diff --git a/doc/socat.yo b/doc/socat.yo
index 4b22bed..fb8f5ba 100644
--- a/doc/socat.yo
+++ b/doc/socat.yo
@@ -2656,6 +2656,13 @@ label(OPTION_OPENSSL_FIPS)dit(bf(tt(fips)))
    This mode might require that the involved certificates are generated with a
    FIPS enabled version of openssl. Setting or clearing this option on one
    socat address affects all OpenSSL addresses of this process.
+label(OPTION_OPENSSL_COMPRESS)dit(bf(tt(compress)))
+   Enable or disable the use of compression for a connection. Setting this to
+   "none" disables compression, setting it to "auto" lets OpenSSL choose the best
+   available algorithm supported by both parties. The default is to not touch any
+   compression-related settings.
+   NOTE: Requires OpenSSL 0.9.8 or higher and disabling compression with
+   OpenSSL 0.9.8 affects all new connections in the process.
 enddit()
 
 startdit()enddit()nl()
diff --git a/doc/xio.help b/doc/xio.help
index a767b42..bddae0a 100644
--- a/doc/xio.help
+++ b/doc/xio.help
@@ -4610,6 +4610,23 @@ FIPS enabled version of openssl. Setting or clearing this option on one
 socat address affects all OpenSSL addresses of this process.
 
 
+Option: openssl-compress
+Aliases: compress
+
+Type: STRING
+Option group: OPENSSL
+Phase: SPEC
+Platforms: (depends on openssl installation)
+
+Enable or disable the use of compression for a connection. Setting this to
+"none" disables compression, setting it to "auto" lets OpenSSL choose the best
+available algorithm supported by both parties. The default is to not touch any
+compression-related settings.
+NOTE: Requires OpenSSL 0.9.8 or higher.
+NOTE: Disabling compression with OpenSSL 0.9.8 affects all new connections in
+the same process.
+
+
 ===============================================================================
 Application specific address options
 
diff --git a/test.sh b/test.sh
index d15d504..fdc8114 100755
--- a/test.sh
+++ b/test.sh
@@ -476,6 +476,9 @@ filloptionvalues() {
     case "$OPTS" in
     *,egd,*) OPTS=$(echo "$OPTS" |sed "s/,egd,/,egd=/tmp/hugo,/g");;
     esac
+    case "$OPTS" in
+    *,compress,*) OPTS=$(echo "$OPTS" |sed "s/,compress,/,compress=none,/g");;
+    esac
     # PROXY
     case "$OPTS" in
     *,proxyauth,*) OPTS=$(echo "$OPTS" |sed "s/,proxyauth,/,proxyauth=user:pass,/g");;
@@ -3959,6 +3962,62 @@ PORT=$((PORT+1))
 N=$((N+1))
 
 
+NAME=OPENSSL_COMPRESS
+case "$TESTS" in
+*%functions%*|*%openssl%*|*%tcp%*|*%tcp4%*|*%ip4%*|*%$NAME%*)
+TEST="$NAME: OpenSSL compression"
+if ! eval $NUMCOND; then :;
+elif ! testaddrs openssl >/dev/null; then
+    $PRINTF "test $F_n $TEST... ${YELLOW}OPENSSL not available${NORMAL}\n" $N
+    numCANT=$((numCANT+1))
+elif ! testaddrs listen tcp ip4 >/dev/null || ! runsip4 >/dev/null; then
+    $PRINTF "test $F_n $TEST... ${YELLOW}TCP/IPv4 not available${NORMAL}\n" $N
+    numCANT=$((numCANT+1))
+elif ! testoptions openssl-compress >/dev/null; then
+    $PRINTF "test $F_n $TEST... ${YELLOW}OPENSSL compression option not available${NORMAL}\n" $N
+    numCANT=$((numCANT+1))
+else
+    gentestcert testsrv
+    printf "test $F_n $TEST... " $N
+    tf="$td/test$N.stdout"
+    te="$td/test$N.stderr"
+    tdiff="$td/test$N.diff"
+    da="test$N $(date) $RANDOM"
+    success=yes
+    for srccompr in '' compress=auto compress=none; do
+        for dstcompr in '' compress=auto compress=none; do
+            CMD2="$SOCAT $opts OPENSSL-LISTEN:$PORT,pf=ip4,reuseaddr,$SOCAT_EGD,cert=testsrv.crt,key=testsrv.key,verify=0,$dstcompr pipe"
+            CMD="$SOCAT $opts - openssl:$LOCALHOST:$PORT,pf=ip4,verify=0,$SOCAT_EGD,$srccompr"
+            eval "$CMD2 2>\"${te}1\" &"
+            pid=$! # background process id
+            waittcp4port $PORT
+            echo "$da" | $CMD >$tf 2>"${te}2"
+            kill $pid 2>/dev/null
+            if ! echo "$da" |diff - "$tf" >"$tdiff"; then
+                success=
+                break
+            fi
+        done
+    done
+    if test -z "$success"; then
+        $PRINTF "$FAILED: $SOCAT:\n"
+        echo "$CMD2 &"
+        echo "$CMD"
+        cat "${te}1"
+        cat "${te}2"
+        cat "$tdiff"
+        numFAIL=$((numFAIL+1))
+    else
+        $PRINTF "$OK\n"
+        if [ -n "$debug" ]; then cat "${te}1" "${te}2"; fi
+        numOK=$((numOK+1))
+    fi
+fi ;; # NUMCOND, feats
+esac
+PORT=$((PORT+1))
+N=$((N+1))
+
+
 NAME=SOCKS4CONNECT_TCP4
 case "$TESTS" in
 *%functions%*|*%socks%*|*%socks4%*|*%tcp%*|*%tcp4%*|*%ip4%*|*%$NAME%*)
diff --git a/xio-openssl.c b/xio-openssl.c
index 4fd5738..bf42183 100644
--- a/xio-openssl.c
+++ b/xio-openssl.c
@@ -104,6 +104,9 @@ const struct optdesc opt_openssl_cafile      = { "openssl-cafile",     "cafile",
 const struct optdesc opt_openssl_capath      = { "openssl-capath",     "capath", OPT_OPENSSL_CAPATH,      GROUP_OPENSSL, PH_SPEC, TYPE_FILENAME, OFUNC_SPEC };
 const struct optdesc opt_openssl_egd         = { "openssl-egd",        "egd",    OPT_OPENSSL_EGD,         GROUP_OPENSSL, PH_SPEC, TYPE_FILENAME, OFUNC_SPEC };
 const struct optdesc opt_openssl_pseudo      = { "openssl-pseudo",     "pseudo", OPT_OPENSSL_PSEUDO,      GROUP_OPENSSL, PH_SPEC, TYPE_BOOL,     OFUNC_SPEC };
+#if OPENSSL_VERSION_NUMBER >= 0x00908000L
+const struct optdesc opt_openssl_compress    = { "openssl-compress",   "compress", OPT_OPENSSL_COMPRESS,  GROUP_OPENSSL, PH_SPEC, TYPE_STRING,   OFUNC_SPEC };
+#endif
 #if WITH_FIPS
 const struct optdesc opt_openssl_fips        = { "openssl-fips",       "fips",   OPT_OPENSSL_FIPS,        GROUP_OPENSSL, PH_SPEC, TYPE_BOOL,     OFUNC_SPEC };
 #endif
@@ -623,6 +626,59 @@ int _xioopen_openssl_listen(struct single *xfd,
 #endif /* WITH_LISTEN */
 
 
+#if OPENSSL_VERSION_NUMBER >= 0x00908000L
+/* In OpenSSL 0.9.7 compression methods could be added using
+ * SSL_COMP_add_compression_method(3), but the implemntation is not compatible
+ * with the standard (RFC3749).
+ */
+static int openssl_setup_compression(SSL_CTX *ctx, char *method)
+{
+   STACK_OF(SSL_COMP)* comp_methods;
+
+   assert(method);
+
+   /* Getting the stack of compression methods has the intended side-effect of
+    * initializing the SSL library's compression part.
+    */
+   comp_methods = SSL_COMP_get_compression_methods();
+   if (!comp_methods) {
+      Info("OpenSSL built without compression support");
+      return STAT_OK;
+   }
+
+   if (strcasecmp(method, "auto") == 0) {
+      Info("Using default OpenSSL compression");
+      return STAT_OK;
+   }
+
+   if (strcasecmp(method, "none") == 0) {
+      /* Disable compression */
+#ifdef SSL_OP_NO_COMPRESSION
+      Info("Disabling OpenSSL compression");
+      SSL_CTX_set_options(ctx, SSL_OP_NO_COMPRESSION);
+#else
+      /* SSL_OP_NO_COMPRESSION was only introduced in OpenSSL 0.9.9 (released
+       * as 1.0.0). Removing all compression methods is a work-around for
+       * earlier versions of OpenSSL, but it affects all SSL connections.
+       */
+      Info("Disabling OpenSSL compression globally");
+      sk_SSL_COMP_zero(comp_methods);
+#endif
+      return STAT_OK;
+   }
+
+   /* zlib compression in OpenSSL before version 0.9.8e-beta1 uses the libc's
+    * default malloc/free instead of the ones passed to OpenSSL. Should socat
+    * ever use custom malloc/free functions for OpenSSL, this must be taken
+    * into consideration. See OpenSSL bug #1468.
+    */
+
+   Error1("openssl-compress=\"%s\": unknown compression method", method);
+   return STAT_NORETRY;
+}
+#endif
+
+
 int
    _xioopen_openssl_prepare(struct opt *opts,
 			    struct single *xfd,/* a xio file descriptor
@@ -642,6 +698,9 @@ int
    char *opt_cafile = NULL;	/* certificate authority file */
    char *opt_capath = NULL;	/* certificate authority directory */
    char *opt_egd = NULL;	/* entropy gathering daemon socket path */
+#if OPENSSL_VERSION_NUMBER >= 0x00908000L
+   char *opt_compress = NULL;	/* compression method */
+#endif
    bool opt_pseudo = false;	/* use pseudo entropy if nothing else */
    unsigned long err;
    int result;
@@ -659,6 +718,9 @@ int
    retropt_string(opts, OPT_OPENSSL_DHPARAM, &opt_dhparam);
    retropt_string(opts, OPT_OPENSSL_EGD, &opt_egd);
    retropt_bool(opts,OPT_OPENSSL_PSEUDO, &opt_pseudo);
+#if OPENSSL_VERSION_NUMBER >= 0x00908000L
+   retropt_string(opts, OPT_OPENSSL_COMPRESS, &opt_compress);
+#endif
 
 #if WITH_FIPS
    if (opt_fips) {
@@ -756,6 +818,16 @@ int
       return STAT_RETRYLATER;
    }
 
+#if OPENSSL_VERSION_NUMBER >= 0x00908000L
+   if (opt_compress) {
+      int result;
+      result = openssl_setup_compression(*ctx, opt_compress);
+      if (result != STAT_OK) {
+	return result;
+      }
+   }
+#endif
+
    if (opt_cafile != NULL || opt_capath != NULL) {
       if (sycSSL_CTX_load_verify_locations(*ctx, opt_cafile, opt_capath) != 1) {
 	 int result;
diff --git a/xio-openssl.h b/xio-openssl.h
index f3a0a58..041d22f 100644
--- a/xio-openssl.h
+++ b/xio-openssl.h
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ extern const struct optdesc opt_openssl_cafile;
 extern const struct optdesc opt_openssl_capath;
 extern const struct optdesc opt_openssl_egd;
 extern const struct optdesc opt_openssl_pseudo;
+#if OPENSSL_VERSION_NUMBER >= 0x00908000L
+extern const struct optdesc opt_openssl_compress;
+#endif
 #if WITH_FIPS
 extern const struct optdesc opt_openssl_fips;
 #endif
diff --git a/xioopts.c b/xioopts.c
index 1079175..58f3ee1 100644
--- a/xioopts.c
+++ b/xioopts.c
@@ -293,6 +293,9 @@ const struct optname optionnames[] = {
 #if WITH_EXT2 && defined(EXT2_COMPR_FL)
 	IF_ANY    ("compr",	&opt_ext2_compr)
 #endif
+#if OPENSSL_VERSION_NUMBER >= 0x00908000L
+	IF_OPENSSL("compress",	&opt_openssl_compress)
+#endif
 #ifdef TCP_CONN_ABORT_THRESHOLD  /* HP_UX */
 	IF_TCP    ("conn-abort-threshold",	&opt_tcp_conn_abort_threshold)
 #endif
@@ -1067,6 +1070,9 @@ const struct optname optionnames[] = {
 	IF_OPENSSL("openssl-capath",	&opt_openssl_capath)
 	IF_OPENSSL("openssl-certificate",	&opt_openssl_certificate)
 	IF_OPENSSL("openssl-cipherlist",	&opt_openssl_cipherlist)
+#if OPENSSL_VERSION_NUMBER >= 0x00908000L
+	IF_OPENSSL("openssl-compress",	&opt_openssl_compress)
+#endif
 	IF_OPENSSL("openssl-dhparam",	&opt_openssl_dhparam)
 	IF_OPENSSL("openssl-egd",	&opt_openssl_egd)
 #if WITH_FIPS
diff --git a/xioopts.h b/xioopts.h
index 38e8a70..4cdd885 100644
--- a/xioopts.h
+++ b/xioopts.h
@@ -472,6 +472,9 @@ enum e_optcode {
    OPT_OPENSSL_CAPATH,
    OPT_OPENSSL_CERTIFICATE,
    OPT_OPENSSL_CIPHERLIST,
+#if OPENSSL_VERSION_NUMBER >= 0x00908000L
+   OPT_OPENSSL_COMPRESS,
+#endif
    OPT_OPENSSL_DHPARAM,
    OPT_OPENSSL_EGD,
    OPT_OPENSSL_FIPS,