diff --git a/internal/proxy/oauthproxy.go b/internal/proxy/oauthproxy.go
index 8ae55e2c..c61a0d8b 100755
--- a/internal/proxy/oauthproxy.go
+++ b/internal/proxy/oauthproxy.go
@@ -138,14 +138,18 @@ func (t *upstreamTransport) RoundTrip(req *http.Request) (*http.Response, error)
 
 // NewReverseProxy creates a reverse proxy to a specified url.
 // It adds an X-Forwarded-Host header that is the request's host.
-func NewReverseProxy(to *url.URL) *httputil.ReverseProxy {
+func NewReverseProxy(to *url.URL, config *UpstreamConfig) *httputil.ReverseProxy {
 	proxy := httputil.NewSingleHostReverseProxy(to)
 	proxy.Transport = &upstreamTransport{}
 	director := proxy.Director
 	proxy.Director = func(req *http.Request) {
-		req.Header.Add("X-Forwarded-Host", req.Host)
+		if req.Header.Get("X-Forwarded-Host") == "" {
+			req.Header.Set("X-Forwarded-Host", req.Host)
+		}
 		director(req)
-		req.Host = to.Host
+		if !config.PreserveHost {
+			req.Host = to.Host
+		}
 	}
 	return proxy
 }
@@ -153,7 +157,7 @@ func NewReverseProxy(to *url.URL) *httputil.ReverseProxy {
 // NewRewriteReverseProxy creates a reverse proxy that is capable of creating upstream
 // urls on the fly based on a from regex and a templated to field.
 // It adds an X-Forwarded-Host header to the the upstream's request.
-func NewRewriteReverseProxy(route *RewriteRoute) *httputil.ReverseProxy {
+func NewRewriteReverseProxy(route *RewriteRoute, config *UpstreamConfig) *httputil.ReverseProxy {
 	proxy := &httputil.ReverseProxy{}
 	proxy.Transport = &upstreamTransport{}
 	proxy.Director = func(req *http.Request) {
@@ -172,9 +176,13 @@ func NewRewriteReverseProxy(route *RewriteRoute) *httputil.ReverseProxy {
 		}
 		director := httputil.NewSingleHostReverseProxy(target).Director
 
-		req.Header.Add("X-Forwarded-Host", req.Host)
+		if req.Header.Get("X-Forwarded-Host") == "" {
+			req.Header.Set("X-Forwarded-Host", req.Host)
+		}
 		director(req)
-		req.Host = target.Host
+		if !config.PreserveHost {
+			req.Host = target.Host
+		}
 	}
 	return proxy
 }
@@ -283,11 +291,11 @@ func NewOAuthProxy(opts *Options, optFuncs ...func(*OAuthProxy) error) (*OAuthPr
 	for _, upstreamConfig := range opts.upstreamConfigs {
 		switch route := upstreamConfig.Route.(type) {
 		case *SimpleRoute:
-			reverseProxy := NewReverseProxy(route.ToURL)
+			reverseProxy := NewReverseProxy(route.ToURL, upstreamConfig)
 			handler, tags := NewReverseProxyHandler(reverseProxy, opts, upstreamConfig)
 			p.Handle(route.FromURL.Host, handler, tags, upstreamConfig)
 		case *RewriteRoute:
-			reverseProxy := NewRewriteReverseProxy(route)
+			reverseProxy := NewRewriteReverseProxy(route, upstreamConfig)
 			handler, tags := NewReverseProxyHandler(reverseProxy, opts, upstreamConfig)
 			p.HandleRegex(route.FromRegex, handler, tags, upstreamConfig)
 		default:
diff --git a/internal/proxy/oauthproxy_test.go b/internal/proxy/oauthproxy_test.go
index 36be46f0..768d447f 100644
--- a/internal/proxy/oauthproxy_test.go
+++ b/internal/proxy/oauthproxy_test.go
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ func TestNewReverseProxy(t *testing.T) {
 	backendHost := net.JoinHostPort(backendHostname, backendPort)
 	proxyURL, _ := url.Parse(backendURL.Scheme + "://" + backendHost + "/")
 
-	proxyHandler := NewReverseProxy(proxyURL)
+	proxyHandler := NewReverseProxy(proxyURL, &UpstreamConfig{PreserveHost: false})
 	frontend := httptest.NewServer(proxyHandler)
 	defer frontend.Close()
 
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ func TestNewRewriteReverseProxy(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 
-	rewriteProxy := NewRewriteReverseProxy(route)
+	rewriteProxy := NewRewriteReverseProxy(route, &UpstreamConfig{PreserveHost: false})
 
 	frontend := httptest.NewServer(rewriteProxy)
 	defer frontend.Close()
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ func TestNewReverseProxyHostname(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected to parse to url: %s", err)
 	}
 
-	reverseProxy := NewReverseProxy(toURL)
+	reverseProxy := NewReverseProxy(toURL, &UpstreamConfig{PreserveHost: false})
 	from := httptest.NewServer(reverseProxy)
 	defer from.Close()
 
@@ -191,6 +191,129 @@ func TestNewReverseProxyHostname(t *testing.T) {
 
 }
 
+func TestNewReverseProxyPreserveHost(t *testing.T) {
+	type respStruct struct {
+		Host           string `json:"host"`
+		XForwardedHost string `json:"x-forwarded-host"`
+	}
+
+	to := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(rw http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		body, err := json.Marshal(
+			&respStruct{
+				Host:           r.Host,
+				XForwardedHost: r.Header.Get("X-Forwarded-Host"),
+			},
+		)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("expected to marshal json: %s", err)
+		}
+		rw.Write(body)
+	}))
+	defer to.Close()
+
+	toURL, err := url.Parse(to.URL)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected to parse to url: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	reverseProxy := NewReverseProxy(toURL, &UpstreamConfig{PreserveHost: true})
+	from := httptest.NewServer(reverseProxy)
+	defer from.Close()
+
+	fromURL, err := url.Parse(from.URL)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected to parse from url: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	want := &respStruct{
+		Host:           fromURL.Host,
+		XForwardedHost: "something",
+	}
+
+	req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", from.URL, strings.NewReader(""))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected to be able to make req: %s", err)
+	}
+	req.Header.Set("X-Forwarded-Host", "something")
+
+	res, err := http.DefaultTransport.RoundTrip(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected to be able to get res: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	body, err := ioutil.ReadAll(res.Body)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected to read body: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	got := &respStruct{}
+	err = json.Unmarshal(body, got)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected to decode json: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(want, got) {
+		t.Logf(" got host: %v", got.Host)
+		t.Logf("want host: %v", want.Host)
+
+		t.Logf(" got X-Forwarded-Host: %v", got.XForwardedHost)
+		t.Logf("want X-Forwarded-Host: %v", want.XForwardedHost)
+
+		t.Errorf("got unexpected response for Host or X-Forwarded-Host header")
+	}
+	if res.Header.Get("Cookie") != "" {
+		t.Errorf("expected Cookie header to be empty but was %s", res.Header.Get("Cookie"))
+	}
+
+}
+
+func TestNewRewriteReverseProxyPreserveHost(t *testing.T) {
+	upstream := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(rw http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
+		rw.WriteHeader(200)
+		rw.Write([]byte(req.Host))
+	}))
+	defer upstream.Close()
+
+	parsedUpstreamURL, err := url.Parse(upstream.URL)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected to parse upstream URL err:%q", err)
+	}
+
+	route := &RewriteRoute{
+		FromRegex: regexp.MustCompile("(.*)"),
+		ToTemplate: &url.URL{
+			Scheme: parsedUpstreamURL.Scheme,
+			Opaque: parsedUpstreamURL.Host,
+		},
+	}
+
+	rewriteProxy := NewRewriteReverseProxy(route, &UpstreamConfig{PreserveHost: true})
+
+	frontend := httptest.NewServer(rewriteProxy)
+	defer frontend.Close()
+
+	frontendURL, err := url.Parse(frontend.URL)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected to parse frontend url: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	resp, err := http.Get(frontend.URL)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected to make successful request err:%q", err)
+	}
+
+	body, err := ioutil.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected to read body err:%q", err)
+	}
+
+	if string(body) != frontendURL.Host {
+		t.Logf("got  %v", string(body))
+		t.Logf("want %v", frontendURL.Host)
+		t.Fatalf("got unexpected response from upstream")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestDeleteSSOHeader(t *testing.T) {
 	testCases := []struct {
 		name                 string
@@ -290,7 +413,7 @@ func TestEncodedSlashes(t *testing.T) {
 	defer backend.Close()
 
 	b, _ := url.Parse(backend.URL)
-	proxyHandler := NewReverseProxy(b)
+	proxyHandler := NewReverseProxy(b, &UpstreamConfig{PreserveHost: false})
 	frontend := httptest.NewServer(proxyHandler)
 	defer frontend.Close()
 
diff --git a/internal/proxy/proxy_config.go b/internal/proxy/proxy_config.go
index 38d84c19..750a6296 100644
--- a/internal/proxy/proxy_config.go
+++ b/internal/proxy/proxy_config.go
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ type UpstreamConfig struct {
 
 	SkipAuthCompiledRegex []*regexp.Regexp
 	AllowedGroups         []string
+	PreserveHost          bool
 	HMACAuth              hmacauth.HmacAuth
 	Timeout               time.Duration
 	FlushInterval         time.Duration
@@ -75,6 +76,7 @@ type OptionsConfig struct {
 	HeaderOverrides map[string]string `yaml:"header_overrides"`
 	SkipAuthRegex   []string          `yaml:"skip_auth_regex"`
 	AllowedGroups   []string          `yaml:"allowed_groups"`
+	PreserveHost    bool              `yaml:"preserve_host"`
 	Timeout         time.Duration     `yaml:"timeout"`
 	FlushInterval   time.Duration     `yaml:"flush_interval"`
 }
@@ -358,6 +360,7 @@ func parseOptionsConfig(proxy *UpstreamConfig) error {
 	proxy.Timeout = proxy.RouteConfig.Options.Timeout
 	proxy.FlushInterval = proxy.RouteConfig.Options.FlushInterval
 	proxy.HeaderOverrides = proxy.RouteConfig.Options.HeaderOverrides
+	proxy.PreserveHost = proxy.RouteConfig.Options.PreserveHost
 
 	proxy.RouteConfig.Options = nil