diff --git a/lib/Server.js b/lib/Server.js
index 6a40a9b0af..1d59bcbca3 100644
--- a/lib/Server.js
+++ b/lib/Server.js
@@ -91,14 +91,10 @@ class Server {
     this.hot = this.options.hot || this.options.hotOnly;
     this.watchOptions = options.watchOptions || {};
 
-    if (!this.options.clientSocketOptions) {
-      this.options.clientSocketOptions = {};
-    }
-
     // Replace leading and trailing slashes to normalize path
     this.sockPath = `/${
-      this.options.clientSocketOptions.path
-        ? this.options.clientSocketOptions.path.replace(/^\/|\/$/g, '')
+      this.options.sockPath
+        ? this.options.sockPath.replace(/^\/|\/$/g, '')
         : 'sockjs-node'
     }`;
 
diff --git a/lib/options.json b/lib/options.json
index d12f058346..87319af51c 100644
--- a/lib/options.json
+++ b/lib/options.json
@@ -39,27 +39,6 @@
     "clientLogLevel": {
       "enum": ["info", "warn", "error", "debug", "trace", "silent"]
     },
-    "clientSocketOptions": {
-      "type": "object",
-      "properties": {
-        "host": {
-          "type": "string"
-        },
-        "path": {
-          "type": "string"
-        },
-        "port": {
-          "anyOf": [
-            {
-              "type": "string"
-            },
-            {
-              "type": "number"
-            }
-          ]
-        }
-      }
-    },
     "compress": {
       "type": "boolean"
     },
@@ -318,6 +297,25 @@
     "setup": {
       "instanceof": "Function"
     },
+    "sockHost": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "sockPath": {
+      "type": "string"
+    },
+    "sockPort": {
+      "anyOf": [
+        {
+          "type": "number"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        {
+          "type": "null"
+        }
+      ]
+    },
     "socket": {
       "type": "string"
     },
@@ -405,7 +403,6 @@
       "ca": "should be {String|Buffer}",
       "cert": "should be {String|Buffer}",
       "clientLogLevel": "should be {String} and equal to one of the allowed values\n\n [ 'silent', 'info', 'debug', 'trace', 'error', 'warn' ]\n\n (https://webpack.js.org/configuration/dev-server/#devserverclientloglevel)",
-      "clientSocketOptions": "should be {Object} (https://webpack.js.org/configuration/dev-server/#devserverclientsocketoptions)",
       "compress": "should be {Boolean} (https://webpack.js.org/configuration/dev-server/#devservercompress)",
       "contentBase": "should be {Number|String|Array} (https://webpack.js.org/configuration/dev-server/#devservercontentbase)",
       "disableHostCheck": "should be {Boolean} (https://webpack.js.org/configuration/dev-server/#devserverdisablehostcheck)",
@@ -449,6 +446,9 @@
       "serveIndex": "should be {Boolean} (https://webpack.js.org/configuration/dev-server/#devserverserveindex)",
       "serverSideRender": "should be {Boolean} (https://github.com/webpack/webpack-dev-middleware#serversiderender)",
       "setup": "should be {Function} (https://webpack.js.org/configuration/dev-server/#devserversetup)",
+      "sockHost": "should be {String|Null} (https://webpack.js.org/configuration/dev-server/#devserversockhost)",
+      "sockPath": "should be {String} (https://webpack.js.org/configuration/dev-server/#devserversockpath)",
+      "sockPort": "should be {Number|String|Null} (https://webpack.js.org/configuration/dev-server/#devserversockport)",
       "socket": "should be {String} (https://webpack.js.org/configuration/dev-server/#devserversocket)",
       "staticOptions": "should be {Object} (https://webpack.js.org/configuration/dev-server/#devserverstaticoptions)",
       "stats": "should be {Object|Boolean} (https://webpack.js.org/configuration/dev-server/#devserverstats-)",
diff --git a/lib/utils/addEntries.js b/lib/utils/addEntries.js
index 4bba943c40..501b12e080 100644
--- a/lib/utils/addEntries.js
+++ b/lib/utils/addEntries.js
@@ -27,18 +27,14 @@ function addEntries(config, options, server) {
       },
     };
 
-    if (!options.clientSocketOptions) {
-      options.clientSocketOptions = {};
-    }
-
     /** @type {string} */
     const domain = createDomain(options, app);
     /** @type {string} */
-    const sockHost = options.clientSocketOptions.host ? `&sockHost=${options.clientSocketOptions.host}` : '';
+    const sockHost = options.sockHost ? `&sockHost=${options.sockHost}` : '';
     /** @type {string} */
-    const sockPath = options.clientSocketOptions.path ? `&sockPath=${options.clientSocketOptions.path}` : '';
+    const sockPath = options.sockPath ? `&sockPath=${options.sockPath}` : '';
     /** @type {string} */
-    const sockPort = options.clientSocketOptions.port ? `&sockPort=${options.clientSocketOptions.port}` : '';
+    const sockPort = options.sockPort ? `&sockPort=${options.sockPort}` : '';
     /** @type {string} */
     const clientEntry = `${require.resolve(
       '../../client/'
diff --git a/lib/utils/createConfig.js b/lib/utils/createConfig.js
index 8e7475035f..d5a3e1db99 100644
--- a/lib/utils/createConfig.js
+++ b/lib/utils/createConfig.js
@@ -31,23 +31,16 @@ function createConfig(config, argv, { port }) {
     options.socket = argv.socket;
   }
 
-  if (
-    (argv.sockHost || argv.sockPath || argv.sockPort) &&
-    !options.clientSocketOptions
-  ) {
-    options.clientSocketOptions = {};
-  }
-
   if (argv.sockHost) {
-    options.clientSocketOptions.host = argv.sockHost;
+    options.sockHost = argv.sockHost;
   }
 
   if (argv.sockPath) {
-    options.clientSocketOptions.path = argv.sockPath;
+    options.sockPath = argv.sockPath;
   }
 
   if (argv.sockPort) {
-    options.clientSocketOptions.port = argv.sockPort;
+    options.sockPort = argv.sockPort;
   }
 
   if (argv.liveReload === false) {
diff --git a/test/e2e/ClientOptions.test.js b/test/e2e/ClientOptions.test.js
index 42b971359b..1d7f4aa6e8 100644
--- a/test/e2e/ClientOptions.test.js
+++ b/test/e2e/ClientOptions.test.js
@@ -96,9 +96,7 @@ describe('Client complex inline script path', () => {
         poll: true,
       },
       public: 'myhost.test',
-      clientSocketOptions: {
-        path: '/foo/test/bar/',
-      },
+      sockPath: '/foo/test/bar/',
       quiet: true,
     };
     testServer.startAwaitingCompilation(config, options, done);
@@ -140,10 +138,8 @@ describe('Client complex inline script path with sockPort', () => {
       watchOptions: {
         poll: true,
       },
-      clientSocketOptions: {
-        path: '/foo/test/bar/',
-        port: port3,
-      },
+      sockPath: '/foo/test/bar/',
+      sockPort: port3,
       quiet: true,
     };
     testServer.startAwaitingCompilation(config, options, done);
@@ -189,9 +185,7 @@ describe('Client complex inline script path with sockPort, no sockPath', () => {
       watchOptions: {
         poll: true,
       },
-      clientSocketOptions: {
-        port: port3,
-      },
+      sockPort: port3,
       quiet: true,
     };
     testServer.startAwaitingCompilation(config, options, done);
@@ -231,9 +225,7 @@ describe('Client complex inline script path with sockHost', () => {
       watchOptions: {
         poll: true,
       },
-      clientSocketOptions: {
-        host: 'myhost.test',
-      },
+      sockHost: 'myhost.test',
       quiet: true,
     };
     testServer.startAwaitingCompilation(config, options, done);
diff --git a/test/options.test.js b/test/options.test.js
index 1c28806cf7..8f41f4b65f 100644
--- a/test/options.test.js
+++ b/test/options.test.js
@@ -290,8 +290,16 @@ describe('options', () => {
         success: [''],
         failure: [false],
       },
-      clientSocketOptions: {
-        success: [{}],
+      sockHost: {
+        success: [''],
+        failure: [false],
+      },
+      sockPath: {
+        success: [''],
+        failure: [false],
+      },
+      sockPort: {
+        success: ['', 0, null],
         failure: [false],
       },
       staticOptions: {
diff --git a/test/server/sockPath-option.test.js b/test/server/sockPath-option.test.js
index 484cbfaf76..860e3818be 100644
--- a/test/server/sockPath-option.test.js
+++ b/test/server/sockPath-option.test.js
@@ -37,9 +37,7 @@ describe('sockPath options', () => {
       server = testServer.start(
         config,
         {
-          clientSocketOptions: {
-            path: '/foo/test/bar/',
-          },
+          sockPath: '/foo/test/bar/',
           port,
         },
         done
diff --git a/test/server/transportMode-option.test.js b/test/server/transportMode-option.test.js
index 55d819fa4e..d4a54ffc12 100644
--- a/test/server/transportMode-option.test.js
+++ b/test/server/transportMode-option.test.js
@@ -195,9 +195,7 @@ describe('transportMode', () => {
             config,
             {
               port,
-              clientSocketOptions: {
-                path: '/foo/test/bar/',
-              },
+              sockPath: '/foo/test/bar/',
               transportMode: {
                 server: class MySockJSServer extends BaseServer {
                   constructor(serv) {
@@ -219,7 +217,7 @@ describe('transportMode', () => {
                       prefix: this.server.sockPath,
                     });
 
-                    sockPath = server.options.clientSocketOptions.path;
+                    sockPath = server.options.sockPath;
                   }
 
                   send(connection, message) {
diff --git a/test/server/utils/__snapshots__/createConfig.test.js.snap b/test/server/utils/__snapshots__/createConfig.test.js.snap
index 9e9b6ea851..585d74105c 100644
--- a/test/server/utils/__snapshots__/createConfig.test.js.snap
+++ b/test/server/utils/__snapshots__/createConfig.test.js.snap
@@ -1202,14 +1202,12 @@ Object {
 
 exports[`createConfig sockHost option 1`] = `
 Object {
-  "clientSocketOptions": Object {
-    "host": true,
-  },
   "hot": true,
   "hotOnly": false,
   "noInfo": true,
   "port": 8080,
   "publicPath": "/",
+  "sockHost": true,
   "stats": Object {
     "cached": false,
     "cachedAssets": false,
@@ -1219,14 +1217,12 @@ Object {
 
 exports[`createConfig sockPath option 1`] = `
 Object {
-  "clientSocketOptions": Object {
-    "path": "path",
-  },
   "hot": true,
   "hotOnly": false,
   "noInfo": true,
   "port": 8080,
   "publicPath": "/",
+  "sockPath": "path",
   "stats": Object {
     "cached": false,
     "cachedAssets": false,
@@ -1236,14 +1232,12 @@ Object {
 
 exports[`createConfig sockPort option 1`] = `
 Object {
-  "clientSocketOptions": Object {
-    "port": "port",
-  },
   "hot": true,
   "hotOnly": false,
   "noInfo": true,
   "port": 8080,
   "publicPath": "/",
+  "sockPort": "port",
   "stats": Object {
     "cached": false,
     "cachedAssets": false,