--- a/src/core/ngx_inet.c
+++ b/src/core/ngx_inet.c
@@ -8,6 +8,51 @@
 #include <ngx_core.h>
 
 
+/* AF_INET only */
+
+in_addr_t
+ngx_inet_addr(u_char *text, size_t len)
+{
+    u_char      *p, c;
+    in_addr_t    addr;
+    ngx_uint_t   octet, n;
+
+    addr = 0;
+    octet = 0;
+    n = 0;
+
+    for (p = text; p < text + len; p++) {
+
+        c = *p;
+
+        if (c >= '0' && c <= '9') {
+            octet = octet * 10 + (c - '0');
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        if (c == '.' && octet < 256) {
+            addr = (addr << 8) + octet;
+            octet = 0;
+            n++;
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        return INADDR_NONE;
+    }
+
+    if (n != 3) {
+        return INADDR_NONE;
+    }
+
+    if (octet < 256) {
+        addr = (addr << 8) + octet;
+        return htonl(addr);
+    }
+
+    return INADDR_NONE;
+}
+
+
 /*
  * ngx_sock_ntop() and ngx_inet_ntop() may be implemented as
  * "ngx_sprintf(text, "%ud.%ud.%ud.%ud", p[0], p[1], p[2], p[3])", however,

--- a/src/core/ngx_inet.h
+++ b/src/core/ngx_inet.h
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ typedef struct {
 } ngx_url_t;
 
 
+in_addr_t ngx_inet_addr(u_char *text, size_t len);
 size_t ngx_sock_ntop(int family, struct sockaddr *sa, u_char *text, size_t len);
 size_t ngx_inet_ntop(int family, void *addr, u_char *text, size_t len);
 ngx_int_t ngx_ptocidr(ngx_str_t *text, void *cidr);