diff --git a/doc/configuration.txt b/doc/configuration.txt
index dd86493..85b687e 100644
--- a/doc/configuration.txt
+++ b/doc/configuration.txt
@@ -10885,7 +10885,7 @@
        bind :443 ssl crt pub.pem alpn h2,http/1.1
 
 backlog <backlog>
-  Sets the socket's backlog to this value. If unspecified, the frontend's
+  Sets the socket's backlog to this value. If unspecified or 0, the frontend's
   backlog is used instead, which generally defaults to the maxconn value.
 
 curves <curves>
diff --git a/include/proto/listener.h b/include/proto/listener.h
index 8ec41af..24a01b2 100644
--- a/include/proto/listener.h
+++ b/include/proto/listener.h
@@ -109,6 +109,12 @@
  */
 void listener_accept(int fd);
 
+/* Returns a suitable value for a listener's backlog. It uses the listener's,
+ * otherwise the frontend's backlog, otherwise the listener's maxconn,
+ * otherwise the frontend's maxconn, otherwise 1024.
+ */
+int listener_backlog(const struct listener *l);
+
 /* Notify the listener that a connection initiated from it was released. This
  * is used to keep the connection count consistent and to possibly re-open
  * listening when it was limited.
diff --git a/src/cfgparse.c b/src/cfgparse.c
index 21b9af5..4c8b48b 100644
--- a/src/cfgparse.c
+++ b/src/cfgparse.c
@@ -650,7 +650,6 @@
 			l = LIST_ELEM(bind_conf->listeners.n, typeof(l), by_bind);
 			l->maxaccept = 1;
 			l->maxconn = curpeers->peers_fe->maxconn;
-			l->backlog = curpeers->peers_fe->backlog;
 			l->accept = session_accept_fd;
 			l->analysers |=  curpeers->peers_fe->fe_req_ana;
 			l->default_target = curpeers->peers_fe->default_target;
@@ -854,7 +853,6 @@
 		l = LIST_ELEM(bind_conf->listeners.n, typeof(l), by_bind);
 		l->maxaccept = 1;
 		l->maxconn = curpeers->peers_fe->maxconn;
-		l->backlog = curpeers->peers_fe->backlog;
 		l->accept = session_accept_fd;
 		l->analysers |=  curpeers->peers_fe->fe_req_ana;
 		l->default_target = curpeers->peers_fe->default_target;
@@ -3743,8 +3741,6 @@
 				listener->options |= LI_O_NOLINGER;
 			if (!listener->maxconn)
 				listener->maxconn = curproxy->maxconn;
-			if (!listener->backlog)
-				listener->backlog = curproxy->backlog;
 			if (!listener->maxaccept)
 				listener->maxaccept = global.tune.maxaccept ? global.tune.maxaccept : 64;
 
diff --git a/src/cli.c b/src/cli.c
index 0cace77..9b95718 100644
--- a/src/cli.c
+++ b/src/cli.c
@@ -298,7 +298,6 @@
 
 		list_for_each_entry(l, &bind_conf->listeners, by_bind) {
 			l->maxconn = global.stats_fe->maxconn;
-			l->backlog = global.stats_fe->backlog;
 			l->accept = session_accept_fd;
 			l->default_target = global.stats_fe->default_target;
 			l->options |= LI_O_UNLIMITED; /* don't make the peers subject to global limits */
@@ -2522,7 +2521,6 @@
 
 	list_for_each_entry(l, &bind_conf->listeners, by_bind) {
 		l->maxconn = 10;
-		l->backlog = 10;
 		l->accept = session_accept_fd;
 		l->default_target = mworker_proxy->default_target;
 		/* don't make the peers subject to global limits and don't close it in the master */
@@ -2592,7 +2590,6 @@
 
 	list_for_each_entry(l, &bind_conf->listeners, by_bind) {
 		l->maxconn = global.stats_fe->maxconn;
-		l->backlog = global.stats_fe->backlog;
 		l->accept = session_accept_fd;
 		l->default_target = global.stats_fe->default_target;
 		l->options |= (LI_O_UNLIMITED | LI_O_NOSTOP);
diff --git a/src/listener.c b/src/listener.c
index 3ae20e2..4e22e50 100644
--- a/src/listener.c
+++ b/src/listener.c
@@ -350,7 +350,7 @@
 
 	if (l->proto->sock_prot == IPPROTO_TCP &&
 	    l->state == LI_PAUSED &&
-	    listen(l->fd, l->backlog ? l->backlog : l->maxconn) != 0) {
+	    listen(l->fd, listener_backlog(l)) != 0) {
 		ret = 0;
 		goto end;
 	}
@@ -568,6 +568,27 @@
 	HA_SPIN_UNLOCK(LISTENER_LOCK, &listener->lock);
 }
 
+/* Returns a suitable value for a listener's backlog. It uses the listener's,
+ * otherwise the frontend's backlog, otherwise the listener's maxconn,
+ * otherwise the frontend's maxconn, otherwise 1024.
+ */
+int listener_backlog(const struct listener *l)
+{
+	if (l->backlog)
+		return l->backlog;
+
+	if (l->bind_conf->frontend->backlog)
+		return l->bind_conf->frontend->backlog;
+
+	if (l->maxconn)
+		return l->maxconn;
+
+	if (l->bind_conf->frontend->maxconn)
+		return l->bind_conf->frontend->maxconn;
+
+	return 1024;
+}
+
 /* This function is called on a read event from a listening socket, corresponding
  * to an accept. It tries to accept as many connections as possible, and for each
  * calls the listener's accept handler (generally the frontend's accept handler).
@@ -1101,7 +1122,7 @@
 
 	val = atol(args[cur_arg + 1]);
 	if (val <= 0) {
-		memprintf(err, "'%s' : invalid value %d, must be > 0", args[cur_arg], val);
+		memprintf(err, "'%s' : invalid value %d, must be >= 0", args[cur_arg], val);
 		return ERR_ALERT | ERR_FATAL;
 	}
 
@@ -1125,7 +1146,7 @@
 	}
 
 	val = atol(args[cur_arg + 1]);
-	if (val <= 0) {
+	if (val < 0) {
 		memprintf(err, "'%s' : invalid value %d, must be > 0", args[cur_arg], val);
 		return ERR_ALERT | ERR_FATAL;
 	}
diff --git a/src/proto_tcp.c b/src/proto_tcp.c
index 28b7750..f1a0e4c 100644
--- a/src/proto_tcp.c
+++ b/src/proto_tcp.c
@@ -1017,7 +1017,7 @@
 #if defined(TCP_FASTOPEN)
 	if (listener->options & LI_O_TCP_FO) {
 		/* TFO needs a queue length, let's use the configured backlog */
-		int qlen = listener->backlog ? listener->backlog : listener->maxconn;
+		int qlen = listener_backlog(listener);
 		if (setsockopt(fd, IPPROTO_TCP, TCP_FASTOPEN, &qlen, sizeof(qlen)) == -1) {
 			msg = "cannot enable TCP_FASTOPEN";
 			err |= ERR_WARN;
@@ -1058,7 +1058,7 @@
 		ready = 0;
 
 	if (!(ext && ready) && /* only listen if not already done by external process */
-	    listen(fd, listener->backlog ? listener->backlog : listener->maxconn) == -1) {
+	    listen(fd, listener_backlog(listener)) == -1) {
 		err |= ERR_RETRYABLE | ERR_ALERT;
 		msg = "cannot listen to socket";
 		goto tcp_close_return;
@@ -1150,7 +1150,7 @@
 	if (shutdown(l->fd, SHUT_WR) != 0)
 		return -1; /* Solaris dies here */
 
-	if (listen(l->fd, l->backlog ? l->backlog : l->maxconn) != 0)
+	if (listen(l->fd, listener_backlog(l)) != 0)
 		return -1; /* OpenBSD dies here */
 
 	if (shutdown(l->fd, SHUT_RD) != 0)
diff --git a/src/proto_uxst.c b/src/proto_uxst.c
index d454d4c..980a226 100644
--- a/src/proto_uxst.c
+++ b/src/proto_uxst.c
@@ -315,7 +315,7 @@
 		ready = 0;
 
 	if (!(ext && ready) && /* only listen if not already done by external process */
-	    listen(fd, listener->backlog ? listener->backlog : listener->maxconn) < 0) {
+	    listen(fd, listener_backlog(listener)) < 0) {
 		err |= ERR_FATAL | ERR_ALERT;
 		msg = "cannot listen to UNIX socket";
 		goto err_unlink_temp;