diff --git a/lib/_http_agent.js b/lib/_http_agent.js
index c6983b779a..0938fce414 100644
--- a/lib/_http_agent.js
+++ b/lib/_http_agent.js
@@ -36,13 +36,20 @@ var EventEmitter = require('events').EventEmitter;
 // concerned with managing a connection pool.
 
 function Agent(options) {
+  if (!(this instanceof Agent))
+    return new Agent(options);
+
   EventEmitter.call(this);
 
   var self = this;
   self.options = options || {};
   self.requests = {};
   self.sockets = {};
+  self.freeSockets = {};
+  self.keepAliveMsecs = self.options.keepAliveMsecs || 1000;
+  self.keepAlive = self.options.keepAlive || false;
   self.maxSockets = self.options.maxSockets || Agent.defaultMaxSockets;
+
   self.on('free', function(socket, host, port, localAddress) {
     var name = host + ':' + port;
     if (localAddress) {
@@ -57,11 +64,31 @@ function Agent(options) {
         delete self.requests[name];
       }
     } else {
-      // If there are no pending requests just destroy the
-      // socket and it will get removed from the pool. This
-      // gets us out of timeout issues and allows us to
-      // default to Connection:keep-alive.
-      socket.destroy();
+      // If there are no pending requests, then put it in
+      // the freeSockets pool, but only if we're allowed to do so.
+      var req = socket._httpMessage;
+      if (req &&
+          req.shouldKeepAlive &&
+          !socket.destroyed &&
+          self.options.keepAlive) {
+        var freeSockets = self.freeSockets[name];
+        var count = freeSockets ? freeSockets.length : 0;
+        if (self.sockets[name])
+          count += self.sockets[name].length;
+
+        if (count > self.maxSockets) {
+          socket.destroy();
+        } else {
+          freeSockets = freeSockets || [];
+          self.freeSockets[name] = freeSockets;
+          socket.setKeepAlive(true, self.keepAliveMsecs);
+          socket.unref();
+          socket._httpMessage = null;
+          freeSockets.push(socket);
+        }
+      } else {
+        socket.destroy();
+      }
     }
   });
   self.createConnection = net.createConnection;
@@ -70,7 +97,7 @@ function Agent(options) {
 util.inherits(Agent, EventEmitter);
 exports.Agent = Agent;
 
-Agent.defaultMaxSockets = 5;
+Agent.defaultMaxSockets = Infinity;
 
 Agent.prototype.defaultPort = 80;
 Agent.prototype.addRequest = function(req, host, port, localAddress) {
@@ -81,7 +108,18 @@ Agent.prototype.addRequest = function(req, host, port, localAddress) {
   if (!this.sockets[name]) {
     this.sockets[name] = [];
   }
-  if (this.sockets[name].length < this.maxSockets) {
+
+  if (this.freeSockets[name] && this.freeSockets[name].length) {
+    // we have a free socket, so use that.
+    var socket = this.freeSockets[name].shift();
+
+    // don't leak
+    if (!this.freeSockets[name].length)
+      delete this.freeSockets[name];
+
+    socket.ref();
+    req.onSocket(socket);
+  } else if (this.sockets[name].length < this.maxSockets) {
     // If we are under maxSockets create a new one.
     req.onSocket(this.createSocket(name, host, port, localAddress, req));
   } else {
@@ -158,5 +196,16 @@ Agent.prototype.removeSocket = function(s, name, host, port, localAddress) {
   }
 };
 
+Agent.prototype.destroy = function() {
+  var sets = [this.freeSockets, this.sockets];
+  sets.forEach(function(set) {
+    Object.keys(set).forEach(function(name) {
+      set[name].forEach(function(socket) {
+        socket.destroy();
+      });
+    });
+  });
+};
+
 var globalAgent = new Agent();
 exports.globalAgent = globalAgent;
diff --git a/test/simple/test-http-client-abort.js b/test/simple/test-http-client-abort.js
index c9b5eb071f..098754e4fb 100644
--- a/test/simple/test-http-client-abort.js
+++ b/test/simple/test-http-client-abort.js
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ var server = http.Server(function(req, res) {
 });
 
 var responses = 0;
-var N = http.Agent.defaultMaxSockets - 1;
+var N = 16;
 var requests = [];
 
 server.listen(common.PORT, function() {
diff --git a/test/simple/test-http-keepalive-client.js b/test/simple/test-http-keepalive-client.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..177a8ed7a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/simple/test-http-keepalive-client.js
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+// Copyright Joyent, Inc. and other Node contributors.
+//
+// Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a
+// copy of this software and associated documentation files (the
+// "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including
+// without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish,
+// distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit
+// persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the
+// following conditions:
+//
+// The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included
+// in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+//
+// THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS
+// OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
+// MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN
+// NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM,
+// DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR
+// OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE
+// USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+
+var common = require('../common');
+var assert = require('assert');
+
+var http = require('http');
+
+
+var serverSocket = null;
+var server = http.createServer(function(req, res) {
+  // They should all come in on the same server socket.
+  if (serverSocket) {
+    assert.equal(req.socket, serverSocket);
+  } else {
+    serverSocket = req.socket;
+  }
+
+  res.end(req.url);
+});
+server.listen(common.PORT);
+
+var agent = http.Agent({ keepAlive: true });
+
+
+var clientSocket = null;
+var expectRequests = 10;
+var actualRequests = 0;
+
+
+makeRequest(expectRequests);
+function makeRequest(n) {
+  if (n === 0) {
+    server.close();
+    agent.destroy();
+    return;
+  }
+
+  var req = http.request({
+    port: common.PORT,
+    agent: agent,
+    path: '/' + n
+  });
+
+  req.end();
+
+  req.on('socket', function(sock) {
+    if (clientSocket) {
+      assert.equal(sock, clientSocket);
+    } else {
+      clientSocket = sock;
+    }
+  });
+
+  req.on('response', function(res) {
+    var data = '';
+    res.setEncoding('utf8');
+    res.on('data', function(c) {
+      data += c;
+    });
+    res.on('end', function() {
+      assert.equal(data, '/' + n);
+      setTimeout(function() {
+        actualRequests++;
+        makeRequest(n - 1);
+      }, 1);
+    });
+  });
+}
+
+process.on('exit', function() {
+  assert.equal(actualRequests, expectRequests)
+  console.log('ok');
+});