diff --git a/rest/engine.go b/rest/engine.go
index b048b5ee0..1fb0f2f40 100644
--- a/rest/engine.go
+++ b/rest/engine.go
@@ -62,8 +62,8 @@ func (ng *engine) addRoutes(r featuredRoutes) {
 
 	// need to guarantee the timeout is the max of all routes
 	// otherwise impossible to set http.Server.ReadTimeout & WriteTimeout
-	if r.timeout != nil {
-		ng.timeout = *r.timeout
+	if r.timeout > ng.timeout {
+		ng.timeout = r.timeout
 	}
 }
 
@@ -192,9 +192,9 @@ func (ng *engine) checkedMaxBytes(bytes int64) int64 {
 	return ng.conf.MaxBytes
 }
 
-func (ng *engine) checkedTimeout(timeout *time.Duration) time.Duration {
-	if timeout != nil {
-		return *timeout
+func (ng *engine) checkedTimeout(timeout time.Duration) time.Duration {
+	if timeout > 0 {
+		return timeout
 	}
 
 	return time.Duration(ng.conf.Timeout) * time.Millisecond
diff --git a/rest/engine_test.go b/rest/engine_test.go
index 9cae95904..e7a08eb43 100644
--- a/rest/engine_test.go
+++ b/rest/engine_test.go
@@ -64,9 +64,6 @@ Verbose: true
 `,
 	}
 
-	minuteDuration := time.Minute
-	secondDuration := time.Second
-
 	routes := []featuredRoutes{
 		{
 			jwt:       jwtSetting{},
@@ -76,7 +73,7 @@ Verbose: true
 				Path:    "/",
 				Handler: func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {},
 			}},
-			timeout: &minuteDuration,
+			timeout: time.Minute,
 		},
 		{
 			priority:  true,
@@ -87,7 +84,7 @@ Verbose: true
 				Path:    "/",
 				Handler: func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {},
 			}},
-			timeout: &secondDuration,
+			timeout: time.Second,
 		},
 		{
 			priority: true,
@@ -230,8 +227,8 @@ Verbose: true
 				}))
 
 				timeout := time.Second * 3
-				if route.timeout != nil {
-					timeout = *route.timeout
+				if route.timeout > timeout {
+					timeout = route.timeout
 				}
 				assert.Equal(t, timeout, ng.timeout)
 			})
@@ -239,14 +236,10 @@ Verbose: true
 	}
 }
 
-func getPtrTimeDuration(dur time.Duration) *time.Duration {
-	return &dur
-}
-
 func TestEngine_checkedTimeout(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name    string
-		timeout *time.Duration
+		timeout time.Duration
 		expect  time.Duration
 	}{
 		{
@@ -255,24 +248,19 @@ func TestEngine_checkedTimeout(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			name:    "less",
-			timeout: getPtrTimeDuration(time.Millisecond * 500),
+			timeout: time.Millisecond * 500,
 			expect:  time.Millisecond * 500,
 		},
 		{
 			name:    "equal",
-			timeout: getPtrTimeDuration(time.Second),
+			timeout: time.Second,
 			expect:  time.Second,
 		},
 		{
 			name:    "more",
-			timeout: getPtrTimeDuration(time.Millisecond * 1500),
+			timeout: time.Millisecond * 1500,
 			expect:  time.Millisecond * 1500,
 		},
-		{
-			name:    "set zero",
-			timeout: getPtrTimeDuration(0),
-			expect:  0,
-		},
 	}
 
 	ng := newEngine(RestConf{
diff --git a/rest/server.go b/rest/server.go
index eb7aed1bc..b97ec5aa5 100644
--- a/rest/server.go
+++ b/rest/server.go
@@ -283,14 +283,14 @@ func WithSignature(signature SignatureConf) RouteOption {
 func WithSSE() RouteOption {
 	return func(r *featuredRoutes) {
 		r.sse = true
-		r.timeout = nil
+		r.timeout = 0
 	}
 }
 
 // WithTimeout returns a RouteOption to set timeout with given value.
 func WithTimeout(timeout time.Duration) RouteOption {
 	return func(r *featuredRoutes) {
-		r.timeout = &timeout
+		r.timeout = timeout
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/rest/server_test.go b/rest/server_test.go
index 9676b3f87..9a513ddc3 100644
--- a/rest/server_test.go
+++ b/rest/server_test.go
@@ -345,7 +345,7 @@ func TestWithPriority(t *testing.T) {
 func TestWithTimeout(t *testing.T) {
 	var fr featuredRoutes
 	WithTimeout(time.Hour)(&fr)
-	assert.Equal(t, time.Hour, *fr.timeout)
+	assert.Equal(t, time.Hour, fr.timeout)
 }
 
 func TestWithTLSConfig(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/rest/types.go b/rest/types.go
index c69e750a9..6d0bcab54 100644
--- a/rest/types.go
+++ b/rest/types.go
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ type (
 	}
 
 	featuredRoutes struct {
-		timeout   *time.Duration
+		timeout   time.Duration
 		priority  bool
 		jwt       jwtSetting
 		signature signatureSetting