diff --git a/include/MySQL_Thread.h b/include/MySQL_Thread.h
index b3d1b8364..837767ea0 100644
--- a/include/MySQL_Thread.h
+++ b/include/MySQL_Thread.h
@@ -470,6 +470,7 @@ class MySQL_Threads_Handler
 		bool parse_failure_logs_digest;
 		bool default_reconnect;
 		bool have_compress;
+		int compression_level;
 		bool have_ssl;
 		bool multiplexing;
 //		bool stmt_multiplexing;
diff --git a/include/proxysql_structs.h b/include/proxysql_structs.h
index 51fb41bb2..ea7b7ec8f 100644
--- a/include/proxysql_structs.h
+++ b/include/proxysql_structs.h
@@ -1167,6 +1167,7 @@ __thread int mysql_thread___poll_timeout;
 __thread int mysql_thread___poll_timeout_on_failure;
 __thread bool mysql_thread___connection_warming;
 __thread bool mysql_thread___have_compress;
+__thread int mysql_thread___compression_level;
 __thread bool mysql_thread___have_ssl;
 __thread bool mysql_thread___multiplexing;
 __thread bool mysql_thread___log_unhealthy_connections;
@@ -1463,6 +1464,7 @@ extern __thread int mysql_thread___poll_timeout;
 extern __thread int mysql_thread___poll_timeout_on_failure;
 extern __thread bool mysql_thread___connection_warming;
 extern __thread bool mysql_thread___have_compress;
+extern __thread int mysql_thread___compression_level;
 extern __thread bool mysql_thread___have_ssl;
 extern __thread bool mysql_thread___multiplexing;
 extern __thread bool mysql_thread___log_unhealthy_connections;
diff --git a/lib/MySQL_Thread.cpp b/lib/MySQL_Thread.cpp
index 5fca5cf23..140cc1661 100644
--- a/lib/MySQL_Thread.cpp
+++ b/lib/MySQL_Thread.cpp
@@ -504,6 +504,7 @@ static char * mysql_thread_variables_names[]= {
 	(char *)"handle_warnings",
 	(char *)"evaluate_replication_lag_on_servers_load",
 	(char *)"proxy_protocol_networks",
+	(char *)"compression_level",	
 	NULL
 };
 
@@ -1137,6 +1138,7 @@ MySQL_Threads_Handler::MySQL_Threads_Handler() {
 	variables.enable_load_data_local_infile=false;
 	variables.log_mysql_warnings_enabled=false;
 	variables.data_packets_history_size=0;
+	variables.compression_level=3;	
 	// status variables
 	status_variables.mirror_sessions_current=0;
 	__global_MySQL_Thread_Variables_version=1;
@@ -2264,6 +2266,7 @@ char ** MySQL_Threads_Handler::get_variables_list() {
 		VariablesPointers_int["client_host_error_counts"]      = make_tuple(&variables.client_host_error_counts,      0,      1024*1024, false);
 		VariablesPointers_int["handle_warnings"]			   = make_tuple(&variables.handle_warnings,				  0,			  1, false);
 		VariablesPointers_int["evaluate_replication_lag_on_servers_load"] = make_tuple(&variables.evaluate_replication_lag_on_servers_load, 0, 1, false);
+		VariablesPointers_int["compression_level"]             = make_tuple(&variables.compression_level,             0,      9,         false);
 
 		// logs
 		VariablesPointers_int["auditlog_filesize"]     = make_tuple(&variables.auditlog_filesize,    1024*1024, 1*1024*1024*1024, false);
@@ -4180,6 +4183,7 @@ void MySQL_Thread::refresh_variables() {
 	REFRESH_VARIABLE_INT(poll_timeout);
 	REFRESH_VARIABLE_INT(poll_timeout_on_failure);
 	REFRESH_VARIABLE_BOOL(have_compress);
+	REFRESH_VARIABLE_INT(compression_level);	
 	REFRESH_VARIABLE_BOOL(have_ssl);
 	REFRESH_VARIABLE_BOOL(multiplexing);
 	REFRESH_VARIABLE_BOOL(log_unhealthy_connections);
@@ -4264,6 +4268,8 @@ MySQL_Thread::MySQL_Thread() {
 	mysql_thread___ssl_p2s_crl=NULL;
 	mysql_thread___ssl_p2s_crlpath=NULL;
 
+	mysql_thread___compression_level=3;
+
 	last_maintenance_time=0;
 	last_move_to_idle_thread_time=0;
 	maintenance_loop=true;
diff --git a/lib/mysql_data_stream.cpp b/lib/mysql_data_stream.cpp
index 594bc617f..c4008a4c2 100644
--- a/lib/mysql_data_stream.cpp
+++ b/lib/mysql_data_stream.cpp
@@ -1321,7 +1321,7 @@ void MySQL_Data_Stream::generate_compressed_packet() {
 			total_size+=p2.size;
 			l_free(p2.size,p2.ptr);
 		}
-		int rc=compress(dest, &destLen, source, sourceLen);
+		int rc=compress2(dest, &destLen, source, sourceLen, GloMTH->variables.compression_level);
 		assert(rc==Z_OK);
 		l_free(total_size, source);
 		queueOUT.pkt.size=destLen+7;
@@ -1353,9 +1353,9 @@ void MySQL_Data_Stream::generate_compressed_packet() {
 		dest1=(Bytef *)malloc(destLen1+7);
 		destLen2=len2*120/100+12;
 		dest2=(Bytef *)malloc(destLen2+7);
-		rc=compress(dest1+7, &destLen1, (const unsigned char *)p2.ptr, len1);
+		rc=compress2(dest1+7, &destLen1, (const unsigned char *)p2.ptr, len1, GloMTH->variables.compression_level);
 		assert(rc==Z_OK);
-		rc=compress(dest2+7, &destLen2, (const unsigned char *)p2.ptr+len1, len2);
+		rc=compress2(dest2+7, &destLen2, (const unsigned char *)p2.ptr+len1, len2, GloMTH->variables.compression_level);
 		assert(rc==Z_OK);
 
 		hdr.pkt_length=destLen1;
diff --git a/test/tap/tests/proxysql_reference_select_config_file.cnf b/test/tap/tests/proxysql_reference_select_config_file.cnf
index 811fe356a..8aef5bad6 100644
--- a/test/tap/tests/proxysql_reference_select_config_file.cnf
+++ b/test/tap/tests/proxysql_reference_select_config_file.cnf
@@ -222,6 +222,7 @@ mysql_variables =
 	use_tcp_keepalive="mysql"
 	verbose_query_error="mysql"
 	wait_timeout="mysql"
+	compression_level="mysql"	
 }
 mysql_users:
 (