diff --git a/src/conf/nwfilter_conf.c b/src/conf/nwfilter_conf.c
index 00728782d1..9a95ae6c12 100644
--- a/src/conf/nwfilter_conf.c
+++ b/src/conf/nwfilter_conf.c
@@ -2685,7 +2685,7 @@ virNWFilterDefParseXML(xmlXPathContextPtr ctxt)
 }
 
 
-static virNWFilterDef *
+virNWFilterDef *
 virNWFilterDefParse(const char *xmlStr,
                     const char *filename,
                     unsigned int flags)
@@ -2702,21 +2702,6 @@ virNWFilterDefParse(const char *xmlStr,
 }
 
 
-virNWFilterDef *
-virNWFilterDefParseString(const char *xmlStr,
-                          unsigned int flags)
-{
-    return virNWFilterDefParse(xmlStr, NULL, flags);
-}
-
-
-virNWFilterDef *
-virNWFilterDefParseFile(const char *filename)
-{
-    return virNWFilterDefParse(NULL, filename, 0);
-}
-
-
 int
 virNWFilterSaveConfig(const char *configDir,
                       virNWFilterDef *def)
diff --git a/src/conf/nwfilter_conf.h b/src/conf/nwfilter_conf.h
index b8a970f00b..1a38e4198c 100644
--- a/src/conf/nwfilter_conf.h
+++ b/src/conf/nwfilter_conf.h
@@ -541,11 +541,9 @@ virNWFilterSaveConfig(const char *configDir,
                       virNWFilterDef *def);
 
 virNWFilterDef *
-virNWFilterDefParseString(const char *xml,
-                          unsigned int flags);
-
-virNWFilterDef *
-virNWFilterDefParseFile(const char *filename);
+virNWFilterDefParse(const char *xmlStr,
+                    const char *filename,
+                    unsigned int flags);
 
 typedef int (*virNWFilterTriggerRebuildCallback)(void *opaque);
 
diff --git a/src/conf/virnwfilterobj.c b/src/conf/virnwfilterobj.c
index f9c1b049d5..e8dfe66b3c 100644
--- a/src/conf/virnwfilterobj.c
+++ b/src/conf/virnwfilterobj.c
@@ -578,7 +578,7 @@ virNWFilterObjListLoadConfig(virNWFilterObjList *nwfilters,
     if (!(configFile = virFileBuildPath(configDir, name, ".xml")))
         goto error;
 
-    if (!(def = virNWFilterDefParseFile(configFile)))
+    if (!(def = virNWFilterDefParse(NULL, configFile, 0)))
         goto error;
 
     if (STRNEQ(name, def->name)) {
diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 0adcf20f0c..6836c99fff 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -952,8 +952,7 @@ virNWFilterConfLayerInit;
 virNWFilterConfLayerShutdown;
 virNWFilterDefFormat;
 virNWFilterDefFree;
-virNWFilterDefParseFile;
-virNWFilterDefParseString;
+virNWFilterDefParse;
 virNWFilterDeleteDef;
 virNWFilterJumpTargetTypeToString;
 virNWFilterPrintStateMatchFlags;
diff --git a/src/nwfilter/nwfilter_driver.c b/src/nwfilter/nwfilter_driver.c
index f9fc09bbd3..8e45096eaa 100644
--- a/src/nwfilter/nwfilter_driver.c
+++ b/src/nwfilter/nwfilter_driver.c
@@ -545,7 +545,7 @@ nwfilterDefineXMLFlags(virConnectPtr conn,
         return NULL;
     }
 
-    if (!(def = virNWFilterDefParseString(xml, flags)))
+    if (!(def = virNWFilterDefParse(xml, NULL, flags)))
         goto cleanup;
 
     if (virNWFilterDefineXMLFlagsEnsureACL(conn, def) < 0)
diff --git a/tests/nwfilterxml2firewalltest.c b/tests/nwfilterxml2firewalltest.c
index 1514002b8f..bd112cef83 100644
--- a/tests/nwfilterxml2firewalltest.c
+++ b/tests/nwfilterxml2firewalltest.c
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ virNWFilterDefToInst(const char *xml,
 {
     size_t i;
     int ret = -1;
-    virNWFilterDef *def = virNWFilterDefParseFile(xml);
+    virNWFilterDef *def = virNWFilterDefParse(NULL, xml, 0);
 
     if (!def)
         return -1;
diff --git a/tests/nwfilterxml2xmltest.c b/tests/nwfilterxml2xmltest.c
index c2b6dc575b..ca037ad9a0 100644
--- a/tests/nwfilterxml2xmltest.c
+++ b/tests/nwfilterxml2xmltest.c
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ testCompareXMLToXMLFiles(const char *inxml, const char *outxml,
 
     virResetLastError();
 
-    if (!(dev = virNWFilterDefParseFile(inxml))) {
+    if (!(dev = virNWFilterDefParse(NULL, inxml, 0))) {
         if (expect_error) {
             virResetLastError();
             goto done;