diff --git a/build/checkstyle.xml b/build/checkstyle.xml
index b81e43399..492bca3b4 100644
--- a/build/checkstyle.xml
+++ b/build/checkstyle.xml
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@
     <!-- See http://checkstyle.sf.net/config_sizes.html -->
     <module name="FileLength">
         <!-- This can't ignore javadocs so it's kind of stupid -->
-        <property name="max" value="1000"/>
+        <property name="max" value="1100"/>
     </module>
 
     <!-- Checks for whitespace                               -->
diff --git a/unirest/src/main/java/kong/unirest/Config.java b/unirest/src/main/java/kong/unirest/Config.java
index a64851e4a..16b36283d 100644
--- a/unirest/src/main/java/kong/unirest/Config.java
+++ b/unirest/src/main/java/kong/unirest/Config.java
@@ -79,6 +79,8 @@ public class Config {
     private UniMetric metrics = new NoopMetric();
     private long ttl = -1;
     private SSLContext sslContext;
+    private String[] ciphers;
+    private String[] protocols;
     private CompoundInterceptor interceptor = new CompoundInterceptor();
     private HostnameVerifier hostnameVerifier;
     private String defaultBaseUrl;
@@ -105,6 +107,8 @@ private void setDefaults() {
         keystore = null;
         keystorePassword = null;
         sslContext = null;
+        ciphers = null;
+        protocols = null;
         interceptor = new CompoundInterceptor();
 
         this.objectMapper = Optional.of(new JsonObjectMapper());
@@ -256,6 +260,26 @@ public Config hostnameVerifier(HostnameVerifier value) {
         return this;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Set a custom array of ciphers
+     * @param values the array of ciphers
+     * @return this config object
+     */
+    public Config ciphers(String... values) {
+        this.ciphers = values;
+        return this;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Set a custom array of protocols
+     * @param values the array of protocols
+     * @return this config object
+     */
+    public Config protocols(String... values) {
+        this.protocols = values;
+        return this;
+    }
+
     private void verifySecurityConfig(Object thing) {
         if(thing != null){
             throw new UnirestConfigException("You may only configure a SSLContext OR a Keystore, but not both");
@@ -970,6 +994,20 @@ public HostnameVerifier getHostnameVerifier() {
         return hostnameVerifier;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @return the ciphers for the SSL connection configuration
+     */
+    public String[] getCiphers() {
+        return ciphers;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @return the protocols for the SSL connection configuration
+     */
+    public String[] getProtocols() {
+        return protocols;
+    }
+
     /**
      * @return the default base URL
      */
diff --git a/unirest/src/main/java/kong/unirest/apache/SecurityConfig.java b/unirest/src/main/java/kong/unirest/apache/SecurityConfig.java
index a9027ce59..448b3118c 100644
--- a/unirest/src/main/java/kong/unirest/apache/SecurityConfig.java
+++ b/unirest/src/main/java/kong/unirest/apache/SecurityConfig.java
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ private Registry<ConnectionSocketFactory> createDisabledSSLContext() throws Exce
 
     private SSLConnectionSocketFactory getSocketFactory() {
         if(sslSocketFactory == null) {
-            sslSocketFactory = new SSLConnectionSocketFactory(createSslContext(), getHostnameVerifier());
+            sslSocketFactory = new SSLConnectionSocketFactory(createSslContext(), config.getProtocols(), config.getCiphers(), getHostnameVerifier());
         }
         return sslSocketFactory;
     }
diff --git a/unirest/src/test/java/BehaviorTests/CertificateTests.java b/unirest/src/test/java/BehaviorTests/CertificateTests.java
index c652967b3..73eff61e4 100644
--- a/unirest/src/test/java/BehaviorTests/CertificateTests.java
+++ b/unirest/src/test/java/BehaviorTests/CertificateTests.java
@@ -25,8 +25,10 @@
 
 package BehaviorTests;
 
+import kong.unirest.GetRequest;
 import kong.unirest.TestUtil;
 import kong.unirest.Unirest;
+import kong.unirest.UnirestException;
 import org.apache.http.HttpEntity;
 import org.apache.http.HttpResponse;
 import org.apache.http.client.HttpClient;
@@ -53,13 +55,14 @@
 import java.security.KeyStore;
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.fail;
 
 @Disabled // dont normally run these because they depend on badssl.com
-public class CertificateTests extends BddTest {
+class CertificateTests extends BddTest {
 
     @Test
-    public void canDoClientCertificates() throws Exception {
+    void canDoClientCertificates() throws Exception {
         Unirest.config().clientCertificateStore(readStore(), "badssl.com");
 
         Unirest.get("https://client.badssl.com/")
@@ -70,7 +73,7 @@ public void canDoClientCertificates() throws Exception {
 
 
     @Test
-    public void canLoadKeyStoreByPath() {
+    void canLoadKeyStoreByPath() {
         Unirest.config().clientCertificateStore("src/test/resources/certs/badssl.com-client.p12", "badssl.com");
 
         Unirest.get("https://client.badssl.com/")
@@ -80,7 +83,7 @@ public void canLoadKeyStoreByPath() {
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void loadWithSSLContext() throws Exception {
+    void loadWithSSLContext() throws Exception {
         SSLContext sslContext = SSLContexts.custom()
                 .loadKeyMaterial(readStore(), "badssl.com".toCharArray()) // use null as second param if you don't have a separate key password
                 .build();
@@ -92,7 +95,75 @@ public void loadWithSSLContext() throws Exception {
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void canSetHoestNameVerifyer() throws Exception {
+    void loadWithSSLContextAndProtocol() throws Exception {
+        SSLContext sslContext = SSLContexts.custom()
+                .loadKeyMaterial(readStore(), "badssl.com".toCharArray()) // use null as second param if you don't have a separate key password
+                .build();
+
+        Unirest.config().sslContext(sslContext).protocols("TLSv1.2");
+
+        int response = Unirest.get("https://client.badssl.com/").asEmpty().getStatus();
+        assertEquals(200, response);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void loadWithSSLContextAndCipher() throws Exception {
+        SSLContext sslContext = SSLContexts.custom()
+                .loadKeyMaterial(readStore(), "badssl.com".toCharArray()) // use null as second param if you don't have a separate key password
+                .build();
+
+        Unirest.config().sslContext(sslContext).ciphers("TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384");
+
+        int response = Unirest.get("https://client.badssl.com/").asEmpty().getStatus();
+        assertEquals(200, response);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void loadWithSSLContextAndCipherAndProtocol() throws Exception {
+        SSLContext sslContext = SSLContexts.custom()
+                .loadKeyMaterial(readStore(), "badssl.com".toCharArray()) // use null as second param if you don't have a separate key password
+                .build();
+
+        Unirest.config()
+                .sslContext(sslContext)
+                .protocols("TLSv1.2")
+                .ciphers("TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384");
+
+        int response = Unirest.get("https://client.badssl.com/").asEmpty().getStatus();
+        assertEquals(200, response);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void sslHandshakeFailsWhenServerIsReceivingAnUnsupportedCipher() throws Exception {
+        SSLContext sslContext = SSLContexts.custom()
+                .loadKeyMaterial(readStore(), "badssl.com".toCharArray()) // use null as second param if you don't have a separate key password
+                .build();
+
+        Unirest.config()
+                .sslContext(sslContext)
+                .protocols("TLSv1.2")
+                .ciphers("TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256");
+
+        GetRequest request = Unirest.get("https://client.badssl.com/");
+        assertThrows(UnirestException.class, request::asEmpty);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void clientPreventsToUseUnsafeProtocol() throws Exception {
+        SSLContext sslContext = SSLContexts.custom()
+                .loadKeyMaterial(readStore(), "badssl.com".toCharArray()) // use null as second param if you don't have a separate key password
+                .build();
+
+        Unirest.config()
+                .sslContext(sslContext)
+                .protocols("SSLv3");
+
+        GetRequest request = Unirest.get("https://client.badssl.com/");
+        assertThrows(UnirestException.class, request::asEmpty);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void canSetHoestNameVerifyer() throws Exception {
         Unirest.config().hostnameVerifier(new NoopHostnameVerifier());
 
         int response = Unirest.get("https://badssl.com/").asEmpty().getStatus();
@@ -100,7 +171,7 @@ public void canSetHoestNameVerifyer() throws Exception {
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void rawApacheClientCert() throws Exception {
+    void rawApacheClientCert() throws Exception {
         SSLContext sslContext = SSLContexts.custom()
                 .loadKeyMaterial(readStore(), "badssl.com".toCharArray()) // use null as second param if you don't have a separate key password
                 .build();
@@ -117,7 +188,7 @@ public void rawApacheClientCert() throws Exception {
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void rawApacheWithConnectionManager() throws Exception {
+    void rawApacheWithConnectionManager() throws Exception {
         SSLContext sc = SSLContexts.custom()
                 .loadKeyMaterial(readStore(), "badssl.com".toCharArray()) // use null as second param if you don't have a separate key password
                 .build();
@@ -151,7 +222,7 @@ public void rawApacheWithConnectionManager() throws Exception {
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void badName() {
+    void badName() {
         fails("https://wrong.host.badssl.com/",
                 SSLPeerUnverifiedException.class,
                 "javax.net.ssl.SSLPeerUnverifiedException: " +
@@ -162,7 +233,7 @@ public void badName() {
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void expired() {
+    void expired() {
         fails("https://expired.badssl.com/",
                 SSLHandshakeException.class,
                 "javax.net.ssl.SSLHandshakeException: sun.security.validator.ValidatorException: " +
@@ -172,7 +243,7 @@ public void expired() {
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void selfSigned() {
+    void selfSigned() {
         fails("https://self-signed.badssl.com/",
                 SSLHandshakeException.class,
                 "javax.net.ssl.SSLHandshakeException: sun.security.validator.ValidatorException: " +
@@ -183,7 +254,7 @@ public void selfSigned() {
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void badNameAsync() {
+    void badNameAsync() {
         failsAsync("https://wrong.host.badssl.com/",
                 SSLPeerUnverifiedException.class,
                 "javax.net.ssl.SSLPeerUnverifiedException: " +
@@ -194,7 +265,7 @@ public void badNameAsync() {
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void expiredAsync() {
+    void expiredAsync() {
         failsAsync("https://expired.badssl.com/",
                 SSLHandshakeException.class,
                 "javax.net.ssl.SSLHandshakeException: General SSLEngine problem");
@@ -203,7 +274,7 @@ public void expiredAsync() {
     }
 
     @Test
-    public void selfSignedAsync() {
+    void selfSignedAsync() {
         failsAsync("https://self-signed.badssl.com/",
                 SSLHandshakeException.class,
                 "javax.net.ssl.SSLHandshakeException: General SSLEngine problem");