diff --git a/internal/heartbeat/heartbeat.go b/internal/heartbeat/heartbeat.go
index f63a7dc6..4ad9be6a 100644
--- a/internal/heartbeat/heartbeat.go
+++ b/internal/heartbeat/heartbeat.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ type HeartBeat interface {
 type heartBeatOpts struct {
 	defaultUser     string
 	defaultPassword string
+	client          *http.Client
 }
 
 type Option interface {
@@ -43,6 +44,18 @@ func WithDefaultUser(user, password string) Option {
 	}
 }
 
+type customHttpClient struct {
+	client *http.Client
+}
+
+func (c customHttpClient) apply(opts *heartBeatOpts) {
+	opts.client = c.client
+}
+
+func WithHttpClient(client *http.Client) Option {
+	return customHttpClient{client}
+}
+
 type heartBeat struct {
 	interval time.Duration
 	timeout  time.Duration
@@ -50,13 +63,16 @@ type heartBeat struct {
 	response string
 	user     string
 	password string
+	client   *http.Client
 }
 
 // User credentials are not needed
 const defaultEndpoint string = "/ping"
 
 func NewHeartbeat(c config.HeartBeat, options ...Option) HeartBeat {
-	opts := &heartBeatOpts{}
+	opts := &heartBeatOpts{
+		client: http.DefaultClient,
+	}
 	for _, o := range options {
 		o.apply(opts)
 	}
@@ -66,6 +82,7 @@ func NewHeartbeat(c config.HeartBeat, options ...Option) HeartBeat {
 		timeout:  time.Duration(c.Timeout),
 		request:  c.Request,
 		response: c.Response,
+		client:   opts.client,
 	}
 
 	if c.Request != defaultEndpoint {
@@ -98,7 +115,7 @@ func (hb *heartBeat) IsHealthy(ctx context.Context, addr string) error {
 	req = req.WithContext(ctx)
 
 	startTime := time.Now()
-	resp, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
+	resp, err := hb.client.Do(req)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("cannot send request in %s: %w", time.Since(startTime), err)
 	}
diff --git a/proxy.go b/proxy.go
index a72e7115..ef68d9ad 100644
--- a/proxy.go
+++ b/proxy.go
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ type reverseProxy struct {
 	maxIdleConns        int
 	maxIdleConnsPerHost int
 	maxErrorReasonSize  int64
+	transport           *http.Transport
 }
 
 func newReverseProxy(cfgCp *config.HTTPClientConfig) *reverseProxy {
@@ -87,6 +88,7 @@ func newReverseProxy(cfgCp *config.HTTPClientConfig) *reverseProxy {
 		reloadWG:            sync.WaitGroup{},
 		maxIdleConns:        cfgCp.ConnectionPool.MaxIdleConnsPerHost,
 		maxIdleConnsPerHost: cfgCp.ConnectionPool.MaxIdleConnsPerHost,
+		transport:           transport,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -627,7 +629,9 @@ func calcQueryParamsHash(origParams url.Values) uint32 {
 // applyConfig applies the given cfg to reverseProxy.
 //
 // New config is applied only if non-nil error returned.
-// Otherwise old config version is kept.
+// Otherwise, old config version is kept.
+//
+//nolint:cyclop  // TODO consider complexity
 func (rp *reverseProxy) applyConfig(cfg *config.Config) error {
 	// configLock protects from concurrent calls to applyConfig
 	// by serializing such calls.
@@ -635,7 +639,14 @@ func (rp *reverseProxy) applyConfig(cfg *config.Config) error {
 	rp.configLock.Lock()
 	defer rp.configLock.Unlock()
 
-	clusters, err := newClusters(cfg.Clusters)
+	client := http.DefaultClient
+	if cfg.HTTPClient.InsecureSkipVerify {
+		client = &http.Client{}
+		*client = *http.DefaultClient
+		client.Transport = rp.transport
+	}
+
+	clusters, err := newClusters(cfg.Clusters, client)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/scope.go b/scope.go
index 0106e425..6eed74e2 100644
--- a/scope.go
+++ b/scope.go
@@ -782,7 +782,7 @@ type cluster struct {
 	retryNumber int
 }
 
-func newCluster(c config.Cluster) (*cluster, error) {
+func newCluster(c config.Cluster, client *http.Client) (*cluster, error) {
 	clusterUsers := make(map[string]*clusterUser, len(c.ClusterUsers))
 	for _, cu := range c.ClusterUsers {
 		if _, ok := clusterUsers[cu.Name]; ok {
@@ -791,7 +791,8 @@ func newCluster(c config.Cluster) (*cluster, error) {
 		clusterUsers[cu.Name] = newClusterUser(cu)
 	}
 
-	heartBeat := heartbeat.NewHeartbeat(c.HeartBeat, heartbeat.WithDefaultUser(c.ClusterUsers[0].Name, c.ClusterUsers[0].Password))
+	heartBeat := heartbeat.NewHeartbeat(c.HeartBeat, heartbeat.WithDefaultUser(c.ClusterUsers[0].Name,
+		c.ClusterUsers[0].Password), heartbeat.WithHttpClient(client))
 
 	newC := &cluster{
 		name:                  c.Name,
@@ -811,13 +812,13 @@ func newCluster(c config.Cluster) (*cluster, error) {
 	return newC, nil
 }
 
-func newClusters(cfg []config.Cluster) (map[string]*cluster, error) {
+func newClusters(cfg []config.Cluster, client *http.Client) (map[string]*cluster, error) {
 	clusters := make(map[string]*cluster, len(cfg))
 	for _, c := range cfg {
 		if _, ok := clusters[c.Name]; ok {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("duplicate config for cluster %q", c.Name)
 		}
-		tmpC, err := newCluster(c)
+		tmpC, err := newCluster(c, client)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot initialize cluster %q: %w", c.Name, err)
 		}