diff --git a/app/vmselect/netstorage/netstorage.go b/app/vmselect/netstorage/netstorage.go
index 21ee12f180..71cc4dce69 100644
--- a/app/vmselect/netstorage/netstorage.go
+++ b/app/vmselect/netstorage/netstorage.go
@@ -2718,44 +2718,14 @@ func initStorageNodes(addrs []string) *storageNodesBucket {
 	sns := make([]*storageNode, 0, len(addrs))
 	var wg sync.WaitGroup
 	ms := metrics.NewSet()
+	// initialize connections to storage nodes in parallel in order speed up the initialization
+	// for big number of storage nodes.
+	// See https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/issues/4364
 	for _, addr := range addrs {
 		wg.Add(1)
 		go func(addr string) {
 			defer wg.Done()
-			if _, _, err := net.SplitHostPort(addr); err != nil {
-				// Automatically add missing port.
-				addr += ":8401"
-			}
-			sn := &storageNode{
-				// There is no need in requests compression, since they are usually very small.
-				connPool: netutil.NewConnPool(ms, "vmselect", addr, handshake.VMSelectClient, 0, *vmstorageDialTimeout),
-
-				concurrentQueries: ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_concurrent_queries{name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-
-				registerMetricNamesRequests: ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="registerMetricNames", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				registerMetricNamesErrors:   ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="registerMetricNames", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				deleteSeriesRequests:        ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="deleteSeries", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				deleteSeriesErrors:          ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="deleteSeries", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				labelNamesRequests:          ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="labelNames", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				labelNamesErrors:            ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="labelNames", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				labelValuesRequests:         ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="labelValues", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				labelValuesErrors:           ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="labelValues", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				tagValueSuffixesRequests:    ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="tagValueSuffixes", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				tagValueSuffixesErrors:      ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="tagValueSuffixes", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				tsdbStatusRequests:          ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="tsdbStatus", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				tsdbStatusErrors:            ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="tsdbStatus", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				seriesCountRequests:         ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="seriesCount", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				seriesCountErrors:           ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="seriesCount", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				searchMetricNamesRequests:   ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="searchMetricNames", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				searchMetricNamesErrors:     ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="searchMetricNames", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				searchRequests:              ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="search", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				searchErrors:                ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="search", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				tenantsRequests:             ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="tenants", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				tenantsErrors:               ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="tenants", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-
-				metricBlocksRead: ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_metric_blocks_read_total{name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-				metricRowsRead:   ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_metric_rows_read_total{name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
-			}
+			sn := newStorageNode(ms, addr)
 			snsLock.Lock()
 			sns = append(sns, sn)
 			snsLock.Unlock()
@@ -2769,6 +2739,46 @@ func initStorageNodes(addrs []string) *storageNodesBucket {
 	}
 }
 
+func newStorageNode(ms *metrics.Set, addr string) *storageNode {
+	if _, _, err := net.SplitHostPort(addr); err != nil {
+		// Automatically add missing port.
+		addr += ":8401"
+	}
+	// There is no need in requests compression, since vmselect requests are usually very small.
+	connPool := netutil.NewConnPool(ms, "vmselect", addr, handshake.VMSelectClient, 0, *vmstorageDialTimeout)
+
+	sn := &storageNode{
+		connPool: connPool,
+
+		concurrentQueries: ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_concurrent_queries{name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+
+		registerMetricNamesRequests: ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="registerMetricNames", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		registerMetricNamesErrors:   ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="registerMetricNames", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		deleteSeriesRequests:        ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="deleteSeries", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		deleteSeriesErrors:          ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="deleteSeries", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		labelNamesRequests:          ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="labelNames", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		labelNamesErrors:            ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="labelNames", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		labelValuesRequests:         ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="labelValues", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		labelValuesErrors:           ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="labelValues", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		tagValueSuffixesRequests:    ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="tagValueSuffixes", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		tagValueSuffixesErrors:      ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="tagValueSuffixes", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		tsdbStatusRequests:          ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="tsdbStatus", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		tsdbStatusErrors:            ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="tsdbStatus", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		seriesCountRequests:         ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="seriesCount", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		seriesCountErrors:           ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="seriesCount", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		searchMetricNamesRequests:   ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="searchMetricNames", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		searchMetricNamesErrors:     ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="searchMetricNames", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		searchRequests:              ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="search", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		searchErrors:                ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="search", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		tenantsRequests:             ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_requests_total{action="tenants", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		tenantsErrors:               ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_request_errors_total{action="tenants", type="rpcClient", name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+
+		metricBlocksRead: ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_metric_blocks_read_total{name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+		metricRowsRead:   ms.NewCounter(fmt.Sprintf(`vm_metric_rows_read_total{name="vmselect", addr=%q}`, addr)),
+	}
+	return sn
+}
+
 func mustStopStorageNodes(snb *storageNodesBucket) {
 	for _, sn := range snb.sns {
 		sn.connPool.MustStop()