diff --git a/config.go b/config.go
index d0613f3a..73c8e404 100644
--- a/config.go
+++ b/config.go
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ var (
 	defaultRPCKeyFile  = filepath.Join(defaultHomeDir, "rpc.key")
 	defaultRPCCertFile = filepath.Join(defaultHomeDir, "rpc.cert")
 	defaultLogDir      = filepath.Join(defaultHomeDir, defaultLogDirname)
+	defaultAltDNSNames = []string{}
 )
 
 // runServiceCommand is only set to a real function on Windows.  It is used
@@ -166,6 +167,7 @@ type config struct {
 	PipeRx               uint          `long:"piperx" description:"File descriptor of read end pipe to enable parent -> child process communication"`
 	PipeTx               uint          `long:"pipetx" description:"File descriptor of write end pipe to enable parent <- child process communication"`
 	LifetimeEvents       bool          `long:"lifetimeevents" description:"Send lifetime notifications over the TX pipe"`
+	AltDNSNames          []string      `long:"altdnsnames" description:"Specify additional dns names to use when generating the rpc server certificate" env:"DCRD_ALT_DNSNAMES" env-delim:","`
 	onionlookup          func(string) ([]net.IP, error)
 	lookup               func(string) ([]net.IP, error)
 	oniondial            func(string, string) (net.Conn, error)
@@ -457,6 +459,7 @@ func loadConfig() (*config, []string, error) {
 		AllowOldVotes:        defaultAllowOldVotes,
 		NoExistsAddrIndex:    defaultNoExistsAddrIndex,
 		NoCFilters:           defaultNoCFilters,
+		AltDNSNames:          defaultAltDNSNames,
 	}
 
 	// Service options which are only added on Windows.
diff --git a/config_test.go b/config_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..82c2482d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2018 The Decred developers
+// Use of this source code is governed by an ISC
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"flag"
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"os"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// in order to test command line arguments and environment variables
+// you will need to append the flags to the os.Args variable like so
+// os.Args = append(os.Args, "--altdnsnames=\"hostname1,hostname2\"")
+// For environment variables you can use the
+// os.Setenv("DCRD_ALT_DNSNAMES", "hostname1,hostname2") to set the variable
+// before loadConfig() is called
+// These args and env variables will then get parsed by loadConfig()
+
+func setup() {
+	// Temp config file is used to ensure there are no external influences
+	// from previously set env variables or default config files.
+	file, _ := ioutil.TempFile("", "dcrd_test_file.cfg")
+	defer os.Remove(file.Name())
+
+	// Parse the -test.* flags before removing them from the command line
+	// arguments list, which we do to allow go-flags to succeed.
+	flag.Parse()
+	os.Args = os.Args[:1]
+}
+
+func TestLoadConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	_, _, err := loadConfig()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Failed to load dcrd config: %s\n", err.Error())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDefaultAltDNSNames(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg, _, _ := loadConfig()
+	if len(cfg.AltDNSNames) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("Invalid default value for altdnsnames: %s\n", cfg.AltDNSNames)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAltDNSNamesWithEnv(t *testing.T) {
+	os.Setenv("DCRD_ALT_DNSNAMES", "hostname1,hostname2")
+	cfg, _, _ := loadConfig()
+	hostnames := strings.Join(cfg.AltDNSNames, ",")
+	if hostnames != "hostname1,hostname2" {
+		t.Errorf("altDNSNames should be %s but was %s", "hostname1,hostname2", hostnames)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAltDNSNamesWithArg(t *testing.T) {
+	setup()
+	old := os.Args
+	os.Args = append(os.Args, "--altdnsnames=\"hostname1,hostname2\"")
+	cfg, _, _ := loadConfig()
+	hostnames := strings.Join(cfg.AltDNSNames, ",")
+	if hostnames != "hostname1,hostname2" {
+		t.Errorf("altDNSNames should be %s but was %s", "hostname1,hostname2", hostnames)
+	}
+	os.Args = old
+}
diff --git a/rpcserver.go b/rpcserver.go
index 463edd06..152eb0c8 100644
--- a/rpcserver.go
+++ b/rpcserver.go
@@ -6343,13 +6343,13 @@ func (s *rpcServer) Start() {
 }
 
 // genCertPair generates a key/cert pair to the paths provided.
-func genCertPair(certFile, keyFile string) error {
+func genCertPair(certFile, keyFile string, altDNSNames []string) error {
 	rpcsLog.Infof("Generating TLS certificates...")
 
 	org := "dcrd autogenerated cert"
 	validUntil := time.Now().Add(10 * 365 * 24 * time.Hour)
 	cert, key, err := certgen.NewTLSCertPair(elliptic.P521(), org,
-		validUntil, nil)
+		validUntil, altDNSNames)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -6401,7 +6401,7 @@ func newRPCServer(listenAddrs []string, generator *BlkTmplGenerator, s *server)
 		// Generate the TLS cert and key file if both don't already
 		// exist.
 		if !fileExists(cfg.RPCKey) && !fileExists(cfg.RPCCert) {
-			err := genCertPair(cfg.RPCCert, cfg.RPCKey)
+			err := genCertPair(cfg.RPCCert, cfg.RPCKey, cfg.AltDNSNames)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
diff --git a/rpcserver_test.go b/rpcserver_test.go
index af5660f8..20e759bb 100644
--- a/rpcserver_test.go
+++ b/rpcserver_test.go
@@ -10,7 +10,11 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"crypto/x509"
+	"encoding/pem"
+	"flag"
 	"fmt"
+	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
 	"runtime/debug"
 	"testing"
@@ -106,6 +110,12 @@ var primaryHarness *rpctest.Harness
 func TestMain(m *testing.M) {
 	var err error
 
+	// Parse the -test.* flags before removing them from the command line
+	// arguments list, which we do to allow go-flags to succeed.
+	// See config_test.go for more info
+	flag.Parse()
+	os.Args = os.Args[:1]
+
 	// In order to properly test scenarios on as if we were on mainnet,
 	// ensure that non-standard transactions aren't accepted into the
 	// mempool or relayed.
@@ -165,3 +175,54 @@ func TestRpcServer(t *testing.T) {
 		currentTestNum++
 	}
 }
+
+func TestCertCreationWithHosts(t *testing.T) {
+	certfile, err := ioutil.TempFile("", "certfile")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unable to create temp certfile: %s", err)
+	}
+	keyfile, err := ioutil.TempFile("", "keyfile")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unable to create temp keyfile: %s", err)
+	}
+	hostnames := []string{"hostname1", "hostname2"}
+	defer os.Remove(keyfile.Name())
+	defer os.Remove(certfile.Name())
+	err = genCertPair(certfile.Name(), keyfile.Name(), hostnames)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("certifcate was not created correctly: %s", err)
+	}
+	certBytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(certfile.Name())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unable to read the certfile: %s", err)
+	}
+	pemCert, _ := pem.Decode(certBytes)
+	x509Cert, err := x509.ParseCertificate(pemCert.Bytes)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unable to parse the certificate: %s", err)
+	}
+	// Ensure the specified extra hosts are present.
+	for _, host := range hostnames {
+		err := x509Cert.VerifyHostname(host)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("failed to verify extra host '%s'", host)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCertCreationWithOutHosts(t *testing.T) {
+	certfile, err := ioutil.TempFile("", "certfile")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unable to create temp certfile: %s", err)
+	}
+	keyfile, err := ioutil.TempFile("", "keyfile")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unable to create temp keyfile: %s", err)
+	}
+	defer os.Remove(keyfile.Name())
+	defer os.Remove(certfile.Name())
+	err = genCertPair(certfile.Name(), keyfile.Name(), []string{})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("certifcate was not created correctly: %s", err)
+	}
+}