diff --git a/examples/userver/userver.cfg.default b/examples/userver/userver.cfg.default
index 94295329..8ffbe775 100644
--- a/examples/userver/userver.cfg.default
+++ b/examples/userver/userver.cfg.default
@@ -189,6 +189,7 @@ userver {
 #
 # CGI_TIMEOUT                timeout for cgi execution
 # VIRTUAL_HOST               flag to activate practice of maintaining more than one server on one machine, as differentiated by their apparent hostname 
+# WEBSOCKET_TIMEOUT          timeout for websocket request
 # DIGEST_AUTHENTICATION      flag authentication method (yes = digest, no = basic)
 #
 # URI_PROTECTED_MASK         mask (DOS regexp) of URI protected from prying eyes (that needs authentication)
diff --git a/include/ulib/utility/websocket.h b/include/ulib/utility/websocket.h
index 3385846b..fea649ca 100644
--- a/include/ulib/utility/websocket.h
+++ b/include/ulib/utility/websocket.h
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@
 class UHTTP;
 class USocket;
 class UCommand;
+class UHttpPlugIn;
 class UDataStorage;
 class UProxyPlugIn;
 class UWebSocketClient;
@@ -183,8 +184,8 @@ private:
    static uint32_t max_message_size;
    static URDBObjectHandler<UDataStorage*>* db;
 
-   static int status_code;
    static UString* rbuffer;
+   static int status_code, timeoutMS; // the time-out value in milliseconds for client request
    static const char* upgrade_settings;
    static WebSocketFrameData control_frame;
    static WebSocketFrameData message_frame;
@@ -199,6 +200,7 @@ private:
    U_DISALLOW_COPY_AND_ASSIGN(UWebSocket)
 
    friend class UHTTP;
+   friend class UHttpPlugIn;
    friend class UProxyPlugIn;
    friend class UWebSocketClient;
    friend class UWebSocketPlugIn;
diff --git a/src/ulib/net/server/plugin/mod_http.cpp b/src/ulib/net/server/plugin/mod_http.cpp
index befa17c8..1867647f 100644
--- a/src/ulib/net/server/plugin/mod_http.cpp
+++ b/src/ulib/net/server/plugin/mod_http.cpp
@@ -11,11 +11,10 @@
 //
 // ============================================================================
 
-#include <ulib/db/rdb.h>
 #include <ulib/command.h>
 #include <ulib/file_config.h>
 #include <ulib/utility/uhttp.h>
-#include <ulib/net/server/server.h>
+#include <ulib/utility/websocket.h>
 #include <ulib/utility/string_ext.h>
 #include <ulib/net/server/plugin/mod_http.h>
 
@@ -82,6 +81,7 @@ int UHttpPlugIn::handlerConfig(UFileConfig& cfg)
    //
    // CGI_TIMEOUT            timeout for cgi execution
    // VIRTUAL_HOST           flag to activate practice of maintaining more than one server on one machine, as differentiated by their apparent hostname
+   // WEBSOCKET_TIMEOUT      timeout for websocket request
    // DIGEST_AUTHENTICATION  flag authentication method (yes = digest, no = basic)
    //
    // ENABLE_CACHING_BY_PROXY_SERVERS enable caching by proxy servers (add "Cache control: public" directive)
@@ -159,6 +159,10 @@ int UHttpPlugIn::handlerConfig(UFileConfig& cfg)
          }
       }
 
+   UWebSocket::timeoutMS = cfg.readLong(U_CONSTANT_TO_PARAM("WEBSOCKET_TIMEOUT"), -1); // -1 => no timeout, i.e. an infinite wait
+
+   if (UWebSocket::timeoutMS > 0) UWebSocket::timeoutMS *= 1000;
+   
 # ifdef USE_LIBPCRE
    x = cfg.at(U_CONSTANT_TO_PARAM("REWRITE_RULE_NF"));
 
diff --git a/src/ulib/utility/websocket.cpp b/src/ulib/utility/websocket.cpp
index 01822da7..84903598 100644
--- a/src/ulib/utility/websocket.cpp
+++ b/src/ulib/utility/websocket.cpp
@@ -41,9 +41,10 @@
 #define U_WS_GUID     "258EAFA5-E914-47DA-95CA-C5AB0DC85B11"
 #define U_WS_GUID_LEN 36
 
-int         UWebSocket::status_code;
 int         UWebSocket::fd_stderr;
+int         UWebSocket::status_code;
 int         UWebSocket::message_type;
+int         UWebSocket::timeoutMS;
 vPF         UWebSocket::on_message;
 vPFu        UWebSocket::on_message_param;
 UString*    UWebSocket::rbuffer;
@@ -171,7 +172,7 @@ int UWebSocket::handleDataFraming(USocket* socket)
 
 loop:
    if (rbuffer->empty() &&
-       USocketExt::read(socket, *rbuffer, U_SINGLE_READ, UServer_Base::timeoutMS) == false)
+       USocketExt::read(socket, *rbuffer, U_SINGLE_READ, UWebSocket::timeoutMS) == false)
       {
       status_code = U_WS_STATUS_CODE_INTERNAL_ERROR;