint8_t cryptodev_id,
 		return -EINVAL;
 	}
 
-	ret = rte_vhost_driver_set_features(dev->ifname,
-			VIRTIO_CRYPTO_FEATURES);
-	if (ret < 0) {
-		VC_LOG_ERR("Error setting features");
-		return -1;
-	}
-
 	vcrypto = rte_zmalloc_socket(NULL, sizeof(*vcrypto),
 			RTE_CACHE_LINE_SIZE, socket_id);
 	if (!vcrypto) {
diff --git a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_user.h b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_user.h
index 16fe03f88..d28da17dd 100644
--- a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_user.h
+++ b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_user.h
@@ -158,6 +158,12 @@ typedef struct VhostUserMsg {
 /* The version of the protocol we support */
 #define VHOST_USER_VERSION    0x1
 
+/* virtio backend types */
+enum virtio_backend_type {
+	VIRTIO_DEV_UNKNOWN = 0, /* Likely external */
+	VIRTIO_DEV_BUILTIN_NET, /* Virtio-net device */
+	VIRTIO_DEV_BUILTIN_CRYPTO, /* Virtio-crypto device */
+};
 
 /* vhost_user.c */
 int vhost_user_msg_handler(int vid, int fd);
@@ -167,5 +173,11 @@ int vhost_user_iotlb_miss(struct virtio_net *dev, uint64_t iova, uint8_t perm);
 int read_fd_message(int sockfd, char *buf, int buflen, int *fds, int max_fds,
 		int *fd_num);
 int send_fd_message(int sockfd, char *buf, int buflen, int *fds, int fd_num);
+int vhost_driver_start(const char *path,
+		enum virtio_backend_type backend_type);
+
+/* vhost_crypto.c */
+void vhost_crypto_set_feature_flags(uint64_t *feature_flags,
+		uint64_t *protocol_feature_flags);
 
 #endif
