diff --git a/lib/_http_client.js b/lib/_http_client.js
index ef58f66f6a97e5..c3aa45f406d2c7 100644
--- a/lib/_http_client.js
+++ b/lib/_http_client.js
@@ -93,8 +93,8 @@ const {
 const kClientRequestStatistics = Symbol('ClientRequestStatistics');
 
 const dc = require('diagnostics_channel');
-const onClientRequestStartChannel = dc.channel('http.client.request.start');
-const onClientResponseFinishChannel = dc.channel('http.client.response.finish');
+const CLIENT_REQUEST_START_CHANNEL = 'http.client.request.start';
+const CLIENT_RESPONSE_FINISH_CHANNEL = 'http.client.response.finish';
 
 const { addAbortSignal, finished } = require('stream');
 
@@ -374,8 +374,8 @@ ClientRequest.prototype._finish = function _finish() {
       },
     });
   }
-  if (onClientRequestStartChannel.hasSubscribers) {
-    onClientRequestStartChannel.publish({
+  if (dc.hasSubscribers(CLIENT_REQUEST_START_CHANNEL)) {
+    dc.publish(CLIENT_REQUEST_START_CHANNEL, {
       request: this,
     });
   }
@@ -660,8 +660,8 @@ function parserOnIncomingClient(res, shouldKeepAlive) {
       },
     });
   }
-  if (onClientResponseFinishChannel.hasSubscribers) {
-    onClientResponseFinishChannel.publish({
+  if (dc.hasSubscribers(CLIENT_RESPONSE_FINISH_CHANNEL)) {
+    dc.publish(CLIENT_RESPONSE_FINISH_CHANNEL, {
       request: req,
       response: res,
     });
diff --git a/lib/_http_server.js b/lib/_http_server.js
index a2eba953cfc2ba..c803cde55214cf 100644
--- a/lib/_http_server.js
+++ b/lib/_http_server.js
@@ -89,8 +89,8 @@ let debug = require('internal/util/debuglog').debuglog('http', (fn) => {
 });
 
 const dc = require('diagnostics_channel');
-const onRequestStartChannel = dc.channel('http.server.request.start');
-const onResponseFinishChannel = dc.channel('http.server.response.finish');
+const SERVER_REQUEST_START_CHANNEL = 'http.server.request.start';
+const SERVER_RESPONSE_FINISH_CHANNEL = 'http.server.response.finish';
 
 const kServerResponse = Symbol('ServerResponse');
 const kServerResponseStatistics = Symbol('ServerResponseStatistics');
@@ -870,8 +870,8 @@ function clearIncoming(req) {
 }
 
 function resOnFinish(req, res, socket, state, server) {
-  if (onResponseFinishChannel.hasSubscribers) {
-    onResponseFinishChannel.publish({
+  if (dc.hasSubscribers(SERVER_RESPONSE_FINISH_CHANNEL)) {
+    dc.publish(SERVER_RESPONSE_FINISH_CHANNEL, {
       request: req,
       response: res,
       socket,
@@ -961,8 +961,8 @@ function parserOnIncoming(server, socket, state, req, keepAlive) {
   res.shouldKeepAlive = keepAlive;
   res[kUniqueHeaders] = server[kUniqueHeaders];
 
-  if (onRequestStartChannel.hasSubscribers) {
-    onRequestStartChannel.publish({
+  if (dc.hasSubscribers(SERVER_REQUEST_START_CHANNEL)) {
+    dc.publish(SERVER_REQUEST_START_CHANNEL, {
       request: req,
       response: res,
       socket,
diff --git a/lib/dgram.js b/lib/dgram.js
index 9a11a2287c6155..23747776abb784 100644
--- a/lib/dgram.js
+++ b/lib/dgram.js
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ const {
 } = internalBinding('udp_wrap');
 
 const dc = require('diagnostics_channel');
-const udpSocketChannel = dc.channel('udp.socket');
+const UDP_SOCKET_CHANNEL = 'udp.socket';
 
 const BIND_STATE_UNBOUND = 0;
 const BIND_STATE_BINDING = 1;
@@ -148,8 +148,8 @@ function Socket(type, listener) {
       this.once('close', () => signal.removeEventListener('abort', onAborted));
     }
   }
-  if (udpSocketChannel.hasSubscribers) {
-    udpSocketChannel.publish({
+  if (dc.hasSubscribers(UDP_SOCKET_CHANNEL)) {
+    dc.publish(UDP_SOCKET_CHANNEL, {
       socket: this,
     });
   }
diff --git a/lib/diagnostics_channel.js b/lib/diagnostics_channel.js
index f8c1edb96dfe8a..cf270f8de0db8d 100644
--- a/lib/diagnostics_channel.js
+++ b/lib/diagnostics_channel.js
@@ -136,10 +136,22 @@ function hasSubscribers(name) {
   return channel.hasSubscribers;
 }
 
+function publish(name, data) {
+  let channel;
+  const ref = channels[name];
+  if (ref) channel = ref.get();
+  if (!channel) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  channel.publish(data);
+  return true;
+}
+
 module.exports = {
   channel,
+  Channel,
   hasSubscribers,
   subscribe,
   unsubscribe,
-  Channel
+  publish,
 };
diff --git a/lib/net.js b/lib/net.js
index 548e5e7878a56b..fe090eb2cf41d9 100644
--- a/lib/net.js
+++ b/lib/net.js
@@ -131,18 +131,17 @@ const noop = () => {};
 
 const kPerfHooksNetConnectContext = Symbol('kPerfHooksNetConnectContext');
 
-let netClientSocketChannel;
-let netServerSocketChannel;
+const CLIENT_SOCKET_CHANNEL = 'net.client.socket';
+const SERVER_SOCKET_CHANNEL = 'net.server.socket';
+let dc;
 function lazyChannels() {
   // TODO(joyeecheung): support diagnostics channels in the snapshot.
   // For now it is fine to create them lazily when there isn't a snapshot to
   // build. If users need the channels they would have to create them first
   // before invoking any built-ins that would publish to these channels
   // anyway.
-  if (netClientSocketChannel === undefined) {
-    const dc = require('diagnostics_channel');
-    netClientSocketChannel = dc.channel('net.client.socket');
-    netServerSocketChannel = dc.channel('net.server.socket');
+  if (dc === undefined) {
+    dc = require('diagnostics_channel');
   }
 }
 
@@ -218,8 +217,8 @@ function connect(...args) {
   debug('createConnection', normalized);
   const socket = new Socket(options);
   lazyChannels();
-  if (netClientSocketChannel.hasSubscribers) {
-    netClientSocketChannel.publish({
+  if (dc.hasSubscribers(CLIENT_SOCKET_CHANNEL)) {
+    dc.publish(CLIENT_SOCKET_CHANNEL, {
       socket,
     });
   }
@@ -1762,8 +1761,8 @@ function onconnection(err, clientHandle) {
   socket._server = self;
   self.emit('connection', socket);
   lazyChannels();
-  if (netServerSocketChannel.hasSubscribers) {
-    netServerSocketChannel.publish({
+  if (dc.hasSubscribers(SERVER_SOCKET_CHANNEL)) {
+    dc.publish(SERVER_SOCKET_CHANNEL, {
       socket,
     });
   }
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-diagnostics-channel-http-server-start.js b/test/parallel/test-diagnostics-channel-http-server-start.js
index 9a8136d4cc5839..ad2f6ba48872e2 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-diagnostics-channel-http-server-start.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-diagnostics-channel-http-server-start.js
@@ -6,21 +6,18 @@ const dc = require('diagnostics_channel');
 const assert = require('assert');
 const http = require('http');
 
-const incomingStartChannel = dc.channel('http.server.request.start');
-const outgoingFinishChannel = dc.channel('http.server.response.finish');
-
 const als = new AsyncLocalStorage();
 let context;
 
 // Bind requests to an AsyncLocalStorage context
-incomingStartChannel.subscribe(common.mustCall((message) => {
+dc.subscribe('http.server.request.start', common.mustCall((message) => {
   als.enterWith(message);
   context = message;
 }));
 
 // When the request ends, verify the context has been maintained
 // and that the messages contain the expected data
-outgoingFinishChannel.subscribe(common.mustCall((message) => {
+dc.subscribe('http.server.response.finish', common.mustCall((message) => {
   const data = {
     request,
     response,
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-diagnostics-channel-http.js b/test/parallel/test-diagnostics-channel-http.js
index 4de08d9253c10a..c2e84444e2866e 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-diagnostics-channel-http.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-diagnostics-channel-http.js
@@ -5,26 +5,24 @@ const http = require('http');
 const net = require('net');
 const dc = require('diagnostics_channel');
 
-const onClientRequestStart = dc.channel('http.client.request.start');
-const onClientResponseFinish = dc.channel('http.client.response.finish');
-const onServerRequestStart = dc.channel('http.server.request.start');
-const onServerResponseFinish = dc.channel('http.server.response.finish');
-
 const isHTTPServer = (server) => server instanceof http.Server;
 const isIncomingMessage = (object) => object instanceof http.IncomingMessage;
 const isOutgoingMessage = (object) => object instanceof http.OutgoingMessage;
 const isNetSocket = (socket) => socket instanceof net.Socket;
 
-onClientRequestStart.subscribe(common.mustCall(({ request }) => {
+dc.subscribe('http.client.request.start', common.mustCall(({ request }) => {
   assert.strictEqual(isOutgoingMessage(request), true);
 }));
 
-onClientResponseFinish.subscribe(common.mustCall(({ request, response }) => {
+dc.subscribe('http.client.response.finish', common.mustCall(({
+  request,
+  response
+}) => {
   assert.strictEqual(isOutgoingMessage(request), true);
   assert.strictEqual(isIncomingMessage(response), true);
 }));
 
-onServerRequestStart.subscribe(common.mustCall(({
+dc.subscribe('http.server.request.start', common.mustCall(({
   request,
   response,
   socket,
@@ -36,7 +34,7 @@ onServerRequestStart.subscribe(common.mustCall(({
   assert.strictEqual(isHTTPServer(server), true);
 }));
 
-onServerResponseFinish.subscribe(common.mustCall(({
+dc.subscribe('http.server.response.finish', common.mustCall(({
   request,
   response,
   socket,