diff --git a/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/bootstrap/AbstractBootstrap.java b/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/bootstrap/AbstractBootstrap.java
index 67e5d3777e..d152a3191b 100644
--- a/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/bootstrap/AbstractBootstrap.java
+++ b/transport/src/main/java/io/netty/bootstrap/AbstractBootstrap.java
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ import java.util.Map;
  * <p>When not used in a {@link ServerBootstrap} context, the {@link #bind()} methods are useful for connectionless
  * transports such as datagram (UDP).</p>
  */
-abstract class AbstractBootstrap<B extends AbstractBootstrap<B, C>, C extends Channel> implements Cloneable {
+public abstract class AbstractBootstrap<B extends AbstractBootstrap<B, C>, C extends Channel> implements Cloneable {
 
     private volatile EventLoopGroup group;
     private volatile ChannelFactory<? extends C> channelFactory;