diff --git a/bootstrap.conf b/bootstrap.conf
index 7d73584809dde98b94484b509cfd9a1889c7b34b..7e264b63ad44725db409c1b10573287a33e2d33a 100644
--- a/bootstrap.conf
+++ b/bootstrap.conf
@@ -80,8 +80,6 @@ snprintf
 socket
 stat-time
 strchrnul
-strdup-posix
-strndup
 strerror
 strerror_r-posix
 strptime
@@ -96,7 +94,6 @@ ttyname_r
 uname
 unsetenv
 usleep
-vasprintf
 verify
 vsnprintf
 waitpid
diff --git a/docs/hacking.html.in b/docs/hacking.html.in
index 807279631264ed5c5d694e073ac11b69bfd43662..3f1542b6dece7cf49537c07babbf214d5688aa23 100644
--- a/docs/hacking.html.in
+++ b/docs/hacking.html.in
@@ -1020,6 +1020,14 @@ BAD:
         classic libvirt memory allocation APIs and GLib APIs within
         a single method. Keep the style consistent, converting existing
         code to GLib style in a separate, prior commit.</dd>
+
+      <dt>VIR_STRDUP, VIR_STRNDUP</dt>
+      <dd>Prefer the GLib APIs g_strdup and g_strndup.</dd>
+
+      <dt>virAsprintf, virVasprintf</dt>
+      <dd>The GLib APIs g_strdup_printf / g_strdup_vprint should be used
+        instead. Don't use g_vasprintf unless having the string length
+        returned is unavoidable.</dd>
     </dl>
 
     <h2><a id="file_handling">File handling</a></h2>
diff --git a/src/util/virstring.c b/src/util/virstring.c
index a4cc7e9c0a553293319e7c52eb60823bfeb8f427..6b2b6ed24efd76e87faa052830e111c1c2fbc462 100644
--- a/src/util/virstring.c
+++ b/src/util/virstring.c
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 
 #include <config.h>
 
+#include <glib/gprintf.h>
 #include <regex.h>
 #include <locale.h>
 
@@ -730,10 +731,21 @@ virVasprintfInternal(char **strp,
                      const char *fmt,
                      va_list list)
 {
+    char *str = NULL;
     int ret;
 
-    if ((ret = vasprintf(strp, fmt, list)) == -1)
+    ret = g_vasprintf(&str, fmt, list);
+
+    /* GLib is supposed to abort() on OOM, but a mistake meant
+     * it did not. Delete this once our min glib is at 2.64.0
+     * which includes the fix:
+     *   https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/glib/merge_requests/1145
+     */
+#if !GLIB_CHECK_VERSION(2, 64, 0)
+    if (!str)
         abort();
+#endif
+    *strp = str;
 
     return ret;
 }
@@ -743,11 +755,17 @@ virAsprintfInternal(char **strp,
                     const char *fmt, ...)
 {
     va_list ap;
+    char *str = NULL;
     int ret;
 
     va_start(ap, fmt);
-    ret = virVasprintfInternal(strp, fmt, ap);
+    ret = g_vasprintf(&str, fmt, ap);
     va_end(ap);
+
+    if (!*str)
+        abort();
+    *strp = str;
+
     return ret;
 }
 
@@ -936,8 +954,7 @@ virStrdup(char **dest,
     *dest = NULL;
     if (!src)
         return 0;
-    if (!(*dest = strdup(src)))
-        abort();
+    *dest = g_strdup(src);
 
     return 1;
 }
@@ -965,8 +982,7 @@ virStrndup(char **dest,
         return 0;
     if (n < 0)
         n = strlen(src);
-    if (!(*dest = strndup(src, n)))
-        abort();
+    *dest = g_strndup(src, n);
 
     return 1;
 }
diff --git a/src/util/virstring.h b/src/util/virstring.h
index f537f3472ef5099d967a5afb20fb46ebb46cd4a2..3ffe51f7b8f6543bae5e6f44e71e21b5145ad828 100644
--- a/src/util/virstring.h
+++ b/src/util/virstring.h
@@ -145,6 +145,8 @@ int virVasprintfInternal(char **strp, const char *fmt, va_list list)
  * @dst: variable to hold result (char*, not char**)
  * @src: string to duplicate
  *
+ * DEPRECATED: use g_strdup instead
+ *
  * Duplicate @src string and store it into @dst.
  *
  * This macro is safe to use on arguments with side effects.
@@ -158,6 +160,8 @@ int virVasprintfInternal(char **strp, const char *fmt, va_list list)
  * @dst: variable to hold result (char*, not char**)
  * @src: string to duplicate
  *
+ * DEPRECATED: use g_strdup instead
+ *
  * Duplicate @src string and store it into @dst.
  *
  * This macro is safe to use on arguments with side effects.
@@ -172,6 +176,8 @@ int virVasprintfInternal(char **strp, const char *fmt, va_list list)
  * @src: string to duplicate
  * @n: the maximum number of bytes to copy
  *
+ * DEPRECATED: use g_strndup instead
+ *
  * Duplicate @src string and store it into @dst. If @src is longer than @n,
  * only @n bytes are copied and terminating null byte '\0' is added. If @n
  * is a negative number, then the whole @src string is copied. That is,
@@ -189,6 +195,8 @@ int virVasprintfInternal(char **strp, const char *fmt, va_list list)
  * @src: string to duplicate
  * @n: the maximum number of bytes to copy
  *
+ * DEPRECATED: use g_strndup instead
+ *
  * Duplicate @src string and store it into @dst. If @src is longer than @n,
  * only @n bytes are copied and terminating null byte '\0' is added. If @n
  * is a negative number, then the whole @src string is copied. That is,