diff --git a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/impl/launcher/VertxLifecycleHooks.java b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/impl/launcher/VertxLifecycleHooks.java
index 33619befb5f..4549e2cc02a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/impl/launcher/VertxLifecycleHooks.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/impl/launcher/VertxLifecycleHooks.java
@@ -14,9 +14,7 @@
 import io.vertx.core.DeploymentOptions;
 import io.vertx.core.Vertx;
 import io.vertx.core.VertxOptions;
-import io.vertx.core.impl.VertxBuilder;
 import io.vertx.core.json.JsonObject;
-import io.vertx.core.spi.tracing.VertxTracer;
 
 /**
  * Interface that let sub-classes of launcher to be notified on different events.
@@ -33,18 +31,6 @@ public interface VertxLifecycleHooks {
    */
   void afterConfigParsed(JsonObject config);
 
-  /**
-   * Default implementation for the {@link VertxBuilder} creation.
-   * <p>
-   * This can be overridden in order to customize, for example, the tracer, with {@link VertxBuilder#tracer(VertxTracer)}.
-   *
-   * @param config the Vert.x options to use, in JSON format
-   * @return the Vert.x builder instance
-   */
-  default VertxBuilder createVertxBuilder(JsonObject config) {
-    return config == null ? new VertxBuilder() : new VertxBuilder(config);
-  }
-
   /**
    * Hook for sub-classes of the {@link io.vertx.core.Launcher} class before the vertx instance is started. Options
    * can still be updated.
diff --git a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/impl/launcher/commands/BareCommand.java b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/impl/launcher/commands/BareCommand.java
index dcd1815b09c..62ae8d998a2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/impl/launcher/commands/BareCommand.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/impl/launcher/commands/BareCommand.java
@@ -201,8 +201,15 @@ public void run(Runnable action) {
   protected Vertx startVertx() {
     JsonObject optionsJson = getJsonFromFileOrString(vertxOptions, "options");
 
-    EventBusOptions eventBusOptions = optionsJson == null ? getEventBusOptions() : getEventBusOptions(optionsJson.getJsonObject("eventBusOptions"));
-    VertxBuilder builder = createVertxBuilder(optionsJson);
+    EventBusOptions eventBusOptions;
+    VertxBuilder builder;
+    if (optionsJson == null) {
+      eventBusOptions = getEventBusOptions();
+      builder = new VertxBuilder();
+    } else {
+      eventBusOptions = getEventBusOptions(optionsJson.getJsonObject("eventBusOptions"));
+      builder = new VertxBuilder(optionsJson);
+    }
     options = builder.options();
     options.setEventBusOptions(eventBusOptions);
 
@@ -331,14 +338,6 @@ protected void beforeStartingVertx(VertxOptions options) {
     }
   }
 
-  protected VertxBuilder createVertxBuilder(JsonObject config) {
-    Object main = executionContext.main();
-    if (main instanceof VertxLifecycleHooks) {
-      return ((VertxLifecycleHooks) main).createVertxBuilder(config);
-    }
-    return new VertxBuilder(config);
-  }
-
   /**
    * @return the event bus options.
    */