diff --git a/pgio/read.go b/pgio/read.go
index 7ddad508..033bada4 100644
--- a/pgio/read.go
+++ b/pgio/read.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package pgio
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"encoding/binary"
 )
 
@@ -38,3 +39,13 @@ func NextInt64(buf []byte) ([]byte, int64) {
 	buf, n := NextUint64(buf)
 	return buf, int64(n)
 }
+
+func NextCString(buf []byte) ([]byte, string, bool) {
+	idx := bytes.IndexByte(buf, 0)
+	if idx < 0 {
+		return buf, "", false
+	}
+	cstring := string(buf[:idx])
+	buf = buf[:idx+1]
+	return buf, cstring, true
+}
diff --git a/pgproto3/backend.go b/pgproto3/backend.go
index c04116a8..bd477315 100644
--- a/pgproto3/backend.go
+++ b/pgproto3/backend.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package pgproto3
 
 import (
 	"encoding/binary"
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 
@@ -20,6 +19,7 @@ type Backend struct {
 	parse           Parse
 	passwordMessage PasswordMessage
 	query           Query
+	startupMessage  StartupMessage
 	sync            Sync
 	terminate       Terminate
 }
@@ -30,7 +30,33 @@ func NewBackend(r io.Reader, w io.Writer) (*Backend, error) {
 }
 
 func (b *Backend) Send(msg BackendMessage) error {
-	return errors.New("not implemented")
+	buf, err := msg.MarshalBinary()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	_, err = b.w.Write(buf)
+	return err
+}
+
+func (b *Backend) ReceiveStartupMessage() (*StartupMessage, error) {
+	buf, err := b.cr.Next(4)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	msgSize := int(binary.BigEndian.Uint32(buf) - 4)
+
+	buf, err = b.cr.Next(msgSize)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	err = b.startupMessage.Decode(buf)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return &b.startupMessage, nil
 }
 
 func (b *Backend) Receive() (FrontendMessage, error) {
diff --git a/pgproto3/frontend.go b/pgproto3/frontend.go
index 50835836..27a9890a 100644
--- a/pgproto3/frontend.go
+++ b/pgproto3/frontend.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package pgproto3
 
 import (
 	"encoding/binary"
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 
@@ -43,7 +42,13 @@ func NewFrontend(r io.Reader, w io.Writer) (*Frontend, error) {
 }
 
 func (b *Frontend) Send(msg FrontendMessage) error {
-	return errors.New("not implemented")
+	buf, err := msg.MarshalBinary()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	_, err = b.w.Write(buf)
+	return err
 }
 
 func (b *Frontend) Receive() (BackendMessage, error) {
diff --git a/pgproto3/startup_message.go b/pgproto3/startup_message.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ebb804fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pgproto3/startup_message.go
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+package pgproto3
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/binary"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+)
+
+const (
+	protocolVersionNumber = 196608 // 3.0
+	sslRequestNumber      = 80877103
+)
+
+type StartupMessage struct {
+	ProtocolVersion uint32
+	Parameters      map[string]string
+}
+
+func (*StartupMessage) Frontend() {}
+
+func (dst *StartupMessage) Decode(src []byte) error {
+	if len(src) < 4 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("startup message too short")
+	}
+
+	dst.ProtocolVersion = binary.BigEndian.Uint32(src)
+	rp := 4
+
+	if dst.ProtocolVersion == sslRequestNumber {
+		return fmt.Errorf("can't handle ssl connection request")
+	}
+
+	if dst.ProtocolVersion != protocolVersionNumber {
+		return fmt.Errorf("Bad startup message version number. Expected %d, got %d", protocolVersionNumber, dst.ProtocolVersion)
+	}
+
+	dst.Parameters = make(map[string]string)
+	for {
+		idx := bytes.IndexByte(src[rp:], 0)
+		if idx < 0 {
+			return &invalidMessageFormatErr{messageType: "StartupMesage"}
+		}
+		key := string(src[rp : rp+idx])
+		rp += idx + 1
+
+		idx = bytes.IndexByte(src[rp:], 0)
+		if idx < 0 {
+			return &invalidMessageFormatErr{messageType: "StartupMesage"}
+		}
+		value := string(src[rp : rp+idx])
+		rp += idx + 1
+
+		dst.Parameters[key] = value
+
+		if len(src[rp:]) == 1 {
+			if src[rp] != 0 {
+				return fmt.Errorf("Bad startup message last byte. Expected 0, got %d", src[rp])
+			}
+			break
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (src *StartupMessage) MarshalBinary() ([]byte, error) {
+	var bigEndian BigEndianBuf
+	buf := &bytes.Buffer{}
+	buf.Write(bigEndian.Uint32(0))
+	buf.Write(bigEndian.Uint32(src.ProtocolVersion))
+	for k, v := range src.Parameters {
+		buf.WriteString(k)
+		buf.WriteByte(0)
+		buf.WriteString(v)
+		buf.WriteByte(0)
+	}
+	buf.WriteByte(0)
+
+	binary.BigEndian.PutUint32(buf.Bytes()[0:4], uint32(buf.Len()))
+
+	return buf.Bytes(), nil
+}
+
+func (src *StartupMessage) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
+	return json.Marshal(struct {
+		Type            string
+		ProtocolVersion uint32
+		Parameters      map[string]string
+	}{
+		Type:            "StartupMessage",
+		ProtocolVersion: src.ProtocolVersion,
+		Parameters:      src.Parameters,
+	})
+}