diff --git a/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/server/HttpServer.java b/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/server/HttpServer.java
index 3fd2915ede..e7447bc038 100644
--- a/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/server/HttpServer.java
+++ b/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/server/HttpServer.java
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
 import reactor.netty.NettyPipeline;
 import reactor.netty.channel.BootstrapHandlers;
 import reactor.netty.http.HttpProtocol;
+import reactor.netty.http.websocket.WebSocketSpec;
 import reactor.netty.tcp.SslProvider;
 import reactor.netty.tcp.TcpServer;
 import reactor.util.Logger;
@@ -173,6 +174,10 @@ public final void bindUntilJavaShutdown(Duration timeout,
 	 * Specifies whether GZip response compression/websocket compression
 	 * extension is enabled if the client request
 	 * presents accept encoding/websocket extensions headers.
+	 * <p>
+	 * Note: Using this method for enabling websocket compression is strongly discouraged.
+	 * As of 0.9.5, use {@link WebSocketSpec#builder()} for providing websocket configuration.
+	 * </p>
 	 *
 	 * @param compressionEnabled if true GZip response compression/websocket compression
 	 *                             extension is enabled if the client request presents
diff --git a/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/server/WebsocketServerOperations.java b/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/server/WebsocketServerOperations.java
index 226baa98d2..8e083bfba8 100644
--- a/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/server/WebsocketServerOperations.java
+++ b/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/server/WebsocketServerOperations.java
@@ -96,8 +96,8 @@ final class WebsocketServerOperations extends HttpServerOperations
 			request.headers()
 			       .set(replaced.nettyRequest.headers());
 
-			if (channel().pipeline()
-			             .get(NettyPipeline.CompressionHandler) != null) {
+			if (webSocketSpec.compress() ||
+					channel().pipeline().get(NettyPipeline.CompressionHandler) != null) {
 				removeHandler(NettyPipeline.CompressionHandler);
 
 				WebSocketServerCompressionHandler wsServerCompressionHandler =
diff --git a/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/websocket/WebSocketSpec.java b/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/websocket/WebSocketSpec.java
index b6e08ccbb1..68ac34b424 100644
--- a/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/websocket/WebSocketSpec.java
+++ b/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/websocket/WebSocketSpec.java
@@ -22,17 +22,40 @@
  * Wrapper for websocket configuration
  *
  * @author Dmitrii Borin
+ * @author Violeta Georgieva
  * @since 0.9.5
  */
 public interface WebSocketSpec {
 
+	/**
+	 * Returns the configured sub protocols.
+	 *
+	 * @return returns the configured sub protocols.
+	 */
 	@Nullable
 	String protocols();
 
+	/**
+	 * Returns the configured maximum allowable frame payload length.
+	 *
+	 * @return returns the configured maximum allowable frame payload length.
+	 */
 	int maxFramePayloadLength();
 
+	/**
+	 * Returns whether to proxy websocket PING frames or respond to them.
+	 *
+	 * @return returns whether to proxy websocket PING frames or respond to them.
+	 */
 	boolean handlePing();
 
+	/**
+	 * Returns whether the websocket compression extension is enabled.
+	 *
+	 * @return returns whether the websocket compression extension is enabled.
+	 */
+	boolean compress();
+
 	/**
 	 * Create builder with default properties:<br>
 	 * protocols = null
@@ -50,7 +73,8 @@ static Builder builder() {
 	final class Builder {
 		String protocols;
 		int maxFramePayloadLength = 65536;
-		boolean handlePing = false;
+		boolean handlePing;
+		boolean compress;
 
 		private Builder() {
 		}
@@ -91,6 +115,20 @@ public final Builder handlePing(boolean handlePing) {
 			return this;
 		}
 
+		/**
+		 * Sets flag whether the websocket compression extension is enabled
+		 * if the client request presents websocket extensions headers.
+		 * By default compression is disabled.
+		 *
+		 * @param compress whether the websocket compression extension is enabled
+		 * if the client request presents websocket extensions headers.
+		 * @return {@literal this}
+		 */
+		public final Builder compress(boolean compress) {
+			this.compress = compress;
+			return this;
+		}
+
 		/**
 		 * Builds new {@link WebSocketSpec}
 		 *
diff --git a/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/websocket/WebsocketSpecImpl.java b/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/websocket/WebsocketSpecImpl.java
index b77ee70362..f73b89a4c4 100644
--- a/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/websocket/WebsocketSpecImpl.java
+++ b/src/main/java/reactor/netty/http/websocket/WebsocketSpecImpl.java
@@ -20,17 +20,20 @@
  * Configurer implementation for {@link WebSocketSpec}
  *
  * @author Dmitrii Borin
+ * @author Violeta Georgieva
  * @since 0.9.5
  */
 final class WebsocketSpecImpl implements WebSocketSpec {
 	private final String protocols;
 	private final int maxFramePayloadLength;
 	private final boolean proxyPing;
+	private final boolean compress;
 
 	WebsocketSpecImpl(WebSocketSpec.Builder builder) {
 		this.protocols = builder.protocols;
 		this.maxFramePayloadLength = builder.maxFramePayloadLength;
 		this.proxyPing = builder.handlePing;
+		this.compress = builder.compress;
 	}
 
 	@Override
@@ -47,4 +50,9 @@ public final int maxFramePayloadLength() {
 	public final boolean handlePing() {
 		return proxyPing;
 	}
+
+	@Override
+	public boolean compress() {
+		return compress;
+	}
 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/reactor/netty/http/client/WebsocketTest.java b/src/test/java/reactor/netty/http/client/WebsocketTest.java
index dc0cfcf6c9..98519c32c5 100644
--- a/src/test/java/reactor/netty/http/client/WebsocketTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/reactor/netty/http/client/WebsocketTest.java
@@ -1379,4 +1379,66 @@ public void testIssue967() {
 		            .expectNextCount(10)
 		            .verifyComplete();
 	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testIssue970() {
+		doTestIssue970(true);
+		doTestIssue970(false);
+	}
+
+	private void doTestIssue970(boolean compress) {
+		httpServer =
+				HttpServer.create()
+				          .port(0)
+				          .handle((req, res) ->
+				              res.sendWebsocket(
+				                  (in, out) -> out.sendString(Mono.just("test")),
+				                  WebSocketSpec.builder().compress(compress).build()))
+				          .wiretap(true)
+				          .bindNow();
+
+		AtomicBoolean clientHandler = new AtomicBoolean();
+		HttpClient client =
+				HttpClient.create()
+				          .addressSupplier(httpServer::address)
+				          .wiretap(true);
+
+		String perMessageDeflateEncoder = "io.netty.handler.codec.http.websocketx.extensions.compression.PerMessageDeflateEncoder";
+		BiFunction<WebsocketInbound, WebsocketOutbound, Mono<Tuple2<String, String>>> receiver =
+				(in, out) -> {
+				    in.withConnection(conn ->
+				        clientHandler.set(conn.channel()
+				                              .pipeline()
+				                              .get(perMessageDeflateEncoder) != null)
+				    );
+
+				    String header = in.headers()
+				                      .get(HttpHeaderNames.SEC_WEBSOCKET_EXTENSIONS);
+				    return in.receive()
+				             .aggregate()
+				             .asString()
+				             .zipWith(Mono.just(header == null ? "null" : header));
+				};
+
+		Predicate<Tuple2<String, String>> predicate = t -> "test".equals(t.getT1()) && "null".equals(t.getT2());
+		StepVerifier.create(client.websocket()
+		                          .uri("/")
+		                          .handle(receiver))
+		            .expectNextMatches(predicate)
+		            .expectComplete()
+		            .verify(Duration.ofSeconds(30));
+		assertThat(clientHandler.get()).isFalse();
+
+		if (compress) {
+			predicate = t -> "test".equals(t.getT1()) && !"null".equals(t.getT2());
+		}
+		StepVerifier.create(client.compress(true)
+		                          .websocket()
+		                          .uri("/")
+		                          .handle(receiver))
+		            .expectNextMatches(predicate)
+		            .expectComplete()
+		            .verify(Duration.ofSeconds(30));
+		assertThat(clientHandler.get()).isEqualTo(compress);
+	}
 }