diff --git a/server.go b/server.go
index fe23425..05688cc 100644
--- a/server.go
+++ b/server.go
@@ -5,9 +5,6 @@
 package websocket
 
 import (
-	"bufio"
-	"errors"
-	"net"
 	"net/http"
 	"strings"
 )
@@ -19,6 +16,8 @@ type HandshakeError struct {
 
 func (e HandshakeError) Error() string { return e.message }
 
+// This method is deprecated, use websocket.Upgrader instead.
+//
 // Upgrade upgrades the HTTP server connection to the WebSocket protocol.
 //
 // The application is responsible for checking the request origin before
@@ -47,77 +46,11 @@ func (e HandshakeError) Error() string { return e.message }
 // error of type HandshakeError. Applications should handle this error by
 // replying to the client with an HTTP error response.
 func Upgrade(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, responseHeader http.Header, readBufSize, writeBufSize int) (*Conn, error) {
-
-	if values := r.Header["Sec-Websocket-Version"]; len(values) == 0 || values[0] != "13" {
-		return nil, HandshakeError{"websocket: version != 13"}
+	u := Upgrader{ReadBufferSize: readBufSize, WriteBufferSize: writeBufSize}
+	u.Error = func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, status int, reason error) {
+		// don't return errors to maintain backwards compatibility
 	}
-
-	if !tokenListContainsValue(r.Header, "Connection", "upgrade") {
-		return nil, HandshakeError{"websocket: connection header != upgrade"}
-	}
-
-	if !tokenListContainsValue(r.Header, "Upgrade", "websocket") {
-		return nil, HandshakeError{"websocket: upgrade != websocket"}
-	}
-
-	var challengeKey string
-	values := r.Header["Sec-Websocket-Key"]
-	if len(values) == 0 || values[0] == "" {
-		return nil, HandshakeError{"websocket: key missing or blank"}
-	}
-	challengeKey = values[0]
-
-	var (
-		netConn net.Conn
-		br      *bufio.Reader
-		err     error
-	)
-
-	h, ok := w.(http.Hijacker)
-	if !ok {
-		return nil, errors.New("websocket: response does not implement http.Hijacker")
-	}
-	var rw *bufio.ReadWriter
-	netConn, rw, err = h.Hijack()
-	br = rw.Reader
-
-	if br.Buffered() > 0 {
-		netConn.Close()
-		return nil, errors.New("websocket: client sent data before handshake is complete")
-	}
-
-	c := newConn(netConn, true, readBufSize, writeBufSize)
-	if responseHeader != nil {
-		c.subprotocol = responseHeader.Get("Sec-Websocket-Protocol")
-	}
-
-	p := c.writeBuf[:0]
-	p = append(p, "HTTP/1.1 101 Switching Protocols\r\nUpgrade: websocket\r\nConnection: Upgrade\r\nSec-WebSocket-Accept: "...)
-	p = append(p, computeAcceptKey(challengeKey)...)
-	p = append(p, "\r\n"...)
-	for k, vs := range responseHeader {
-		for _, v := range vs {
-			p = append(p, k...)
-			p = append(p, ": "...)
-			for i := 0; i < len(v); i++ {
-				b := v[i]
-				if b <= 31 {
-					// prevent response splitting.
-					b = ' '
-				}
-				p = append(p, b)
-			}
-			p = append(p, "\r\n"...)
-		}
-	}
-	p = append(p, "\r\n"...)
-
-	if _, err = netConn.Write(p); err != nil {
-		netConn.Close()
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	return c, nil
+	return u.Upgrade(w, r, responseHeader)
 }
 
 // Subprotocols returns the subprotocols requested by the client in the
diff --git a/upgrader.go b/upgrader.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..35cffb8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/upgrader.go
@@ -0,0 +1,184 @@
+// Copyright 2013 Gary Burd. All rights reserved.
+// Copyright 2014 Joachim Bauch. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package websocket
+
+import (
+	"bufio"
+	"errors"
+	"net"
+	"net/http"
+	"time"
+)
+
+const (
+	DEFAULT_READ_BUFFER_SIZE  = 4096
+	DEFAULT_WRITE_BUFFER_SIZE = 4096
+)
+
+type Upgrader struct {
+	// HandshakeTimeout specifies the duration for the handshake to complete.
+	HandshakeTimeout time.Duration
+
+	// Input and output buffer sizes. If the buffer size is zero, then
+	// default values will be used.
+	ReadBufferSize, WriteBufferSize int
+
+	// Subprotocols specifies the server's supported protocols. If Subprotocols
+	// is nil, then Upgrade does not negotiate a subprotocol.
+	Subprotocols []string
+
+	// Error specifies the function for generating HTTP error responses. If Error
+	// is nil, then http.Error is used to generate the HTTP response.
+	Error func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, status int, reason error)
+
+	// CheckOrigin returns true if the request Origin header is acceptable.
+	// If CheckOrigin is nil, then no origin check is done.
+	CheckOrigin func(r *http.Request) bool
+}
+
+// Return an error depending on settings on the Upgrader
+func (u *Upgrader) returnError(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, status int, reason error) {
+	if u.Error != nil {
+		u.Error(w, r, status, reason)
+	} else {
+		http.Error(w, reason.Error(), status)
+	}
+}
+
+// Check if the passed subprotocol is supported by the server
+func (u *Upgrader) hasSubprotocol(subprotocol string) bool {
+	if u.Subprotocols == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	for _, s := range u.Subprotocols {
+		if s == subprotocol {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+
+	return false
+}
+
+// Upgrade upgrades the HTTP server connection to the WebSocket protocol.
+//
+// The responseHeader is included in the response to the client's upgrade
+// request. Use the responseHeader to specify cookies (Set-Cookie).
+//
+// The connection buffers IO to the underlying network connection.
+// Messages can be larger than the buffers.
+//
+// If the request is not a valid WebSocket handshake, then Upgrade returns an
+// error of type HandshakeError. Depending on settings on the Upgrader,
+// an error message already has been returned to the caller.
+func (u *Upgrader) Upgrade(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, responseHeader http.Header) (*Conn, error) {
+	if values := r.Header["Sec-Websocket-Version"]; len(values) == 0 || values[0] != "13" {
+		err := HandshakeError{"websocket: version != 13"}
+		u.returnError(w, r, http.StatusBadRequest, err)
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	if !tokenListContainsValue(r.Header, "Connection", "upgrade") {
+		err := HandshakeError{"websocket: connection header != upgrade"}
+		u.returnError(w, r, http.StatusBadRequest, err)
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	if !tokenListContainsValue(r.Header, "Upgrade", "websocket") {
+		err := HandshakeError{"websocket: upgrade != websocket"}
+		u.returnError(w, r, http.StatusBadRequest, err)
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	if u.CheckOrigin != nil && !u.CheckOrigin(r) {
+		err := HandshakeError{"websocket: origin not allowed"}
+		u.returnError(w, r, http.StatusForbidden, err)
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	var challengeKey string
+	values := r.Header["Sec-Websocket-Key"]
+	if len(values) == 0 || values[0] == "" {
+		err := HandshakeError{"websocket: key missing or blank"}
+		u.returnError(w, r, http.StatusBadRequest, err)
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	challengeKey = values[0]
+
+	var (
+		netConn net.Conn
+		br      *bufio.Reader
+		err     error
+	)
+
+	h, ok := w.(http.Hijacker)
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, errors.New("websocket: response does not implement http.Hijacker")
+	}
+	var rw *bufio.ReadWriter
+	netConn, rw, err = h.Hijack()
+	br = rw.Reader
+
+	if br.Buffered() > 0 {
+		netConn.Close()
+		return nil, errors.New("websocket: client sent data before handshake is complete")
+	}
+
+	readBufSize := u.ReadBufferSize
+	if readBufSize == 0 {
+		readBufSize = DEFAULT_READ_BUFFER_SIZE
+	}
+	writeBufSize := u.WriteBufferSize
+	if writeBufSize == 0 {
+		writeBufSize = DEFAULT_WRITE_BUFFER_SIZE
+	}
+	c := newConn(netConn, true, readBufSize, writeBufSize)
+
+	if u.Subprotocols != nil {
+		for _, proto := range Subprotocols(r) {
+			if u.hasSubprotocol(proto) {
+				c.subprotocol = proto
+				break
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	p := c.writeBuf[:0]
+	p = append(p, "HTTP/1.1 101 Switching Protocols\r\nUpgrade: websocket\r\nConnection: Upgrade\r\nSec-WebSocket-Accept: "...)
+	p = append(p, computeAcceptKey(challengeKey)...)
+	p = append(p, "\r\n"...)
+	if c.subprotocol != "" {
+		p = append(p, "Sec-Websocket-Protocol: "...)
+		p = append(p, c.subprotocol...)
+		p = append(p, "\r\n"...)
+	}
+	for k, vs := range responseHeader {
+		for _, v := range vs {
+			p = append(p, k...)
+			p = append(p, ": "...)
+			for i := 0; i < len(v); i++ {
+				b := v[i]
+				if b <= 31 {
+					// prevent response splitting.
+					b = ' '
+				}
+				p = append(p, b)
+			}
+			p = append(p, "\r\n"...)
+		}
+	}
+	p = append(p, "\r\n"...)
+
+	if u.HandshakeTimeout > 0 {
+		netConn.SetWriteDeadline(time.Now().Add(u.HandshakeTimeout))
+	}
+	if _, err = netConn.Write(p); err != nil {
+		netConn.Close()
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return c, nil
+}