diff --git a/docs/src/main/mdoc/middleware.md b/docs/src/main/mdoc/middleware.md
index ca6772692f4..c7d666acb58 100644
--- a/docs/src/main/mdoc/middleware.md
+++ b/docs/src/main/mdoc/middleware.md
@@ -148,6 +148,7 @@ package. These include:
 * [Jsonp]
 * [Virtual Host]
 * [Metrics]
+* [`X-Request-ID` header]
 
 And a few others.
 
@@ -218,6 +219,40 @@ val meteredRouter: Resource[IO, HttpRoutes[IO]] =
   
 ```
 
+### X-Request-ID Middleware
+
+Use the `RequestId` middleware to automatically generate a `X-Request-ID` header to a request,
+if one wasn't supplied. Adds a `X-Request-ID` header to the response with the id generated
+or supplied as part of the request.
+
+This [heroku guide](https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/http-request-id) gives a brief explanation
+as to why this header is useful.
+
+```scala mdoc:silent
+import org.http4s.server.middleware.RequestId
+import org.typelevel.ci.CIString
+
+val requestIdService = RequestId.httpRoutes(HttpRoutes.of[IO] {
+  case req =>
+    val reqId = req.headers.get(CIString("X-Request-ID")).fold("null")(_.value)
+    // use request id to correlate logs with the request
+    IO(println(s"request received, cid=$reqId")) *> Ok()
+})
+val responseIO = requestIdService.orNotFound(goodRequest)
+```
+
+Note: `req.attributes.lookup(RequestId.requestIdAttrKey)` can also be used to lookup the request id
+extracted from the header, or the generated request id.
+
+```scala mdoc
+// generated request id can be correlated with logs
+val resp = responseIO.unsafeRunSync()
+// X-Request-ID header added to response
+resp.headers
+// the request id is also available using attributes
+resp.attributes.lookup(RequestId.requestIdAttrKey)
+```
+
 [service]: ../service
 [dsl]: ../dsl
 [Authentication]: ../auth
@@ -228,4 +263,5 @@ val meteredRouter: Resource[IO, HttpRoutes[IO]] =
 [Jsonp]: ../api/org/http4s/server/middleware/Jsonp$
 [Virtual Host]: ../api/org/http4s/server/middleware/VirtualHost$
 [Metrics]: ../api/org/http4s/server/middleware/Metrics$
+[`X-Request-ID` header]: ../api/org/http4s/server/middleware/RequestId$
 [`Kleisli`]: https://typelevel.org/cats/datatypes/kleisli.html
diff --git a/server/src/main/scala/org/http4s/server/middleware/RequestId.scala b/server/src/main/scala/org/http4s/server/middleware/RequestId.scala
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..94bbf19d8a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/main/scala/org/http4s/server/middleware/RequestId.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2013-2020 http4s.org
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+package org.http4s
+
+package server
+package middleware
+
+import org.http4s.{Header, Http, Request, Response}
+import cats.{FlatMap, ~>}
+import cats.arrow.FunctionK
+import cats.data.{Kleisli, OptionT}
+import cats.effect.{IO, Sync}
+import cats.implicits._
+import org.typelevel.ci.CIString
+import io.chrisdavenport.vault.Key
+import java.util.UUID
+
+/** Propagate a `X-Request-Id` header to the response, generate a UUID
+  * when the `X-Request-Id` header is unset.
+  * https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/http-request-id
+  */
+object RequestId {
+
+  private[this] val requestIdHeader = CIString("X-Request-ID")
+
+  val requestIdAttrKey: Key[String] = Key.newKey[IO, String].unsafeRunSync
+
+  def apply[G[_], F[_]](http: Http[G, F])(implicit G: Sync[G]): Http[G, F] =
+    apply(requestIdHeader)(http)
+
+  def apply[G[_], F[_]](
+      headerName: CIString
+  )(http: Http[G, F])(implicit G: Sync[G]): Http[G, F] =
+    Kleisli[G, Request[F], Response[F]] { req =>
+      for {
+        header <- req.headers.get(headerName) match {
+          case None => G.delay(Header.Raw(headerName, UUID.randomUUID().toString()))
+          case Some(header) => G.pure[Header](header)
+        }
+        reqId = header.value
+        response <- http(req.withAttribute(requestIdAttrKey, reqId).putHeaders(header))
+      } yield response.withAttribute(requestIdAttrKey, reqId).putHeaders(header)
+    }
+
+  def apply[G[_], F[_]](
+      fk: F ~> G,
+      headerName: CIString = requestIdHeader,
+      genReqId: F[UUID]
+  )(http: Http[G, F])(implicit G: FlatMap[G], F: Sync[F]): Http[G, F] =
+    Kleisli[G, Request[F], Response[F]] { req =>
+      for {
+        header <- fk(req.headers.get(headerName) match {
+          case None => genReqId.map(reqId => Header.Raw(headerName, reqId.show))
+          case Some(header) => F.pure[Header](header)
+        })
+        reqId = header.value
+        response <- http(req.withAttribute(requestIdAttrKey, reqId).putHeaders(header))
+      } yield response.withAttribute(requestIdAttrKey, reqId).putHeaders(header)
+    }
+
+  object httpApp {
+    def apply[F[_]: Sync](httpApp: HttpApp[F]): HttpApp[F] =
+      RequestId.apply(requestIdHeader)(httpApp)
+
+    def apply[F[_]: Sync](
+        headerName: CIString
+    )(httpApp: HttpApp[F]): HttpApp[F] =
+      RequestId.apply(headerName)(httpApp)
+
+    def apply[F[_]: Sync](
+        headerName: CIString = requestIdHeader,
+        genReqId: F[UUID]
+    )(httpApp: HttpApp[F]): HttpApp[F] =
+      RequestId.apply(FunctionK.id[F], headerName, genReqId)(httpApp)
+  }
+
+  object httpRoutes {
+    def apply[F[_]: Sync](httpRoutes: HttpRoutes[F]): HttpRoutes[F] =
+      RequestId.apply(requestIdHeader)(httpRoutes)
+
+    def apply[F[_]: Sync](
+        headerName: CIString
+    )(httpRoutes: HttpRoutes[F]): HttpRoutes[F] =
+      RequestId.apply(headerName)(httpRoutes)
+
+    def apply[F[_]: Sync](
+        headerName: CIString = requestIdHeader,
+        genReqId: F[UUID]
+    )(httpRoutes: HttpRoutes[F]): HttpRoutes[F] =
+      RequestId.apply(OptionT.liftK[F], headerName, genReqId)(httpRoutes)
+  }
+}
diff --git a/server/src/test/scala/org/http4s/server/middleware/RequestIdSpec.scala b/server/src/test/scala/org/http4s/server/middleware/RequestIdSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..668e790ddcf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/test/scala/org/http4s/server/middleware/RequestIdSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2013-2020 http4s.org
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+package org.http4s.server.middleware
+
+import cats.effect._
+import cats.implicits._
+import org.http4s._
+import org.http4s.dsl.io._
+import org.http4s.Uri.uri
+import org.typelevel.ci.CIString
+import java.util.UUID
+
+class RequestIdSpec extends Http4sSpec {
+  private def testService(headerKey: CIString = CIString("X-Request-ID")) =
+    HttpRoutes.of[IO] {
+      case req @ GET -> Root / "request" =>
+        Ok(show"request-id: ${req.headers.get(headerKey).fold("None")(_.value)}")
+      case req @ GET -> Root / "attribute" =>
+        Ok(
+          show"request-id: ${req.attributes.lookup(RequestId.requestIdAttrKey).getOrElse[String]("None")}")
+    }
+
+  private def requestIdFromBody(resp: Response[IO]) =
+    resp.as[String].map(_.stripPrefix("request-id: "))
+
+  private def requestIdFromHeaders(
+      resp: Response[IO],
+      headerKey: CIString = CIString("X-Request-ID")) =
+    resp.headers.get(headerKey).fold("None")(_.value)
+
+  "RequestId middleware" should {
+    "propagate X-Request-ID header from request to response" in {
+      val req =
+        Request[IO](uri = uri("/request"), headers = Headers.of(Header("X-Request-ID", "123")))
+      val (reqReqId, respReqId) = RequestId
+        .httpRoutes(testService())
+        .orNotFound(req)
+        .flatMap { resp =>
+          requestIdFromBody(resp).map(_ -> requestIdFromHeaders(resp))
+        }
+        .unsafeRunSync()
+
+      (reqReqId must_=== "123").and(respReqId must_=== "123")
+    }
+    "generate X-Request-ID header when unset" in {
+      val req = Request[IO](uri = uri("/request"))
+      val (reqReqId, respReqId) = RequestId
+        .httpRoutes(testService())
+        .orNotFound(req)
+        .flatMap { resp =>
+          requestIdFromBody(resp).map(_ -> requestIdFromHeaders(resp))
+        }
+        .unsafeRunSync()
+
+      (reqReqId must_=== respReqId).and(
+        Either.catchNonFatal(UUID.fromString(respReqId)) must (beRight))
+    }
+    "generate different request ids on subsequent requests" in {
+      val req = Request[IO](uri = uri("/request"))
+      val resp = RequestId.httpRoutes(testService()).orNotFound(req)
+      val requestId1 = resp.map(requestIdFromHeaders(_)).unsafeRunSync()
+      val requestId2 = resp.map(requestIdFromHeaders(_)).unsafeRunSync()
+
+      (requestId1 must_!== requestId2)
+    }
+    "propagate custom request id header from request to response" in {
+      val req = Request[IO](
+        uri = uri("/request"),
+        headers = Headers.of(Header("X-Request-ID", "123"), Header("X-Correlation-ID", "abc")))
+      val (reqReqId, respReqId) = RequestId
+        .httpRoutes(CIString("X-Correlation-ID"))(testService(CIString("X-Correlation-ID")))
+        .orNotFound(req)
+        .flatMap { resp =>
+          requestIdFromBody(resp).map(_ -> requestIdFromHeaders(resp, CIString("X-Correlation-ID")))
+        }
+        .unsafeRunSync()
+
+      (reqReqId must_=== "abc").and(respReqId must_=== "abc")
+    }
+    "generate custom request id header when unset" in {
+      val req =
+        Request[IO](uri = uri("/request"), headers = Headers.of(Header("X-Request-ID", "123")))
+      val (reqReqId, respReqId) = RequestId
+        .httpRoutes(CIString("X-Correlation-ID"))(testService(CIString("X-Correlation-ID")))
+        .orNotFound(req)
+        .flatMap { resp =>
+          requestIdFromBody(resp).map(_ -> requestIdFromHeaders(resp, CIString("X-Correlation-ID")))
+        }
+        .unsafeRunSync()
+
+      (reqReqId must_=== respReqId).and(
+        Either.catchNonFatal(UUID.fromString(respReqId)) must (beRight))
+    }
+    "generate X-Request-ID header when unset using supplied generator" in {
+      val uuid = UUID.fromString("00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000")
+      val req = Request[IO](uri = uri("/request"))
+      val (reqReqId, respReqId) = RequestId
+        .httpRoutes(genReqId = IO.pure(uuid))(testService())
+        .orNotFound(req)
+        .flatMap { resp =>
+          requestIdFromBody(resp).map(_ -> requestIdFromHeaders(resp))
+        }
+        .unsafeRunSync()
+
+      (reqReqId must_=== uuid.show).and(respReqId must_=== uuid.show)
+    }
+    "include requestId attribute with request and response" in {
+      val req =
+        Request[IO](uri = uri("/attribute"), headers = Headers.of(Header("X-Request-ID", "123")))
+      val (reqReqId, respReqId) = RequestId
+        .httpRoutes(testService())
+        .orNotFound(req)
+        .flatMap { resp =>
+          requestIdFromBody(resp).map(
+            _ -> resp.attributes.lookup(RequestId.requestIdAttrKey).getOrElse("None"))
+        }
+        .unsafeRunSync()
+
+      (reqReqId must_=== "123").and(respReqId must_=== "123")
+    }
+  }
+}