diff --git a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/ColumnFamilyDescriptorBuilder.java b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/ColumnFamilyDescriptorBuilder.java
index e845ee9d233..cf7812ba544 100644
--- a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/ColumnFamilyDescriptorBuilder.java
+++ b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/ColumnFamilyDescriptorBuilder.java
@@ -679,7 +679,7 @@ public class ColumnFamilyDescriptorBuilder {
      * @return this (for chained invocation)
      */
     private ModifyableColumnFamilyDescriptor setValue(Bytes key, Bytes value) {
-      if (value == null) {
+      if (value == null || value.getLength() == 0) {
         values.remove(key);
       } else {
         values.put(key, value);
@@ -1241,7 +1241,7 @@ public class ColumnFamilyDescriptorBuilder {
      * @return this (for chained invocation)
      */
     public ModifyableColumnFamilyDescriptor setConfiguration(String key, String value) {
-      if (value == null) {
+      if (value == null || value.length() == 0) {
         configuration.remove(key);
       } else {
         configuration.put(key, value);
diff --git a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TableDescriptorBuilder.java b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TableDescriptorBuilder.java
index d35dd2c35af..53703211979 100644
--- a/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TableDescriptorBuilder.java
+++ b/hbase-client/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TableDescriptorBuilder.java
@@ -713,7 +713,7 @@ public class TableDescriptorBuilder {
               toBytesOrNull(value, Bytes::toBytes));
     }
 
-    /*
+    /**
      * @param key The key.
      * @param value The value. If null, removes the setting.
      */
@@ -722,14 +722,14 @@ public class TableDescriptorBuilder {
       return setValue(key, toBytesOrNull(value, Bytes::toBytes));
     }
 
-    /*
+    /**
      * Setter for storing metadata as a (key, value) pair in {@link #values} map
      *
      * @param key The key.
      * @param value The value. If null, removes the setting.
      */
     public ModifyableTableDescriptor setValue(final Bytes key, final Bytes value) {
-      if (value == null) {
+      if (value == null || value.getLength() == 0) {
         values.remove(key);
       } else {
         values.put(key, value);
diff --git a/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestColumnFamilyDescriptorBuilder.java b/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestColumnFamilyDescriptorBuilder.java
index f3052292477..478bc0f8ae7 100644
--- a/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestColumnFamilyDescriptorBuilder.java
+++ b/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestColumnFamilyDescriptorBuilder.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 package org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client;
 
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertNull;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 
 import org.apache.hadoop.hbase.HBaseClassTestRule;
@@ -222,6 +223,24 @@ public class TestColumnFamilyDescriptorBuilder {
       KeepDeletedCells.FALSE.toString());
     assertEquals(defaultValueMap.get(ColumnFamilyDescriptorBuilder.DATA_BLOCK_ENCODING),
       DataBlockEncoding.NONE.toString());
+  }
 
+  @Test
+  public void testSetEmptyValue() {
+    ColumnFamilyDescriptorBuilder builder =
+      ColumnFamilyDescriptorBuilder.newBuilder(HConstants.CATALOG_FAMILY);
+    String testConf = "TestConfiguration";
+    String testValue = "TestValue";
+    // test set value
+    builder.setValue(testValue, "2");
+    assertEquals("2", Bytes.toString(builder.build().getValue(Bytes.toBytes(testValue))));
+    builder.setValue(testValue, "");
+    assertNull(builder.build().getValue(Bytes.toBytes(testValue)));
+
+    // test set configuration
+    builder.setConfiguration(testConf, "1");
+    assertEquals("1", builder.build().getConfigurationValue(testConf));
+    builder.setConfiguration(testConf, "");
+    assertNull(builder.build().getConfigurationValue(testConf));
   }
 }
diff --git a/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestTableDescriptorBuilder.java b/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestTableDescriptorBuilder.java
index 19f872193b8..7328194a93b 100644
--- a/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestTableDescriptorBuilder.java
+++ b/hbase-client/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/client/TestTableDescriptorBuilder.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ package org.apache.hadoop.hbase.client;
 
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertNull;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 import static org.junit.Assert.fail;
 
@@ -327,4 +328,22 @@ public class TestTableDescriptorBuilder {
         "{TABLE_ATTRIBUTES => {DURABILITY => 'ASYNC_WAL'}}, {NAME => 'cf', BLOCKSIZE => '1000'}",
       htd.toStringCustomizedValues());
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testSetEmptyValue() {
+    TableDescriptorBuilder builder =
+      TableDescriptorBuilder.newBuilder(TableName.valueOf(name.getMethodName()));
+    String testValue = "TestValue";
+    // test setValue
+    builder.setValue(testValue, "2");
+    assertEquals("2", builder.build().getValue(testValue));
+    builder.setValue(testValue, "");
+    assertNull(builder.build().getValue(Bytes.toBytes(testValue)));
+
+    // test setFlushPolicyClassName
+    builder.setFlushPolicyClassName("class");
+    assertEquals("class", builder.build().getFlushPolicyClassName());
+    builder.setFlushPolicyClassName("");
+    assertNull(builder.build().getFlushPolicyClassName());
+  }
 }
diff --git a/hbase-shell/src/test/ruby/hbase/admin_test.rb b/hbase-shell/src/test/ruby/hbase/admin_test.rb
index 698a73b10d3..534a9d7064d 100644
--- a/hbase-shell/src/test/ruby/hbase/admin_test.rb
+++ b/hbase-shell/src/test/ruby/hbase/admin_test.rb
@@ -980,6 +980,22 @@ module Hbase
       assert_no_match(eval("/" + key_2 + "/"), admin.describe(@test_name))
     end
 
+    define_test "alter should be able to remove a list of table attributes when value is empty" do
+      drop_test_table(@test_name)
+
+      key_1 = "TestAttr1"
+      key_2 = "TestAttr2"
+      command(:create, @test_name, { NAME => 'i'}, METADATA => { key_1 => 1, key_2 => 2 })
+
+      # eval() is used to convert a string to regex
+      assert_match(eval("/" + key_1 + "/"), admin.describe(@test_name))
+      assert_match(eval("/" + key_2 + "/"), admin.describe(@test_name))
+
+      command(:alter, @test_name, METADATA => { key_1 => '', key_2 => '' })
+      assert_no_match(eval("/" + key_1 + "/"), admin.describe(@test_name))
+      assert_no_match(eval("/" + key_2 + "/"), admin.describe(@test_name))
+    end
+
     define_test "alter should be able to remove a table configuration" do
       drop_test_table(@test_name)
       create_test_table(@test_name)
@@ -1010,6 +1026,38 @@ module Hbase
       assert_no_match(eval("/" + key_2 + "/"), admin.describe(@test_name))
     end
 
+    define_test "alter should be able to remove a list of table configuration  when value is empty" do
+      drop_test_table(@test_name)
+
+      key_1 = "TestConf1"
+      key_2 = "TestConf2"
+      command(:create, @test_name, { NAME => 'i'}, CONFIGURATION => { key_1 => 1, key_2 => 2 })
+
+      # eval() is used to convert a string to regex
+      assert_match(eval("/" + key_1 + "/"), admin.describe(@test_name))
+      assert_match(eval("/" + key_2 + "/"), admin.describe(@test_name))
+
+      command(:alter, @test_name, CONFIGURATION => { key_1 => '', key_2 => '' })
+      assert_no_match(eval("/" + key_1 + "/"), admin.describe(@test_name))
+      assert_no_match(eval("/" + key_2 + "/"), admin.describe(@test_name))
+    end
+
+    define_test "alter should be able to remove a list of column family configuration when value is empty" do
+      drop_test_table(@test_name)
+
+      key_1 = "TestConf1"
+      key_2 = "TestConf2"
+      command(:create, @test_name, { NAME => 'i', CONFIGURATION => { key_1 => 1, key_2 => 2 }})
+
+      # eval() is used to convert a string to regex
+      assert_match(eval("/" + key_1 + "/"), admin.describe(@test_name))
+      assert_match(eval("/" + key_2 + "/"), admin.describe(@test_name))
+
+      command(:alter, @test_name, { NAME => 'i', CONFIGURATION => { key_1 => '', key_2 => '' }})
+      assert_no_match(eval("/" + key_1 + "/"), admin.describe(@test_name))
+      assert_no_match(eval("/" + key_2 + "/"), admin.describe(@test_name))
+    end
+
     define_test "get_table should get a real table" do
       drop_test_table(@test_name)
       create_test_table(@test_name)