diff --git a/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/Config.java b/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/Config.java
index 72a02c2e110..1af85edaa97 100644
--- a/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/Config.java
+++ b/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/Config.java
@@ -204,9 +204,7 @@ public class Config
         __instance=this;
         _homebase = new HomeBase();
         setProperty("jetty.home",_homebase.getHome());
-        if(_homebase.hasBase()) {
-            setProperty("jetty.base",_homebase.getBase());
-        }
+        setProperty("jetty.base",_homebase.getBase());
     }
     
     public HomeBase getHomeBase()
diff --git a/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/FS.java b/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/FS.java
index abcaad75a32..1a5999103d6 100644
--- a/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/FS.java
+++ b/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/FS.java
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import java.io.Closeable;
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.FileFilter;
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.Locale;
 import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
 public class FS
@@ -122,7 +123,7 @@ public class FS
 
     public static boolean isXml(String filename)
     {
-        return Pattern.compile(".xml$",Pattern.CASE_INSENSITIVE).matcher(filename).matches();
+        return filename.toLowerCase(Locale.ENGLISH).endsWith(".xml");
     }
 
     public static String separators(String path)
diff --git a/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/HomeBase.java b/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/HomeBase.java
index 8b4153515da..b225f2832b4 100644
--- a/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/HomeBase.java
+++ b/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/HomeBase.java
@@ -28,7 +28,13 @@ import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Objects;
 
 /**
- * File access for <code>${jetty.home}</code>, and optional <code>${jetty.base}</code>, directories.
+ * File access for <code>${jetty.home}</code>, <code>${jetty.base}</code>, directories.
+ * <p>
+ * By default, both <code>${jetty.home}</code> and <code>${jetty.base}</code> are the same directory, but they can point at different directories.
+ * <p>
+ * The <code>${jetty.home}</code> directory is where the main Jetty binaries and default configuration is housed.
+ * <p>
+ * The <code>${jetty.base}</code> directory is where the execution specific configuration and webapps are obtained from.
  */
 public class HomeBase
 {
@@ -39,11 +45,7 @@ public class HomeBase
     {
         String userDir = System.getProperty("user.dir");
         this.homeDir = new File(System.getProperty("jetty.home",userDir));
-        String base = System.getProperty("jetty.base");
-        if (base != null)
-        {
-            this.baseDir = new File(base);
-        }
+        this.baseDir = new File(System.getProperty("jetty.base",homeDir.getAbsolutePath()));
     }
 
     public HomeBase(File homeDir, File baseDir)
@@ -51,12 +53,12 @@ public class HomeBase
         this.homeDir = homeDir;
         this.baseDir = baseDir;
     }
-    
-    public boolean hasBase()
+
+    public boolean isBaseDifferent()
     {
-        return this.baseDir != null;
+        return homeDir.compareTo(baseDir) != 0;
     }
-    
+
     public void setBaseDir(File dir)
     {
         this.baseDir = dir;
@@ -95,7 +97,7 @@ public class HomeBase
         String rpath = FS.separators(path);
 
         // Relative to Base Directory First
-        if (baseDir != null)
+        if (isBaseDifferent())
         {
             File file = new File(baseDir,rpath);
             if (file.exists())
@@ -114,7 +116,7 @@ public class HomeBase
         // Finally, as an absolute path
         return new File(rpath);
     }
-    
+
     public void setHomeDir(File dir)
     {
         this.homeDir = dir;
@@ -165,7 +167,7 @@ public class HomeBase
         List<File> homeFiles = new ArrayList<>();
         homeFiles.addAll(Arrays.asList(homePath.listFiles(filter)));
 
-        if (baseDir != null)
+        if (isBaseDifferent())
         {
             // merge
             File basePath = new File(baseDir,FS.separators(relPathToDirectory));
@@ -186,20 +188,19 @@ public class HomeBase
             // add any remaining home files.
             ret.addAll(homeFiles);
 
-            Collections.sort(ret, new NaturalSort.Files());
+            Collections.sort(ret,new NaturalSort.Files());
             return ret;
         }
         else
         {
             // simple return
-            Collections.sort(homeFiles, new NaturalSort.Files());
+            Collections.sort(homeFiles,new NaturalSort.Files());
             return homeFiles;
         }
     }
-    
+
     /**
-     * Collect the list of files in both <code>${jetty.base}</code> and <code>${jetty.home}</code>, with
-     * , even if the same file shows up in both places. 
+     * Collect the list of files in both <code>${jetty.base}</code> and <code>${jetty.home}</code>, with , even if the same file shows up in both places.
      */
     public List<File> rawListFiles(String relPathToDirectory, FileFilter filter)
     {
@@ -211,7 +212,7 @@ public class HomeBase
         File homePath = new File(homeDir,FS.separators(relPathToDirectory));
         ret.addAll(Arrays.asList(homePath.listFiles(filter)));
 
-        if (baseDir != null)
+        if (isBaseDifferent())
         {
             // Base Dir
             File basePath = new File(baseDir,FS.separators(relPathToDirectory));
@@ -219,7 +220,7 @@ public class HomeBase
         }
 
         // Sort
-        Collections.sort(ret, new NaturalSort.Files());
+        Collections.sort(ret,new NaturalSort.Files());
         return ret;
     }
 
@@ -265,7 +266,7 @@ public class HomeBase
             return "${jetty.home}" + path.substring(value.length());
         }
 
-        if (baseDir != null)
+        if (isBaseDifferent())
         {
             value = baseDir.getAbsolutePath();
             if (path.startsWith(value))
diff --git a/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/Main.java b/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/Main.java
index 86058bffb73..c4bb917a944 100644
--- a/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/Main.java
+++ b/jetty-start/src/main/java/org/eclipse/jetty/start/Main.java
@@ -775,10 +775,7 @@ public class Main implements IncludeListener
             cmd.addArg(x);
         }
         cmd.addRawArg("-Djetty.home=" + _config.getHomeBase().getHome());
-        if (_config.getHomeBase().hasBase())
-        {
-            cmd.addRawArg("-Djetty.base=" + _config.getHomeBase().getBase());
-        }
+        cmd.addRawArg("-Djetty.base=" + _config.getHomeBase().getBase());
 
         // Special Stop/Shutdown properties
         ensureSystemPropertySet("STOP.PORT");
@@ -901,12 +898,7 @@ public class Main implements IncludeListener
                 + "then overlapping entries will not be repeated in the eventual classpath.");
         System.out.println();
         System.out.printf("${jetty.home} = %s%n",_config.getHomeBase().getHome());
-        String base = "<undefined>";
-        if (_config.getHomeBase().hasBase())
-        {
-            base = _config.getHomeBase().getBase();
-        }
-        System.out.printf("${jetty.base} = %s%n",base);
+        System.out.printf("${jetty.base} = %s%n",_config.getHomeBase().getBase());
         System.out.println();
 
         for (String sectionId : sectionIds)