diff --git a/config.toml b/config.toml
index d652f41..dbacd08 100644
--- a/config.toml
+++ b/config.toml
@@ -46,6 +46,11 @@ address = "0.0.0.0"
 # Listen on this port
 port = 8080
 
+# If present, read this HTTP header for logging client IP addresses.
+# Examples for common proxies, cloudflare:
+#remote_ip_header = "x-forwarded-for"
+#remote_ip_header = "cf-connecting-ip"
+
 [options]
 # Reject events that have timestamps greater than this many seconds in
 # the future.  Recommended to reject anything greater than 30 minutes
diff --git a/src/config.rs b/src/config.rs
index edca4bb..62eac74 100644
--- a/src/config.rs
+++ b/src/config.rs
@@ -28,9 +28,9 @@ pub struct Database {
 pub struct Network {
     pub port: u16,
     pub address: String,
+    pub remote_ip_header: Option<String>, // retrieve client IP from this HTTP header if present
 }
 
-//
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 #[allow(unused)]
 pub struct Options {
@@ -208,6 +208,7 @@ impl Default for Settings {
             network: Network {
                 port: 8080,
                 address: "0.0.0.0".to_owned(),
+                remote_ip_header: None,
             },
             limits: Limits {
                 messages_per_sec: None,
diff --git a/src/server.rs b/src/server.rs
index 7200f90..44e227a 100644
--- a/src/server.rs
+++ b/src/server.rs
@@ -85,9 +85,17 @@ async fn handle_web_request(
                                     Some(config),
                                 )
                                 .await;
-                                // spawn server with info... but include IP here.
+
+                                // determine the remote IP from headers if the exist
+                                let header_ip = settings
+                                    .network
+                                    .remote_ip_header
+                                    .as_ref()
+                                    .and_then(|x| get_header_remote_ip(x, request.headers()));
+                                // use the socket addr as a backup
                                 let remote_ip =
-                                    get_remote_ip_string(&remote_addr, request.headers());
+                                    header_ip.unwrap_or_else(|| remote_addr.ip().to_string());
+                                // spawn a nostr server with our websocket
                                 tokio::spawn(nostr_server(
                                     pool, remote_ip, settings, ws_stream, broadcast, event_tx,
                                     shutdown,
@@ -153,21 +161,10 @@ async fn handle_web_request(
     }
 }
 
-fn get_remote_ip_string(remote_addr: &SocketAddr, headers: &HeaderMap) -> String {
-    if let Some(ip) = get_cloudflare_remote_ip(headers) {
-        return ip;
-    }
-
-    return remote_addr.ip().to_string();
-}
-
-fn get_cloudflare_remote_ip(headers: &HeaderMap) -> Option<String> {
-    if let Some(val) = headers.get("CF-Connecting-IP") {
-        if let Ok(s) = val.to_str() {
-            return Some(s.to_string());
-        }
-    }
-    return None;
+fn get_header_remote_ip(header: &str, headers: &HeaderMap) -> Option<String> {
+    headers
+        .get(header)
+        .and_then(|x| x.to_str().ok().map(|x| x.to_string()))
 }
 
 // return on a control-c or internally requested shutdown signal