diff --git a/test/test_http.py b/test/test_http.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5cce5b3ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test_http.py
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+from __future__ import unicode_literals
+
+# Allow direct execution
+import os
+import sys
+import unittest
+sys.path.insert(0, os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))))
+
+from youtube_dl import YoutubeDL
+from youtube_dl.compat import compat_http_server
+import ssl
+import threading
+
+TEST_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
+
+class HTTPTestRequestHandler(compat_http_server.BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
+    def log_message(self, format, *args):
+        pass
+
+    def do_GET(self):
+        if self.path == '/video.html':
+            self.send_response(200)
+            self.send_header('Content-Type', 'text/html; charset=utf-8')
+            self.end_headers()
+            self.wfile.write(b'<html><video src="/vid.mp4" /></html>')
+        elif self.path == '/vid.mp4':
+            self.send_response(200)
+            self.send_header('Content-Type', 'video/mp4')
+            self.end_headers()
+            self.wfile.write(b'\x00\x00\x00\x00\x20\x66\x74[video]')
+        else:
+            assert False
+
+
+class FakeLogger(object):
+    def debug(self, msg):
+        pass
+
+    def warning(self, msg):
+        pass
+
+    def error(self, msg):
+        pass
+
+
+class TestHTTP(unittest.TestCase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        certfn = os.path.join(TEST_DIR, 'testcert.pem')
+        self.httpd = compat_http_server.HTTPServer(
+            ('localhost', 0), HTTPTestRequestHandler)
+        self.httpd.socket = ssl.wrap_socket(
+            self.httpd.socket, certfile=certfn, server_side=True)
+        self.port = self.httpd.socket.getsockname()[1]
+        self.server_thread = threading.Thread(target=self.httpd.serve_forever)
+        self.server_thread.daemon = True
+        self.server_thread.start()
+
+    def test_nocheckcertificate(self):
+        if sys.version_info >= (2, 7, 9):  # No certificate checking anyways
+            ydl = YoutubeDL({'logger': FakeLogger()})
+            self.assertRaises(
+                Exception,
+                ydl.extract_info, 'https://localhost:%d/video.html' % self.port)
+
+        ydl = YoutubeDL({'logger': FakeLogger(), 'nocheckcertificate': True})
+        r = ydl.extract_info('https://localhost:%d/video.html' % self.port)
+        self.assertEqual(r['url'], 'https://localhost:%d/vid.mp4' % self.port)
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    unittest.main()
diff --git a/test/testcert.pem b/test/testcert.pem
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b3e0f00c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/testcert.pem
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----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+-----END PRIVATE KEY-----
+-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----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+-----END CERTIFICATE-----
diff --git a/youtube_dl/compat.py b/youtube_dl/compat.py
index 4453b34fc..497ca52de 100644
--- a/youtube_dl/compat.py
+++ b/youtube_dl/compat.py
@@ -71,6 +71,11 @@ try:
 except ImportError:
     compat_subprocess_get_DEVNULL = lambda: open(os.path.devnull, 'w')
 
+try:
+    import http.server as compat_http_server
+except ImportError:
+    import BaseHTTPServer as compat_http_server
+
 try:
     from urllib.parse import unquote as compat_urllib_parse_unquote
 except ImportError:
@@ -365,6 +370,7 @@ __all__ = [
     'compat_html_entities',
     'compat_html_parser',
     'compat_http_client',
+    'compat_http_server',
     'compat_kwargs',
     'compat_ord',
     'compat_parse_qs',
