diff --git a/docs/configuration.asciidoc b/docs/configuration.asciidoc
index 9fd9f2d1805..9a3397f5bda 100644
--- a/docs/configuration.asciidoc
+++ b/docs/configuration.asciidoc
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ WARNING: The API key is sent as plain-text in every request to the server, so yo
 ==== `serverUrl`
 
 * *Type:* String
-* *Default:* `http://localhost:8200`
+* *Default:* `http://127.0.0.1:8200`
 * *Env:* `ELASTIC_APM_SERVER_URL`
 
 The URL to where the APM Server is deployed.
@@ -1146,7 +1146,7 @@ module.exports = {
   // Use if APM Server requires a token
   secretToken: '',
 
-  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://localhost:8200)
+  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://127.0.0.1:8200)
   serverUrl: ''
 }
 ----
diff --git a/docs/custom-stack.asciidoc b/docs/custom-stack.asciidoc
index d8b1d0c783e..52f97fd6a37 100644
--- a/docs/custom-stack.asciidoc
+++ b/docs/custom-stack.asciidoc
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ var apm = require('elastic-apm-node').start({
   // Use if APM Server uses API keys for authentication
   apiKey: '',
 
-  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://localhost:8200)
+  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://127.0.0.1:8200)
   serverUrl: '',
 })
 ----
diff --git a/docs/express.asciidoc b/docs/express.asciidoc
index 564853e5481..a4693529c8f 100644
--- a/docs/express.asciidoc
+++ b/docs/express.asciidoc
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ const apm = require('elastic-apm-node').start({
   // Use if APM Server uses API keys for authentication
   apiKey: '',
 
-  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://localhost:8200)
+  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://127.0.0.1:8200)
   serverUrl: '',
 })
 
diff --git a/docs/fastify.asciidoc b/docs/fastify.asciidoc
index 0e5e9f26df7..fd322a49e55 100644
--- a/docs/fastify.asciidoc
+++ b/docs/fastify.asciidoc
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ var apm = require('elastic-apm-node').start({
   // Use if APM Server uses API keys for authentication
   apiKey: '',
 
-  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://localhost:8200)
+  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://127.0.0.1:8200)
   serverUrl: '',
 })
 
diff --git a/docs/hapi.asciidoc b/docs/hapi.asciidoc
index fc263fbb9db..06b70ce7ec8 100644
--- a/docs/hapi.asciidoc
+++ b/docs/hapi.asciidoc
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ const apm = require('elastic-apm-node').start({
   // Use if APM Server uses API keys for authentication
   apiKey: '',
 
-  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://localhost:8200)
+  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://127.0.0.1:8200)
   serverUrl: '',
 })
 
diff --git a/docs/koa.asciidoc b/docs/koa.asciidoc
index f963ab1e374..6153c4b4847 100644
--- a/docs/koa.asciidoc
+++ b/docs/koa.asciidoc
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ const apm = require('elastic-apm-node').start({
   // Use if APM Server uses API keys for authentication
   apiKey: '',
 
-  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://localhost:8200)
+  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://127.0.0.1:8200)
   serverUrl: '',
 })
 
diff --git a/docs/opentracing.asciidoc b/docs/opentracing.asciidoc
index 3972b0e9e9d..a59c06b9725 100644
--- a/docs/opentracing.asciidoc
+++ b/docs/opentracing.asciidoc
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ const agent = require('elastic-apm-node').start({
   // Use if APM Server uses API keys for authentication
   apiKey: '',
 
-  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://localhost:8200)
+  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://127.0.0.1:8200)
   serverUrl: '',
 })
 
diff --git a/docs/restify.asciidoc b/docs/restify.asciidoc
index 341b80abcc2..bbc7b4b8456 100644
--- a/docs/restify.asciidoc
+++ b/docs/restify.asciidoc
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ const apm = require('elastic-apm-node').start({
   // Use if APM Server uses API keys for authentication
   apiKey: '',
 
-  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://localhost:8200)
+  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://127.0.0.1:8200)
   serverUrl: '',
 })
 
diff --git a/docs/setup.asciidoc b/docs/setup.asciidoc
index 907e713b0c5..e595ebb2b47 100644
--- a/docs/setup.asciidoc
+++ b/docs/setup.asciidoc
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ require('elastic-apm-node').start({
   // Use if APM Server uses API keys for authentication
   apiKey: '',
 
-  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://localhost:8200)
+  // Set custom APM Server URL (default: http://127.0.0.1:8200)
   serverUrl: '',
 
   // Only activate the agent if it's running in production
diff --git a/lib/agent.js b/lib/agent.js
index c9df001974c..c7cf72512b4 100644
--- a/lib/agent.js
+++ b/lib/agent.js
@@ -198,15 +198,6 @@ Agent.prototype.setSpanOutcome = function (outcome) {
 Agent.prototype._config = function (opts) {
   this._conf = config.createConfig(opts, this.logger)
   this.logger = this._conf.logger
-
-  const { host, port, protocol } = this._conf.serverUrl
-    ? parsers.parseUrl(this._conf.serverUrl)
-    : { host: 'localhost:8200', port: '8200' }
-
-  this._conf.serverHost = host
-  this._conf.serverPort = port === ''
-    ? (protocol === 'https:' ? 443 : 80)
-    : parseInt(port, 10)
 }
 
 Agent.prototype.isStarted = function () {
@@ -225,6 +216,7 @@ Agent.prototype.start = function (opts) {
     this.addFilter(require('./filters/http-headers'))
   }
 
+  // Check cases where we do *not* start.
   if (!this._conf.active) {
     this.logger.debug('Elastic APM agent disabled (`active` is false)')
     return this
@@ -232,11 +224,19 @@ Agent.prototype.start = function (opts) {
     this.logger.error('Elastic APM is incorrectly configured: Missing serviceName (APM will be disabled)')
     this._conf.active = false
     return this
-  } else if (!(this._conf.serverPort >= 1 && this._conf.serverPort <= 65535)) {
+  }
+  // Sanity check the port from `serverUrl`.
+  const parsedUrl = parsers.parseUrl(this._conf.serverUrl)
+  const serverPort = (parsedUrl.port
+    ? Number(parsedUrl.port)
+    : (parsedUrl.protocol === 'https:' ? 443 : 80))
+  if (!(serverPort >= 1 && serverPort <= 65535)) {
     this.logger.error('Elastic APM is incorrectly configured: serverUrl "%s" contains an invalid port! (allowed: 1-65535)', this._conf.serverUrl)
     this._conf.active = false
     return this
-  } else if (this._conf.logLevel === 'trace') {
+  }
+
+  if (this._conf.logLevel === 'trace') {
     var stackObj = {}
     Error.captureStackTrace(stackObj)
 
diff --git a/lib/config.js b/lib/config.js
index dd03f925c62..d2423230218 100644
--- a/lib/config.js
+++ b/lib/config.js
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@ var DEFAULTS = {
   ],
   serviceNodeName: undefined,
   serverTimeout: '30s',
+  serverUrl: 'http://127.0.0.1:8200',
   sourceLinesErrorAppFrames: 5,
   sourceLinesErrorLibraryFrames: 5,
   sourceLinesSpanAppFrames: 0,
@@ -541,8 +542,7 @@ class Config {
     const REDACT_FIELDS = {
       apiKey: true,
       secretToken: true,
-      serverUrl: true,
-      serverHost: true
+      serverUrl: true
     }
     const NICE_REGEXPS_FIELDS = {
       ignoreUrlRegExp: true,
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 7f3ce03afb2..fe11a9ba999 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
         "basic-auth": "^2.0.1",
         "cookie": "^0.5.0",
         "core-util-is": "^1.0.2",
-        "elastic-apm-http-client": "11.0.3",
+        "elastic-apm-http-client": "11.0.4",
         "end-of-stream": "^1.4.4",
         "error-callsites": "^2.0.4",
         "error-stack-parser": "^2.0.6",
@@ -6155,9 +6155,9 @@
       "dev": true
     },
     "node_modules/elastic-apm-http-client": {
-      "version": "11.0.3",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/elastic-apm-http-client/-/elastic-apm-http-client-11.0.3.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-y+P9ByvfxjZbnLejgGaCAnwEe+FWMVshoMmjeLEEEVlQTLiFUHy7vhYyCQVqgbZzQ6zpaGPqPU2woKglKW4RHw==",
+      "version": "11.0.4",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/elastic-apm-http-client/-/elastic-apm-http-client-11.0.4.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-449Qj/STi9hgnIk2KQ7719E7lpM3/i4Afs7NUhSOX8wV3sxn/+ItIHx9kKJthzhDDezxIfQcH83v83AF67GspQ==",
       "dependencies": {
         "agentkeepalive": "^4.2.1",
         "breadth-filter": "^2.0.0",
@@ -20134,9 +20134,9 @@
       "dev": true
     },
     "elastic-apm-http-client": {
-      "version": "11.0.3",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/elastic-apm-http-client/-/elastic-apm-http-client-11.0.3.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-y+P9ByvfxjZbnLejgGaCAnwEe+FWMVshoMmjeLEEEVlQTLiFUHy7vhYyCQVqgbZzQ6zpaGPqPU2woKglKW4RHw==",
+      "version": "11.0.4",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/elastic-apm-http-client/-/elastic-apm-http-client-11.0.4.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-449Qj/STi9hgnIk2KQ7719E7lpM3/i4Afs7NUhSOX8wV3sxn/+ItIHx9kKJthzhDDezxIfQcH83v83AF67GspQ==",
       "requires": {
         "agentkeepalive": "^4.2.1",
         "breadth-filter": "^2.0.0",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 3d6701d6158..8425a15d891 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@
     "basic-auth": "^2.0.1",
     "cookie": "^0.5.0",
     "core-util-is": "^1.0.2",
-    "elastic-apm-http-client": "11.0.3",
+    "elastic-apm-http-client": "11.0.4",
     "end-of-stream": "^1.4.4",
     "error-callsites": "^2.0.4",
     "error-stack-parser": "^2.0.6",
diff --git a/test/config.test.js b/test/config.test.js
index f2c35489ea0..d66950babd5 100644
--- a/test/config.test.js
+++ b/test/config.test.js
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ var optionFixtures = [
   ['secretToken', 'SECRET_TOKEN'],
   ['serverCaCertFile', 'SERVER_CA_CERT_FILE'],
   ['serverTimeout', 'SERVER_TIMEOUT', 30],
-  ['serverUrl', 'SERVER_URL'],
+  ['serverUrl', 'SERVER_URL', 'http://127.0.0.1:8200'],
   ['serviceName', 'SERVICE_NAME', apmName],
   ['serviceNodeName', 'SERVICE_NODE_NAME'],
   ['serviceVersion', 'SERVICE_VERSION', apmVersion],