diff --git a/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketUtil.java b/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketUtil.java
index fbd43eb261..8699f6412c 100644
--- a/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketUtil.java
+++ b/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketUtil.java
@@ -96,10 +96,18 @@ final class WebSocketUtil {
         if (PlatformDependent.javaVersion() >= 8) {
             return java.util.Base64.getEncoder().encodeToString(data);
         }
+        String encodedString;
         ByteBuf encodedData = Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(data);
-        ByteBuf encoded = Base64.encode(encodedData);
-        String encodedString = encoded.toString(CharsetUtil.UTF_8);
-        encoded.release();
+        try {
+            ByteBuf encoded = Base64.encode(encodedData);
+            try {
+                encodedString = encoded.toString(CharsetUtil.UTF_8);
+            } finally {
+                encoded.release();
+            }
+        } finally {
+            encodedData.release();
+        }
         return encodedString;
     }
 
diff --git a/codec-http/src/test/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketUtilTest.java b/codec-http/src/test/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketUtilTest.java
index e40501951a..bbaf35c61a 100644
--- a/codec-http/src/test/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketUtilTest.java
+++ b/codec-http/src/test/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/websocketx/WebSocketUtilTest.java
@@ -17,6 +17,15 @@ package io.netty.handler.codec.http.websocketx;
 
 import org.junit.Test;
 
+import io.netty.buffer.ByteBuf;
+import io.netty.buffer.ByteBufUtil;
+import io.netty.buffer.Unpooled;
+import io.netty.handler.codec.base64.Base64;
+import io.netty.util.CharsetUtil;
+import io.netty.util.internal.EmptyArrays;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 
 public class WebSocketUtilTest {
@@ -40,4 +49,26 @@ public class WebSocketUtilTest {
         }
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testBase64() {
+        String base64 = WebSocketUtil.base64(EmptyArrays.EMPTY_BYTES);
+        assertNotNull(base64);
+        assertTrue(base64.isEmpty());
+
+        base64 = WebSocketUtil.base64("foo".getBytes(CharsetUtil.UTF_8));
+        assertEquals(base64, "Zm9v");
+
+        base64 = WebSocketUtil.base64("bar".getBytes(CharsetUtil.UTF_8));
+        ByteBuf src = Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(base64.getBytes(CharsetUtil.UTF_8));
+        try {
+            ByteBuf dst = Base64.decode(src);
+            try {
+                assertEquals(new String(ByteBufUtil.getBytes(dst), CharsetUtil.UTF_8), "bar");
+            } finally {
+                dst.release();
+            }
+        } finally {
+            src.release();
+        }
+    }
 }