diff --git a/configure b/configure
index dd000ce299..7748802d11 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -366,6 +366,7 @@ ninja=""
 gio="$default_feature"
 skip_meson=no
 slirp_smbd="$default_feature"
+vfio_user_server="disabled"
 
 # The following Meson options are handled manually (still they
 # are included in the automatically generated help message)
@@ -1190,6 +1191,10 @@ for opt do
   ;;
   --disable-blobs) meson_option_parse --disable-install-blobs ""
   ;;
+  --enable-vfio-user-server) vfio_user_server="enabled"
+  ;;
+  --disable-vfio-user-server) vfio_user_server="disabled"
+  ;;
   --enable-tcmalloc) meson_option_parse --enable-malloc=tcmalloc tcmalloc
   ;;
   --enable-jemalloc) meson_option_parse --enable-malloc=jemalloc jemalloc
@@ -1470,6 +1475,7 @@ cat << EOF
   rng-none        dummy RNG, avoid using /dev/(u)random and getrandom()
   gio             libgio support
   slirp-smbd      use smbd (at path --smbd=*) in slirp networking
+  vfio-user-server    vfio-user server support
 
 NOTE: The object files are built at the place where configure is launched
 EOF
@@ -3250,6 +3256,17 @@ but not implemented on your system"
     fi
 fi
 
+##########################################
+# check for vfio_user_server
+
+case "$vfio_user_server" in
+  auto | enabled )
+    if test "$git_submodules_action" != "ignore"; then
+      git_submodules="${git_submodules} subprojects/libvfio-user"
+    fi
+    ;;
+esac
+
 ##########################################
 # End of CC checks
 # After here, no more $cc or $ld runs
@@ -3998,7 +4015,7 @@ if test "$skip_meson" = no; then
         -Db_pie=$(if test "$pie" = yes; then echo true; else echo false; fi) \
         -Db_coverage=$(if test "$gcov" = yes; then echo true; else echo false; fi) \
         -Db_lto=$lto -Dcfi=$cfi -Dtcg=$tcg -Dxen=$xen \
-        -Dcapstone=$capstone -Dfdt=$fdt -Dslirp=$slirp \
+        -Dcapstone=$capstone -Dfdt=$fdt -Dslirp=$slirp -Dvfio_user_server=$vfio_user_server \
         $(test -n "${LIB_FUZZING_ENGINE+xxx}" && echo "-Dfuzzing_engine=$LIB_FUZZING_ENGINE") \
         $(if test "$default_feature" = no; then echo "-Dauto_features=disabled"; fi) \
         "$@" $cross_arg "$PWD" "$source_path"
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 9702fdce6d..339c28ee25 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -252,6 +252,11 @@ if targetos != 'linux' and get_option('multiprocess').enabled()
 endif
 multiprocess_allowed = targetos == 'linux' and not get_option('multiprocess').disabled()
 
+if targetos != 'linux' and get_option('vfio_user_server').enabled()
+  error('vfio-user server is supported only on Linux')
+endif
+vfio_user_server_allowed = targetos == 'linux' and not get_option('vfio_user_server').disabled()
+
 libm = cc.find_library('m', required: false)
 threads = dependency('threads')
 util = cc.find_library('util', required: false)
@@ -1824,7 +1829,8 @@ host_kconfig = \
   (have_virtfs ? ['CONFIG_VIRTFS=y'] : []) + \
   ('CONFIG_LINUX' in config_host ? ['CONFIG_LINUX=y'] : []) + \
   ('CONFIG_PVRDMA' in config_host ? ['CONFIG_PVRDMA=y'] : []) + \
-  (multiprocess_allowed ? ['CONFIG_MULTIPROCESS_ALLOWED=y'] : [])
+  (multiprocess_allowed ? ['CONFIG_MULTIPROCESS_ALLOWED=y'] : []) + \
+  (vfio_user_server_allowed ? ['CONFIG_VFIO_USER_SERVER_ALLOWED=y'] : [])
 
 ignored = [ 'TARGET_XML_FILES', 'TARGET_ABI_DIR', 'TARGET_ARCH' ]
 
@@ -2201,6 +2207,41 @@ if get_option('cfi') and slirp_opt == 'system'
          + ' Please configure with --enable-slirp=git')
 endif
 
+vfiouser = not_found
+if have_system and vfio_user_server_allowed
+  have_internal = fs.exists(meson.current_source_dir() / 'subprojects/libvfio-user/Makefile')
+
+  if not have_internal
+    error('libvfio-user source not found - please pull git submodule')
+  endif
+
+  json_c = dependency('json-c', required: false)
+  if not json_c.found()
+    json_c = dependency('libjson-c', required: false)
+  endif
+  if not json_c.found()
+    json_c = dependency('libjson-c-dev', required: false)
+  endif
+
+  if not json_c.found()
+    error('Unable to find json-c package')
+  endif
+
+  cmake = import('cmake')
+
+  vfiouser_subproj = cmake.subproject('libvfio-user')
+
+  vfiouser_sl = vfiouser_subproj.dependency('vfio-user-static')
+
+  # Although cmake links the json-c library with vfio-user-static
+  # target, that info is not available to meson via cmake.subproject.
+  # As such, we have to separately declare the json-c dependency here.
+  # This appears to be a current limitation of using cmake inside meson.
+  # libvfio-user is planning a switch to meson in the future, which
+  # would address this item automatically.
+  vfiouser = declare_dependency(dependencies: [vfiouser_sl, json_c])
+endif
+
 fdt = not_found
 fdt_opt = get_option('fdt')
 if have_system
@@ -3301,6 +3342,7 @@ summary_info += {'target list':       ' '.join(target_dirs)}
 if have_system
   summary_info += {'default devices':   get_option('default_devices')}
   summary_info += {'out of process emulation': multiprocess_allowed}
+  summary_info += {'vfio-user server': vfio_user_server_allowed}
 endif
 summary(summary_info, bool_yn: true, section: 'Targets and accelerators')
 
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.d/buildtest.yml b/.gitlab-ci.d/buildtest.yml
index 71d0f407ad..e29f8c1f13 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.d/buildtest.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.d/buildtest.yml
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ build-system-ubuntu:
   variables:
     IMAGE: ubuntu2004
     CONFIGURE_ARGS: --enable-docs --enable-fdt=system --enable-slirp=system
+                    --enable-vfio-user-server
     TARGETS: aarch64-softmmu alpha-softmmu cris-softmmu hppa-softmmu
       microblazeel-softmmu mips64el-softmmu
     MAKE_CHECK_ARGS: check-build
@@ -142,6 +143,7 @@ build-system-centos:
     IMAGE: centos8
     CONFIGURE_ARGS: --disable-nettle --enable-gcrypt --enable-fdt=system
                     --enable-modules --enable-trace-backends=dtrace
+                    --enable-vfio-user-server
     TARGETS: ppc64-softmmu or1k-softmmu s390x-softmmu
       x86_64-softmmu rx-softmmu sh4-softmmu nios2-softmmu
     MAKE_CHECK_ARGS: check-build
diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index 08b1b48a09..cfeea7cf20 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -64,3 +64,6 @@
 [submodule "roms/vbootrom"]
 	path = roms/vbootrom
 	url = https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/vbootrom.git
+[submodule "subprojects/libvfio-user"]
+	path = subprojects/libvfio-user
+	url = https://github.com/nutanix/libvfio-user.git
diff --git a/Kconfig.host b/Kconfig.host
index 60b9c07b5e..f2da8bcf8a 100644
--- a/Kconfig.host
+++ b/Kconfig.host
@@ -45,3 +45,7 @@ config MULTIPROCESS_ALLOWED
 config FUZZ
     bool
     select SPARSE_MEM
+
+config VFIO_USER_SERVER_ALLOWED
+    bool
+    imply VFIO_USER_SERVER
diff --git a/MAINTAINERS b/MAINTAINERS
index a8fa61a20d..e0daf349ae 100644
--- a/MAINTAINERS
+++ b/MAINTAINERS
@@ -3464,6 +3464,7 @@ F: hw/remote/proxy-memory-listener.c
 F: include/hw/remote/proxy-memory-listener.h
 F: hw/remote/iohub.c
 F: include/hw/remote/iohub.h
+F: subprojects/libvfio-user
 
 EBPF:
 M: Jason Wang <jasowang@redhat.com>
diff --git a/hw/remote/Kconfig b/hw/remote/Kconfig
index 08c16e235f..2d6b4f4cf4 100644
--- a/hw/remote/Kconfig
+++ b/hw/remote/Kconfig
@@ -2,3 +2,7 @@ config MULTIPROCESS
     bool
     depends on PCI && PCI_EXPRESS && KVM
     select REMOTE_PCIHOST
+
+config VFIO_USER_SERVER
+    bool
+    depends on MULTIPROCESS
diff --git a/hw/remote/meson.build b/hw/remote/meson.build
index e6a5574242..dfea6b533b 100644
--- a/hw/remote/meson.build
+++ b/hw/remote/meson.build
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ remote_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_MULTIPROCESS', if_true: files('remote-obj.c'))
 remote_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_MULTIPROCESS', if_true: files('proxy.c'))
 remote_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_MULTIPROCESS', if_true: files('iohub.c'))
 
+remote_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_VFIO_USER_SERVER', if_true: vfiouser)
+
 specific_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_MULTIPROCESS', if_true: files('memory.c'))
 specific_ss.add(when: 'CONFIG_MULTIPROCESS', if_true: files('proxy-memory-listener.c'))
 
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index e740dce2a5..3c2d73481a 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -66,6 +66,8 @@ option('cfi_debug', type: 'boolean', value: 'false',
        description: 'Verbose errors in case of CFI violation')
 option('multiprocess', type: 'feature', value: 'auto',
        description: 'Out of process device emulation support')
+option('vfio_user_server', type: 'feature', value: 'auto',
+       description: 'vfio-user server support')
 
 option('attr', type : 'feature', value : 'auto',
        description: 'attr/xattr support')
diff --git a/subprojects/libvfio-user b/subprojects/libvfio-user
new file mode 160000
index 0000000000..7056525da5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/subprojects/libvfio-user
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit 7056525da5399d00831e90bed4aedb4b8442c9b2
diff --git a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/centos8.docker b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/centos8.docker
index 46398c61ee..646abcda1f 100644
--- a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/centos8.docker
+++ b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/centos8.docker
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ ENV PACKAGES \
     capstone-devel \
     ccache \
     clang \
+    cmake \
     ctags \
     cyrus-sasl-devel \
     daxctl-devel \
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ ENV PACKAGES \
     gtk3-devel \
     hostname \
     jemalloc-devel \
+    json-c-devel \
     libaio-devel \
     libasan \
     libattr-devel \
diff --git a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/ubuntu2004.docker b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/ubuntu2004.docker
index 39de63d012..ca4dff0e6b 100644
--- a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/ubuntu2004.docker
+++ b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/ubuntu2004.docker
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ ENV PACKAGES \
     ca-certificates \
     ccache \
     clang \
+    cmake \
     dbus \
     debianutils \
     diffutils \
@@ -44,6 +45,7 @@ ENV PACKAGES \
     libiscsi-dev \
     libjemalloc-dev \
     libjpeg-turbo8-dev \
+    libjson-c-dev \
     liblttng-ust-dev \
     liblzo2-dev \
     libncursesw5-dev \
