diff --git a/library.js b/library.js
index 5e21a13..84d6972 100644
--- a/library.js
+++ b/library.js
@@ -80,6 +80,46 @@ async function preview(url) {
 	});
 }
 
+function isExternalLink(urlString) {
+	let urlObj;
+	let baseUrlObj;
+	try {
+		urlObj = new URL(urlString, nconf.get('url'));
+		baseUrlObj = nconf.get('url_parsed');
+	} catch (err) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	if (urlObj.host === null) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	const sameHost = urlObj.host === baseUrlObj.host &&
+		urlObj.protocol === baseUrlObj.protocol &&
+		(nconf.get('relative_path').length > 0 ? urlObj.pathname.indexOf(nconf.get('relative_path')) === 0 : true);
+	return !sameHost;
+}
+
+function buildRel(externalBlank, nofollow) {
+	const rel = [];
+	if (externalBlank) {
+		rel.push('noopener', 'noreferrer');
+	}
+	if (nofollow) {
+		rel.push('nofollow', 'ugc');
+	}
+	return rel.join(' ');
+}
+
+function externalLinkAttrs(url, md) {
+	const isExternal = isExternalLink(url);
+	return {
+		targetAttr: (md.externalBlank && isExternal) ? '_blank' : '',
+		relAttr: isExternal ? buildRel(md.externalBlank, md.nofollow) : '',
+		showExternalIcon: md.externalMark && isExternal,
+	};
+}
+
 async function process(content, { type, pid, tid, attachments }) {
 	const inlineTypes = ['default', 'activitypub.article'];
 	const processInline = inlineTypes.includes(type);
@@ -88,6 +128,13 @@ async function process(content, { type, pid, tid, attachments }) {
 		return content;
 	}
 
+	const markdownSettings = await meta.settings.get('markdown');
+	const md = {
+		externalBlank: markdownSettings.externalBlank === 'on',
+		externalMark: markdownSettings.externalMark === 'on',
+		nofollow: markdownSettings.nofollow === undefined ? true : markdownSettings.nofollow === 'on',
+	};
+
 	const requests = new Map();
 	let attachmentHtml = '';
 	let placeholderHtml = '';
@@ -205,7 +252,7 @@ async function process(content, { type, pid, tid, attachments }) {
 		const options = requests.get(url);
 		const cached = cache.get(`link-preview:${url}`);
 		if (cached) {
-			const html = await render(cached);
+			const html = await render(cached, md);
 			if (html) {
 				switch (options.type) {
 					case 'inline': {
@@ -224,7 +271,11 @@ async function process(content, { type, pid, tid, attachments }) {
 			}
 		} else {
 			if (options.type === 'attachment') {
-				placeholderHtml += `<p><a href="${url}" rel="nofollow ugc">${url}</a></p>`;
+				const { targetAttr, relAttr, showExternalIcon } = externalLinkAttrs(url, md);
+				const target = targetAttr ? ` target="${targetAttr}"` : '';
+				const rel = relAttr ? ` rel="${relAttr}"` : '';
+				const icon = showExternalIcon ? ' <i class="fa fa-external-link small external-link-icon"></i>' : '';
+				placeholderHtml += `<p><a href="${url}"${target}${rel}>${url}${icon}</a></p>`;
 			}
 			cold.add(url);
 		}
@@ -246,7 +297,7 @@ async function process(content, { type, pid, tid, attachments }) {
 				const parsedUrl = new URL(url);
 				preview.hostname = parsedUrl.hostname;
 
-				const html = await render(preview);
+				const html = await render(preview, md);
 				if (html) {
 					switch (options.type) {
 						case 'inline': {
@@ -269,7 +320,11 @@ async function process(content, { type, pid, tid, attachments }) {
 			}));
 
 			const placeholderHtml = Array.from(failures).reduce((html, cur) => {
-				html += `<p><a href="${cur}" rel="nofollow ugc">${cur}</a></p>`;
+				const { targetAttr, relAttr, showExternalIcon } = externalLinkAttrs(cur, md);
+				const target = targetAttr ? ` target="${targetAttr}"` : '';
+				const rel = relAttr ? ` rel="${relAttr}"` : '';
+				const icon = showExternalIcon ? ' <i class="fa fa-external-link small external-link-icon"></i>' : '';
+				html += `<p><a href="${cur}"${target}${rel}>${cur}${icon}</a></p>`;
 				return html;
 			}, '');
 			let modified = content;
@@ -320,7 +375,7 @@ async function process(content, { type, pid, tid, attachments }) {
 	return modified;
 }
 
-async function render(preview) {
+async function render(preview, md) {
 	const { app } = nodebb.require('./src/webserver');
 	const { embedHtml, embedImage, embedAudio, embedVideo, embedIframe } = await meta.settings.get('link-preview');
 
@@ -330,6 +385,11 @@ async function render(preview) {
 		return false;
 	}
 
+	const { targetAttr, relAttr, showExternalIcon } = externalLinkAttrs(preview.url, md);
+	preview.targetAttr = targetAttr;
+	preview.relAttr = relAttr;
+	preview.showExternalIcon = showExternalIcon;
+
 	if (embedHtml && preview.contentType.startsWith('text/html')) {
 		return await app.renderAsync('partials/link-preview/html', preview);
 	}
diff --git a/static/templates/partials/link-preview/html.tpl b/static/templates/partials/link-preview/html.tpl
index 3aa42b6..25dd6e9 100644
--- a/static/templates/partials/link-preview/html.tpl
+++ b/static/templates/partials/link-preview/html.tpl
@@ -2,21 +2,19 @@
 	{{{ if images.length }}}
 	{{{ each images }}}
 	{{{ if @first }}}
-	<a href="{url}" title="{title}">
-		<img src="{@value}" class="card-img-top not-responsive" style="max-height: 15rem;" alt="Link Preview Image" onerror="this.parentElement.remove()" />
-	</a>
+	<a href="{url}" title="{title}"{{{ if targetAttr }}} target="{targetAttr}"{{{ end }}}{{{ if relAttr }}} rel="{relAttr}"{{{ end }}}><img src="{@value}" class="card-img-top not-responsive" style="max-height: 15rem;" alt="Link Preview Image" onerror="this.parentElement.remove()" /></a>
 	{{{ end }}}
 	{{{ end }}}
 	{{{ end }}}
 	<div class="card-body">
 		<h5 class="card-title">
-			<a class="text-decoration-none" href="{url}">
-				{title}
+			<a class="text-decoration-none" href="{url}"{{{ if targetAttr }}} target="{targetAttr}"{{{ end }}}{{{ if relAttr }}} rel="{relAttr}"{{{ end }}}>
+				{title}{{{ if showExternalIcon }}} <i class="fa fa-external-link small external-link-icon"></i>{{{ end }}}
 			</a>
 		</h5>
 		<p class="card-text line-clamp-3">{description}</p>
 	</div>
-	<a href="{url}" class="card-footer text-body-secondary small d-flex gap-2 align-items-center lh-2">
+	<a href="{url}" class="card-footer text-body-secondary small d-flex gap-2 align-items-center lh-2"{{{ if targetAttr }}} target="{targetAttr}"{{{ end }}}{{{ if relAttr }}} rel="{relAttr}"{{{ end }}}>
 		{{{ if favicons.length }}}
 		{{{ each favicons }}}
 		{{{ if @first }}}
@@ -24,6 +22,6 @@
 		{{{ end }}}
 		{{{ end }}}
 		{{{ end }}}
-		<p class="d-inline-block text-truncate mb-0">{siteName} <span class="text-secondary">({hostname})</span></p>
+		<p class="d-inline-block text-truncate mb-0">{siteName} <span class="text-secondary">({hostname})</span></p>{{{ if showExternalIcon }}} <i class="fa fa-external-link small external-link-icon"></i>{{{ end }}}
 	</a>
 </div>
\ No newline at end of file