diff --git a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/Connection.java b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/Connection.java
index 7db973d3f284..a0cb5a4cf230 100644
--- a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/Connection.java
+++ b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/Connection.java
@@ -171,8 +171,13 @@ default Table getTable(TableName tableName, ExecutorService pool) throws IOExcep
    */
   TableBuilder getTableBuilder(TableName tableName, ExecutorService pool);
 
-  /** Returns the cluster ID unique to this HBase cluster. */
-  String getClusterId();
+  /**
+   * Returns the cluster ID unique to this HBase cluster. <br>
+   * The default implementation is added to keep client compatibility.
+   */
+  default String getClusterId() {
+    return null;
+  }
 
   /**
    * Retrieve an Hbck implementation to fix an HBase cluster. The returned Hbck is not guaranteed to