diff --git a/dokku b/dokku
index 9374b6e6f..f59d247f0 100755
--- a/dokku
+++ b/dokku
@@ -82,8 +82,20 @@ case "$1" in
 
     # start the app
     DOCKER_ARGS=$(: | pluginhook docker-args $APP deploy)
-    id=$(docker run -d -p 5000 -e PORT=5000 $DOCKER_ARGS $IMAGE /bin/bash -c "/start web")
-    port=$(docker port $id 5000 | sed 's/[0-9.]*://')
+    BIND_EXTERNAL=$(pluginhook bind-external-ip $APP)
+
+    if [[ "$BIND_EXTERNAL" = "false" ]];then
+      port=5000
+      id=$(docker run -d -e PORT=$port $DOCKER_ARGS $IMAGE /bin/bash -c "/start web")
+      ipaddr=$(docker inspect --format '{{ .NetworkSettings.IPAddress }}' $id)
+
+      echo $ipaddr > "$DOKKU_ROOT/$APP/IP"
+    else
+      id=$(docker run -d -p 5000 -e PORT=5000 $DOCKER_ARGS $IMAGE /bin/bash -c "/start web")
+      port=$(docker port $id 5000 | sed 's/[0-9.]*://')
+
+      [[ -f "$DOKKU_ROOT/$APP/IP" ]] && rm -f "$DOKKU_ROOT/$APP/IP"
+    fi
 
     # if we can't post-deploy successfully, kill new container
     function kill_new {
@@ -95,7 +107,7 @@ case "$1" in
     # run checks first, then post-deploy hooks, which switches Nginx traffic
     trap kill_new INT TERM EXIT
     echo "-----> Running pre-flight checks"
-    pluginhook check-deploy $id $APP $port
+    pluginhook check-deploy $id $APP $port ${ipaddr:-localhost}
 
     # now using the new container
     echo $id > "$DOKKU_ROOT/$APP/CONTAINER"
@@ -103,7 +115,7 @@ case "$1" in
     echo "http://$(< "$DOKKU_ROOT/HOSTNAME"):$port" > "$DOKKU_ROOT/$APP/URL"
 
     echo "-----> Running post-deploy"
-    pluginhook post-deploy  $APP $port
+    pluginhook post-deploy  $APP $port $ipaddr
     trap -        INT TERM EXIT
 
     # kill the old container
diff --git a/plugins/nginx-vhosts/bind-external-ip b/plugins/nginx-vhosts/bind-external-ip
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..55159289e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/nginx-vhosts/bind-external-ip
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -eo pipefail; [[ $DOKKU_TRACE ]] && set -x
+
+APP="$1"
+
+set +e; NO_VHOST=$(dokku config:get $APP NO_VHOST); set -e
+if [[ -f "$DOKKU_ROOT/VHOST" ]];then
+  GLOBAL_VHOST=$(< "$DOKKU_ROOT/VHOST")
+else
+  GLOBAL_VHOST=$(< "$DOKKU_ROOT/HOSTNAME")
+fi
+
+if [[ -n "$NO_VHOST" ]]; then
+  echo true # bind to external ip. VHOST is disabled for this app
+elif [[ "$GLOBAL_VHOST" =~ ([0-9]{1,3}[\.]){3}[0-9]{1,3} ]];then
+  echo true # bind to external ip. GLOBAL_VHOST is somehow an IP
+elif [[ -f "$DOKKU_ROOT/$APP/VHOST" ]]; then
+  echo false # bind to docker ip. this app has a vhost defined
+else
+  echo false
+fi
diff --git a/plugins/nginx-vhosts/commands b/plugins/nginx-vhosts/commands
index bb85ca607..8434f21ae 100755
--- a/plugins/nginx-vhosts/commands
+++ b/plugins/nginx-vhosts/commands
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ restart_nginx () {
 
 case "$1" in
   nginx:build-config)
-    APP="$2"; PORT="$3"
+    APP="$2"; PORT="$3"; IP="${4:-127.0.0.1}"
     [[ -z "$PORT" ]] && PORT=$(< "$DOKKU_ROOT/$APP/PORT")
     VHOST_PATH="$DOKKU_ROOT/$APP/VHOST"
     WILDCARD_SSL="$DOKKU_ROOT/tls"
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ EOF
       NOSSL_SERVER_NAME=$(echo $NONSSL_VHOSTS $SSL_VHOSTS| tr '\n' ' ')
 
       echo "-----> Creating $SCHEME nginx.conf"
-      echo "upstream $APP { server 127.0.0.1:$PORT; }" > $DOKKU_ROOT/$APP/nginx.conf
+      echo "upstream $APP { server $IP:$PORT; }" > $DOKKU_ROOT/$APP/nginx.conf
       eval "cat <<< \"$(< $NGINX_CONF)\" >> $DOKKU_ROOT/$APP/nginx.conf"
 
       echo "-----> Running nginx-pre-reload"
diff --git a/plugins/nginx-vhosts/post-deploy b/plugins/nginx-vhosts/post-deploy
index cdf81d452..72516694b 100755
--- a/plugins/nginx-vhosts/post-deploy
+++ b/plugins/nginx-vhosts/post-deploy
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 set -eo pipefail; [[ $DOKKU_TRACE ]] && set -x
 
-APP="$1"; PORT="$2"
+APP="$1"; PORT="$2"; IP="$3"
 
 set +e; NO_VHOST=$(dokku config:get $APP NO_VHOST); set -e
 
@@ -11,4 +11,4 @@ elif [[ ! -f "$DOKKU_ROOT/$APP/VHOST" ]]; then
   dokku domains:setup $APP
 fi
 
-dokku nginx:build-config $APP $PORT
+dokku nginx:build-config $APP $PORT $IP
diff --git a/tests/unit/ports.bats b/tests/unit/ports.bats
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..76166ea53
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/ports.bats
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bats
+
+load test_helper
+
+setup() {
+  [[ -f "$DOKKU_ROOT/VHOST" ]] && cp -f "$DOKKU_ROOT/VHOST" "$DOKKU_ROOT/VHOST.bak"
+  [[ -f "$DOKKU_ROOT/HOSTNAME" ]] && cp -f "$DOKKU_ROOT/HOSTNAME" "$DOKKU_ROOT/HOSTNAME.bak"
+
+}
+
+teardown() {
+  destroy_app
+  [[ -f "$DOKKU_ROOT/VHOST.bak" ]] && mv "$DOKKU_ROOT/VHOST.bak" "$DOKKU_ROOT/VHOST"
+  [[ -f "$DOKKU_ROOT/HOSTNAME.bak" ]] && mv "$DOKKU_ROOT/HOSTNAME.bak" "$DOKKU_ROOT/HOSTNAME"
+}
+
+@test "port exposure (with global VHOST)" {
+  echo "dokku.me" > "$DOKKU_ROOT/VHOST"
+  deploy_app
+  CONTAINER_ID=$(docker ps --no-trunc| grep dokku/$TEST_APP | grep "start web" | awk '{ print $1 }')
+  run bash -c "docker port $CONTAINER_ID | sed 's/[0-9.]*://' | egrep '[0-9]*'"
+  echo "output: "$output
+  echo "status: "$status
+  assert_failure
+}
+
+@test "port exposure (without global VHOST and real HOSTNAME)" {
+  rm "$DOKKU_ROOT/VHOST"
+  echo "dokku.me" > "$DOKKU_ROOT/HOSTNAME"
+  deploy_app
+  CONTAINER_ID=$(docker ps --no-trunc| grep dokku/$TEST_APP | grep "start web" | awk '{ print $1 }')
+  run bash -c "docker port $CONTAINER_ID | sed 's/[0-9.]*://' | egrep '[0-9]*'"
+  echo "output: "$output
+  echo "status: "$status
+  assert_failure
+}
+
+@test "port exposure (with NO_VHOST set)" {
+  deploy_app
+  dokku config:set $TEST_APP NO_VHOST=1
+  CONTAINER_ID=$(docker ps --no-trunc| grep dokku/$TEST_APP | grep "start web" | awk '{ print $1 }')
+  run bash -c "docker port $CONTAINER_ID | sed 's/[0-9.]*://' | egrep '[0-9]*'"
+  echo "output: "$output
+  echo "status: "$status
+  assert_success
+}
+
+@test "port exposure (without global VHOST and ip as HOSTNAME)" {
+  rm "$DOKKU_ROOT/VHOST"
+  echo "127.0.0.1" > "$DOKKU_ROOT/HOSTNAME"
+  deploy_app
+  CONTAINER_ID=$(docker ps --no-trunc| grep dokku/$TEST_APP | grep "start web" | awk '{ print $1 }')
+  run bash -c "docker port $CONTAINER_ID | sed 's/[0-9.]*://' | egrep '[0-9]*'"
+  echo "output: "$output
+  echo "status: "$status
+  assert_success
+}
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_helper.bash b/tests/unit/test_helper.bash
index d671ae1b6..d2b10dd47 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_helper.bash
+++ b/tests/unit/test_helper.bash
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 
 # constants
+DOKKU_ROOT=${DOKKU_ROOT:=~dokku}
 TEST_APP=my-cool-guy-test-app
 
 # test functions