diff --git a/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-standard-bundle/nifi-standard-processors/src/main/java/org/apache/nifi/processors/standard/InvokeHTTP.java b/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-standard-bundle/nifi-standard-processors/src/main/java/org/apache/nifi/processors/standard/InvokeHTTP.java
index 6c3e32e383..bb5b3b59dd 100644
--- a/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-standard-bundle/nifi-standard-processors/src/main/java/org/apache/nifi/processors/standard/InvokeHTTP.java
+++ b/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-standard-bundle/nifi-standard-processors/src/main/java/org/apache/nifi/processors/standard/InvokeHTTP.java
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@ import org.joda.time.format.DateTimeFormatter;
     @WritesAttribute(attribute = "invokehttp.request.url", description = "The request URL"),
     @WritesAttribute(attribute = "invokehttp.tx.id", description = "The transaction ID that is returned after reading the response"),
     @WritesAttribute(attribute = "invokehttp.remote.dn", description = "The DN of the remote server"),
+    @WritesAttribute(attribute = "invokehttp.java.exception", description = "The Java exception raised when the processor fails"),
     @WritesAttribute(attribute = "user-defined", description = "If the 'Put Response Body In Attribute' property is set then whatever it is set to "
         + "will become the attribute key and the value would be the body of the HTTP response.")})
 @DynamicProperty(name = "Header Name", value = "Attribute Expression Language", supportsExpressionLanguage = true, description = "Send request header "
@@ -118,6 +119,8 @@ public final class InvokeHTTP extends AbstractProcessor {
     public final static String REQUEST_URL = "invokehttp.request.url";
     public final static String TRANSACTION_ID = "invokehttp.tx.id";
     public final static String REMOTE_DN = "invokehttp.remote.dn";
+    public final static String EXCEPTION_CLASS = "invokehttp.java.exception";
+
 
     public static final String DEFAULT_CONTENT_TYPE = "application/octet-stream";
 
@@ -126,7 +129,7 @@ public final class InvokeHTTP extends AbstractProcessor {
     // This set includes our strings defined above as well as some standard flowfile
     // attributes.
     public static final Set<String> IGNORED_ATTRIBUTES = Collections.unmodifiableSet(new HashSet<>(Arrays.asList(
-            STATUS_CODE, STATUS_MESSAGE, RESPONSE_BODY, REQUEST_URL, TRANSACTION_ID, REMOTE_DN,
+            STATUS_CODE, STATUS_MESSAGE, RESPONSE_BODY, REQUEST_URL, TRANSACTION_ID, REMOTE_DN, EXCEPTION_CLASS,
             "uuid", "filename", "path")));
 
     // properties
@@ -753,6 +756,9 @@ public final class InvokeHTTP extends AbstractProcessor {
             if (requestFlowFile != null) {
                 logger.error("Routing to {} due to exception: {}", new Object[]{REL_FAILURE.getName(), e}, e);
                 requestFlowFile = session.penalize(requestFlowFile);
+                String attributeKey = EXCEPTION_CLASS;
+                String attributeValue = e.getClass().getName();
+                requestFlowFile = session.putAttribute(requestFlowFile, attributeKey, attributeValue);
                 // transfer original to failure
                 session.transfer(requestFlowFile, REL_FAILURE);
             } else {
diff --git a/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-standard-bundle/nifi-standard-processors/src/test/java/org/apache/nifi/processors/standard/TestInvokeHTTP.java b/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-standard-bundle/nifi-standard-processors/src/test/java/org/apache/nifi/processors/standard/TestInvokeHTTP.java
index d08f0833ff..fc0570add9 100644
--- a/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-standard-bundle/nifi-standard-processors/src/test/java/org/apache/nifi/processors/standard/TestInvokeHTTP.java
+++ b/nifi-nar-bundles/nifi-standard-bundle/nifi-standard-processors/src/test/java/org/apache/nifi/processors/standard/TestInvokeHTTP.java
@@ -184,6 +184,31 @@ public class TestInvokeHTTP extends TestInvokeHttpCommon {
         bundle1.assertAttributeEquals("Content-Type", "text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1");
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testFailingHttpRequest() throws Exception {
+
+        runner = TestRunners.newTestRunner(InvokeHTTP.class);
+
+        // Remember: we expect that connecting to the following URL should raise a Java exception
+        runner.setProperty(InvokeHTTP.PROP_URL, "http://127.0.0.1:0");
+
+        createFlowFiles(runner);
+
+        runner.run();
+
+        runner.assertTransferCount(InvokeHTTP.REL_SUCCESS_REQ, 0);
+        runner.assertTransferCount(InvokeHTTP.REL_RESPONSE, 0);
+        runner.assertTransferCount(InvokeHTTP.REL_RETRY, 0);
+        runner.assertTransferCount(InvokeHTTP.REL_NO_RETRY, 0);
+        runner.assertTransferCount(InvokeHTTP.REL_FAILURE, 1);
+        runner.assertPenalizeCount(1);
+
+        // expected in request java.exception
+        final MockFlowFile bundle = runner.getFlowFilesForRelationship(InvokeHTTP.REL_FAILURE).get(0);
+        bundle.assertAttributeEquals(InvokeHTTP.EXCEPTION_CLASS, "java.lang.IllegalArgumentException");
+
+    }
+
     public static class MyProxyHandler extends AbstractHandler {
 
         @Override