diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index a80300f9..0f780790 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 ### Major New features
 
 ### API changes on existing features (you may need to change your code)
+* clixon_restconf and clixon_netconf now take -D <level> as command-line option instead of just -D
+  * This aligns to clixon_cli and clixon_backend
 * Application command option -S to clixon_netconf is obsolete. Use `clixon_netconf -l s` instead.
 
 ### Minor changes
diff --git a/apps/cli/cli_main.c b/apps/cli/cli_main.c
index 7ecf20f8..f2d2de3a 100644
--- a/apps/cli/cli_main.c
+++ b/apps/cli/cli_main.c
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ usage(clicon_handle h,
 	    "where commands is a CLI command or options passed to the main plugin\n" 
 	    "where options are\n"
             "\t-h \t\tHelp\n"
-    	    "\t-D <level> \tDebug\n"
+    	    "\t-D <level> \tDebug level\n"
 	    "\t-f <file> \tConfig-file (mandatory)\n"
 	    "\t-x\t\tDump configuration file as XML on stdout (migration utility)\n"
     	    "\t-F <file> \tRead commands from file (default stdin)\n"
diff --git a/apps/netconf/netconf_main.c b/apps/netconf/netconf_main.c
index 817c2c82..77db0176 100644
--- a/apps/netconf/netconf_main.c
+++ b/apps/netconf/netconf_main.c
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ usage(clicon_handle h,
     fprintf(stderr, "usage:%s\n"
 	    "where options are\n"
             "\t-h\t\tHelp\n"
-            "\t-D\t\tDebug\n"
+	    "\t-D <level>\tDebug level\n"
             "\t-q\t\tQuiet: dont send hello prompt\n"
     	    "\t-f <file>\tConfiguration file (mandatory)\n"
 	    "\t-l <e|o|s|f<file>> \tLog on std(e)rr, std(o)ut, (s)yslog, (f)ile (syslog is default)\n"
@@ -345,7 +345,8 @@ main(int    argc,
 	    usage(h, argv[0]);
 	    break;
 	case 'D' : /* debug */
-	    debug = 1;
+	    if (sscanf(optarg, "%d", &debug) != 1)
+		usage(h, argv[0]);
 	    break;
 	 case 'f': /* override config file */
 	    if (!strlen(optarg))
diff --git a/apps/restconf/README.md b/apps/restconf/README.md
index ce077300..f3f0c71f 100644
--- a/apps/restconf/README.md
+++ b/apps/restconf/README.md
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ curl -sX POST -d '{"interfaces":{"interface":{"name":"eth1","type":"eth","enable
 
 Start the restconf fastcgi program with debug flag:
 ```
-sudo su -c "/www-data/clixon_restconf -Df /usr/local/etc/example.xml" -s /bin/sh www-data
+sudo su -c "/www-data/clixon_restconf -D 1 f /usr/local/etc/example.xml" -s /bin/sh www-data
 ```
 Look at syslog:
 ```
diff --git a/apps/restconf/restconf_main.c b/apps/restconf/restconf_main.c
index be5bfd67..2a9d8ae5 100644
--- a/apps/restconf/restconf_main.c
+++ b/apps/restconf/restconf_main.c
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
  * sudo apt-get install libfcgi-dev
  * gcc -o fastcgi fastcgi.c -lfcgi
 
- * sudo su -c "/www-data/clixon_restconf -Df /usr/local/etc/example.xml " -s /bin/sh www-data
+ * sudo su -c "/www-data/clixon_restconf -D 1 -f /usr/local/etc/example.xml " -s /bin/sh www-data
 
  * This is the interface:
  * api/data/profile=<name>/metric=<name> PUT data:enable=<flag>
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@
 #include "restconf_methods.h"
 
 /* Command line options to be passed to getopt(3) */
-#define RESTCONF_OPTS "hDf:l:p:y:a:u:"
+#define RESTCONF_OPTS "hD:f:l:p:y:a:u:"
 
 /* RESTCONF enables deployments to specify where the RESTCONF API is 
    located.  The client discovers this by getting the "/.well-known/host-meta"
@@ -488,7 +488,7 @@ usage(clicon_handle h,
     fprintf(stderr, "usage:%s [options]\n"
 	    "where options are\n"
             "\t-h \t\tHelp\n"
-    	    "\t-D \t\tDebug. Log to syslog\n"
+	    "\t-D <level>\tDebug level\n"
     	    "\t-f <file>\tConfiguration file (mandatory)\n"
 	    "\t-l <s|f<file>> \tLog on (s)yslog, (f)ile (syslog is default)\n"
 	    "\t-d <dir>\tSpecify restconf plugin directory dir (default: %s)\n"
@@ -533,7 +533,8 @@ main(int    argc,
 	    usage(h, argv[0]);
 	    break;
 	case 'D' : /* debug */
-	    debug = 1;
+	    if (sscanf(optarg, "%d", &debug) != 1)
+		usage(h, argv[0]);
 	    break;
 	 case 'f': /* override config file */
 	    if (!strlen(optarg))
diff --git a/apps/restconf/restconf_methods.c b/apps/restconf/restconf_methods.c
index d75dafd9..6a1712f6 100644
--- a/apps/restconf/restconf_methods.c
+++ b/apps/restconf/restconf_methods.c
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
  * sudo apt-get install libfcgi-dev
  * gcc -o fastcgi fastcgi.c -lfcgi
 
- * sudo su -c "/www-data/clixon_restconf -Df /usr/local/etc/example.xml " -s /bin/sh www-data
+ * sudo su -c "/www-data/clixon_restconf -D 1 f /usr/local/etc/example.xml " -s /bin/sh www-data
 
  * This is the interface:
  * api/data/profile=<name>/metric=<name> PUT data:enable=<flag>
diff --git a/test/lib.sh b/test/lib.sh
index 1b58a404..2e7d0549 100755
--- a/test/lib.sh
+++ b/test/lib.sh
@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@ clixon_cli=clixon_cli
 clixon_netconf=clixon_netconf
 
 # How to run restconf stand-alone and using valgrind
-#sudo su -c "/www-data/clixon_restconf -f $cfg -D" -s /bin/sh www-data
-#sudo su -c "valgrind --leak-check=full --show-leak-kinds=all /www-data/clixon_restconf -f $cfg -D" -s /bin/sh www-data
+#sudo su -c "/www-data/clixon_restconf -f $cfg -D 1" -s /bin/sh www-data
+#sudo su -c "valgrind --leak-check=full --show-leak-kinds=all /www-data/clixon_restconf -f $cfg -D 1" -s /bin/sh www-data
 
 #clixon_backend="valgrind --leak-check=full --show-leak-kinds=all clixon_backend"
 clixon_backend=clixon_backend
diff --git a/test/test_perf.sh b/test/test_perf.sh
index 7fe241a0..b5703683 100755
--- a/test/test_perf.sh
+++ b/test/test_perf.sh
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ new "kill old restconf daemon"
 sudo pkill -u www-data clixon_restconf
 
 new "start restconf daemon"
-sudo start-stop-daemon -S -q -o -b -x /www-data/clixon_restconf -d /www-data -c www-data -- -f $cfg -y $fyang # -D
+sudo start-stop-daemon -S -q -o -b -x /www-data/clixon_restconf -d /www-data -c www-data -- -f $cfg -y $fyang # -D 1
 
 sleep 1
 
diff --git a/test/test_restconf.sh b/test/test_restconf.sh
index 7201eb74..c2fc32b1 100755
--- a/test/test_restconf.sh
+++ b/test/test_restconf.sh
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ new "kill old restconf daemon"
 sudo pkill -u www-data clixon_restconf
 
 new "start restconf daemon"
-sudo start-stop-daemon -S -q -o -b -x /www-data/clixon_restconf -d /www-data -c www-data -- -f $cfg -y $fyang -D
+sudo start-stop-daemon -S -q -o -b -x /www-data/clixon_restconf -d /www-data -c www-data -- -f $cfg -y $fyang # -D 1
 
 sleep 1
 
diff --git a/test/test_restconf2.sh b/test/test_restconf2.sh
index dfd7a265..1065cbee 100755
--- a/test/test_restconf2.sh
+++ b/test/test_restconf2.sh
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ new "kill old restconf daemon"
 sudo pkill -u www-data clixon_restconf
 
 new "start restconf daemon"
-sudo start-stop-daemon -S -q -o -b -x /www-data/clixon_restconf -d /www-data -c www-data -- -f $cfg # -D
+sudo start-stop-daemon -S -q -o -b -x /www-data/clixon_restconf -d /www-data -c www-data -- -f $cfg # -D 1
 
 sleep 1