diff --git a/lib/src/config/backends.rs b/lib/src/config/backends.rs
index 62dd2f11..feb1ffbc 100644
--- a/lib/src/config/backends.rs
+++ b/lib/src/config/backends.rs
@@ -130,20 +130,7 @@ mod deserialization {
 
             let ca_certs = toml
                 .remove("ca_certificate")
-                .map(|ca_cert| match ca_cert {
-                    Value::String(ca_cert) if !ca_cert.trim().is_empty() => {
-                        let mut cursor = std::io::Cursor::new(ca_cert);
-                        rustls_pemfile::certs(&mut cursor)
-                            .map_err(|_| BackendConfigError::InvalidCACertEntry)
-                            .map(|mut x| {
-                                x.drain(..)
-                                    .map(|c| rustls::Certificate(c))
-                                    .collect::<Vec<rustls::Certificate>>()
-                            })
-                    }
-                    Value::String(_) => Err(BackendConfigError::EmptyCACert),
-                    _ => Err(BackendConfigError::InvalidCACertEntry),
-                })
+                .map(parse_ca_cert_section)
                 .unwrap_or_else(|| Ok(vec![]))?;
 
             let grpc = toml
@@ -172,4 +159,56 @@ mod deserialization {
             })
         }
     }
+
+    fn parse_ca_cert_section(
+        ca_cert: Value,
+    ) -> Result<Vec<rustls::Certificate>, BackendConfigError> {
+        match ca_cert {
+            Value::String(ca_cert) if !ca_cert.trim().is_empty() => {
+                let mut cursor = std::io::Cursor::new(ca_cert);
+                rustls_pemfile::certs(&mut cursor)
+                    .map_err(|e| BackendConfigError::InvalidCACertEntry(format!("Couldn't process certificate: {}", e)))
+                    .map(|mut x| {
+                        x.drain(..)
+                            .map(rustls::Certificate)
+                            .collect::<Vec<rustls::Certificate>>()
+                    })
+            }
+            Value::String(_) => Err(BackendConfigError::EmptyCACert),
+
+            Value::Array(array) => {
+                let mut result = vec![];
+
+                for item in array.into_iter() {
+                    let mut current = parse_ca_cert_section(item)?;
+                    result.append(&mut current);
+                }
+
+                Ok(result)
+            }
+
+            Value::Table(mut table) => {
+                match table.remove("file") {
+                    None => match table.remove("value") {
+                        None => Err(BackendConfigError::InvalidCACertEntry("'ca_certificate' was a dictionary without a 'file' or 'value' field".to_string())),
+                        Some(strval @ Value::String(_)) => parse_ca_cert_section(strval),
+                        Some(_) => Err(BackendConfigError::InvalidCACertEntry("invalid format for 'value' field".to_string())),
+                    },
+                    Some(Value::String(x)) => {
+                        if !table.is_empty() {
+                            return Err(BackendConfigError::InvalidCACertEntry(format!("unknown ca_certificate keys: {:?}", table.keys().collect::<Vec<_>>())));
+                        }
+
+                        let data = std::fs::read_to_string(&x)
+                            .map_err(|e| BackendConfigError::InvalidCACertEntry(format!("{}", e)))?;
+                        parse_ca_cert_section(Value::String(data))
+                    }
+
+                    Some(_) => Err(BackendConfigError::InvalidCACertEntry("invalid format for file reference".to_string())),
+                }
+            }
+
+            _ => Err(BackendConfigError::InvalidCACertEntry("unknown format for 'ca_certificates' field; should be a certificate string, a dictionary with a file reference, or an array of the previous".to_string())),
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/lib/src/config/unit_tests.rs b/lib/src/config/unit_tests.rs
index 424159ef..2d2ef9f4 100644
--- a/lib/src/config/unit_tests.rs
+++ b/lib/src/config/unit_tests.rs
@@ -1132,4 +1132,87 @@ Qq7tJAMLnPnAdAUousI0RDcLpB8adGkhZH66lL4oV9U+aQ0dA0oiqSKZtMoHeWbr
             .expect("no blåhaj :(");
         assert!(!shark_backend.ca_certs.is_empty());
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn reads_file_path_ca_certs() {
+        let ca_backend = format!(
+            r#"
+[backends]
+[backends.dog]
+url = "http://localhost:7676/dog-mocks"
+
+[backends."shark.server"]
+url = "http://localhost:7676/shark-mocks"
+override_host = "somehost.com"
+ca_certificate.file = {:?}
+"#,
+            concat!(env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR"), "/../test-fixtures/data/ca.pem")
+        );
+
+        let with_ca = read_local_server_config(&ca_backend).expect("can parse backends with ca");
+        let dog_backend = with_ca.backends.0.get("dog").expect("fetch failed :(");
+        assert!(dog_backend.ca_certs.is_empty());
+        let shark_backend = with_ca
+            .backends
+            .0
+            .get("shark.server")
+            .expect("no blåhaj :(");
+        assert!(!shark_backend.ca_certs.is_empty());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn reads_multiple_ca_certs() {
+        let ca_backend = format!(
+            r#"
+[backends]
+[backends.dog]
+url = "http://localhost:7676/dog-mocks"
+
+[backends."shark.server"]
+url = "http://localhost:7676/shark-mocks"
+override_host = "somehost.com"
+[[backends."shark.server".ca_certificate]]
+file = {:?}
+[[backends."shark.server".ca_certificate]]
+file = {:?}
+[[backends."shark.server".ca_certificate]]
+value = '''
+-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----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+-----END CERTIFICATE-----
+'''
+"#,
+            concat!(env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR"), "/../test-fixtures/data/ca.pem"),
+            concat!(env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR"), "/../test-fixtures/data/ca.pem")
+        );
+
+        let with_ca = read_local_server_config(&ca_backend).expect("can parse backends with ca");
+        let dog_backend = with_ca.backends.0.get("dog").expect("fetch failed :(");
+        assert!(dog_backend.ca_certs.is_empty());
+        let shark_backend = with_ca
+            .backends
+            .0
+            .get("shark.server")
+            .expect("no blåhaj :(");
+        assert_eq!(3, shark_backend.ca_certs.len());
+    }
 }
diff --git a/lib/src/error.rs b/lib/src/error.rs
index daa5816b..ad0b49c7 100644
--- a/lib/src/error.rs
+++ b/lib/src/error.rs
@@ -416,8 +416,8 @@ pub enum BackendConfigError {
     #[error("'ca_certificate' field is empty")]
     EmptyCACert,
 
-    #[error("'ca_certificate' field was not a string")]
-    InvalidCACertEntry,
+    #[error("'ca_certificate' field was invalid: {0}")]
+    InvalidCACertEntry(String),
 
     #[error("'use_sni' field was not a boolean")]
     InvalidUseSniEntry,