diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 3b089d227c..965d89d66c 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -871,6 +871,7 @@ endif
 ifneq ($(USE_NS),)
 OPTIONS_CFLAGS += -DCONFIG_HAP_NS
 BUILD_OPTIONS  += $(call ignore_implicit,USE_NS)
+OPTIONS_OBJS  += src/namespace.o
 endif
 
 #### Global link options
@@ -916,7 +917,7 @@ OBJS = src/proto_http.o src/cfgparse.o src/server.o src/stream.o        \
        src/hpack-dec.o src/memory.o src/lb_fwrr.o src/lb_chash.o        \
        src/lb_fas.o src/hathreads.o src/chunk.o src/lb_map.o            \
        src/xxhash.o src/regex.o src/shctx.o src/buffer.o src/action.o   \
-       src/h1.o src/compression.o src/pipe.o src/namespace.o            \
+       src/h1.o src/compression.o src/pipe.o                            \
        src/sha1.o src/hpack-tbl.o src/hpack-enc.o src/uri_auth.o        \
        src/time.o src/proto_udp.o src/arg.o src/signal.o                \
        src/protocol.o src/lru.o src/hdr_idx.o src/hpack-huff.o          \
diff --git a/include/common/namespace.h b/include/common/namespace.h
index fa4185db61..7aacff9681 100644
--- a/include/common/namespace.h
+++ b/include/common/namespace.h
@@ -4,9 +4,6 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <ebistree.h>
 
-struct netns_entry;
-int my_socketat(const struct netns_entry *ns, int domain, int type, int protocol);
-
 #ifdef CONFIG_HAP_NS
 
 struct netns_entry
@@ -16,10 +13,21 @@ struct netns_entry
 	int fd;
 };
 
+int my_socketat(const struct netns_entry *ns, int domain, int type, int protocol);
 struct netns_entry* netns_store_insert(const char *ns_name);
 const struct netns_entry* netns_store_lookup(const char *ns_name, size_t ns_name_len);
 
 int netns_init(void);
+
+#else /* no namespace support */
+
+struct netns_entry;
+
+static inline int my_socketat(const struct netns_entry *ns, int domain, int type, int protocol)
+{
+	return socket(domain, type, protocol);
+}
+
 #endif /* CONFIG_HAP_NS */
 
 #endif /* _NAMESPACE_H */
diff --git a/src/namespace.c b/src/namespace.c
index 93d92480dd..72f5079ebd 100644
--- a/src/namespace.c
+++ b/src/namespace.c
@@ -17,8 +17,6 @@
 #include <proto/log.h>
 #include <types/global.h>
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_HAP_NS
-
 /* Opens the namespace <ns_name> and returns the FD or -1 in case of error
  * (check errno).
  */
@@ -88,7 +86,6 @@ const struct netns_entry* netns_store_lookup(const char *ns_name, size_t ns_name
 	else
 		return NULL;
 }
-#endif
 
 /* Opens a socket in the namespace described by <ns> with the parameters <domain>,
  * <type> and <protocol> and returns the FD or -1 in case of error (check errno).
@@ -97,19 +94,15 @@ int my_socketat(const struct netns_entry *ns, int domain, int type, int protocol
 {
 	int sock;
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_HAP_NS
 	if (default_namespace >= 0 && ns && setns(ns->fd, CLONE_NEWNET) == -1)
 		return -1;
-#endif
+
 	sock = socket(domain, type, protocol);
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_HAP_NS
 	if (default_namespace >= 0 && ns && setns(default_namespace, CLONE_NEWNET) == -1) {
 		close(sock);
 		return -1;
 	}
-#endif
-
 	return sock;
 }