diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/CHANGELOG.md b/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/CHANGELOG.md
index feae351734b69..2ca52760394d7 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ CHANGELOG
  * Implementing the `BundleInterface` without implementing the `getPublicDir()` method is deprecated.
    This method will be added to the interface in 5.0.
  * The `DebugHandlersListener` class has been marked as `final`
+ * Add support for dumping the container in one file instead of many files
 
 4.3.0
 -----
@@ -38,8 +39,8 @@ CHANGELOG
 
  * deprecated `KernelInterface::getRootDir()` and the `kernel.root_dir` parameter
  * deprecated `KernelInterface::getName()` and the `kernel.name` parameter
- * deprecated the first and second constructor argument of `ConfigDataCollector` 
- * deprecated `ConfigDataCollector::getApplicationName()` 
+ * deprecated the first and second constructor argument of `ConfigDataCollector`
+ * deprecated `ConfigDataCollector::getApplicationName()`
  * deprecated `ConfigDataCollector::getApplicationVersion()`
 
 4.1.0
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/Kernel.php b/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/Kernel.php
index e6532861215ab..26c69c026f236 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/Kernel.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/Kernel.php
@@ -479,19 +479,27 @@ protected function getContainerBaseClass()
      */
     protected function initializeContainer()
     {
+        $asFiles = $this->getKernelParameters()['container.dump_as_files'] ?? true;
         $class = $this->getContainerClass();
         $cacheDir = $this->warmupDir ?: $this->getCacheDir();
         $cache = new ConfigCache($cacheDir.'/'.$class.'.php', $this->debug);
         $oldContainer = null;
-        if ($fresh = $cache->isFresh()) {
+        if ($cache->isFresh()) {
             // Silence E_WARNING to ignore "include" failures - don't use "@" to prevent silencing fatal errors
             $errorLevel = error_reporting(\E_ALL ^ \E_WARNING);
-            $fresh = $oldContainer = false;
+            $oldContainer = false;
             try {
+                if (!$asFiles) {
+                    require_once $cache->getPath();
+                    $this->container = new $class();
+                    $this->container->set('kernel', $this);
+
+                    return;
+                }
                 if (file_exists($cache->getPath()) && \is_object($this->container = include $cache->getPath())) {
                     $this->container->set('kernel', $this);
-                    $oldContainer = $this->container;
-                    $fresh = true;
+
+                    return;
                 }
             } catch (\Throwable $e) {
             } finally {
@@ -499,10 +507,6 @@ protected function initializeContainer()
             }
         }
 
-        if ($fresh) {
-            return;
-        }
-
         if ($this->debug) {
             $collectedLogs = [];
             $previousHandler = \defined('PHPUNIT_COMPOSER_INSTALL');
@@ -557,7 +561,7 @@ protected function initializeContainer()
             }
         }
 
-        if (null === $oldContainer && file_exists($cache->getPath())) {
+        if ($asFiles && null === $oldContainer && file_exists($cache->getPath())) {
             $errorLevel = error_reporting(\E_ALL ^ \E_WARNING);
             try {
                 $oldContainer = include $cache->getPath();
@@ -569,7 +573,12 @@ protected function initializeContainer()
         $oldContainer = \is_object($oldContainer) ? new \ReflectionClass($oldContainer) : false;
 
         $this->dumpContainer($cache, $container, $class, $this->getContainerBaseClass());
-        $this->container = require $cache->getPath();
+        if ($asFiles) {
+            $this->container = require $cache->getPath();
+        } else {
+            require $cache->getPath();
+            $this->container = new $class();
+        }
         $this->container->set('kernel', $this);
 
         if ($oldContainer && \get_class($this->container) !== $oldContainer->name) {
@@ -731,26 +740,32 @@ protected function dumpContainer(ConfigCache $cache, ContainerBuilder $container
             $dumper->setProxyDumper(new ProxyDumper());
         }
 
+        $asFiles = $container->hasParameter('container.dump_as_files') ? $container->getParameter('container.dump_as_files') : true;
+
         $content = $dumper->dump([
             'class' => $class,
             'base_class' => $baseClass,
             'file' => $cache->getPath(),
-            'as_files' => true,
+            'as_files' => $asFiles,
             'debug' => $this->debug,
             'build_time' => $container->hasParameter('kernel.container_build_time') ? $container->getParameter('kernel.container_build_time') : time(),
         ]);
 
-        $rootCode = array_pop($content);
-        $dir = \dirname($cache->getPath()).'/';
-        $fs = new Filesystem();
+        if ($asFiles) {
+            $rootCode = array_pop($content);
+            $dir = \dirname($cache->getPath()).'/';
+            $fs = new Filesystem();
 
-        foreach ($content as $file => $code) {
-            $fs->dumpFile($dir.$file, $code);
-            @chmod($dir.$file, 0666 & ~umask());
-        }
-        $legacyFile = \dirname($dir.$file).'.legacy';
-        if (file_exists($legacyFile)) {
-            @unlink($legacyFile);
+            foreach ($content as $file => $code) {
+                $fs->dumpFile($dir.$file, $code);
+                @chmod($dir.$file, 0666 & ~umask());
+            }
+            $legacyFile = \dirname($dir.$file).'.legacy';
+            if (file_exists($legacyFile)) {
+                @unlink($legacyFile);
+            }
+        } else {
+            $rootCode = $content;
         }
 
         $cache->write($rootCode, $container->getResources());
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/Tests/KernelTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/Tests/KernelTest.php
index 0c500bdfd18e2..6084df16aec3a 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/Tests/KernelTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/Tests/KernelTest.php
@@ -103,6 +103,18 @@ public function testInitializeContainerClearsOldContainers()
         $this->assertFileNotExists($legacyContainerDir.'.legacy');
     }
 
+    public function testKernelWithOneFileContainer()
+    {
+        $kernel = new KernelWithOneFileContainer('dev', true);
+        $kernel->boot();
+
+        $this->assertNotNull($kernel->getContainer());
+
+        $kernel->shutdown();
+        $kernel->boot();
+        $this->assertNotNull($kernel->getContainer());
+    }
+
     public function testBootInitializesBundlesAndContainer()
     {
         $kernel = $this->getKernel(['initializeBundles', 'initializeContainer']);
@@ -775,3 +787,29 @@ public function process(ContainerBuilder $container)
         $container->setParameter('test.processed', true);
     }
 }
+
+class KernelWithOneFileContainer extends Kernel
+{
+    public function registerBundles()
+    {
+        return [];
+    }
+
+    public function registerContainerConfiguration(LoaderInterface $loader)
+    {
+    }
+
+    public function getProjectDir()
+    {
+        return __DIR__.'/Fixtures';
+    }
+
+    protected function getKernelParameters()
+    {
+        return array_merge(parent::getKernelParameters(), [
+            'container.build_id' => 'static',
+            'container.build_hash' => 'static',
+            'container.dump_as_files' => false,
+        ]);
+    }
+}