diff --git a/src/backend/distributed/commands/copy_url.c b/src/backend/distributed/commands/copy_url.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4773b616c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/backend/distributed/commands/copy_url.c
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+/*-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *
+ * copy_url.c
+ *	  COPY from a URL using libcurl
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) Citus Data, Inc.
+ *
+ *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ */
+
+#include "postgres.h"
+#include "fmgr.h"
+#include "miscadmin.h"
+
+#include "citus_version.h"
+
+#include "distributed/commands/copy_url.h"
+#include "storage/latch.h"
+#include "utils/wait_event.h"
+
+bool EnableCopyFromURL = true;
+
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBCURL
+
+#include <curl/curl.h>
+
+
+/* HTTP client (libcurl) */
+static CURL *curl = NULL;
+static int CurrentSocket = 0;
+
+
+/*
+ * OpenURL opens the given URL such that it can subsequently be read via
+ * ReadBytesFromURL.
+ */
+void
+OpenURL(char *url)
+{
+	/* clean up any leftovers */
+	CloseURL();
+
+	curl = curl_easy_init();
+
+	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_URL, url);
+	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_CONNECT_ONLY, 1L);
+
+	CURLcode res = curl_easy_perform(curl);
+	if (res != CURLE_OK)
+	{
+		ereport(ERROR, (errmsg("failed to get URL: %s", curl_easy_strerror(res))));
+	}
+
+	res = curl_easy_getinfo(curl, CURLINFO_ACTIVESOCKET, &CurrentSocket);
+}
+
+
+/*
+ * ReadBytesFromURL reads bytes from a URL using libcurl.
+ */
+int
+ReadBytesFromURL(void *outbuf, int minread, int maxread)
+{
+	size_t nread;
+	CURLcode res;
+
+	do
+	{
+		nread = 0;
+		res = curl_easy_recv(curl, (char *) outbuf, maxread, &nread);
+ 
+		if (res == CURLE_AGAIN)
+		{
+			int waitFlags = WL_POSTMASTER_DEATH | WL_LATCH_SET | WL_SOCKET_READABLE;
+
+			int rc = WaitLatchOrSocket(MyLatch, waitFlags, CurrentSocket, 30000,
+									   PG_WAIT_IO);
+			if (rc & WL_POSTMASTER_DEATH)
+			{
+				ereport(ERROR, (errmsg("postmaster was shut down, exiting")));
+			}
+
+			if (rc & WL_TIMEOUT)
+			{
+				ereport(ERROR, (errmsg("timeout while requesting URL")));
+			}
+
+			if (rc & WL_LATCH_SET)
+			{
+				ResetLatch(MyLatch);
+				CHECK_FOR_INTERRUPTS();
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	while (res == CURLE_AGAIN);
+
+elog(NOTICE, "read %d bytes", nread);
+
+	return (int) nread;
+}
+
+
+/*
+ * CloseURL closes a currently opened URL.
+ */
+void
+CloseURL(void)
+{
+	if (curl != NULL)
+	{
+		curl_easy_cleanup(curl);
+		curl = NULL;
+	}
+}
+
+#endif
diff --git a/src/backend/distributed/commands/multi_copy.c b/src/backend/distributed/commands/multi_copy.c
index d2d7d9b23..9bbff2dae 100644
--- a/src/backend/distributed/commands/multi_copy.c
+++ b/src/backend/distributed/commands/multi_copy.c
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@
 #include "miscadmin.h"
 #include "pgstat.h"
 
+#include "citus_version.h"
+
 #include <arpa/inet.h> /* for htons */
 #include <netinet/in.h> /* for htons */
 #include <string.h>
@@ -70,6 +72,7 @@
 #include "commands/defrem.h"
 #include "commands/progress.h"
 #include "distributed/citus_safe_lib.h"
+#include "distributed/commands/copy_url.h"
 #include "distributed/commands/multi_copy.h"
 #include "distributed/commands/utility_hook.h"
 #include "distributed/intermediate_results.h"
@@ -306,6 +309,7 @@ static void CitusCopyTo(CopyStmt *copyStatement, QueryCompletionCompat *completi
 static int64 ForwardCopyDataFromConnection(CopyOutState copyOutState,
 										   MultiConnection *connection);
 
+
 /* Private functions copied and adapted from copy.c in PostgreSQL */
 static void SendCopyBegin(CopyOutState cstate);
 static void SendCopyEnd(CopyOutState cstate);
@@ -543,13 +547,30 @@ CopyToExistingShards(CopyStmt *copyStatement, QueryCompletionCompat *completionT
 		copiedDistributedRelationTuple->relkind = RELKIND_RELATION;
 	}
 
+	char *fileName = copyStatement->filename;
+	copy_data_source_cb dataSource = NULL;
+
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBCURL
+	if (fileName != NULL)
+	{
+		if (strncmp(fileName, "http://", strlen("http://")) == 0 ||
+			strncmp(fileName, "https://", strlen("https://")) == 0)
+		{
+			OpenURL(fileName);
+
+			dataSource = ReadBytesFromURL;
+			fileName = NULL;
+		}
+	}
+#endif
+
 	/* initialize copy state to read from COPY data source */
 	CopyFromState copyState = BeginCopyFrom_compat(NULL,
 												   copiedDistributedRelation,
 												   NULL,
-												   copyStatement->filename,
+												   fileName,
 												   copyStatement->is_program,
-												   NULL,
+												   dataSource,
 												   copyStatement->attlist,
 												   copyStatement->options);
 
@@ -607,6 +628,10 @@ CopyToExistingShards(CopyStmt *copyStatement, QueryCompletionCompat *completionT
 	{
 		CompleteCopyQueryTagCompat(completionTag, processedRowCount);
 	}
+
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBCURL
+	CloseURL();
+#endif
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/include/distributed/commands/copy_url.h b/src/include/distributed/commands/copy_url.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..791172be9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/include/distributed/commands/copy_url.h
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+/*-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *
+ * copy_url.h
+ *   Function for copying from a URL.
+ *
+ * Copyright (c) Citus Data, Inc.
+ *
+ *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ */
+
+#ifndef COPY_URL_H
+#define COPY_URL_H
+
+#include "citus_version.h"
+
+/* Config variables managed via guc.c */
+extern bool EnableCopyFromURL;
+
+#ifdef HAVE_LIBCURL
+
+void OpenURL(char *url);
+int ReadBytesFromURL(void *outbuf, int minread, int maxread);
+void CloseURL(void);
+
+#endif /* HAVE_LIBCURL */
+#endif /* COPY_URL_H */