diff --git a/app/test-pmd/config.c b/app/test-pmd/config.c
index b51de59e1e..e7f456692b 100644
--- a/app/test-pmd/config.c
+++ b/app/test-pmd/config.c
@@ -593,8 +593,8 @@ device_infos_display(const char *identifier)
 
 	if (rte_devargs_parsef(&da, "%s", identifier)) {
 		printf("cannot parse identifier\n");
-		if (da.args)
-			free(da.args);
+		if (da.data)
+			free(da.data);
 		return;
 	}
 
diff --git a/app/test-pmd/testpmd.c b/app/test-pmd/testpmd.c
index 33fc0fddf5..66f3ff9320 100644
--- a/app/test-pmd/testpmd.c
+++ b/app/test-pmd/testpmd.c
@@ -3056,8 +3056,8 @@ detach_devargs(char *identifier)
 	memset(&da, 0, sizeof(da));
 	if (rte_devargs_parsef(&da, "%s", identifier)) {
 		printf("cannot parse identifier\n");
-		if (da.args)
-			free(da.args);
+		if (da.data)
+			free(da.data);
 		return;
 	}
 
diff --git a/drivers/bus/vdev/vdev.c b/drivers/bus/vdev/vdev.c
index acfd78828f..43375bb334 100644
--- a/drivers/bus/vdev/vdev.c
+++ b/drivers/bus/vdev/vdev.c
@@ -236,9 +236,10 @@ alloc_devargs(const char *name, const char *args)
 
 	devargs->bus = &rte_vdev_bus;
 	if (args)
-		devargs->args = strdup(args);
+		devargs->data = strdup(args);
 	else
-		devargs->args = strdup("");
+		devargs->data = strdup("");
+	devargs->args = devargs->data;
 
 	ret = strlcpy(devargs->name, name, sizeof(devargs->name));
 	if (ret < 0 || ret >= (int)sizeof(devargs->name)) {
diff --git a/drivers/net/failsafe/failsafe_args.c b/drivers/net/failsafe/failsafe_args.c
index 707490b94c..5e507bffbc 100644
--- a/drivers/net/failsafe/failsafe_args.c
+++ b/drivers/net/failsafe/failsafe_args.c
@@ -451,7 +451,8 @@ failsafe_args_free(struct rte_eth_dev *dev)
 		sdev->cmdline = NULL;
 		free(sdev->fd_str);
 		sdev->fd_str = NULL;
-		free(sdev->devargs.args);
+		free(sdev->devargs.data);
+		sdev->devargs.data = NULL;
 		sdev->devargs.args = NULL;
 	}
 }
diff --git a/drivers/net/failsafe/failsafe_eal.c b/drivers/net/failsafe/failsafe_eal.c
index b9fc508673..f066c053f3 100644
--- a/drivers/net/failsafe/failsafe_eal.c
+++ b/drivers/net/failsafe/failsafe_eal.c
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ fs_bus_init(struct rte_eth_dev *dev)
 					rte_eth_devices[pid].device->devargs;
 
 			/* Take control of probed device. */
-			free(da->args);
+			free(da->data);
 			memset(da, 0, sizeof(*da));
 			if (probed_da != NULL)
 				snprintf(devstr, sizeof(devstr), "%s,%s",
diff --git a/examples/multi_process/hotplug_mp/commands.c b/examples/multi_process/hotplug_mp/commands.c
index a8a39d07f7..e77585e5b4 100644
--- a/examples/multi_process/hotplug_mp/commands.c
+++ b/examples/multi_process/hotplug_mp/commands.c
@@ -121,8 +121,8 @@ static void cmd_dev_attach_parsed(void *parsed_result,
 
 	if (rte_devargs_parsef(&da, "%s", res->devargs)) {
 		cmdline_printf(cl, "cannot parse devargs\n");
-		if (da.args)
-			free(da.args);
+		if (da.data)
+			free(da.data);
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -168,8 +168,8 @@ static void cmd_dev_detach_parsed(void *parsed_result,
 
 	if (rte_devargs_parsef(&da, "%s", res->devargs)) {
 		cmdline_printf(cl, "cannot parse devargs\n");
-		if (da.args)
-			free(da.args);
+		if (da.data)
+			free(da.data);
 		return;
 	}
 
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_dev.c b/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_dev.c
index 793fbdf24b..f65a9594cc 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_dev.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_dev.c
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ local_dev_probe(const char *devargs, struct rte_device **new_dev)
 
 err_devarg:
 	if (rte_devargs_remove(da) != 0) {
-		free(da->args);
+		free(da->data);
 		free(da);
 	}
 	return ret;
@@ -585,7 +585,7 @@ rte_dev_iterator_init(struct rte_dev_iterator *it, char *dev_str)
 	it->bus_str = NULL;
 	it->cls_str = NULL;
 
-	devargs.data = dev_str;
+	devargs.data = NULL;
 	if (rte_devargs_layers_parse(&devargs, dev_str))
 		goto get_out;
 
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_devargs.c b/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_devargs.c
index 3c4774c88a..e1a3cd7367 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_devargs.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_devargs.c
@@ -284,7 +284,8 @@ rte_devargs_insert(struct rte_devargs **da)
 			/* device already in devargs list, must be updated */
 			listed_da->type = (*da)->type;
 			listed_da->policy = (*da)->policy;
-			free(listed_da->args);
+			if (listed_da->data)
+				free(listed_da->data);
 			listed_da->args = (*da)->args;
 			listed_da->bus = (*da)->bus;
 			listed_da->cls = (*da)->cls;
@@ -332,7 +333,7 @@ rte_devargs_add(enum rte_devtype devtype, const char *devargs_str)
 
 fail:
 	if (devargs) {
-		free(devargs->args);
+		free(devargs->data);
 		free(devargs);
 	}
 
@@ -352,7 +353,7 @@ rte_devargs_remove(struct rte_devargs *devargs)
 		if (strcmp(d->bus->name, devargs->bus->name) == 0 &&
 		    strcmp(d->name, devargs->name) == 0) {
 			TAILQ_REMOVE(&devargs_list, d, next);
-			free(d->args);
+			free(d->data);
 			free(d);
 			return 0;
 		}
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/hotplug_mp.c b/lib/librte_eal/common/hotplug_mp.c
index ee791903b3..f0f7c61048 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/hotplug_mp.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/hotplug_mp.c
@@ -118,8 +118,7 @@ __handle_secondary_request(void *param)
 		ret = rte_devargs_parse(&da, req->devargs);
 		if (ret != 0)
 			goto finish;
-		free(da.args); /* we don't need those */
-		da.args = NULL;
+		free(da.data); /* we don't need those */
 
 		ret = eal_dev_hotplug_request_to_secondary(&tmp_req);
 		if (ret != 0) {
@@ -283,7 +282,7 @@ static void __handle_primary_request(void *param)
 
 		ret = local_dev_remove(dev);
 quit:
-		free(da->args);
+		free(da->data);
 		free(da);
 		break;
 	default:
diff --git a/lib/librte_ethdev/rte_ethdev.c b/lib/librte_ethdev/rte_ethdev.c
index 17ddacc78d..4976961d13 100644
--- a/lib/librte_ethdev/rte_ethdev.c
+++ b/lib/librte_ethdev/rte_ethdev.c
@@ -244,7 +244,8 @@ rte_eth_iterator_init(struct rte_dev_iterator *iter, const char *devargs_str)
 		goto error;
 	}
 	iter->cls_str = cls_str;
-	free(devargs.args); /* allocated by rte_devargs_parse() */
+	free(devargs.data); /* allocated by rte_devargs_parse() */
+	devargs.data = NULL;
 	devargs.args = NULL;
 
 	iter->bus = devargs.bus;
@@ -284,7 +285,7 @@ rte_eth_iterator_init(struct rte_dev_iterator *iter, const char *devargs_str)
 	if (ret == -ENOTSUP)
 		RTE_ETHDEV_LOG(ERR, "Bus %s does not support iterating.\n",
 				iter->bus->name);
-	free(devargs.args);
+	free(devargs.data);
 	free(bus_str);
 	free(cls_str);
 	return ret;
