diff --git a/drivers/net/vhost/rte_eth_vhost.c b/drivers/net/vhost/rte_eth_vhost.c
index a9dada5..36697cf 100644
--- a/drivers/net/vhost/rte_eth_vhost.c
+++ b/drivers/net/vhost/rte_eth_vhost.c
@@ -456,7 +456,7 @@ eth_dev_start(struct rte_eth_dev *dev)
 	int ret = 0;
 
 	if (rte_atomic16_cmpset(&internal->once, 0, 1)) {
-		ret = rte_vhost_driver_register(internal->iface_name);
+		ret = rte_vhost_driver_register(internal->iface_name, 0);
 		if (ret)
 			return ret;
 	}
diff --git a/examples/vhost/main.c b/examples/vhost/main.c
index bbf0d28..6899189 100644
--- a/examples/vhost/main.c
+++ b/examples/vhost/main.c
@@ -1499,7 +1499,7 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 		rte_vhost_feature_disable(1ULL << VIRTIO_NET_F_MRG_RXBUF);
 
 	/* Register vhost(cuse or user) driver to handle vhost messages. */
-	ret = rte_vhost_driver_register((char *)&dev_basename);
+	ret = rte_vhost_driver_register(dev_basename, 0);
 	if (ret != 0)
 		rte_exit(EXIT_FAILURE, "vhost driver register failure.\n");
 
diff --git a/lib/librte_vhost/rte_virtio_net.h b/lib/librte_vhost/rte_virtio_net.h
index 4e50425..c84e7ab 100644
--- a/lib/librte_vhost/rte_virtio_net.h
+++ b/lib/librte_vhost/rte_virtio_net.h
@@ -51,6 +51,8 @@
 #include <rte_mempool.h>
 #include <rte_ether.h>
 
+#define RTE_VHOST_USER_CLIENT		(1ULL << 0)
+
 struct rte_mbuf;
 
 #define VHOST_MEMORY_MAX_NREGIONS 8
@@ -96,11 +98,14 @@ uint64_t rte_vhost_feature_get(void);
 
 int rte_vhost_enable_guest_notification(int vid, uint16_t queue_id, int enable);
 
-/* Register vhost driver. dev_name could be different for multiple instance support. */
-int rte_vhost_driver_register(const char *dev_name);
+/**
+ * Register vhost driver. path could be different for multiple
+ * instance support.
+ */
+int rte_vhost_driver_register(const char *path, uint64_t flags);
 
 /* Unregister vhost driver. This is only meaningful to vhost user. */
-int rte_vhost_driver_unregister(const char *dev_name);
+int rte_vhost_driver_unregister(const char *path);
 
 /* Register callbacks. */
 int rte_vhost_driver_callback_register(struct virtio_net_device_ops const * const);
diff --git a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_user/vhost-net-user.c b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_user/vhost-net-user.c
index f485a3b..aa98717 100644
--- a/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_user/vhost-net-user.c
+++ b/lib/librte_vhost/vhost_user/vhost-net-user.c
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@
 struct vhost_user_socket {
 	char *path;
 	int listenfd;
+	int is_server;
 };
 
 struct vhost_user_connection {
@@ -75,7 +76,7 @@ struct vhost_user {
 
 #define MAX_VIRTIO_BACKLOG 128
 
-static void vhost_user_new_connection(int fd, void *data, int *remove);
+static void vhost_user_server_new_connection(int fd, void *data, int *remove);
 static void vhost_user_msg_handler(int fd, void *dat, int *remove);
 
 static struct vhost_user vhost_user = {
@@ -111,48 +112,6 @@ static const char *vhost_message_str[VHOST_USER_MAX] = {
 	[VHOST_USER_SEND_RARP]  = "VHOST_USER_SEND_RARP",
 };
 
-/**
- * Create a unix domain socket, bind to path and listen for connection.
- * @return
- *  socket fd or -1 on failure
- */
-static int
-uds_socket(const char *path)
-{
-	struct sockaddr_un un;
-	int sockfd;
-	int ret;
-
-	if (path == NULL)
-		return -1;
-
-	sockfd = socket(AF_UNIX, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
-	if (sockfd < 0)
-		return -1;
-	RTE_LOG(INFO, VHOST_CONFIG, "socket created, fd:%d\n", sockfd);
-
-	memset(&un, 0, sizeof(un));
-	un.sun_family = AF_UNIX;
-	snprintf(un.sun_path, sizeof(un.sun_path), "%s", path);
-	ret = bind(sockfd, (struct sockaddr *)&un, sizeof(un));
-	if (ret == -1) {
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, VHOST_CONFIG, "fail to bind fd:%d, remove file:%s and try again.\n",
-			sockfd, path);
-		goto err;
-	}
-	RTE_LOG(INFO, VHOST_CONFIG, "bind to %s\n", path);
-
-	ret = listen(sockfd, MAX_VIRTIO_BACKLOG);
-	if (ret == -1)
-		goto err;
-
-	return sockfd;
-
-err:
-	close(sockfd);
-	return -1;
-}
-
 /* return bytes# of read on success or negative val on failure. */
 static int
 read_fd_message(int sockfd, char *buf, int buflen, int *fds, int fd_num)
@@ -287,32 +246,24 @@ send_vhost_message(int sockfd, struct VhostUserMsg *msg)
 	return ret;
 }
 
-/* call back when there is new vhost-user connection.  */
+
 static void
-vhost_user_new_connection(int fd, void *dat, int *remove __rte_unused)
+vhost_user_add_connection(int fd, struct vhost_user_socket *vsocket)
 {
-	struct vhost_user_socket *vsocket = dat;
-	int conn_fd;
-	struct vhost_user_connection *conn;
 	int vid;
-	unsigned int size;
-
-	conn_fd = accept(fd, NULL, NULL);
-	RTE_LOG(INFO, VHOST_CONFIG,
-		"new virtio connection is %d\n", conn_fd);
-	if (conn_fd < 0)
-		return;
+	size_t size;
+	struct vhost_user_connection *conn;
 
-	conn = calloc(1, sizeof(*conn));
+	conn = malloc(sizeof(*conn));
 	if (conn == NULL) {
-		close(conn_fd);
+		close(fd);
 		return;
 	}
 
 	vid = vhost_new_device();
 	if (vid == -1) {
+		close(fd);
 		free(conn);
-		close(conn_fd);
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -323,8 +274,21 @@ vhost_user_new_connection(int fd, void *dat, int *remove __rte_unused)
 
 	conn->vsocket = vsocket;
 	conn->vid = vid;
-	fdset_add(&vhost_user.fdset,
-		conn_fd, vhost_user_msg_handler, NULL, conn);
+	fdset_add(&vhost_user.fdset, fd, vhost_user_msg_handler, NULL, conn);
+}
+
+/* call back when there is new vhost-user connection from client  */
+static void
+vhost_user_server_new_connection(int fd, void *dat, int *remove __rte_unused)
+{
+	struct vhost_user_socket *vsocket = dat;
+
+	fd = accept(fd, NULL, NULL);
+	if (fd < 0)
+		return;
+
+	RTE_LOG(INFO, VHOST_CONFIG, "new vhost user connection is %d\n", fd);
+	vhost_user_add_connection(fd, vsocket);
 }
 
 /* callback when there is message on the connfd */
@@ -452,50 +416,135 @@ vhost_user_msg_handler(int connfd, void *dat, int *remove)
 	}
 }
 
-/**
- * Creates and initialise the vhost server.
- */
-int
-rte_vhost_driver_register(const char *path)
+static int
+create_unix_socket(const char *path, struct sockaddr_un *un, int is_server)
 {
-	struct vhost_user_socket *vsocket;
+	int fd;
 
-	pthread_mutex_lock(&vhost_user.mutex);
+	fd = socket(AF_UNIX, SOCK_STREAM, 0);
+	if (fd < 0)
+		return -1;
+	RTE_LOG(INFO, VHOST_CONFIG, "vhost-user %s: socket created, fd: %d\n",
+		is_server ? "server" : "client", fd);
 
-	if (vhost_user.vsocket_cnt == MAX_VHOST_SOCKET) {
-		RTE_LOG(ERR, VHOST_CONFIG,
-			"error: the number of servers reaches maximum\n");
-		pthread_mutex_unlock(&vhost_user.mutex);
+	memset(un, 0, sizeof(*un));
+	un->sun_family = AF_UNIX;
+	strncpy(un->sun_path, path, sizeof(un->sun_path));
+
+	return fd;
+}
+
+static int
+vhost_user_create_server(struct vhost_user_socket *vsocket)
+{
+	int fd;
+	int ret;
+	struct sockaddr_un un;
+	const char *path = vsocket->path;
+
+	fd = create_unix_socket(path, &un, vsocket->is_server);
+	if (fd < 0)
 		return -1;
+
+	ret = bind(fd, (struct sockaddr *)&un, sizeof(un));
+	if (ret < 0) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, VHOST_CONFIG,
+			"failed to bind to %s: %s; remove it and try again\n",
+			path, strerror(errno));
+		goto err;
 	}
+	RTE_LOG(INFO, VHOST_CONFIG, "bind to %s\n", path);
 
-	vsocket = calloc(sizeof(struct vhost_user_socket), 1);
-	if (vsocket == NULL) {
-		pthread_mutex_unlock(&vhost_user.mutex);
+	ret = listen(fd, MAX_VIRTIO_BACKLOG);
+	if (ret < 0)
+		goto err;
+
+	vsocket->listenfd = fd;
+	fdset_add(&vhost_user.fdset, fd, vhost_user_server_new_connection,
+		  NULL, vsocket);
+
+	return 0;
+
+err:
+	close(fd);
+	return -1;
+}
+
+static int
+vhost_user_create_client(struct vhost_user_socket *vsocket)
+{
+	int fd;
+	int ret;
+	struct sockaddr_un un;
+	const char *path = vsocket->path;
+
+	fd = create_unix_socket(path, &un, vsocket->is_server);
+	if (fd < 0)
+		return -1;
+
+	ret = connect(fd, (struct sockaddr *)&un, sizeof(un));
+	if (ret < 0) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, VHOST_CONFIG, "failed to connect to %s: %s\n",
+			path, strerror(errno));
+		close(fd);
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	vsocket->listenfd = uds_socket(path);
-	if (vsocket->listenfd < 0) {
-		free(vsocket);
-		pthread_mutex_unlock(&vhost_user.mutex);
+	vhost_user_add_connection(fd, vsocket);
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Register a new vhost-user socket; here we could act as server
+ * (the default case), or client (when RTE_VHOST_USER_CLIENT) flag
+ * is set.
+ */
+int
+rte_vhost_driver_register(const char *path, uint64_t flags)
+{
+	int ret = -1;
+	struct vhost_user_socket *vsocket;
+
+	if (!path)
 		return -1;
+
+	pthread_mutex_lock(&vhost_user.mutex);
+
+	if (vhost_user.vsocket_cnt == MAX_VHOST_SOCKET) {
+		RTE_LOG(ERR, VHOST_CONFIG,
+			"error: the number of vhost sockets reaches maximum\n");
+		goto out;
 	}
 
+	vsocket = malloc(sizeof(struct vhost_user_socket));
+	if (!vsocket)
+		goto out;
+	memset(vsocket, 0, sizeof(struct vhost_user_socket));
 	vsocket->path = strdup(path);
 
-	fdset_add(&vhost_user.fdset, vsocket->listenfd,
-		vhost_user_new_connection, NULL, vsocket);
+	if ((flags & RTE_VHOST_USER_CLIENT) != 0) {
+		ret = vhost_user_create_client(vsocket);
+	} else {
+		vsocket->is_server = 1;
+		ret = vhost_user_create_server(vsocket);
+	}
+	if (ret < 0) {
+		free(vsocket->path);
+		free(vsocket);
+		goto out;
+	}
 
 	vhost_user.vsockets[vhost_user.vsocket_cnt++] = vsocket;
+
+out:
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&vhost_user.mutex);
 
-	return 0;
+	return ret;
 }
 
-
 /**
- * Unregister the specified vhost server
+ * Unregister the specified vhost socket
  */
 int
 rte_vhost_driver_unregister(const char *path)
