diff --git a/pulsar/impl_message.go b/pulsar/impl_message.go
index c358c22e66..4a34768c3e 100644
--- a/pulsar/impl_message.go
+++ b/pulsar/impl_message.go
@@ -112,6 +112,14 @@ func (id messageID) String() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("%d:%d:%d", id.ledgerID, id.entryID, id.partitionIdx)
 }
 
+func (id messageID) Equals(other MessageID) bool {
+	rmsgid, ok := other.(messageID)
+	if !ok {
+		return false
+	}
+	return id.equal(rmsgid)
+}
+
 func deserializeMessageID(data []byte) (MessageID, error) {
 	msgID := &pb.MessageIdData{}
 	err := proto.Unmarshal(data, msgID)
diff --git a/pulsar/message.go b/pulsar/message.go
index 397c51e992..fc5f038830 100644
--- a/pulsar/message.go
+++ b/pulsar/message.go
@@ -19,7 +19,11 @@ package pulsar
 
 import (
 	"math"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
 	"time"
+
+	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 )
 
 // ProducerMessage abstraction used in Pulsar producer
@@ -120,6 +124,10 @@ type Message interface {
 type MessageID interface {
 	// Serialize the message id into a sequence of bytes that can be stored somewhere else
 	Serialize() []byte
+	// String the message id represented as a string
+	String() string
+	// Equals indicates to message IDs are equal
+	Equals(other MessageID) bool
 }
 
 // DeserializeMessageID reconstruct a MessageID object from its serialized representation
@@ -127,12 +135,54 @@ func DeserializeMessageID(data []byte) (MessageID, error) {
 	return deserializeMessageID(data)
 }
 
+func MessageIDFromParts(ledgerID, entryID int64, batchIdx, partitionIdx int32) MessageID {
+	return newMessageID(ledgerID, entryID, batchIdx, partitionIdx)
+}
+
+func MessageIDFromString(str string) (MessageID, error) {
+
+	s := strings.Split(str, ":")
+
+	if len(s) < 2 || len(s) > 4 {
+		return nil, errors.Errorf("invalid message id string. %s", str)
+	}
+
+	ledgerID, err := strconv.ParseInt(s[0], 10, 64)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, errors.Errorf("invalid ledger id. %s", str)
+	}
+
+	entryID, err := strconv.ParseInt(s[1], 10, 64)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, errors.Errorf("invalid entry id. %s", str)
+	}
+
+	partitionIdx := int32(-1)
+	if len(s) > 2 {
+		pi, err := strconv.Atoi(s[2])
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, errors.Errorf("invalid partition index. %s", str)
+		}
+		partitionIdx = int32(pi)
+	}
+
+	batchIdx := int32(-1)
+	if len(s) == 4 {
+		bi, err := strconv.Atoi(s[3])
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, errors.Errorf("invalid batch index. %s", str)
+		}
+		batchIdx = int32(bi)
+	}
+	return newMessageID(ledgerID, entryID, batchIdx, partitionIdx), nil
+}
+
 // EarliestMessageID returns a messageID that points to the earliest message available in a topic
 func EarliestMessageID() MessageID {
 	return newMessageID(-1, -1, -1, -1)
 }
 
-// LatestMessage returns a messageID that points to the latest message
+// LatestMessageID returns a messageID that points to the latest message
 func LatestMessageID() MessageID {
 	return newMessageID(math.MaxInt64, math.MaxInt64, -1, -1)
 }
diff --git a/pulsar/message_test.go b/pulsar/message_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..14d7d8335b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pulsar/message_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+package pulsar
+
+import (
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestMessageIDFromString(t *testing.T) {
+	id, err := MessageIDFromString("1:2")
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	assert.True(t, id.Equals(MessageIDFromParts(1, 2, -1, -1)))
+
+	id, err = MessageIDFromString("1:2:3")
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	assert.True(t, id.Equals(MessageIDFromParts(1, 2, -1, 3)))
+
+	id, err = MessageIDFromString("1:2:3:4")
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	assert.True(t, id.Equals(MessageIDFromParts(1, 2, 4, 3)))
+}
+
+func TestMessageIDFromStringErrors(t *testing.T) {
+	id, err := MessageIDFromString("1;1")
+	assert.Nil(t, id)
+	assert.NotNil(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "invalid message id string. 1;1", err.Error())
+
+	id, err = MessageIDFromString("a:1")
+	assert.Nil(t, id)
+	assert.NotNil(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "invalid ledger id. a:1", err.Error())
+
+	id, err = MessageIDFromString("1:a")
+	assert.Nil(t, id)
+	assert.NotNil(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "invalid entry id. 1:a", err.Error())
+
+	id, err = MessageIDFromString("1:2:a")
+	assert.Nil(t, id)
+	assert.NotNil(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "invalid partition index. 1:2:a", err.Error())
+
+	id, err = MessageIDFromString("1:2:3:a")
+	assert.Nil(t, id)
+	assert.NotNil(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "invalid batch index. 1:2:3:a", err.Error())
+}
diff --git a/pulsar/reader_test.go b/pulsar/reader_test.go
index f72ba1d1a0..fe99c793af 100644
--- a/pulsar/reader_test.go
+++ b/pulsar/reader_test.go
@@ -391,6 +391,14 @@ func (id *myMessageID) Serialize() []byte {
 	return id.data
 }
 
+func (id *myMessageID) String() string {
+	return ""
+}
+
+func (id *myMessageID) Equals(other MessageID) bool {
+	return true
+}
+
 func TestReaderOnSpecificMessageWithCustomMessageID(t *testing.T) {
 	client, err := NewClient(ClientOptions{
 		URL: lookupURL,