diff --git a/middleware/proxy/policy.go b/middleware/proxy/policy.go
index a2522bcb1..96e382a5c 100644
--- a/middleware/proxy/policy.go
+++ b/middleware/proxy/policy.go
@@ -25,11 +25,11 @@ type Random struct{}
 // Select selects an up host at random from the specified pool.
 func (r *Random) Select(pool HostPool) *UpstreamHost {
 	// instead of just generating a random index
-	// this is done to prevent selecting a down host
+	// this is done to prevent selecting a unavailable host
 	var randHost *UpstreamHost
 	count := 0
 	for _, host := range pool {
-		if host.Down() {
+		if !host.Available() {
 			continue
 		}
 		count++
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ func (r *LeastConn) Select(pool HostPool) *UpstreamHost {
 	count := 0
 	leastConn := int64(1<<63 - 1)
 	for _, host := range pool {
-		if host.Down() {
+		if !host.Available() {
 			continue
 		}
 		hostConns := host.Conns
@@ -90,11 +90,11 @@ func (r *RoundRobin) Select(pool HostPool) *UpstreamHost {
 	poolLen := uint32(len(pool))
 	selection := atomic.AddUint32(&r.Robin, 1) % poolLen
 	host := pool[selection]
-	// if the currently selected host is down, just ffwd to up host
-	for i := uint32(1); host.Down() && i < poolLen; i++ {
+	// if the currently selected host is not available, just ffwd to up host
+	for i := uint32(1); !host.Available() && i < poolLen; i++ {
 		host = pool[(selection+i)%poolLen]
 	}
-	if host.Down() {
+	if !host.Available() {
 		return nil
 	}
 	return host
diff --git a/middleware/proxy/policy_test.go b/middleware/proxy/policy_test.go
index 8f4f1f792..4cc05f029 100644
--- a/middleware/proxy/policy_test.go
+++ b/middleware/proxy/policy_test.go
@@ -53,12 +53,23 @@ func TestRoundRobinPolicy(t *testing.T) {
 	if h != pool[2] {
 		t.Error("Expected second round robin host to be third host in the pool.")
 	}
-	// mark host as down
-	pool[0].Unhealthy = true
 	h = rrPolicy.Select(pool)
-	if h != pool[1] {
+	if h != pool[0] {
 		t.Error("Expected third round robin host to be first host in the pool.")
 	}
+	// mark host as down
+	pool[1].Unhealthy = true
+	h = rrPolicy.Select(pool)
+	if h != pool[2] {
+		t.Error("Expected to skip down host.")
+	}
+	// mark host as full
+	pool[2].Conns = 1
+	pool[2].MaxConns = 1
+	h = rrPolicy.Select(pool)
+	if h != pool[0] {
+		t.Error("Expected to skip full host.")
+	}
 }
 
 func TestLeastConnPolicy(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/middleware/proxy/proxy.go b/middleware/proxy/proxy.go
index 7be8af2ad..583f4a635 100644
--- a/middleware/proxy/proxy.go
+++ b/middleware/proxy/proxy.go
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ type UpstreamHost struct {
 	ExtraHeaders      http.Header
 	CheckDown         UpstreamHostDownFunc
 	WithoutPathPrefix string
+	MaxConns          int64
 }
 
 // Down checks whether the upstream host is down or not.
@@ -57,6 +58,16 @@ func (uh *UpstreamHost) Down() bool {
 	return uh.CheckDown(uh)
 }
 
+// Full checks whether the upstream host has reached its maximum connections
+func (uh *UpstreamHost) Full() bool {
+	return uh.MaxConns > 0 && uh.Conns >= uh.MaxConns
+}
+
+// Available checks whether the upstream host is available for proxying to
+func (uh *UpstreamHost) Available() bool {
+	return !uh.Down() && !uh.Full()
+}
+
 // tryDuration is how long to try upstream hosts; failures result in
 // immediate retries until this duration ends or we get a nil host.
 var tryDuration = 60 * time.Second
diff --git a/middleware/proxy/upstream.go b/middleware/proxy/upstream.go
index faa11cd92..29b3d2d8f 100644
--- a/middleware/proxy/upstream.go
+++ b/middleware/proxy/upstream.go
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ type staticUpstream struct {
 
 	FailTimeout time.Duration
 	MaxFails    int32
+	MaxConns    int64
 	HealthCheck struct {
 		Path     string
 		Interval time.Duration
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ func NewStaticUpstreams(c parse.Dispenser) ([]Upstream, error) {
 			Policy:       &Random{},
 			FailTimeout:  10 * time.Second,
 			MaxFails:     1,
+			MaxConns:     0,
 		}
 
 		if !c.Args(&upstream.from) {
@@ -65,37 +67,8 @@ func NewStaticUpstreams(c parse.Dispenser) ([]Upstream, error) {
 
 		upstream.Hosts = make([]*UpstreamHost, len(to))
 		for i, host := range to {
-			if !strings.HasPrefix(host, "http") &&
-				!strings.HasPrefix(host, "unix:") {
-				host = "http://" + host
-			}
-			uh := &UpstreamHost{
-				Name:         host,
-				Conns:        0,
-				Fails:        0,
-				FailTimeout:  upstream.FailTimeout,
-				Unhealthy:    false,
-				ExtraHeaders: upstream.proxyHeaders,
-				CheckDown: func(upstream *staticUpstream) UpstreamHostDownFunc {
-					return func(uh *UpstreamHost) bool {
-						if uh.Unhealthy {
-							return true
-						}
-						if uh.Fails >= upstream.MaxFails &&
-							upstream.MaxFails != 0 {
-							return true
-						}
-						return false
-					}
-				}(upstream),
-				WithoutPathPrefix: upstream.WithoutPathPrefix,
-			}
-			if baseURL, err := url.Parse(uh.Name); err == nil {
-				uh.ReverseProxy = NewSingleHostReverseProxy(baseURL, uh.WithoutPathPrefix)
-				if upstream.insecureSkipVerify {
-					uh.ReverseProxy.Transport = InsecureTransport
-				}
-			} else {
+			uh, err := upstream.NewHost(host)
+			if err != nil {
 				return upstreams, err
 			}
 			upstream.Hosts[i] = uh
@@ -118,6 +91,46 @@ func (u *staticUpstream) From() string {
 	return u.from
 }
 
+func (u *staticUpstream) NewHost(host string) (*UpstreamHost, error) {
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(host, "http") &&
+		!strings.HasPrefix(host, "unix:") {
+		host = "http://" + host
+	}
+	uh := &UpstreamHost{
+		Name:         host,
+		Conns:        0,
+		Fails:        0,
+		FailTimeout:  u.FailTimeout,
+		Unhealthy:    false,
+		ExtraHeaders: u.proxyHeaders,
+		CheckDown: func(u *staticUpstream) UpstreamHostDownFunc {
+			return func(uh *UpstreamHost) bool {
+				if uh.Unhealthy {
+					return true
+				}
+				if uh.Fails >= u.MaxFails &&
+					u.MaxFails != 0 {
+					return true
+				}
+				return false
+			}
+		}(u),
+		WithoutPathPrefix: u.WithoutPathPrefix,
+		MaxConns:          u.MaxConns,
+	}
+
+	baseURL, err := url.Parse(uh.Name)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	uh.ReverseProxy = NewSingleHostReverseProxy(baseURL, uh.WithoutPathPrefix)
+	if u.insecureSkipVerify {
+		uh.ReverseProxy.Transport = InsecureTransport
+	}
+	return uh, nil
+}
+
 func parseBlock(c *parse.Dispenser, u *staticUpstream) error {
 	switch c.Val() {
 	case "policy":
@@ -147,6 +160,15 @@ func parseBlock(c *parse.Dispenser, u *staticUpstream) error {
 			return err
 		}
 		u.MaxFails = int32(n)
+	case "max_conns":
+		if !c.NextArg() {
+			return c.ArgErr()
+		}
+		n, err := strconv.ParseInt(c.Val(), 10, 64)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		u.MaxConns = n
 	case "health_check":
 		if !c.NextArg() {
 			return c.ArgErr()
@@ -219,19 +241,19 @@ func (u *staticUpstream) HealthCheckWorker(stop chan struct{}) {
 func (u *staticUpstream) Select() *UpstreamHost {
 	pool := u.Hosts
 	if len(pool) == 1 {
-		if pool[0].Down() {
+		if !pool[0].Available() {
 			return nil
 		}
 		return pool[0]
 	}
-	allDown := true
+	allUnavailable := true
 	for _, host := range pool {
-		if !host.Down() {
-			allDown = false
+		if host.Available() {
+			allUnavailable = false
 			break
 		}
 	}
-	if allDown {
+	if allUnavailable {
 		return nil
 	}
 
diff --git a/middleware/proxy/upstream_test.go b/middleware/proxy/upstream_test.go
index 5b2fdb1da..0370b6a43 100644
--- a/middleware/proxy/upstream_test.go
+++ b/middleware/proxy/upstream_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,45 @@ import (
 	"time"
 )
 
+func TestNewHost(t *testing.T) {
+	upstream := &staticUpstream{
+		FailTimeout: 10 * time.Second,
+		MaxConns:    1,
+		MaxFails:    1,
+	}
+
+	uh, err := upstream.NewHost("example.com")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error("Expected no error")
+	}
+	if uh.Name != "http://example.com" {
+		t.Error("Expected default schema to be added to Name.")
+	}
+	if uh.FailTimeout != upstream.FailTimeout {
+		t.Error("Expected default FailTimeout to be set.")
+	}
+	if uh.MaxConns != upstream.MaxConns {
+		t.Error("Expected default MaxConns to be set.")
+	}
+	if uh.CheckDown == nil {
+		t.Error("Expected default CheckDown to be set.")
+	}
+	if uh.CheckDown(uh) {
+		t.Error("Expected new host not to be down.")
+	}
+	// mark Unhealthy
+	uh.Unhealthy = true
+	if !uh.CheckDown(uh) {
+		t.Error("Expected unhealthy host to be down.")
+	}
+	// mark with Fails
+	uh.Unhealthy = false
+	uh.Fails = 1
+	if !uh.CheckDown(uh) {
+		t.Error("Expected failed host to be down.")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestHealthCheck(t *testing.T) {
 	upstream := &staticUpstream{
 		from:        "",
@@ -40,6 +79,19 @@ func TestSelect(t *testing.T) {
 	if h := upstream.Select(); h == nil {
 		t.Error("Expected select to not return nil")
 	}
+	upstream.Hosts[0].Conns = 1
+	upstream.Hosts[0].MaxConns = 1
+	upstream.Hosts[1].Conns = 1
+	upstream.Hosts[1].MaxConns = 1
+	upstream.Hosts[2].Conns = 1
+	upstream.Hosts[2].MaxConns = 1
+	if h := upstream.Select(); h != nil {
+		t.Error("Expected select to return nil as all hosts are full")
+	}
+	upstream.Hosts[2].Conns = 0
+	if h := upstream.Select(); h == nil {
+		t.Error("Expected select to not return nil")
+	}
 }
 
 func TestRegisterPolicy(t *testing.T) {