diff --git a/include/lighttpd/angel_plugin.h b/include/lighttpd/angel_plugin.h
index 63cda55..1a81f2c 100644
--- a/include/lighttpd/angel_plugin.h
+++ b/include/lighttpd/angel_plugin.h
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ struct liPlugins {
 	GPtrArray *plugins, *load_plugins; /* plugin* */
 };
 
-LI_API void li_plugins_init(liServer *srv, const gchar *module_dir);
+LI_API void li_plugins_init(liServer *srv, const gchar *module_dir, gboolean module_resident);
 LI_API void li_plugins_clear(liServer *srv);
 
 LI_API void li_plugins_config_clean(liServer *srv);
diff --git a/include/lighttpd/angel_server.h b/include/lighttpd/angel_server.h
index 9237ee8..a95cb63 100644
--- a/include/lighttpd/angel_server.h
+++ b/include/lighttpd/angel_server.h
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ struct liInstanceResource {
 	gpointer data;
 };
 
-LI_API liServer* li_server_new(const gchar *module_dir);
+LI_API liServer* li_server_new(const gchar *module_dir, gboolean module_resident);
 LI_API void li_server_free(liServer* srv);
 
 LI_API void li_server_stop(liServer *srv);
diff --git a/include/lighttpd/module.h b/include/lighttpd/module.h
index 74e24be..bbe3aa6 100644
--- a/include/lighttpd/module.h
+++ b/include/lighttpd/module.h
@@ -46,11 +46,12 @@ struct liModules {
 	gpointer main;    /**< pointer to a application specific main structure, e.g. server */
 	GArray *mods;      /**< array of (module*) */
 	gchar *module_dir;
+	gboolean module_resident; /** if true, call g_module_make_resident() when loading a module */
 
 	guint8 sizeof_off_t; /** holds the value of sizeof(off_t) to check if loaded module was compiled with the same flags */
 };
 
-LI_API liModules* li_modules_new(gpointer main, const gchar *module_dir);
+LI_API liModules* li_modules_new(gpointer main, const gchar *module_dir, gboolean make_resident);
 LI_API void li_modules_free(liModules *mods);
 
 /** Loads a module if not loaded yet and returns the module struct for it (after increasing refcount)
diff --git a/include/lighttpd/server.h b/include/lighttpd/server.h
index 5d11d7f..4c2f814 100644
--- a/include/lighttpd/server.h
+++ b/include/lighttpd/server.h
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ struct liServer {
 };
 
 
-LI_API liServer* li_server_new(const gchar *module_dir);
+LI_API liServer* li_server_new(const gchar *module_dir, gboolean module_resident);
 LI_API void li_server_free(liServer* srv);
 LI_API gboolean li_server_loop_init(liServer *srv);
 
diff --git a/src/angel/angel_main.c b/src/angel/angel_main.c
index 177e747..df89eae 100644
--- a/src/angel/angel_main.c
+++ b/src/angel/angel_main.c
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 	gboolean show_version = FALSE, no_fork = FALSE;
 	gchar const *const def_module_dir = DEFAULT_LIBDIR;
 	gchar const *module_dir = def_module_dir;
+	gboolean module_resident = FALSE;
 	gchar const *config_path = NULL, *pidfile = NULL;
 
 	gboolean res;
@@ -35,6 +36,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 	GOptionEntry entries[] = {
 		{ "config", 'c', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_FILENAME, &config_path, "filename/path of the config", "PATH" },
 		{ "module-dir", 'm', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_STRING, &module_dir, "module directory [default: " DEFAULT_LIBDIR "]", "PATH" },
+		{ "module-resident", 0, 0, G_OPTION_ARG_NONE, &module_resident, "never unload modules (e.g. for valgrind)", NULL },
 		{ "no-daemon", 'n', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_NONE, &no_fork, "Don't fork (for daemontools)", NULL },
 		{ "pid-file", 0, 0, G_OPTION_ARG_STRING, &pidfile, "Location of the pid file (only valid in daemon mode)", "PATH" },
 		{ "version", 'v', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_NONE, &show_version, "show version and exit", NULL },
@@ -76,7 +78,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 	/* initialize threading */
 	g_thread_init(NULL);
 
-	srv = li_server_new(module_dir);
+	srv = li_server_new(module_dir, module_resident);
 
 	if (!li_plugins_config_load(srv, config_path)) {
 		result = -1;
diff --git a/src/angel/angel_plugin.c b/src/angel/angel_plugin.c
index 78a273c..dfe7de5 100644
--- a/src/angel/angel_plugin.c
+++ b/src/angel/angel_plugin.c
@@ -80,10 +80,10 @@ static server_module* server_module_new(liServer *srv, const gchar *name) { /* m
 	return sm;
 }
 
-void li_plugins_init(liServer *srv, const gchar *module_dir) {
+void li_plugins_init(liServer *srv, const gchar *module_dir, gboolean module_resident) {
 	liPlugins *ps = &srv->plugins;
 
-	ps->modules = li_modules_new(srv, module_dir);
+	ps->modules = li_modules_new(srv, module_dir, module_resident);
 
 	ps->items = g_hash_table_new_full(g_str_hash, g_str_equal, NULL, _server_item_free);
 	ps->load_items = g_hash_table_new_full(g_str_hash, g_str_equal, NULL, _server_item_free);
diff --git a/src/angel/angel_server.c b/src/angel/angel_server.c
index d1a153c..03463a1 100644
--- a/src/angel/angel_server.c
+++ b/src/angel/angel_server.c
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ static void sigpipe_cb(struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_signal *w, int revents) {
 	UNUSED(loop); UNUSED(w); UNUSED(revents);
 }
 
-liServer* li_server_new(const gchar *module_dir) {
+liServer* li_server_new(const gchar *module_dir, gboolean module_resident) {
 	liServer *srv = g_slice_new0(liServer);
 
 	srv->loop = ev_default_loop(0);
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ liServer* li_server_new(const gchar *module_dir) {
 	CATCH_SIGNAL(srv->loop, sigpipe_cb, PIPE);
 
 	li_log_init(srv);
-	li_plugins_init(srv, module_dir);
+	li_plugins_init(srv, module_dir, module_resident);
 	return srv;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/common/module.c b/src/common/module.c
index d6095a4..783703a 100644
--- a/src/common/module.c
+++ b/src/common/module.c
@@ -1,13 +1,14 @@
 
 #include <lighttpd/module.h>
 
-liModules *li_modules_new(gpointer main, const gchar *module_dir) {
+liModules *li_modules_new(gpointer main, const gchar *module_dir, gboolean module_resident) {
 	liModules *m = g_slice_new(liModules);
 
 	m->version = MODULE_VERSION;
 	m->main = main;
 	m->mods = g_array_new(FALSE, TRUE, sizeof(liModule*));
 	m->module_dir = g_strdup(module_dir);
+	m->module_resident = module_resident;
 	m->sizeof_off_t = sizeof(off_t);
 
 	return m;
@@ -101,6 +102,9 @@ liModule* li_module_load(liModules *mods, const gchar* name) {
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
+	if (mods->module_resident)
+		g_module_make_resident(mod->module);
+
 	/* insert into free slot */
 	for (i = 0; i < mods->mods->len; i++) {
 		if (!g_array_index(mods->mods, liModule*, i))
diff --git a/src/main/lighttpd.c b/src/main/lighttpd.c
index bee4522..9b19768 100644
--- a/src/main/lighttpd.c
+++ b/src/main/lighttpd.c
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 	gchar *config_path = NULL;
 	const gchar *def_module_dir = DEFAULT_LIBDIR;
 	const gchar *module_dir = def_module_dir;
+	gboolean module_resident = FALSE;
 	gboolean luaconfig = FALSE;
 	gboolean test_config = FALSE;
 	gboolean show_version = FALSE;
@@ -37,6 +38,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 		{ "lua", 'l', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_NONE, &luaconfig, "use the lua config frontend", NULL },
 		{ "test", 't', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_NONE, &test_config, "test config and exit", NULL },
 		{ "module-dir", 'm', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_STRING, &module_dir, "module directory [default: " DEFAULT_LIBDIR "]", "PATH" },
+		{ "module-resident", 0, 0, G_OPTION_ARG_NONE, &module_resident, "never unload modules (e.g. for valgrind)", NULL },
 		{ "version", 'v', 0, G_OPTION_ARG_NONE, &show_version, "show version and exit", NULL },
 		{ "angel", 0, G_OPTION_FLAG_HIDDEN, G_OPTION_ARG_NONE, &use_angel, "spawned by angel", NULL },
 		{ NULL, 0, 0, 0, NULL, NULL, NULL }
@@ -79,7 +81,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 	/* initialize threading */
 	g_thread_init(NULL);
 
-	srv = li_server_new(module_dir);
+	srv = li_server_new(module_dir, module_resident);
 	li_server_loop_init(srv);
 
 	/* load core plugin */
diff --git a/src/main/server.c b/src/main/server.c
index 7e144a1..7213a24 100644
--- a/src/main/server.c
+++ b/src/main/server.c
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ static void sigpipe_cb(struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_signal *w, int revents) {
 	UNUSED(loop); UNUSED(w); UNUSED(revents);
 }
 
-liServer* li_server_new(const gchar *module_dir) {
+liServer* li_server_new(const gchar *module_dir, gboolean module_resident) {
 	liServer* srv = g_slice_new0(liServer);
 
 	srv->magic = LIGHTTPD_SERVER_MAGIC;
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ liServer* li_server_new(const gchar *module_dir) {
 
 	srv->sockets = g_ptr_array_new();
 
-	srv->modules = li_modules_new(srv, module_dir);
+	srv->modules = li_modules_new(srv, module_dir, module_resident);
 
 	srv->plugins = g_hash_table_new(g_str_hash, g_str_equal);
 	srv->options = g_hash_table_new_full(g_str_hash, g_str_equal, NULL, server_option_free);