diff --git a/build.gradle b/build.gradle
index d7f8376f..ad538cb3 100644
--- a/build.gradle
+++ b/build.gradle
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ dependencies {
     testImplementation 'org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core:2.17.0'
     implementation "io.netty:netty-buffer:${nettyVersion}"
     implementation "io.netty:netty-codec:${nettyVersion}"
+    implementation "io.netty:netty-codec-http:${nettyVersion}"
     implementation "io.netty:netty-common:${nettyVersion}"
     implementation "io.netty:netty-transport:${nettyVersion}"
     implementation "io.netty:netty-handler:${nettyVersion}"
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/logstash/beats/Server.java b/src/main/java/org/logstash/beats/Server.java
index fb4b4b1b..5eeb1987 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/logstash/beats/Server.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/logstash/beats/Server.java
@@ -1,14 +1,22 @@
 package org.logstash.beats;
 
 import io.netty.bootstrap.ServerBootstrap;
+import io.netty.buffer.ByteBuf;
 import io.netty.channel.Channel;
+import io.netty.channel.ChannelHandler;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext;
+import io.netty.channel.ChannelInboundHandlerAdapter;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelInitializer;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelOption;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelPipeline;
+import io.netty.channel.SimpleChannelInboundHandler;
 import io.netty.channel.nio.NioEventLoopGroup;
 import io.netty.channel.socket.SocketChannel;
 import io.netty.channel.socket.nio.NioServerSocketChannel;
+import io.netty.handler.codec.http.DefaultFullHttpResponse;
+import io.netty.handler.codec.http.FullHttpRequest;
+import io.netty.handler.codec.http.HttpObjectAggregator;
+import io.netty.handler.codec.http.HttpServerCodec;
 import io.netty.handler.timeout.IdleStateHandler;
 import io.netty.util.concurrent.DefaultEventExecutorGroup;
 import io.netty.util.concurrent.EventExecutor;
@@ -18,6 +26,12 @@
 import org.apache.logging.log4j.Logger;
 import org.logstash.netty.SslHandlerProvider;
 
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.util.Arrays;
+
+import static io.netty.handler.codec.http.HttpResponseStatus.OK;
+import static io.netty.handler.codec.http.HttpVersion.HTTP_1_1;
+
 public class Server {
     private final static Logger logger = LogManager.getLogger(Server.class);
 
@@ -59,13 +73,13 @@ public Server listen() throws InterruptedException {
         try {
             logger.info("Starting server on port: {}", this.port);
 
-            beatsInitializer = new BeatsInitializer(messageListener, clientInactivityTimeoutSeconds, executorThreadCount);
+            //beatsInitializer = new BeatsInitializer(messageListener, clientInactivityTimeoutSeconds, executorThreadCount);
 
             ServerBootstrap server = new ServerBootstrap();
             server.group(bossGroup, workGroup)
                     .channel(NioServerSocketChannel.class)
                     .childOption(ChannelOption.SO_LINGER, 0) // Since the protocol doesn't support yet a remote close from the server and we don't want to have 'unclosed' socket lying around we have to use `SO_LINGER` to force the close of the socket.
-                    .childHandler(beatsInitializer);
+                    .childHandler(new ProtocolDetectionHandler());
 
             Channel channel = server
                     .bind(host, port)
@@ -142,6 +156,7 @@ private class BeatsInitializer extends ChannelInitializer<SocketChannel> {
         private final EventExecutorGroup beatsHandlerExecutorGroup;
         private final IMessageListener localMessageListener;
         private final int localClientInactivityTimeoutSeconds;
+        private BeatsHandler beatsHandler;
 
         BeatsInitializer(IMessageListener messageListener, int clientInactivityTimeoutSeconds, int beatsHandlerThread) {
             // Keeps a local copy of Server settings, so they can't be modified once it starts listening
@@ -149,6 +164,24 @@ private class BeatsInitializer extends ChannelInitializer<SocketChannel> {
             this.localClientInactivityTimeoutSeconds = clientInactivityTimeoutSeconds;
             idleExecutorGroup = new DefaultEventExecutorGroup(DEFAULT_IDLESTATEHANDLER_THREAD);
             beatsHandlerExecutorGroup = new DefaultEventExecutorGroup(beatsHandlerThread);
+
+        }
+
+        public void addPipelineHandlers(ChannelPipeline pipeline) {
+//            if (isSslEnabled()) {
+//                pipeline.addLast(SSL_HANDLER, sslHandlerProvider.sslHandlerForChannel(socket));
+//            }
+            pipeline.addLast(idleExecutorGroup, IDLESTATE_HANDLER,
+                    new IdleStateHandler(localClientInactivityTimeoutSeconds, IDLESTATE_WRITER_IDLE_TIME_SECONDS, localClientInactivityTimeoutSeconds));
+            pipeline.addLast(BEATS_ACKER, new AckEncoder());
+            pipeline.addLast(CONNECTION_HANDLER, new ConnectionHandler());
+
+            this.beatsHandler = new BeatsHandler(localMessageListener);
+            pipeline.addLast(beatsHandlerExecutorGroup, new BeatsParser(), beatsHandler);
+        }
+
+        public void channelActive(ChannelHandlerContext ctx) throws Exception {
+            beatsHandler.channelActive(ctx);
         }
 
         public void initChannel(SocketChannel socket) {
@@ -204,4 +237,59 @@ private void shutdownEventExecutorsWithPendingTasks() {
             }
         }
     }
+
+    @ChannelHandler.Sharable
+    private class ProtocolDetectionHandler extends ChannelInboundHandlerAdapter {
+
+        @Override
+        public void channelRead(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, Object msg) throws Exception {
+            ByteBuf in = (ByteBuf) msg;
+
+            if (in.readableBytes() < 4)
+                return;
+
+            in.markReaderIndex();
+            byte[] magicBytes = new byte[4];
+            in.readBytes(magicBytes);
+
+            final byte[] needAcks = "GET ".getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+            System.out.println("Required 4 bytes of 'GET ', bytes:" + Arrays.toString(needAcks));
+            System.out.println("Read " + magicBytes.length + " bytes, magic:" + Arrays.toString(magicBytes));
+
+            ChannelPipeline pipeline = ctx.pipeline();
+            if (Arrays.equals(needAcks, magicBytes)) {
+                System.out.println("Initializing HTTP echo server...");
+                pipeline.addLast(new HttpServerCodec());
+                pipeline.addLast(new HttpObjectAggregator(1048576));
+                pipeline.addLast(new EchoServerHandler());
+                pipeline.remove(this);
+            } else {
+                beatsInitializer = new BeatsInitializer(messageListener, clientInactivityTimeoutSeconds, executorThreadCount);
+                beatsInitializer.addPipelineHandlers(pipeline);
+                beatsInitializer.channelActive(ctx);
+                pipeline.remove(this);
+            }
+
+            // TODO: is default behaviour we want to be Lumberjack (considering backwards compatibility),
+            //  if not then -> ctx.close();
+            super.channelRead(ctx, msg);
+        }
+    }
+
+    @ChannelHandler.Sharable
+    private class EchoServerHandler extends SimpleChannelInboundHandler<FullHttpRequest> {
+
+        @Override
+        public void channelReadComplete(ChannelHandlerContext ctx) {
+            ctx.flush();
+            //The close is important here in an HTTP request as it sets the Content-Length of a
+            //response body back to the client.
+            ctx.close();
+        }
+        @Override
+        protected void channelRead0(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, FullHttpRequest msg) throws Exception {
+            DefaultFullHttpResponse response = new DefaultFullHttpResponse(HTTP_1_1, OK, msg.content().copy());
+            ctx.write(response);
+        }
+    }
 }