diff --git a/doc/api/doxy-api-index.md b/doc/api/doxy-api-index.md
index 6c2d888ee..9acf36ba1 100644
--- a/doc/api/doxy-api-index.md
+++ b/doc/api/doxy-api-index.md
@@ -171,5 +171,6 @@ The public API headers are grouped by topics:
 - **misc**:
   [EAL config]         (@ref rte_eal.h),
   [common]             (@ref rte_common.h),
-  [ABI compat]         (@ref rte_compat.h),
+  [experimental APIs]  (@ref rte_compat.h),
+  [ABI versioning]     (@ref rte_function_versioning.h),
   [version]            (@ref rte_version.h)
diff --git a/doc/guides/contributing/versioning.rst b/doc/guides/contributing/versioning.rst
index 3ab2c4346..64984c54e 100644
--- a/doc/guides/contributing/versioning.rst
+++ b/doc/guides/contributing/versioning.rst
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ functionality or behavior. When that occurs, it is desirable to allow for
 backward compatibility for a time with older binaries that are dynamically
 linked to the DPDK.
 
-To support backward compatibility the ``rte_compat.h``
+To support backward compatibility the ``rte_function_versioning.h``
 header file provides macros to use when updating exported functions. These
 macros are used in conjunction with the ``rte_<library>_version.map`` file for
 a given library to allow multiple versions of a symbol to exist in a shared
@@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ the function, we add this line of code
 
    VERSION_SYMBOL(rte_acl_create, _v20, 2.0);
 
-Remembering to also add the rte_compat.h header to the requisite c file where
+Remembering to also add the rte_function_versioning.h header to the requisite c file where
 these changes are being made.  The above macro instructs the linker to create a
 new symbol ``rte_acl_create@DPDK_2.0``, which matches the symbol created in older
 builds, but now points to the above newly named function.  We have now mapped
diff --git a/lib/librte_distributor/rte_distributor.c b/lib/librte_distributor/rte_distributor.c
index 21eb1fb0a..6d1e971a9 100644
--- a/lib/librte_distributor/rte_distributor.c
+++ b/lib/librte_distributor/rte_distributor.c
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 #include <rte_mbuf.h>
 #include <rte_memory.h>
 #include <rte_cycles.h>
-#include <rte_compat.h>
+#include <rte_function_versioning.h>
 #include <rte_memzone.h>
 #include <rte_errno.h>
 #include <rte_string_fns.h>
diff --git a/lib/librte_distributor/rte_distributor_v20.c b/lib/librte_distributor/rte_distributor_v20.c
index cdc0969a8..64c611fa9 100644
--- a/lib/librte_distributor/rte_distributor_v20.c
+++ b/lib/librte_distributor/rte_distributor_v20.c
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 #include <rte_memory.h>
 #include <rte_memzone.h>
 #include <rte_errno.h>
-#include <rte_compat.h>
+#include <rte_function_versioning.h>
 #include <rte_string_fns.h>
 #include <rte_eal_memconfig.h>
 #include <rte_pause.h>
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/Makefile b/lib/librte_eal/common/Makefile
index a00d4fcad..d70f84fd7 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/Makefile
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/Makefile
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 include $(RTE_SDK)/mk/rte.vars.mk
 
 INC := rte_branch_prediction.h rte_common.h rte_compat.h
+INC += rte_function_versioning.h
 INC += rte_debug.h rte_eal.h rte_eal_interrupts.h
 INC += rte_errno.h rte_launch.h rte_lcore.h
 INC += rte_log.h rte_memory.h rte_memzone.h
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_compat.h b/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_compat.h
index 92ff28faf..3eb33784b 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_compat.h
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_compat.h
@@ -5,76 +5,6 @@
 
 #ifndef _RTE_COMPAT_H_
 #define _RTE_COMPAT_H_
-#include <rte_common.h>
-
-#ifdef RTE_BUILD_SHARED_LIB
-
-/*
- * Provides backwards compatibility when updating exported functions.
- * When a symol is exported from a library to provide an API, it also provides a
- * calling convention (ABI) that is embodied in its name, return type,
- * arguments, etc.  On occasion that function may need to change to accommodate
- * new functionality, behavior, etc.  When that occurs, it is desirable to
- * allow for backwards compatibility for a time with older binaries that are
- * dynamically linked to the dpdk.  To support that, the __vsym and
- * VERSION_SYMBOL macros are created.  They, in conjunction with the
- * <library>_version.map file for a given library allow for multiple versions of
- * a symbol to exist in a shared library so that older binaries need not be
- * immediately recompiled.
- *
- * Refer to the guidelines document in the docs subdirectory for details on the
- * use of these macros
- */
-
-/*
- * Macro Parameters:
- * b - function base name
- * e - function version extension, to be concatenated with base name
- * n - function symbol version string to be applied
- * f - function prototype
- * p - full function symbol name
- */
-
-/*
- * VERSION_SYMBOL
- * Creates a symbol version table entry binding symbol <b>@DPDK_<n> to the internal
- * function name <b>_<e>
- */
-#define VERSION_SYMBOL(b, e, n) __asm__(".symver " RTE_STR(b) RTE_STR(e) ", " RTE_STR(b) "@DPDK_" RTE_STR(n))
-
-/*
- * BIND_DEFAULT_SYMBOL
- * Creates a symbol version entry instructing the linker to bind references to
- * symbol <b> to the internal symbol <b>_<e>
- */
-#define BIND_DEFAULT_SYMBOL(b, e, n) __asm__(".symver " RTE_STR(b) RTE_STR(e) ", " RTE_STR(b) "@@DPDK_" RTE_STR(n))
-#define __vsym __attribute__((used))
-
-/*
- * MAP_STATIC_SYMBOL
- * If a function has been bifurcated into multiple versions, none of which
- * are defined as the exported symbol name in the map file, this macro can be
- * used to alias a specific version of the symbol to its exported name.  For
- * example, if you have 2 versions of a function foo_v1 and foo_v2, where the
- * former is mapped to foo@DPDK_1 and the latter is mapped to foo@DPDK_2 when
- * building a shared library, this macro can be used to map either foo_v1 or
- * foo_v2 to the symbol foo when building a static library, e.g.:
- * MAP_STATIC_SYMBOL(void foo(), foo_v2);
- */
-#define MAP_STATIC_SYMBOL(f, p)
-
-#else
-/*
- * No symbol versioning in use
- */
-#define VERSION_SYMBOL(b, e, n)
-#define __vsym
-#define BIND_DEFAULT_SYMBOL(b, e, n)
-#define MAP_STATIC_SYMBOL(f, p) f __attribute__((alias(RTE_STR(p))))
-/*
- * RTE_BUILD_SHARED_LIB=n
- */
-#endif
 
 #ifndef ALLOW_EXPERIMENTAL_API
 
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_function_versioning.h b/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_function_versioning.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ce963d4b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_function_versioning.h
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+ * Copyright(c) 2015 Neil Horman <nhorman@tuxdriver.com>.
+ * All rights reserved.
+ */
+
+#ifndef _RTE_FUNCTION_VERSIONING_H_
+#define _RTE_FUNCTION_VERSIONING_H_
+#include <rte_common.h>
+
+#ifdef RTE_BUILD_SHARED_LIB
+
+/*
+ * Provides backwards compatibility when updating exported functions.
+ * When a symol is exported from a library to provide an API, it also provides a
+ * calling convention (ABI) that is embodied in its name, return type,
+ * arguments, etc.  On occasion that function may need to change to accommodate
+ * new functionality, behavior, etc.  When that occurs, it is desirable to
+ * allow for backwards compatibility for a time with older binaries that are
+ * dynamically linked to the dpdk.  To support that, the __vsym and
+ * VERSION_SYMBOL macros are created.  They, in conjunction with the
+ * <library>_version.map file for a given library allow for multiple versions of
+ * a symbol to exist in a shared library so that older binaries need not be
+ * immediately recompiled.
+ *
+ * Refer to the guidelines document in the docs subdirectory for details on the
+ * use of these macros
+ */
+
+/*
+ * Macro Parameters:
+ * b - function base name
+ * e - function version extension, to be concatenated with base name
+ * n - function symbol version string to be applied
+ * f - function prototype
+ * p - full function symbol name
+ */
+
+/*
+ * VERSION_SYMBOL
+ * Creates a symbol version table entry binding symbol <b>@DPDK_<n> to the internal
+ * function name <b>_<e>
+ */
+#define VERSION_SYMBOL(b, e, n) __asm__(".symver " RTE_STR(b) RTE_STR(e) ", " RTE_STR(b) "@DPDK_" RTE_STR(n))
+
+/*
+ * BIND_DEFAULT_SYMBOL
+ * Creates a symbol version entry instructing the linker to bind references to
+ * symbol <b> to the internal symbol <b>_<e>
+ */
+#define BIND_DEFAULT_SYMBOL(b, e, n) __asm__(".symver " RTE_STR(b) RTE_STR(e) ", " RTE_STR(b) "@@DPDK_" RTE_STR(n))
+#define __vsym __attribute__((used))
+
+/*
+ * MAP_STATIC_SYMBOL
+ * If a function has been bifurcated into multiple versions, none of which
+ * are defined as the exported symbol name in the map file, this macro can be
+ * used to alias a specific version of the symbol to its exported name.  For
+ * example, if you have 2 versions of a function foo_v1 and foo_v2, where the
+ * former is mapped to foo@DPDK_1 and the latter is mapped to foo@DPDK_2 when
+ * building a shared library, this macro can be used to map either foo_v1 or
+ * foo_v2 to the symbol foo when building a static library, e.g.:
+ * MAP_STATIC_SYMBOL(void foo(), foo_v2);
+ */
+#define MAP_STATIC_SYMBOL(f, p)
+
+#else
+/*
+ * No symbol versioning in use
+ */
+#define VERSION_SYMBOL(b, e, n)
+#define __vsym
+#define BIND_DEFAULT_SYMBOL(b, e, n)
+#define MAP_STATIC_SYMBOL(f, p) f __attribute__((alias(RTE_STR(p))))
+/*
+ * RTE_BUILD_SHARED_LIB=n
+ */
+#endif
+
+#endif /* _RTE_FUNCTION_VERSIONING_H_ */
diff --git a/lib/librte_lpm/rte_lpm.c b/lib/librte_lpm/rte_lpm.c
index 3a929a1b1..c96395e26 100644
--- a/lib/librte_lpm/rte_lpm.c
+++ b/lib/librte_lpm/rte_lpm.c
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 #include <rte_rwlock.h>
 #include <rte_spinlock.h>
 #include <rte_tailq.h>
+#include <rte_function_versioning.h>
 
 #include "rte_lpm.h"
 
diff --git a/lib/librte_lpm/rte_lpm.h b/lib/librte_lpm/rte_lpm.h
index 906ec4483..26303e628 100644
--- a/lib/librte_lpm/rte_lpm.h
+++ b/lib/librte_lpm/rte_lpm.h
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
 #include <rte_memory.h>
 #include <rte_common.h>
 #include <rte_vect.h>
-#include <rte_compat.h>
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 extern "C" {
diff --git a/lib/librte_lpm/rte_lpm6.c b/lib/librte_lpm/rte_lpm6.c
index 9b8aeb972..e20f82460 100644
--- a/lib/librte_lpm/rte_lpm6.c
+++ b/lib/librte_lpm/rte_lpm6.c
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 #include <assert.h>
 #include <rte_jhash.h>
 #include <rte_tailq.h>
+#include <rte_function_versioning.h>
 
 #include "rte_lpm6.h"
 
diff --git a/lib/librte_timer/rte_timer.c b/lib/librte_timer/rte_timer.c
index bdcf05d06..3834c9473 100644
--- a/lib/librte_timer/rte_timer.c
+++ b/lib/librte_timer/rte_timer.c
@@ -25,8 +25,8 @@
 #include <rte_pause.h>
 #include <rte_memzone.h>
 #include <rte_malloc.h>
-#include <rte_compat.h>
 #include <rte_errno.h>
+#include <rte_function_versioning.h>
 
 #include "rte_timer.h"
 
