diff --git a/queryserver/src/main/java/org/apache/phoenix/queryserver/server/QueryServer.java b/queryserver/src/main/java/org/apache/phoenix/queryserver/server/QueryServer.java
index 4766394..5f39362 100644
--- a/queryserver/src/main/java/org/apache/phoenix/queryserver/server/QueryServer.java
+++ b/queryserver/src/main/java/org/apache/phoenix/queryserver/server/QueryServer.java
@@ -286,18 +286,12 @@
   }
 
   @VisibleForTesting
-  void configureSpnegoAuthentication(HttpServer.Builder builder, UserGroupInformation ugi) {
+  void configureSpnegoAuthentication(HttpServer.Builder builder, UserGroupInformation ugi) throws IOException {
     String keytabPath = getConf().get(QueryServices.QUERY_SERVER_KEYTAB_FILENAME_ATTRIB);
     File keytab = new File(keytabPath);
     String httpKeytabPath =
             getConf().get(QueryServices.QUERY_SERVER_HTTP_KEYTAB_FILENAME_ATTRIB, null);
-    String httpPrincipal =
-            getConf().get(QueryServices.QUERY_SERVER_KERBEROS_HTTP_PRINCIPAL_ATTRIB, null);
-    // Backwards compat for a configuration key change
-    if (httpPrincipal == null) {
-      httpPrincipal =
-              getConf().get(QueryServices.QUERY_SERVER_KERBEROS_HTTP_PRINCIPAL_ATTRIB_LEGACY, null);
-    }
+    String httpPrincipal = getSpnegoPrincipal(getConf());
     File httpKeytab = null;
     if (null != httpKeytabPath) {
         httpKeytab = new File(httpKeytabPath);
@@ -316,6 +310,26 @@
     }
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Returns the Kerberos principal to use for SPNEGO, substituting {@code _HOST}
+   * if it is present as the "instance" component of the Kerberos principal. It returns
+   * the configured principal as-is if {@code _HOST} is not the "instance".
+   */
+  String getSpnegoPrincipal(Configuration conf) throws IOException {
+    String httpPrincipal = conf.get(
+        QueryServices.QUERY_SERVER_KERBEROS_HTTP_PRINCIPAL_ATTRIB, null);
+    // Backwards compat for a configuration key change
+    if (httpPrincipal == null) {
+      httpPrincipal = conf.get(
+          QueryServices.QUERY_SERVER_KERBEROS_HTTP_PRINCIPAL_ATTRIB_LEGACY, null);
+    }
+
+    String hostname = Strings.domainNamePointerToHostName(DNS.getDefaultHost(
+        conf.get(QueryServices.QUERY_SERVER_DNS_INTERFACE_ATTRIB, "default"),
+        conf.get(QueryServices.QUERY_SERVER_DNS_NAMESERVER_ATTRIB, "default")));
+    return SecurityUtil.getServerPrincipal(httpPrincipal, hostname);
+  }
+
   @VisibleForTesting
   UserGroupInformation getUserGroupInformation() throws IOException {
     UserGroupInformation ugi = UserGroupInformation.getCurrentUser();
diff --git a/queryserver/src/test/java/org/apache/phoenix/queryserver/server/QueryServerTest.java b/queryserver/src/test/java/org/apache/phoenix/queryserver/server/QueryServerTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..243e713
--- /dev/null
+++ b/queryserver/src/test/java/org/apache/phoenix/queryserver/server/QueryServerTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file
+ * distributed with this work for additional information
+ * regarding copyright ownership.  The ASF licenses this file
+ * to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
+ * "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+ * with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.apache.phoenix.queryserver.server;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.net.InetAddress;
+
+import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
+import org.apache.phoenix.query.QueryServices;
+import org.junit.Before;
+import org.junit.BeforeClass;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+public class QueryServerTest {
+
+  private static String getSpnegoPrincipal(String instance) {
+    return "HTTP/" + instance + "@EXAMPLE.COM";
+  }
+
+  private static String EXPECTED_HOSTNAME;
+  private QueryServer qs;
+  private Configuration conf;
+
+  @BeforeClass
+  public static void setupOnce() throws IOException {
+    EXPECTED_HOSTNAME = InetAddress.getLocalHost().getCanonicalHostName();
+  }
+
+  @Before
+  public void setup() {
+    this.conf = new Configuration(false);
+    this.qs = new QueryServer();
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testHostExpansion() throws IOException {
+    conf.set(QueryServices.QUERY_SERVER_KERBEROS_HTTP_PRINCIPAL_ATTRIB, getSpnegoPrincipal("_HOST"));
+
+    assertEquals(getSpnegoPrincipal(EXPECTED_HOSTNAME), qs.getSpnegoPrincipal(conf));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testHostExpansionWithOldName() throws IOException {
+    conf.set(QueryServices.QUERY_SERVER_KERBEROS_HTTP_PRINCIPAL_ATTRIB_LEGACY, getSpnegoPrincipal("_HOST"));
+
+    assertEquals(getSpnegoPrincipal(EXPECTED_HOSTNAME), qs.getSpnegoPrincipal(conf));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testHostExpansionWithOldAndNewNames() throws IOException {
+    conf.set(QueryServices.QUERY_SERVER_KERBEROS_HTTP_PRINCIPAL_ATTRIB, getSpnegoPrincipal("_HOST"));
+    // When we provide both names, the new property should take priority
+    conf.set(QueryServices.QUERY_SERVER_KERBEROS_HTTP_PRINCIPAL_ATTRIB_LEGACY, "fake_" + getSpnegoPrincipal("_HOST"));
+
+    assertEquals(getSpnegoPrincipal(EXPECTED_HOSTNAME), qs.getSpnegoPrincipal(conf));
+  }
+
+}