diff --git a/cmd/kube-apiserver/app/server.go b/cmd/kube-apiserver/app/server.go
index 5cf1d9a578f..f5356f81d31 100644
--- a/cmd/kube-apiserver/app/server.go
+++ b/cmd/kube-apiserver/app/server.go
@@ -242,6 +242,11 @@ func (s *APIServer) Run(_ []string) error {
 
 	_, enableV1 := s.RuntimeConfig["api/v1"]
 
+	disableLegacyAPIs := false
+	legacyAPIFlagValue, ok := s.RuntimeConfig["api/legacy"]
+	if ok && legacyAPIFlagValue == "false" {
+		disableLegacyAPIs = true
+	}
 	// TODO: expose same flags as client.BindClientConfigFlags but for a server
 	clientConfig := &client.Config{
 		Host:    net.JoinHostPort(s.InsecureBindAddress.String(), strconv.Itoa(s.InsecurePort)),
@@ -324,6 +329,7 @@ func (s *APIServer) Run(_ []string) error {
 		SupportsBasicAuth:      len(s.BasicAuthFile) > 0,
 		Authorizer:             authorizer,
 		AdmissionControl:       admissionController,
+		DisableLegacyAPIs:      disableLegacyAPIs,
 		DisableV1Beta3:         disableV1beta3,
 		EnableV1:               enableV1,
 		MasterServiceNamespace: s.MasterServiceNamespace,
diff --git a/pkg/master/master.go b/pkg/master/master.go
index 4389aad53cc..00486794076 100644
--- a/pkg/master/master.go
+++ b/pkg/master/master.go
@@ -91,6 +91,8 @@ type Config struct {
 	EnableUISupport       bool
 	// allow downstream consumers to disable swagger
 	EnableSwaggerSupport bool
+	// allow v1beta1 and v1beta2 to be conditionally disabled
+	DisableLegacyAPIs bool
 	// allow v1beta3 to be conditionally disabled
 	DisableV1Beta3 bool
 	// allow v1 to be conditionally enabled
@@ -159,6 +161,7 @@ type Master struct {
 	authorizer            authorizer.Authorizer
 	admissionControl      admission.Interface
 	masterCount           int
+	legacyAPIs            bool
 	v1beta3               bool
 	v1                    bool
 	requestContextMapper  api.RequestContextMapper
@@ -303,6 +306,7 @@ func New(c *Config) *Master {
 		authenticator:         c.Authenticator,
 		authorizer:            c.Authorizer,
 		admissionControl:      c.AdmissionControl,
+		legacyAPIs:            !c.DisableLegacyAPIs,
 		v1beta3:               !c.DisableV1Beta3,
 		v1:                    c.EnableV1,
 		requestContextMapper:  c.RequestContextMapper,
@@ -457,12 +461,16 @@ func (m *Master) init(c *Config) {
 		"componentStatuses": componentstatus.NewStorage(func() map[string]apiserver.Server { return m.getServersToValidate(c, false) }),
 	}
 
-	apiVersions := []string{"v1beta1", "v1beta2"}
-	if err := m.api_v1beta1().InstallREST(m.handlerContainer); err != nil {
-		glog.Fatalf("Unable to setup API v1beta1: %v", err)
-	}
-	if err := m.api_v1beta2().InstallREST(m.handlerContainer); err != nil {
-		glog.Fatalf("Unable to setup API v1beta2: %v", err)
+	apiVersions := []string{}
+	if m.legacyAPIs {
+		if err := m.api_v1beta1().InstallREST(m.handlerContainer); err != nil {
+			glog.Fatalf("Unable to setup API v1beta1: %v", err)
+		}
+		apiVersions = append(apiVersions, "v1beta1")
+		if err := m.api_v1beta2().InstallREST(m.handlerContainer); err != nil {
+			glog.Fatalf("Unable to setup API v1beta2: %v", err)
+		}
+		apiVersions = append(apiVersions, "v1beta2")
 	}
 	if m.v1beta3 {
 		if err := m.api_v1beta3().InstallREST(m.handlerContainer); err != nil {