diff --git a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/web/embedded/netty/NettyReactiveWebServerFactory.java b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/web/embedded/netty/NettyReactiveWebServerFactory.java
index ec18fee859..6e8d9383fd 100644
--- a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/web/embedded/netty/NettyReactiveWebServerFactory.java
+++ b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/web/embedded/netty/NettyReactiveWebServerFactory.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 package org.springframework.boot.web.embedded.netty;
 
 import java.net.InetSocketAddress;
+import java.time.Duration;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collection;
@@ -42,6 +43,8 @@ public class NettyReactiveWebServerFactory extends AbstractReactiveWebServerFact
 
 	private List<NettyServerCustomizer> serverCustomizers = new ArrayList<>();
 
+	private Duration lifecycleTimeout;
+
 	public NettyReactiveWebServerFactory() {
 	}
 
@@ -51,10 +54,10 @@ public class NettyReactiveWebServerFactory extends AbstractReactiveWebServerFact
 
 	@Override
 	public WebServer getWebServer(HttpHandler httpHandler) {
-		HttpServer server = createHttpServer();
+		HttpServer httpServer = createHttpServer();
 		ReactorHttpHandlerAdapter handlerAdapter = new ReactorHttpHandlerAdapter(
 				httpHandler);
-		return new NettyWebServer(server, handlerAdapter);
+		return new NettyWebServer(httpServer, handlerAdapter, this.lifecycleTimeout);
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -86,6 +89,15 @@ public class NettyReactiveWebServerFactory extends AbstractReactiveWebServerFact
 		this.serverCustomizers.addAll(Arrays.asList(serverCustomizers));
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Set the maximum amount of time that should be waited when starting or stopping the
+	 * server.
+	 * @param lifecycleTimeout the lefecycle timeout
+	 */
+	public void setLifecycleTimeout(Duration lifecycleTimeout) {
+		this.lifecycleTimeout = lifecycleTimeout;
+	}
+
 	private HttpServer createHttpServer() {
 		return HttpServer.builder().options((options) -> {
 			options.listenAddress(getListenAddress());
diff --git a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/web/embedded/netty/NettyWebServer.java b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/web/embedded/netty/NettyWebServer.java
index 511ed67cc7..8e733821be 100644
--- a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/web/embedded/netty/NettyWebServer.java
+++ b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/web/embedded/netty/NettyWebServer.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ package org.springframework.boot.web.embedded.netty;
 import java.net.BindException;
 import java.net.InetSocketAddress;
 import java.net.SocketAddress;
+import java.time.Duration;
 
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
@@ -30,6 +31,7 @@ import org.springframework.boot.web.server.PortInUseException;
 import org.springframework.boot.web.server.WebServer;
 import org.springframework.boot.web.server.WebServerException;
 import org.springframework.http.server.reactive.ReactorHttpHandlerAdapter;
+import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 
 /**
  * {@link WebServer} that can be used to control a Reactor Netty web server. Usually this
@@ -45,27 +47,32 @@ public class NettyWebServer implements WebServer {
 
 	private static final Log logger = LogFactory.getLog(NettyWebServer.class);
 
+	private final HttpServer httpServer;
+
 	private final ReactorHttpHandlerAdapter handlerAdapter;
 
-	private final HttpServer reactorServer;
+	private final Duration lifecycleTimeout;
 
 	private BlockingNettyContext nettyContext;
 
-	public NettyWebServer(HttpServer reactorServer,
-			ReactorHttpHandlerAdapter handlerAdapter) {
-		this.reactorServer = reactorServer;
+	public NettyWebServer(HttpServer httpServer, ReactorHttpHandlerAdapter handlerAdapter,
+			Duration lifecycleTimeout) {
+		Assert.notNull(httpServer, "HttpServer must not be null");
+		Assert.notNull(handlerAdapter, "HandlerAdapter must not be null");
+		this.httpServer = httpServer;
 		this.handlerAdapter = handlerAdapter;
+		this.lifecycleTimeout = lifecycleTimeout;
 	}
 
 	@Override
 	public void start() throws WebServerException {
 		if (this.nettyContext == null) {
 			try {
-				this.nettyContext = this.reactorServer.start(this.handlerAdapter);
+				this.nettyContext = startHttpServer();
 			}
 			catch (Exception ex) {
 				if (findBindException(ex) != null) {
-					SocketAddress address = this.reactorServer.options().getAddress();
+					SocketAddress address = this.httpServer.options().getAddress();
 					if (address instanceof InetSocketAddress) {
 						throw new PortInUseException(
 								((InetSocketAddress) address).getPort());
@@ -78,6 +85,13 @@ public class NettyWebServer implements WebServer {
 		}
 	}
 
+	private BlockingNettyContext startHttpServer() {
+		if (this.lifecycleTimeout != null) {
+			return this.httpServer.start(this.handlerAdapter, this.lifecycleTimeout);
+		}
+		return this.httpServer.start(this.handlerAdapter);
+	}
+
 	private BindException findBindException(Exception ex) {
 		Throwable candidate = ex;
 		while (candidate != null) {
diff --git a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/web/embedded/netty/NettyReactiveWebServerFactoryTests.java b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/web/embedded/netty/NettyReactiveWebServerFactoryTests.java
index 1ba33ec06f..31b0bf10d0 100644
--- a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/web/embedded/netty/NettyReactiveWebServerFactoryTests.java
+++ b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/web/embedded/netty/NettyReactiveWebServerFactoryTests.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 
 package org.springframework.boot.web.embedded.netty;
 
+import java.time.Duration;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 
 import org.junit.Test;
@@ -25,7 +26,9 @@ import reactor.ipc.netty.http.server.HttpServerOptions;
 import org.springframework.boot.web.reactive.server.AbstractReactiveWebServerFactory;
 import org.springframework.boot.web.reactive.server.AbstractReactiveWebServerFactoryTests;
 import org.springframework.boot.web.server.PortInUseException;
+import org.springframework.test.util.ReflectionTestUtils;
 
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.equalTo;
 import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.any;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.inOrder;
@@ -72,4 +75,16 @@ public class NettyReactiveWebServerFactoryTests
 		}
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void customStartupTimeout() {
+		Duration timeout = Duration.ofDays(365);
+		NettyReactiveWebServerFactory factory = getFactory();
+		factory.setLifecycleTimeout(timeout);
+		this.webServer = factory.getWebServer(new EchoHandler());
+		this.webServer.start();
+		Object context = ReflectionTestUtils.getField(this.webServer, "nettyContext");
+		Object actualTimeout = ReflectionTestUtils.getField(context, "lifecycleTimeout");
+		assertThat(actualTimeout).isEqualTo(timeout);
+	}
+
 }