diff --git a/.cirrus.tasks.yml b/.cirrus.tasks.yml
index 2a821593ce5..4841a204248 100644
--- a/.cirrus.tasks.yml
+++ b/.cirrus.tasks.yml
@@ -133,6 +133,7 @@ task:
       meson setup \
         --buildtype=debug \
         --auto-features=disabled \
+        -Ddefault_library=shared \
         -Dtap_tests=enabled \
         build
     EOF
diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/installation.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/installation.sgml
index c903ccff988..2937c4a8fd0 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/installation.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/installation.sgml
@@ -2807,6 +2807,17 @@ ninja install
       </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
 
+     <varlistentry id="configure-default-library-meson">
+      <term><option>-Ddefault_library={ both | shared }</option></term>
+      <listitem>
+       <para>
+        This option selects whether both shared and static libraries are built
+        (the default), or only shared libraries.  (The third variant of only
+        building static libraries is currently not supported.)
+       </para>
+      </listitem>
+     </varlistentry>
+
      <varlistentry id="configure-extra-include-dirs-meson">
       <term><option>-Dextra_include_dirs=<replaceable>DIRECTORIES</replaceable></option></term>
       <listitem>
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 83d1f06b528..47b7eb02275 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ project('postgresql',
     'warning_level=1', #-Wall equivalent
     'b_pch=false',
     'buildtype=debugoptimized', # -O2 + debug
+    'default_library=both',
     # For compatibility with the autoconf build, set a default prefix. This
     # works even on windows, where it's a drive-relative path (i.e. when on
     # d:/somepath it'll install to d:/usr/local/pgsql)
@@ -50,6 +51,32 @@ not_found_dep = dependency('', required: false)
 thread_dep = dependency('threads')
 auto_features = get_option('auto_features')
 
+# Declare variables to disable static or shared libraries.  This
+# makes the 'default_library' option work even though we don't use the
+# library() function but instead shared_library() and static_library()
+# separately.
+#
+# build_shared_lib/build_static_lib control building/installing the two
+# versions of libraries that we can build both versions of (e.g., libpq).
+# There are also libraries that we only build a static version of (e.g.,
+# libpgport).  These are always built, since we need them while building,
+# but they are installed only if install_internal_static_lib is true.
+#
+# Note: at present, -Ddefault_library=static doesn't actually work, because
+# psql and other programs insist on linking to the shared version of libpq.
+# This could be fixed if there was interest, but so far there is not.
+default_library_opt = get_option('default_library')
+build_shared_lib = true
+build_static_lib = true
+install_internal_static_lib = true
+if default_library_opt == 'shared'
+  build_static_lib = false
+  install_internal_static_lib = false
+elif default_library_opt == 'static'
+  build_shared_lib = false
+  error('-Ddefault_library=static is not yet supported')
+endif
+
 
 
 ###############################################################
diff --git a/src/common/meson.build b/src/common/meson.build
index b757618a9c9..4f9b8b8263d 100644
--- a/src/common/meson.build
+++ b/src/common/meson.build
@@ -192,6 +192,7 @@ foreach name, opts : pgcommon_variants
           opts.get('include_directories', []),
         ],
         'dependencies': opts['dependencies'] + [ssl],
+        'install': install_internal_static_lib and name != '_srv',
       }
     )
   pgcommon += {name: lib}
diff --git a/src/fe_utils/meson.build b/src/fe_utils/meson.build
index a2420ea2d5c..86befca192e 100644
--- a/src/fe_utils/meson.build
+++ b/src/fe_utils/meson.build
@@ -35,5 +35,7 @@ fe_utils = static_library('libpgfeutils',
   include_directories: [postgres_inc, libpq_inc],
   c_args: host_system == 'windows' ? ['-DFD_SETSIZE=1024'] : [],
   dependencies: frontend_common_code,
-  kwargs: default_lib_args,
+  kwargs: default_lib_args + {
+            'install': install_internal_static_lib,
+          },
 )
diff --git a/src/interfaces/ecpg/compatlib/meson.build b/src/interfaces/ecpg/compatlib/meson.build
index 6cb1be73407..d578faefe1c 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/ecpg/compatlib/meson.build
+++ b/src/interfaces/ecpg/compatlib/meson.build
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ if host_system == 'windows'
 endif
 
 # see src/interfaces/libpq/meson.build
+if build_static_lib
 ecpg_compat_st = static_library('libecpg_compat',
   ecpg_compat_sources,
   include_directories: ecpg_compat_inc,
@@ -25,7 +26,9 @@ ecpg_compat_st = static_library('libecpg_compat',
   kwargs: default_lib_args,
 )
 ecpg_targets += ecpg_compat_st
+endif
 
+if build_shared_lib
 ecpg_compat_so = shared_library('libecpg_compat',
   ecpg_compat_sources + ecpg_compat_so_sources,
   include_directories: ecpg_compat_inc,
@@ -40,6 +43,7 @@ ecpg_compat_so = shared_library('libecpg_compat',
   kwargs: default_lib_args,
 )
 ecpg_targets += ecpg_compat_so
+endif
 
 pkgconfig.generate(
   name: 'libecpg_compat',
diff --git a/src/interfaces/ecpg/ecpglib/meson.build b/src/interfaces/ecpg/ecpglib/meson.build
index 889bd9efd65..81e92151945 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/ecpg/ecpglib/meson.build
+++ b/src/interfaces/ecpg/ecpglib/meson.build
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ if host_system == 'windows'
 endif
 
 # see src/interfaces/libpq/meson.build
+if build_static_lib
 ecpglib_st = static_library('libecpg',
   ecpglib_sources,
   include_directories: ecpglib_inc,
@@ -35,7 +36,9 @@ ecpglib_st = static_library('libecpg',
   kwargs: default_lib_args,
 )
 ecpg_targets += ecpglib_st
+endif
 
+if build_shared_lib
 ecpglib_so = shared_library('libecpg',
   ecpglib_sources + ecpglib_so_sources,
   include_directories: ecpglib_inc,
@@ -51,6 +54,7 @@ ecpglib_so = shared_library('libecpg',
   kwargs: default_lib_args,
 )
 ecpg_targets += ecpglib_so
+endif
 
 pkgconfig.generate(
   name: 'libecpg',
diff --git a/src/interfaces/ecpg/pgtypeslib/meson.build b/src/interfaces/ecpg/pgtypeslib/meson.build
index 6b78f529e53..de564c63a5b 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/ecpg/pgtypeslib/meson.build
+++ b/src/interfaces/ecpg/pgtypeslib/meson.build
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ if host_system == 'windows'
 endif
 
 # see src/interfaces/libpq/meson.build
+if build_static_lib
 ecpg_pgtypes_st = static_library('libpgtypes',
   ecpg_pgtypes_sources,
   include_directories: ecpg_pgtypes_inc,
@@ -30,7 +31,9 @@ ecpg_pgtypes_st = static_library('libpgtypes',
   kwargs: default_lib_args,
 )
 ecpg_targets += ecpg_pgtypes_st
+endif
 
+if build_shared_lib
 ecpg_pgtypes_so = shared_library('libpgtypes',
   ecpg_pgtypes_sources + ecpg_pgtypes_so_sources,
   include_directories: ecpg_pgtypes_inc,
@@ -45,6 +48,7 @@ ecpg_pgtypes_so = shared_library('libpgtypes',
   kwargs: default_lib_args,
 )
 ecpg_targets += ecpg_pgtypes_so
+endif
 
 pkgconfig.generate(
   name: 'libpgtypes',
diff --git a/src/interfaces/libpq-oauth/meson.build b/src/interfaces/libpq-oauth/meson.build
index e573d36f20e..27aca2bc324 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/libpq-oauth/meson.build
+++ b/src/interfaces/libpq-oauth/meson.build
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ export_file = custom_target('libpq-oauth.exports',
 # port needs to be in include path due to pthread-win32.h
 libpq_oauth_inc = include_directories('.', '../libpq', '../../port')
 
+if build_static_lib
 libpq_oauth_st = static_library('libpq-oauth',
   libpq_oauth_sources,
   include_directories: [libpq_oauth_inc, postgres_inc],
@@ -33,11 +34,13 @@ libpq_oauth_st = static_library('libpq-oauth',
   kwargs: default_lib_args,
 )
 libpq_targets += libpq_oauth_st
+endif
 
 # This is an internal module; we don't want an SONAME and therefore do not set
 # SO_MAJOR_VERSION.
 libpq_oauth_name = 'libpq-oauth-@0@'.format(pg_version_major)
 
+if build_shared_lib
 libpq_oauth_so = shared_module(libpq_oauth_name,
   libpq_oauth_sources + libpq_oauth_so_sources,
   include_directories: [libpq_oauth_inc, postgres_inc],
@@ -49,6 +52,7 @@ libpq_oauth_so = shared_module(libpq_oauth_name,
   kwargs: default_lib_args,
 )
 libpq_targets += libpq_oauth_so
+endif
 
 libpq_oauth_test_deps = []
 
diff --git a/src/interfaces/libpq/meson.build b/src/interfaces/libpq/meson.build
index 0b8dd3e1f5e..2b95098187e 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/libpq/meson.build
+++ b/src/interfaces/libpq/meson.build
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ libpq_so_c_args = ['-DUSE_DYNAMIC_OAUTH']
 # We could try to avoid building the source files twice, but it probably adds
 # more complexity than its worth (reusing object files requires also linking
 # to the library on windows or breaks precompiled headers).
+if build_static_lib
 libpq_st = static_library('libpq',
   libpq_sources,
   include_directories: [libpq_inc],
@@ -66,7 +67,9 @@ libpq_st = static_library('libpq',
   kwargs: default_lib_args,
 )
 libpq_targets += libpq_st
+endif
 
+if build_shared_lib
 libpq_so = shared_library('libpq',
   libpq_sources + libpq_so_sources,
   include_directories: [libpq_inc, postgres_inc],
@@ -81,6 +84,7 @@ libpq_so = shared_library('libpq',
   kwargs: default_lib_args,
 )
 libpq_targets += libpq_so
+endif
 
 libpq = declare_dependency(
   link_with: [libpq_so],
diff --git a/src/port/meson.build b/src/port/meson.build
index edb2e5632bd..7296f8e3c03 100644
--- a/src/port/meson.build
+++ b/src/port/meson.build
@@ -191,6 +191,7 @@ foreach name, opts : pgport_variants
       c_pch: pch_c_h,
       kwargs: opts + {
         'dependencies': opts['dependencies'] + [ssl],
+        'install': install_internal_static_lib and name != '_srv',
       }
     )
   pgport += {name: lib}