diff --git a/ebean-api/src/main/java/io/ebean/DatabaseFactory.java b/ebean-api/src/main/java/io/ebean/DatabaseFactory.java
index 11cdf9068..6ad7b1d89 100644
--- a/ebean-api/src/main/java/io/ebean/DatabaseFactory.java
+++ b/ebean-api/src/main/java/io/ebean/DatabaseFactory.java
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ public class DatabaseFactory {
 
   private static final ReentrantLock lock = new ReentrantLock();
   private static SpiContainer container;
+  private static String defaultServerName;
 
   static {
     EbeanVersion.getVersion();
@@ -76,6 +77,12 @@ public class DatabaseFactory {
       }
       Database server = createInternal(config);
       if (config.isRegister()) {
+        if (config.isDefaultServer()) {
+          if (defaultServerName != null) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException("Registering [" + config.getName() + "] as the default server but [" + defaultServerName + "] is already registered as the default");
+          }
+          defaultServerName = config.getName();
+        }
         DbPrimary.setSkip(true);
         DbContext.getInstance().register(server, config.isDefaultServer());
       }
diff --git a/ebean-api/src/main/java/io/ebean/config/DatabaseConfig.java b/ebean-api/src/main/java/io/ebean/config/DatabaseConfig.java
index 036a39040..8e65f9bb3 100644
--- a/ebean-api/src/main/java/io/ebean/config/DatabaseConfig.java
+++ b/ebean-api/src/main/java/io/ebean/config/DatabaseConfig.java
@@ -2795,6 +2795,7 @@ public class DatabaseConfig {
     }
     loadDocStoreSettings(p);
 
+    defaultServer = p.getBoolean("defaultServer", defaultServer);
     loadModuleInfo = p.getBoolean("loadModuleInfo", loadModuleInfo);
     maxCallStack = p.getInt("maxCallStack", maxCallStack);
     dumpMetricsOnShutdown = p.getBoolean("dumpMetricsOnShutdown", dumpMetricsOnShutdown);
diff --git a/ebean-core/src/test/java/io/ebean/config/ServerConfigTest.java b/ebean-core/src/test/java/io/ebean/config/ServerConfigTest.java
index a81082d16..8fda93985 100644
--- a/ebean-core/src/test/java/io/ebean/config/ServerConfigTest.java
+++ b/ebean-core/src/test/java/io/ebean/config/ServerConfigTest.java
@@ -74,9 +74,11 @@ public class ServerConfigTest {
     props.setProperty("loadModuleInfo", "true");
     props.setProperty("collectQueryPlanThresholdMicros", "10000");
     props.setProperty("forUpdateNoKey", "true");
+    props.setProperty("defaultServer", "false");
 
     serverConfig.loadFromProperties(props);
 
+    assertFalse(serverConfig.isDefaultServer());
     assertTrue(serverConfig.isDisableL2Cache());
     assertTrue(serverConfig.isNotifyL2CacheInForeground());
     assertTrue(serverConfig.isDbOffline());
@@ -134,6 +136,7 @@ public class ServerConfigTest {
 
     ServerConfig serverConfig = new ServerConfig();
     assertTrue(serverConfig.isIdGeneratorAutomatic());
+    assertTrue(serverConfig.isDefaultServer());
 
     serverConfig.setIdGeneratorAutomatic(false);
     assertFalse(serverConfig.isIdGeneratorAutomatic());