diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/plugins/clientInjections.ts b/packages/vite/src/node/plugins/clientInjections.ts
index 3fa745f7d2f220..68b6c54b34e985 100644
--- a/packages/vite/src/node/plugins/clientInjections.ts
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/plugins/clientInjections.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import path from 'node:path'
 import type { Plugin } from '../plugin'
 import type { ResolvedConfig } from '../config'
 import { CLIENT_ENTRY, ENV_ENTRY } from '../constants'
-import { isObject, normalizePath, resolveHostname } from '../utils'
+import { normalizePath, resolveHostname } from '../utils'
 import { perEnvironmentState } from '../environment'
 import { replaceDefine, serializeDefine } from './define'
 
@@ -40,13 +40,12 @@ export function clientInjectionsPlugin(config: ResolvedConfig): Plugin {
 
       const serverHost = `${resolvedServerHostname}:${resolvedServerPort}${devBase}`
 
-      let hmrConfig = config.server.hmr
-      hmrConfig = isObject(hmrConfig) ? hmrConfig : undefined
-      const host = hmrConfig?.host || null
-      const protocol = hmrConfig?.protocol || null
-      const timeout = hmrConfig?.timeout || 30000
-      const overlay = hmrConfig?.overlay !== false
-      const isHmrServerSpecified = !!hmrConfig?.server
+      const hmrConfig = config.server.hmr
+      const host = hmrConfig.host || null
+      const protocol = hmrConfig.protocol || null
+      const timeout = hmrConfig.timeout || 30000
+      const overlay = hmrConfig.overlay !== false
+      const isHmrServerSpecified = !!hmrConfig.server
       const hmrConfigName = path.basename(config.configFile || 'vite.config.js')
 
       // hmr.clientPort -> hmr.port
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/server/environment.ts b/packages/vite/src/node/server/environment.ts
index 522f77d234ebbd..bb6bd1f2b35126 100644
--- a/packages/vite/src/node/server/environment.ts
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/server/environment.ts
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ export class DevEnvironment extends BaseEnvironment {
   }
 
   async reloadModule(module: EnvironmentModuleNode): Promise<void> {
-    if (this.config.server.hmr !== false && module.file) {
+    if (this.config.server.hmr.update && module.file) {
       updateModules(this, module.file, [module], monotonicDateNow())
     }
   }
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/server/hmr.ts b/packages/vite/src/node/server/hmr.ts
index 60605dd3c4321d..55c5f0a9ea7fab 100644
--- a/packages/vite/src/node/server/hmr.ts
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/server/hmr.ts
@@ -46,6 +46,10 @@ export interface HmrOptions {
   clientPort?: number
   path?: string
   timeout?: number
+  /**
+   * @default true
+   */
+  update?: boolean
   overlay?: boolean
   server?: HttpServer
 }
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/server/index.ts b/packages/vite/src/node/server/index.ts
index 47dd95f0c146bc..f9fad7cc566549 100644
--- a/packages/vite/src/node/server/index.ts
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/server/index.ts
@@ -197,14 +197,14 @@ export interface ResolvedServerOptions
       | 'host'
       | 'https'
       | 'proxy'
-      | 'hmr'
       | 'ws'
       | 'watch'
       | 'origin'
       | 'hotUpdateEnvironments'
     >,
-    'fs' | 'middlewareMode' | 'sourcemapIgnoreList'
+    'hmr' | 'fs' | 'middlewareMode' | 'sourcemapIgnoreList'
   > {
+  hmr: HmrOptions & Required<Pick<HmrOptions, 'update'>>
   fs: Required<FileSystemServeOptions>
   middlewareMode: NonNullable<ServerOptions['middlewareMode']>
   sourcemapIgnoreList: Exclude<
@@ -640,7 +640,7 @@ export async function _createServer(
     },
     async reloadModule(module) {
       warnFutureDeprecation(config, 'removeServerReloadModule')
-      if (serverConfig.hmr !== false && module.file) {
+      if (serverConfig.hmr.update && module.file) {
         // TODO: Should we also update the node moduleGraph for backward compatibility?
         const environmentModule = (module._clientModule ?? module._ssrModule)!
         updateModules(
@@ -791,7 +791,7 @@ export async function _createServer(
     type: 'create' | 'delete' | 'update',
     file: string,
   ) => {
-    if (serverConfig.hmr !== false) {
+    if (serverConfig.hmr.update) {
       await handleHMRUpdate(type, file, server)
     }
   }
@@ -1085,7 +1085,7 @@ export const serverConfigDefaults = Object.freeze({
   proxy: undefined,
   cors: { origin: defaultAllowedOrigins },
   headers: {},
-  // hmr
+  hmr: { update: true },
   // ws
   warmup: {
     clientFiles: [],
@@ -1110,13 +1110,35 @@ export function resolveServerOptions(
   raw: ServerOptions | undefined,
   logger: Logger,
 ): ResolvedServerOptions {
+  if (raw?.hmr === true) {
+    logger.warn(
+      colors.yellow(
+        `server.hmr is set to true. This is deprecated and will not work in the future. Please use \`server.hmr: {}\` instead.`,
+      ),
+    )
+  } else if (raw?.hmr === false) {
+    logger.warn(
+      colors.yellow(
+        `server.hmr is set to false. This is deprecated and will not work in the future. Please use \`server.hmr: { update: false }\` instead.`,
+      ),
+    )
+  }
+
   const _server = mergeWithDefaults(
     {
       ...serverConfigDefaults,
       host: undefined, // do not set here to detect whether host is set or not
       sourcemapIgnoreList: isInNodeModules,
     },
-    raw ?? {},
+    {
+      ...raw,
+      hmr:
+        raw?.hmr === true
+          ? {}
+          : raw?.hmr === false
+            ? { update: false }
+            : raw?.hmr,
+    },
   )
 
   const server: ResolvedServerOptions = {
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/server/middlewares/__tests__/hostCheck.spec.ts b/packages/vite/src/node/server/middlewares/__tests__/hostCheck.spec.ts
index 857d3d396f06f0..1918ce125d7bc8 100644
--- a/packages/vite/src/node/server/middlewares/__tests__/hostCheck.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/server/middlewares/__tests__/hostCheck.spec.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ test('getAdditionalAllowedHosts', async () => {
       host: 'vite.host.example.com',
       hmr: {
         host: 'vite.hmr-host.example.com',
+        update: true,
       },
       origin: 'http://vite.origin.example.com:5173',
     },
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/server/middlewares/hostCheck.ts b/packages/vite/src/node/server/middlewares/hostCheck.ts
index af366de279b61a..5c9a4a6a80a137 100644
--- a/packages/vite/src/node/server/middlewares/hostCheck.ts
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/server/middlewares/hostCheck.ts
@@ -16,10 +16,7 @@ export function getAdditionalAllowedHosts(
   ) {
     list.push(resolvedServerOptions.host)
   }
-  if (
-    typeof resolvedServerOptions.hmr === 'object' &&
-    resolvedServerOptions.hmr.host
-  ) {
+  if (resolvedServerOptions.hmr.host) {
     list.push(resolvedServerOptions.hmr.host)
   }
   if (
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/server/ws.ts b/packages/vite/src/node/server/ws.ts
index 584b195e4b2b8a..f194ed2c07176f 100644
--- a/packages/vite/src/node/server/ws.ts
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/server/ws.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ import type { WebSocket as WebSocketTypes } from '#dep-types/ws'
 import type { ErrorPayload, HotPayload } from '#types/hmrPayload'
 import type { InferCustomEventPayload } from '#types/customEvent'
 import type { ResolvedConfig } from '..'
-import { isObject } from '../utils'
 import type { NormalizedHotChannel, NormalizedHotChannelClient } from './hmr'
 import { normalizeHotChannel } from './hmr'
 import type { HttpServer } from '.'
@@ -143,12 +142,11 @@ export function createWebSocketServer(
 
   let wsHttpServer: Server | undefined = undefined
 
-  const hmr = isObject(config.server.hmr) && config.server.hmr
-  const hmrServer = hmr && hmr.server
-  const hmrPort = hmr && hmr.port
+  const hmr = config.server.hmr
+  const hmrPort = hmr.port
   // TODO: the main server port may not have been chosen yet as it may use the next available
   const portsAreCompatible = !hmrPort || hmrPort === config.server.port
-  const wsServer = hmrServer || (portsAreCompatible && server)
+  const wsServer = hmr.server || (portsAreCompatible && server)
   let hmrServerWsListener: (
     req: InstanceType<typeof IncomingMessage>,
     socket: Duplex,
@@ -411,7 +409,7 @@ export function createWebSocketServer(
         })
       },
     },
-    config.server.hmr !== false,
+    config.server.hmr.update,
     // Don't normalize client as we already handles the send, and to keep `.socket`
     false,
   )
diff --git a/packages/vite/src/node/ssr/runtime/serverModuleRunner.ts b/packages/vite/src/node/ssr/runtime/serverModuleRunner.ts
index 306aeac6604be8..0f185af36ac3da 100644
--- a/packages/vite/src/node/ssr/runtime/serverModuleRunner.ts
+++ b/packages/vite/src/node/ssr/runtime/serverModuleRunner.ts
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ function createHMROptions(
   environment: DevEnvironment,
   options: ServerModuleRunnerOptions,
 ) {
-  if (environment.config.server.hmr === false || options.hmr === false) {
+  if (!environment.config.server.hmr.update || options.hmr === false) {
     return false
   }
   if (!('api' in environment.hot)) return false
diff --git a/playground/js-sourcemap/test-ssr-dev.js b/playground/js-sourcemap/test-ssr-dev.js
index 0e21a0ae80fe17..5a48972c22e62f 100644
--- a/playground/js-sourcemap/test-ssr-dev.js
+++ b/playground/js-sourcemap/test-ssr-dev.js
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ async function runTest() {
     },
     server: {
       middlewareMode: true,
-      hmr: false,
+      hmr: { update: false },
       ws: false,
     },
     define: {