diff --git a/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/util/BouncyCastleSelfSignedCertGenerator.java b/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/util/BouncyCastleSelfSignedCertGenerator.java
index eacffec7bc..704d9da71d 100644
--- a/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/util/BouncyCastleSelfSignedCertGenerator.java
+++ b/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/util/BouncyCastleSelfSignedCertGenerator.java
@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@ final class BouncyCastleSelfSignedCertGenerator {
 
     private static final Provider PROVIDER = new BouncyCastleProvider();
 
-    static String[] generate(String fqdn, KeyPair keypair, SecureRandom random, Date notBefore, Date notAfter)
-            throws Exception {
+    static String[] generate(String fqdn, KeyPair keypair, SecureRandom random, Date notBefore, Date notAfter,
+                             String algorithm) throws Exception {
         PrivateKey key = keypair.getPrivate();
 
         // Prepare the information required for generating an X.509 certificate.
@@ -51,7 +51,8 @@ final class BouncyCastleSelfSignedCertGenerator {
         X509v3CertificateBuilder builder = new JcaX509v3CertificateBuilder(
                 owner, new BigInteger(64, random), notBefore, notAfter, owner, keypair.getPublic());
 
-        ContentSigner signer = new JcaContentSignerBuilder("SHA256WithRSAEncryption").build(key);
+        ContentSigner signer = new JcaContentSignerBuilder(
+                algorithm.equalsIgnoreCase("EC") ? "SHA256withECDSA" : "SHA256WithRSAEncryption").build(key);
         X509CertificateHolder certHolder = builder.build(signer);
         X509Certificate cert = new JcaX509CertificateConverter().setProvider(PROVIDER).getCertificate(certHolder);
         cert.verify(keypair.getPublic());
diff --git a/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/util/OpenJdkSelfSignedCertGenerator.java b/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/util/OpenJdkSelfSignedCertGenerator.java
index 30d74e2705..3efb565f13 100644
--- a/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/util/OpenJdkSelfSignedCertGenerator.java
+++ b/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/util/OpenJdkSelfSignedCertGenerator.java
@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@ import static io.netty.handler.ssl.util.SelfSignedCertificate.*;
  */
 final class OpenJdkSelfSignedCertGenerator {
 
-    static String[] generate(String fqdn, KeyPair keypair, SecureRandom random, Date notBefore, Date notAfter)
-            throws Exception {
+    static String[] generate(String fqdn, KeyPair keypair, SecureRandom random, Date notBefore, Date notAfter,
+                             String algorithm) throws Exception {
         PrivateKey key = keypair.getPrivate();
 
         // Prepare the information required for generating an X.509 certificate.
@@ -68,12 +68,12 @@ final class OpenJdkSelfSignedCertGenerator {
 
         // Sign the cert to identify the algorithm that's used.
         X509CertImpl cert = new X509CertImpl(info);
-        cert.sign(key, "SHA256withRSA");
+        cert.sign(key, algorithm.equalsIgnoreCase("EC") ? "SHA256withECDSA" : "SHA256withRSA");
 
         // Update the algorithm and sign again.
         info.set(CertificateAlgorithmId.NAME + '.' + CertificateAlgorithmId.ALGORITHM, cert.get(X509CertImpl.SIG_ALG));
         cert = new X509CertImpl(info);
-        cert.sign(key, "SHA256withRSA");
+        cert.sign(key, algorithm.equalsIgnoreCase("EC") ? "SHA256withECDSA" : "SHA256withRSA");
         cert.verify(keypair.getPublic());
 
         return newSelfSignedCertificate(fqdn, key, cert);
diff --git a/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/util/SelfSignedCertificate.java b/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/util/SelfSignedCertificate.java
index c0b8467bd7..eb23ce3d68 100644
--- a/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/util/SelfSignedCertificate.java
+++ b/handler/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/ssl/util/SelfSignedCertificate.java
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ import java.util.Date;
  * It is purely for testing purposes, and thus it is very insecure.
  * It even uses an insecure pseudo-random generator for faster generation internally.
  * </p><p>
- * An X.509 certificate file and a RSA private key file are generated in a system's temporary directory using
+ * An X.509 certificate file and a EC/RSA private key file are generated in a system's temporary directory using
  * {@link java.io.File#createTempFile(String, String)}, and they are deleted when the JVM exits using
  * {@link java.io.File#deleteOnExit()}.
  * </p><p>
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ public final class SelfSignedCertificate {
             "io.netty.selfSignedCertificate.defaultNotAfter", 253402300799000L));
 
     /**
-     * FIPS 140-2 encryption requires the key length to be 2048 bits or greater.
+     * FIPS 140-2 encryption requires the RSA key length to be 2048 bits or greater.
      * Let's use that as a sane default but allow the default to be set dynamically
      * for those that need more stringent security requirements.
      */
@@ -83,84 +83,166 @@ public final class SelfSignedCertificate {
 
     /**
      * Creates a new instance.
+     * <p> Algorithm: RSA </p>
      */
     public SelfSignedCertificate() throws CertificateException {
-        this(DEFAULT_NOT_BEFORE, DEFAULT_NOT_AFTER);
+        this(DEFAULT_NOT_BEFORE, DEFAULT_NOT_AFTER, "RSA", DEFAULT_KEY_LENGTH_BITS);
     }
 
     /**
      * Creates a new instance.
+     * <p> Algorithm: RSA </p>
+     *
      * @param notBefore Certificate is not valid before this time
-     * @param notAfter Certificate is not valid after this time
+     * @param notAfter  Certificate is not valid after this time
      */
-    public SelfSignedCertificate(Date notBefore, Date notAfter) throws CertificateException {
-        this("example.com", notBefore, notAfter);
+    public SelfSignedCertificate(Date notBefore, Date notAfter)
+            throws CertificateException {
+        this("localhost", notBefore, notAfter, "RSA", DEFAULT_KEY_LENGTH_BITS);
     }
 
     /**
      * Creates a new instance.
      *
+     * @param notBefore Certificate is not valid before this time
+     * @param notAfter  Certificate is not valid after this time
+     * @param algorithm Key pair algorithm
+     * @param bits      the number of bits of the generated private key
+     */
+    public SelfSignedCertificate(Date notBefore, Date notAfter, String algorithm, int bits)
+            throws CertificateException {
+        this("localhost", notBefore, notAfter, algorithm, bits);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a new instance.
+     * <p> Algorithm: RSA </p>
+     *
      * @param fqdn a fully qualified domain name
      */
     public SelfSignedCertificate(String fqdn) throws CertificateException {
-        this(fqdn, DEFAULT_NOT_BEFORE, DEFAULT_NOT_AFTER);
+        this(fqdn, DEFAULT_NOT_BEFORE, DEFAULT_NOT_AFTER, "RSA", DEFAULT_KEY_LENGTH_BITS);
     }
 
     /**
      * Creates a new instance.
      *
-     * @param fqdn a fully qualified domain name
+     * @param fqdn      a fully qualified domain name
+     * @param algorithm Key pair algorithm
+     * @param bits      the number of bits of the generated private key
+     */
+    public SelfSignedCertificate(String fqdn, String algorithm, int bits) throws CertificateException {
+        this(fqdn, DEFAULT_NOT_BEFORE, DEFAULT_NOT_AFTER, algorithm, bits);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a new instance.
+     * <p> Algorithm: RSA </p>
+     *
+     * @param fqdn      a fully qualified domain name
      * @param notBefore Certificate is not valid before this time
-     * @param notAfter Certificate is not valid after this time
+     * @param notAfter  Certificate is not valid after this time
      */
     public SelfSignedCertificate(String fqdn, Date notBefore, Date notAfter) throws CertificateException {
         // Bypass entropy collection by using insecure random generator.
         // We just want to generate it without any delay because it's for testing purposes only.
-        this(fqdn, ThreadLocalInsecureRandom.current(), DEFAULT_KEY_LENGTH_BITS, notBefore, notAfter);
+        this(fqdn, ThreadLocalInsecureRandom.current(), DEFAULT_KEY_LENGTH_BITS, notBefore, notAfter, "RSA");
     }
 
     /**
      * Creates a new instance.
      *
-     * @param fqdn a fully qualified domain name
-     * @param random the {@link java.security.SecureRandom} to use
-     * @param bits the number of bits of the generated private key
-     */
-    public SelfSignedCertificate(String fqdn, SecureRandom random, int bits) throws CertificateException {
-        this(fqdn, random, bits, DEFAULT_NOT_BEFORE, DEFAULT_NOT_AFTER);
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Creates a new instance.
-     *
-     * @param fqdn a fully qualified domain name
-     * @param random the {@link java.security.SecureRandom} to use
-     * @param bits the number of bits of the generated private key
+     * @param fqdn      a fully qualified domain name
      * @param notBefore Certificate is not valid before this time
-     * @param notAfter Certificate is not valid after this time
+     * @param notAfter  Certificate is not valid after this time
+     * @param algorithm Key pair algorithm
+     * @param bits      the number of bits of the generated private key
+     */
+    public SelfSignedCertificate(String fqdn, Date notBefore, Date notAfter, String algorithm, int bits)
+            throws CertificateException {
+        // Bypass entropy collection by using insecure random generator.
+        // We just want to generate it without any delay because it's for testing purposes only.
+        this(fqdn, ThreadLocalInsecureRandom.current(), bits, notBefore, notAfter, algorithm);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a new instance.
+     * <p> Algorithm: RSA </p>
+     *
+     * @param fqdn      a fully qualified domain name
+     * @param random    the {@link SecureRandom} to use
+     * @param bits      the number of bits of the generated private key
+     */
+    public SelfSignedCertificate(String fqdn, SecureRandom random, int bits)
+            throws CertificateException {
+        this(fqdn, random, bits, DEFAULT_NOT_BEFORE, DEFAULT_NOT_AFTER, "RSA");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a new instance.
+     *
+     * @param fqdn      a fully qualified domain name
+     * @param random    the {@link SecureRandom} to use
+     * @param algorithm Key pair algorithm
+     * @param bits      the number of bits of the generated private key
+     */
+    public SelfSignedCertificate(String fqdn, SecureRandom random, String algorithm, int bits)
+            throws CertificateException {
+        this(fqdn, random, bits, DEFAULT_NOT_BEFORE, DEFAULT_NOT_AFTER, algorithm);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a new instance.
+     * <p> Algorithm: RSA </p>
+     *
+     * @param fqdn      a fully qualified domain name
+     * @param random    the {@link SecureRandom} to use
+     * @param bits      the number of bits of the generated private key
+     * @param notBefore Certificate is not valid before this time
+     * @param notAfter  Certificate is not valid after this time
      */
     public SelfSignedCertificate(String fqdn, SecureRandom random, int bits, Date notBefore, Date notAfter)
             throws CertificateException {
-        // Generate an RSA key pair.
+        this(fqdn, random, bits, notBefore, notAfter, "RSA");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a new instance.
+     *
+     * @param fqdn      a fully qualified domain name
+     * @param random    the {@link SecureRandom} to use
+     * @param bits      the number of bits of the generated private key
+     * @param notBefore Certificate is not valid before this time
+     * @param notAfter  Certificate is not valid after this time
+     * @param algorithm Key pair algorithm
+     */
+    public SelfSignedCertificate(String fqdn, SecureRandom random, int bits, Date notBefore, Date notAfter,
+                                 String algorithm) throws CertificateException {
+
+        if (!algorithm.equalsIgnoreCase("EC") && !algorithm.equalsIgnoreCase("RSA")) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Algorithm not valid: " + algorithm);
+        }
+
         final KeyPair keypair;
         try {
-            KeyPairGenerator keyGen = KeyPairGenerator.getInstance("RSA");
+            KeyPairGenerator keyGen = KeyPairGenerator.getInstance(algorithm);
             keyGen.initialize(bits, random);
             keypair = keyGen.generateKeyPair();
         } catch (NoSuchAlgorithmException e) {
-            // Should not reach here because every Java implementation must have RSA key pair generator.
+            // Should not reach here because every Java implementation must have RSA and EC key pair generator.
             throw new Error(e);
         }
 
         String[] paths;
         try {
             // Try the OpenJDK's proprietary implementation.
-            paths = OpenJdkSelfSignedCertGenerator.generate(fqdn, keypair, random, notBefore, notAfter);
+            paths = OpenJdkSelfSignedCertGenerator.generate(fqdn, keypair, random, notBefore, notAfter, algorithm);
         } catch (Throwable t) {
             logger.debug("Failed to generate a self-signed X.509 certificate using sun.security.x509:", t);
             try {
                 // Try Bouncy Castle if the current JVM didn't have sun.security.x509.
-                paths = BouncyCastleSelfSignedCertGenerator.generate(fqdn, keypair, random, notBefore, notAfter);
+                paths = BouncyCastleSelfSignedCertGenerator.generate(
+                        fqdn, keypair, random, notBefore, notAfter, algorithm);
             } catch (Throwable t2) {
                 logger.debug("Failed to generate a self-signed X.509 certificate using Bouncy Castle:", t2);
                 final CertificateException certificateException = new CertificateException(
@@ -239,8 +321,8 @@ public final class SelfSignedCertificate {
             encodedBuf = Base64.encode(wrappedBuf, true);
             try {
                 keyText = "-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----\n" +
-                          encodedBuf.toString(CharsetUtil.US_ASCII) +
-                          "\n-----END PRIVATE KEY-----\n";
+                        encodedBuf.toString(CharsetUtil.US_ASCII) +
+                        "\n-----END PRIVATE KEY-----\n";
             } finally {
                 encodedBuf.release();
             }
@@ -270,8 +352,8 @@ public final class SelfSignedCertificate {
             try {
                 // Encode the certificate into a CRT file.
                 certText = "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----\n" +
-                           encodedBuf.toString(CharsetUtil.US_ASCII) +
-                           "\n-----END CERTIFICATE-----\n";
+                        encodedBuf.toString(CharsetUtil.US_ASCII) +
+                        "\n-----END CERTIFICATE-----\n";
             } finally {
                 encodedBuf.release();
             }