diff --git a/app/controllers/Application.scala b/app/controllers/Application.scala
index 34cd2a0fa..d46500a42 100644
--- a/app/controllers/Application.scala
+++ b/app/controllers/Application.scala
@@ -31,7 +31,12 @@ class Application @Inject()(files: FileService, collections: CollectionService,
 
   def swaggerUI = Action { implicit request =>
     val swagger = routes.Application.swagger().absoluteURL(Utils.https(request))
-    Redirect("http://clowder.ncsa.illinois.edu/swagger/?url=" + swagger)
+    val swaggerUIHost =  play.Play.application().configuration().getString("swaggerUIHost")
+    if (swaggerUIHost == null || swaggerUIHost.isEmpty()) {
+      Redirect("http://clowder.ncsa.illinois.edu/swagger/?url=" + swagger)
+    } else {
+      Redirect(swaggerUIHost)
+    }
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/conf/application.conf b/conf/application.conf
index 2aad1f5df..0bde8801f 100644
--- a/conf/application.conf
+++ b/conf/application.conf
@@ -123,6 +123,11 @@ clowder.license {
   download=false
 }
 
+# swagger api doc host
+# if no setting of swaggerUIHost, it will use https://clowder.ncsa.illinois.edu/swagger to show the swagger api doc.
+# otherwise, you can point `swaggerUIHost` to your swagger-ui url to show the swagger api doc.
+swaggerUIHost=""
+
 # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 # Space related information
 # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 1e9f05fcb..cc08ea6df 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ services:
       - S3_BUCKET=${S3_BUCKET:-clowder}
       - S3_ACCESS_KEY=${S3_ACCESS_KEY:-clowder}
       - S3_SECRET_KEY=${S3_SECRET_KEY:-catsarecute}
+      - SWAGGER_UI_HOST=${SWAGGER_UI_HOST:-https://clowder.ncsa.illinois.edu/clowder/swagger}
     labels:
       - "traefik.enable=true"
       - "traefik.backend=clowder"
diff --git a/docker/custom.conf b/docker/custom.conf
index 52f1fb090..576ca445b 100644
--- a/docker/custom.conf
+++ b/docker/custom.conf
@@ -35,6 +35,9 @@ smtp.host=${?SMTP_SERVER}
 smtp.from="devnull@ncsa.illinois.edu"
 smtp.from=${?SMTP_FROM}
 
+# swagger-ui host
+swaggerUIHost=${?SWAGGER_UI_HOST}
+
 # storage
 service.byteStorage=services.filesystem.DiskByteStorageService
 service.byteStorage=${?CLOWDER_STORAGE}