diff --git a/src/server.cpp b/src/server.cpp
index 4d2735467..fa03b6efc 100644
--- a/src/server.cpp
+++ b/src/server.cpp
@@ -2495,20 +2495,6 @@ void initServerConfig(void) {
     /* Multithreading */
     cserver.cthreads = CONFIG_DEFAULT_THREADS;
     cserver.fThreadAffinity = CONFIG_DEFAULT_THREAD_AFFINITY;
-
-    g_pserver->db = (redisDb*)zmalloc(sizeof(redisDb)*cserver.dbnum, MALLOC_LOCAL);
-
-    /* Create the Redis databases, and initialize other internal state. */
-    for (int j = 0; j < cserver.dbnum; j++) {
-        g_pserver->db[j].pdict = dictCreate(&dbDictType,NULL);
-        g_pserver->db[j].expires = dictCreate(&keyptrDictType,NULL);
-        g_pserver->db[j].blocking_keys = dictCreate(&keylistDictType,NULL);
-        g_pserver->db[j].ready_keys = dictCreate(&objectKeyPointerValueDictType,NULL);
-        g_pserver->db[j].watched_keys = dictCreate(&keylistDictType,NULL);
-        g_pserver->db[j].id = j;
-        g_pserver->db[j].avg_ttl = 0;
-        g_pserver->db[j].defrag_later = listCreate();
-    }
 }
 
 extern char **environ;
@@ -2914,6 +2900,20 @@ void initServer(void) {
 
     fastlock_init(&g_pserver->flock);
 
+    g_pserver->db = (redisDb*)zmalloc(sizeof(redisDb)*cserver.dbnum, MALLOC_LOCAL);
+
+    /* Create the Redis databases, and initialize other internal state. */
+    for (int j = 0; j < cserver.dbnum; j++) {
+        g_pserver->db[j].pdict = dictCreate(&dbDictType,NULL);
+        g_pserver->db[j].expires = dictCreate(&keyptrDictType,NULL);
+        g_pserver->db[j].blocking_keys = dictCreate(&keylistDictType,NULL);
+        g_pserver->db[j].ready_keys = dictCreate(&objectKeyPointerValueDictType,NULL);
+        g_pserver->db[j].watched_keys = dictCreate(&keylistDictType,NULL);
+        g_pserver->db[j].id = j;
+        g_pserver->db[j].avg_ttl = 0;
+        g_pserver->db[j].defrag_later = listCreate();
+    }
+
     if (g_pserver->syslog_enabled) {
         openlog(g_pserver->syslog_ident, LOG_PID | LOG_NDELAY | LOG_NOWAIT,
             g_pserver->syslog_facility);
diff --git a/tests/unit/other.tcl b/tests/unit/other.tcl
index 965902456..a0bbba0c5 100644
--- a/tests/unit/other.tcl
+++ b/tests/unit/other.tcl
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+start_server {tags {"other"} overrides {databases 64}} {
+    test {CONF-DATABASES - ensure the databases config option is respected} {
+        r select 63
+        r set testkey {foo}
+    } {OK}
+}
+
 start_server {tags {"other"}} {
     if {$::force_failure} {
         # This is used just for test suite development purposes.