diff --git a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/debian-bootstrap.pre b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/debian-bootstrap.pre
index 7c76dce663e1d8ad2c2937c8bfa0e85e16e0f986..56e1aa7a21418437b5b0fbaf473a8686338d9014 100755
--- a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/debian-bootstrap.pre
+++ b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/debian-bootstrap.pre
@@ -32,6 +32,15 @@ if [ -z "${DEB_TYPE}" ]; then
 
 fi
 
+# The following allow finer grain control over the defaults
+if [ -z "${DEB_VARIANT}" ]; then
+    DEB_VARIANT=buildd
+fi
+
+if [ -z "${DEB_URL}" ]; then
+    DEB_URL="http://httpredir.debian.org/debian"
+fi
+
 # We check in order for
 #
 #  - DEBOOTSTRAP_DIR pointing at a development checkout
@@ -107,5 +116,5 @@ fi
 
 echo "Building a rootfs using ${FAKEROOT} and ${DEBOOTSTRAP} ${DEB_ARCH}/${DEB_TYPE}"
 
-${FAKEROOT} ${DEBOOTSTRAP} --variant=buildd --foreign --arch=$DEB_ARCH $DEB_TYPE . http://httpredir.debian.org/debian || exit 1
+${FAKEROOT} ${DEBOOTSTRAP} --variant=$DEB_VARIANT --foreign --arch=$DEB_ARCH $DEB_TYPE . $DEB_URL || exit 1
 exit 0