diff --git a/client/src/main/java/org/asynchttpclient/AsyncHttpClientConfig.java b/client/src/main/java/org/asynchttpclient/AsyncHttpClientConfig.java
index 4495f3f45d..f635559d1d 100644
--- a/client/src/main/java/org/asynchttpclient/AsyncHttpClientConfig.java
+++ b/client/src/main/java/org/asynchttpclient/AsyncHttpClientConfig.java
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@ public interface AsyncHttpClientConfig {
 
     EventLoopGroup getEventLoopGroup();
 
-    boolean isPreferNative();
+    boolean isUseNativeTransport();
 
     AdditionalPipelineInitializer getHttpAdditionalPipelineInitializer();
 
diff --git a/client/src/main/java/org/asynchttpclient/DefaultAsyncHttpClientConfig.java b/client/src/main/java/org/asynchttpclient/DefaultAsyncHttpClientConfig.java
index 43490b364a..595339fc4d 100644
--- a/client/src/main/java/org/asynchttpclient/DefaultAsyncHttpClientConfig.java
+++ b/client/src/main/java/org/asynchttpclient/DefaultAsyncHttpClientConfig.java
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ public class DefaultAsyncHttpClientConfig implements AsyncHttpClientConfig {
     private final int webSocketMaxFrameSize;
     private final Map<ChannelOption<Object>, Object> channelOptions;
     private final EventLoopGroup eventLoopGroup;
-    private final boolean preferNative;
+    private final boolean useNativeTransport;
     private final Timer nettyTimer;
     private final ThreadFactory threadFactory;
     private final AdditionalPipelineInitializer httpAdditionalPipelineInitializer;
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ private DefaultAsyncHttpClientConfig(//
             int webSocketMaxFrameSize,//
             Map<ChannelOption<Object>, Object> channelOptions,//
             EventLoopGroup eventLoopGroup,//
-            boolean preferNative,//
+            boolean useNativeTransport,//
             Timer nettyTimer,//
             ThreadFactory threadFactory,//
             AdditionalPipelineInitializer httpAdditionalPipelineInitializer,//
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ private DefaultAsyncHttpClientConfig(//
         this.webSocketMaxFrameSize = webSocketMaxFrameSize;
         this.channelOptions = channelOptions;
         this.eventLoopGroup = eventLoopGroup;
-        this.preferNative = preferNative;
+        this.useNativeTransport = useNativeTransport;
         this.nettyTimer = nettyTimer;
         this.threadFactory = threadFactory;
         this.httpAdditionalPipelineInitializer = httpAdditionalPipelineInitializer;
@@ -482,8 +482,8 @@ public EventLoopGroup getEventLoopGroup() {
     }
 
     @Override
-    public boolean isPreferNative() {
-        return preferNative;
+    public boolean isUseNativeTransport() {
+        return useNativeTransport;
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -571,9 +571,9 @@ public static class Builder {
         private int chunkedFileChunkSize = defaultChunkedFileChunkSize();
         private int webSocketMaxBufferSize = defaultWebSocketMaxBufferSize();
         private int webSocketMaxFrameSize = defaultWebSocketMaxFrameSize();
+        private boolean useNativeTransport = defaultUseNativeTransport();
         private Map<ChannelOption<Object>, Object> channelOptions = new HashMap<>();
         private EventLoopGroup eventLoopGroup;
-        private boolean preferNative;
         private Timer nettyTimer;
         private ThreadFactory threadFactory;
         private AdditionalPipelineInitializer httpAdditionalPipelineInitializer;
@@ -638,7 +638,7 @@ public Builder(AsyncHttpClientConfig config) {
             webSocketMaxFrameSize = config.getWebSocketMaxFrameSize();
             channelOptions.putAll(config.getChannelOptions());
             eventLoopGroup = config.getEventLoopGroup();
-            preferNative = config.isPreferNative();
+            useNativeTransport = config.isUseNativeTransport();
             nettyTimer = config.getNettyTimer();
             threadFactory = config.getThreadFactory();
             httpAdditionalPipelineInitializer = config.getHttpAdditionalPipelineInitializer();
@@ -913,8 +913,8 @@ public Builder setEventLoopGroup(EventLoopGroup eventLoopGroup) {
             return this;
         }
 
-        public Builder setPreferNative(boolean preferNative) {
-            this.preferNative = preferNative;
+        public Builder setUseNativeTransport(boolean useNativeTransport) {
+            this.useNativeTransport = useNativeTransport;
             return this;
         }
 
@@ -1003,7 +1003,7 @@ public DefaultAsyncHttpClientConfig build() {
                     webSocketMaxFrameSize, //
                     channelOptions.isEmpty() ? Collections.emptyMap() : Collections.unmodifiableMap(channelOptions),//
                     eventLoopGroup, //
-                    preferNative, //
+                    useNativeTransport, //
                     nettyTimer, //
                     threadFactory, //
                     httpAdditionalPipelineInitializer, //
diff --git a/client/src/main/java/org/asynchttpclient/config/AsyncHttpClientConfigDefaults.java b/client/src/main/java/org/asynchttpclient/config/AsyncHttpClientConfigDefaults.java
index 4b516e7230..9830912d81 100644
--- a/client/src/main/java/org/asynchttpclient/config/AsyncHttpClientConfigDefaults.java
+++ b/client/src/main/java/org/asynchttpclient/config/AsyncHttpClientConfigDefaults.java
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ public static boolean defaultDisableUrlEncodingForBoundRequests() {
     public static boolean defaultUseOpenSsl() {
         return AsyncHttpClientConfigHelper.getAsyncHttpClientConfig().getBoolean(ASYNC_CLIENT_CONFIG_ROOT + "useOpenSsl");
     }
-    
+
     public static boolean defaultAcceptAnyCertificate() {
         return AsyncHttpClientConfigHelper.getAsyncHttpClientConfig().getBoolean(ASYNC_CLIENT_CONFIG_ROOT + "acceptAnyCertificate");
     }
@@ -154,4 +154,8 @@ public static int defaultShutdownQuietPeriod() {
     public static int defaultShutdownTimeout() {
         return AsyncHttpClientConfigHelper.getAsyncHttpClientConfig().getInt(ASYNC_CLIENT_CONFIG_ROOT + "shutdownTimeout");
     }
+
+    public static boolean defaultUseNativeTransport() {
+        return AsyncHttpClientConfigHelper.getAsyncHttpClientConfig().getBoolean(ASYNC_CLIENT_CONFIG_ROOT + "useNativeTransport");
+    }
 }
diff --git a/client/src/main/java/org/asynchttpclient/netty/channel/ChannelManager.java b/client/src/main/java/org/asynchttpclient/netty/channel/ChannelManager.java
index 238b32b349..1a991ab712 100755
--- a/client/src/main/java/org/asynchttpclient/netty/channel/ChannelManager.java
+++ b/client/src/main/java/org/asynchttpclient/netty/channel/ChannelManager.java
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ public Semaphore apply(Object partitionKey) {
         ThreadFactory threadFactory = config.getThreadFactory() != null ? config.getThreadFactory() : new DefaultThreadFactory(config.getThreadPoolName());
         allowReleaseEventLoopGroup = config.getEventLoopGroup() == null;
         if (allowReleaseEventLoopGroup) {
-            if (config.isPreferNative()) {
+            if (config.isUseNativeTransport()) {
                 eventLoopGroup = newEpollEventLoopGroup(threadFactory);
                 socketChannelClass = getEpollSocketChannelClass();
 
diff --git a/client/src/main/resources/ahc-default.properties b/client/src/main/resources/ahc-default.properties
index ffeb754043..67961dee5b 100644
--- a/client/src/main/resources/ahc-default.properties
+++ b/client/src/main/resources/ahc-default.properties
@@ -34,3 +34,4 @@ org.asynchttpclient.webSocketMaxFrameSize=10240
 org.asynchttpclient.keepEncodingHeader=false
 org.asynchttpclient.shutdownQuietPeriod=2000
 org.asynchttpclient.shutdownTimeout=15000
+org.asynchttpclient.useNativeTransport=false