diff --git a/src/rio.c b/src/rio.c
index d87d62fd791357f4017b60bf06d8c88f2d187e65..b2f46a08bc14cd02e46661004a3eca5a889cba56 100644
--- a/src/rio.c
+++ b/src/rio.c
@@ -48,9 +48,12 @@
 #include "fmacros.h"
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
 #include "rio.h"
 #include "util.h"
 #include "crc64.h"
+#include "config.h"
+#include "redis.h"
 
 /* Returns 1 or 0 for success/failure. */
 static size_t rioBufferWrite(rio *r, const void *buf, size_t len) {
@@ -75,7 +78,18 @@ static off_t rioBufferTell(rio *r) {
 
 /* Returns 1 or 0 for success/failure. */
 static size_t rioFileWrite(rio *r, const void *buf, size_t len) {
-    return fwrite(buf,len,1,r->io.file.fp);
+    size_t retval;
+
+    retval = fwrite(buf,len,1,r->io.file.fp);
+    r->io.file.buffered += len;
+
+    if (r->io.file.autosync &&
+        r->io.file.buffered >= r->io.file.autosync)
+    {
+        aof_fsync(fileno(r->io.file.fp));
+        r->io.file.buffered = 0;
+    }
+    return retval;
 }
 
 /* Returns 1 or 0 for success/failure. */
@@ -109,6 +123,8 @@ static const rio rioFileIO = {
 void rioInitWithFile(rio *r, FILE *fp) {
     *r = rioFileIO;
     r->io.file.fp = fp;
+    r->io.file.buffered = 0;
+    r->io.file.autosync = 0;
 }
 
 void rioInitWithBuffer(rio *r, sds s) {
@@ -123,6 +139,19 @@ void rioGenericUpdateChecksum(rio *r, const void *buf, size_t len) {
     r->cksum = crc64(r->cksum,buf,len);
 }
 
+/* Set the file-based rio object to auto-fsync every 'bytes' file written.
+ * By default this is set to zero that means no automatic file sync is
+ * performed.
+ *
+ * This feature is useful in a few contexts since when we rely on OS write
+ * buffers sometimes the OS buffers way too much, resulting in too many
+ * disk I/O concentrated in very little time. When we fsync in an explicit
+ * way instead the I/O pressure is more distributed across time. */
+void rioSetAutoSync(rio *r, off_t bytes) {
+    redisAssert(r->read == rioFileIO.read);
+    r->io.file.autosync = bytes;
+}
+
 /* ------------------------------ Higher level interface ---------------------------
  * The following higher level functions use lower level rio.c functions to help
  * generating the Redis protocol for the Append Only File. */
diff --git a/src/rio.h b/src/rio.h
index ba17469f832cd08ed3b112dc0537c666eb8af5f1..3cab66af0f927a53a6116d7435adc32d47bd7b98 100644
--- a/src/rio.h
+++ b/src/rio.h
@@ -61,6 +61,8 @@ struct _rio {
         } buffer;
         struct {
             FILE *fp;
+            off_t buffered; /* Bytes written since last fsync. */
+            off_t autosync; /* fsync after 'autosync' bytes written. */
         } file;
     } io;
 };
@@ -97,5 +99,6 @@ size_t rioWriteBulkLongLong(rio *r, long long l);
 size_t rioWriteBulkDouble(rio *r, double d);
 
 void rioGenericUpdateChecksum(rio *r, const void *buf, size_t len);
+void rioSetAutoSync(rio *r, off_t bytes);
 
 #endif