diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index d2ea6efb3..f6cf1e26c 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -215,6 +215,7 @@ set(SOURCES
         util/options_builder.cc
         util/options_helper.cc
         util/options_parser.cc
+        util/options_sanity_check.cc
         util/perf_context.cc
         util/perf_level.cc
         util/rate_limiter.cc
diff --git a/src.mk b/src.mk
index 46083c750..802fc6138 100644
--- a/src.mk
+++ b/src.mk
@@ -138,10 +138,11 @@ LIB_SOURCES =                                                   \
   util/memenv.cc                                                \
   util/murmurhash.cc                                            \
   util/mutable_cf_options.cc                                    \
-  util/options_builder.cc                                       \
   util/options.cc                                               \
+  util/options_builder.cc                                       \
   util/options_helper.cc                                        \
   util/options_parser.cc                                        \
+  util/options_sanity_check.cc                                  \
   util/perf_context.cc                                          \
   util/perf_level.cc                                            \
   util/rate_limiter.cc                                          \
diff --git a/util/options_parser.cc b/util/options_parser.cc
index c8439c6fd..fa00a3c3b 100644
--- a/util/options_parser.cc
+++ b/util/options_parser.cc
@@ -581,7 +581,8 @@ bool AreEqualOptions(
 Status RocksDBOptionsParser::VerifyRocksDBOptionsFromFile(
     const DBOptions& db_opt, const std::vector<std::string>& cf_names,
     const std::vector<ColumnFamilyOptions>& cf_opts,
-    const std::string& file_name, Env* env) {
+    const std::string& file_name, Env* env,
+    OptionsSanityCheckLevel sanity_check_level) {
   RocksDBOptionsParser parser;
   std::unique_ptr<SequentialFile> seq_file;
   Status s = parser.Parse(file_name, env);
@@ -590,20 +591,28 @@ Status RocksDBOptionsParser::VerifyRocksDBOptionsFromFile(
   }
 
   // Verify DBOptions
-  s = VerifyDBOptions(db_opt, *parser.db_opt(), parser.db_opt_map());
+  s = VerifyDBOptions(db_opt, *parser.db_opt(), parser.db_opt_map(),
+                      sanity_check_level);
   if (!s.ok()) {
     return s;
   }
 
   // Verify ColumnFamily Name
   if (cf_names.size() != parser.cf_names()->size()) {
-    return Status::Corruption(
-        "[RocksDBOptionParser Error] The persisted options does not have"
-        "the same number of column family names as the db instance.");
+    if (sanity_check_level >= kSanityLevelLooselyCompatible) {
+      return Status::InvalidArgument(
+          "[RocksDBOptionParser Error] The persisted options does not have "
+          "the same number of column family names as the db instance.");
+    } else if (cf_opts.size() > parser.cf_opts()->size()) {
+      return Status::InvalidArgument(
+          "[RocksDBOptionsParser Error]",
+          "The persisted options file has less number of column family "
+          "names than that of the specified one.");
+    }
   }
   for (size_t i = 0; i < cf_names.size(); ++i) {
     if (cf_names[i] != parser.cf_names()->at(i)) {
-      return Status::Corruption(
+      return Status::InvalidArgument(
           "[RocksDBOptionParser Error] The persisted options and the db"
           "instance does not have the same name for column family ",
           ToString(i));
@@ -612,18 +621,27 @@ Status RocksDBOptionsParser::VerifyRocksDBOptionsFromFile(
 
   // Verify Column Family Options
   if (cf_opts.size() != parser.cf_opts()->size()) {
-    return Status::Corruption(
-        "[RocksDBOptionParser Error] The persisted options does not have"
-        "the same number of column families as the db instance.");
+    if (sanity_check_level >= kSanityLevelLooselyCompatible) {
+      return Status::InvalidArgument(
+          "[RocksDBOptionsParser Error]",
+          "The persisted options does not have the same number of "
+          "column families as the db instance.");
+    } else if (cf_opts.size() > parser.cf_opts()->size()) {
+      return Status::InvalidArgument(
+          "[RocksDBOptionsParser Error]",
+          "The persisted options file has less number of column families "
+          "than that of the specified number.");
+    }
   }
   for (size_t i = 0; i < cf_opts.size(); ++i) {
     s = VerifyCFOptions(cf_opts[i], parser.cf_opts()->at(i),
-                        &(parser.cf_opt_maps()->at(i)));
+                        &(parser.cf_opt_maps()->at(i)), sanity_check_level);
     if (!s.ok()) {
       return s;
     }
     s = VerifyTableFactory(cf_opts[i].table_factory.get(),
-                           parser.cf_opts()->at(i).table_factory.get());
+                           parser.cf_opts()->at(i).table_factory.get(),
+                           sanity_check_level);
     if (!s.ok()) {
       return s;
     }
@@ -633,42 +651,75 @@ Status RocksDBOptionsParser::VerifyRocksDBOptionsFromFile(
 }
 
 Status RocksDBOptionsParser::VerifyDBOptions(
-    const DBOptions& base_opt, const DBOptions& new_opt,
-    const std::unordered_map<std::string, std::string>* opt_map) {
+    const DBOptions& base_opt, const DBOptions& persisted_opt,
+    const std::unordered_map<std::string, std::string>* opt_map,
+    OptionsSanityCheckLevel sanity_check_level) {
   for (auto pair : db_options_type_info) {
     if (pair.second.verification == OptionVerificationType::kDeprecated) {
       // We skip checking deprecated variables as they might
       // contain random values since they might not be initialized
       continue;
     }
-    if (!AreEqualOptions(reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&base_opt),
-                         reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&new_opt), pair.second,
-                         pair.first, nullptr)) {
-      return Status::Corruption(
-          "[RocksDBOptionsParser]: "
-          "failed the verification on DBOptions::",
-          pair.first);
+    if (DBOptionSanityCheckLevel(pair.first) <= sanity_check_level) {
+      if (!AreEqualOptions(reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&base_opt),
+                           reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&persisted_opt),
+                           pair.second, pair.first, nullptr)) {
+        const size_t kBufferSize = 2048;
+        char buffer[kBufferSize];
+        std::string base_value;
+        std::string persisted_value;
+        SerializeSingleOptionHelper(
+            reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&base_opt) + pair.second.offset,
+            pair.second.type, &base_value);
+        SerializeSingleOptionHelper(
+            reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&persisted_opt) + pair.second.offset,
+            pair.second.type, &persisted_value);
+        snprintf(buffer, sizeof(buffer),
+                 "[RocksDBOptionsParser]: "
+                 "failed the verification on DBOptions::%s --- "
+                 "The specified one is %s while the persisted one is %s.\n",
+                 pair.first.c_str(), base_value.c_str(),
+                 persisted_value.c_str());
+        return Status::InvalidArgument(Slice(buffer, strlen(buffer)));
+      }
     }
   }
   return Status::OK();
 }
 
 Status RocksDBOptionsParser::VerifyCFOptions(
-    const ColumnFamilyOptions& base_opt, const ColumnFamilyOptions& new_opt,
-    const std::unordered_map<std::string, std::string>* new_opt_map) {
+    const ColumnFamilyOptions& base_opt,
+    const ColumnFamilyOptions& persisted_opt,
+    const std::unordered_map<std::string, std::string>* persisted_opt_map,
+    OptionsSanityCheckLevel sanity_check_level) {
   for (auto& pair : cf_options_type_info) {
     if (pair.second.verification == OptionVerificationType::kDeprecated) {
       // We skip checking deprecated variables as they might
       // contain random values since they might not be initialized
       continue;
     }
-    if (!AreEqualOptions(reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&base_opt),
-                         reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&new_opt), pair.second,
-                         pair.first, new_opt_map)) {
-      return Status::Corruption(
-          "[RocksDBOptionsParser]: "
-          "failed the verification on ColumnFamilyOptions::",
-          pair.first);
+    if (CFOptionSanityCheckLevel(pair.first) <= sanity_check_level) {
+      if (!AreEqualOptions(reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&base_opt),
+                           reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&persisted_opt),
+                           pair.second, pair.first, persisted_opt_map)) {
+        const size_t kBufferSize = 2048;
+        char buffer[kBufferSize];
+        std::string base_value;
+        std::string persisted_value;
+        SerializeSingleOptionHelper(
+            reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&base_opt) + pair.second.offset,
+            pair.second.type, &base_value);
+        SerializeSingleOptionHelper(
+            reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&persisted_opt) + pair.second.offset,
+            pair.second.type, &persisted_value);
+        snprintf(buffer, sizeof(buffer),
+                 "[RocksDBOptionsParser]: "
+                 "failed the verification on ColumnFamilyOptions::%s --- "
+                 "The specified one is %s while the persisted one is %s.\n",
+                 pair.first.c_str(), base_value.c_str(),
+                 persisted_value.c_str());
+        return Status::InvalidArgument(Slice(buffer, sizeof(buffer)));
+      }
     }
   }
   return Status::OK();
@@ -676,8 +727,10 @@ Status RocksDBOptionsParser::VerifyCFOptions(
 
 Status RocksDBOptionsParser::VerifyBlockBasedTableFactory(
     const BlockBasedTableFactory* base_tf,
-    const BlockBasedTableFactory* file_tf) {
-  if ((base_tf != nullptr) != (file_tf != nullptr)) {
+    const BlockBasedTableFactory* file_tf,
+    OptionsSanityCheckLevel sanity_check_level) {
+  if ((base_tf != nullptr) != (file_tf != nullptr) &&
+      sanity_check_level > kSanityLevelNone) {
     return Status::Corruption(
         "[RocksDBOptionsParser]: Inconsistent TableFactory class type");
   }
@@ -694,29 +747,34 @@ Status RocksDBOptionsParser::VerifyBlockBasedTableFactory(
       // contain random values since they might not be initialized
       continue;
     }
-    if (!AreEqualOptions(reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&base_opt),
-                         reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&file_opt), pair.second,
-                         pair.first, nullptr)) {
-      return Status::Corruption(
-          "[RocksDBOptionsParser]: "
-          "failed the verification on BlockBasedTableOptions::",
-          pair.first);
+    if (BBTOptionSanityCheckLevel(pair.first) <= sanity_check_level) {
+      if (!AreEqualOptions(reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&base_opt),
+                           reinterpret_cast<const char*>(&file_opt),
+                           pair.second, pair.first, nullptr)) {
+        return Status::Corruption(
+            "[RocksDBOptionsParser]: "
+            "failed the verification on BlockBasedTableOptions::",
+            pair.first);
+      }
     }
   }
   return Status::OK();
 }
 
-Status RocksDBOptionsParser::VerifyTableFactory(const TableFactory* base_tf,
-                                                const TableFactory* file_tf) {
+Status RocksDBOptionsParser::VerifyTableFactory(
+    const TableFactory* base_tf, const TableFactory* file_tf,
+    OptionsSanityCheckLevel sanity_check_level) {
   if (base_tf && file_tf) {
-    if (base_tf->Name() != file_tf->Name()) {
+    if (sanity_check_level > kSanityLevelNone &&
+        base_tf->Name() != file_tf->Name()) {
       return Status::Corruption(
           "[RocksDBOptionsParser]: "
           "failed the verification on TableFactory->Name()");
     }
     auto s = VerifyBlockBasedTableFactory(
         dynamic_cast<const BlockBasedTableFactory*>(base_tf),
-        dynamic_cast<const BlockBasedTableFactory*>(file_tf));
+        dynamic_cast<const BlockBasedTableFactory*>(file_tf),
+        sanity_check_level);
     if (!s.ok()) {
       return s;
     }
diff --git a/util/options_parser.h b/util/options_parser.h
index 4ceae7254..e5dfba17a 100644
--- a/util/options_parser.h
+++ b/util/options_parser.h
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@
 
 #include "rocksdb/env.h"
 #include "rocksdb/options.h"
+#include "util/options_helper.h"
+#include "util/options_sanity_check.h"
 #include "table/block_based_table_factory.h"
 
 namespace rocksdb {
@@ -65,24 +67,27 @@ class RocksDBOptionsParser {
   static Status VerifyRocksDBOptionsFromFile(
       const DBOptions& db_opt, const std::vector<std::string>& cf_names,
       const std::vector<ColumnFamilyOptions>& cf_opts,
-      const std::string& file_name, Env* env);
+      const std::string& file_name, Env* env,
+      OptionsSanityCheckLevel sanity_check_level = kSanityLevelExactMatch);
 
   static Status VerifyDBOptions(
       const DBOptions& base_opt, const DBOptions& new_opt,
-      const std::unordered_map<std::string, std::string>* new_opt_map =
-          nullptr);
+      const std::unordered_map<std::string, std::string>* new_opt_map = nullptr,
+      OptionsSanityCheckLevel sanity_check_level = kSanityLevelExactMatch);
 
   static Status VerifyCFOptions(
       const ColumnFamilyOptions& base_opt, const ColumnFamilyOptions& new_opt,
-      const std::unordered_map<std::string, std::string>* new_opt_map =
-          nullptr);
+      const std::unordered_map<std::string, std::string>* new_opt_map = nullptr,
+      OptionsSanityCheckLevel sanity_check_level = kSanityLevelExactMatch);
 
   static Status VerifyTableFactory(const TableFactory* base_tf,
-                                   const TableFactory* file_tf);
+                                   const TableFactory* file_tf,
+                                   OptionsSanityCheckLevel sanity_check_level);
 
   static Status VerifyBlockBasedTableFactory(
       const BlockBasedTableFactory* base_tf,
-      const BlockBasedTableFactory* file_tf);
+      const BlockBasedTableFactory* file_tf,
+      OptionsSanityCheckLevel sanity_check_level);
 
   static Status ExtraParserCheck(const RocksDBOptionsParser& input_parser);
 
diff --git a/util/options_sanity_check.cc b/util/options_sanity_check.cc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a84031bf9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/options_sanity_check.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2014, Facebook, Inc.  All rights reserved.
+// This source code is licensed under the BSD-style license found in the
+// LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree. An additional grant
+// of patent rights can be found in the PATENTS file in the same directory.
+
+#ifndef ROCKSDB_LITE
+
+#include "util/options_sanity_check.h"
+
+namespace rocksdb {
+
+namespace {
+OptionsSanityCheckLevel SanityCheckLevelHelper(
+    const std::unordered_map<std::string, OptionsSanityCheckLevel>& smap,
+    const std::string& name) {
+  auto iter = smap.find(name);
+  return iter != smap.end() ? iter->second : kSanityLevelExactMatch;
+}
+}
+
+OptionsSanityCheckLevel DBOptionSanityCheckLevel(
+    const std::string& option_name) {
+  return SanityCheckLevelHelper(sanity_level_db_options, option_name);
+}
+
+OptionsSanityCheckLevel CFOptionSanityCheckLevel(
+    const std::string& option_name) {
+  return SanityCheckLevelHelper(sanity_level_cf_options, option_name);
+}
+
+OptionsSanityCheckLevel BBTOptionSanityCheckLevel(
+    const std::string& option_name) {
+  return SanityCheckLevelHelper(sanity_level_bbt_options, option_name);
+}
+
+}  // namespace rocksdb
+
+#endif  // !ROCKSDB_LITE
diff --git a/util/options_sanity_check.h b/util/options_sanity_check.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..eba26462e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/options_sanity_check.h
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2014, Facebook, Inc.  All rights reserved.
+// This source code is licensed under the BSD-style license found in the
+// LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree. An additional grant
+// of patent rights can be found in the PATENTS file in the same directory.
+
+#pragma once
+
+#include <string>
+#include <unordered_map>
+
+#ifndef ROCKSDB_LITE
+namespace rocksdb {
+// This enum defines the RocksDB options sanity level.
+enum OptionsSanityCheckLevel : unsigned char {
+  // Performs no sanity check at all.
+  kSanityLevelNone = 0x00,
+  // Performs minimum check to ensure the RocksDB instance can be
+  // opened without corrupting / mis-interpreting the data.
+  kSanityLevelLooselyCompatible = 0x01,
+  // Perform exact match sanity check.
+  kSanityLevelExactMatch = 0xFF,
+};
+
+// The sanity check level for DB options
+static const std::unordered_map<std::string, OptionsSanityCheckLevel>
+    sanity_level_db_options = {};
+
+// The sanity check level for column-family options
+static const std::unordered_map<std::string, OptionsSanityCheckLevel>
+    sanity_level_cf_options = {
+        {"comparator", kSanityLevelLooselyCompatible},
+        {"prefix_extractor", kSanityLevelLooselyCompatible},
+        {"table_factory", kSanityLevelLooselyCompatible},
+        {"merge_operator", kSanityLevelLooselyCompatible}};
+
+// The sanity check level for block-based table options
+static const std::unordered_map<std::string, OptionsSanityCheckLevel>
+    sanity_level_bbt_options = {};
+
+OptionsSanityCheckLevel DBOptionSanityCheckLevel(
+    const std::string& options_name);
+OptionsSanityCheckLevel CFOptionSanityCheckLevel(
+    const std::string& options_name);
+OptionsSanityCheckLevel BBTOptionSanityCheckLevel(
+    const std::string& options_name);
+
+}  // namespace rocksdb
+
+#endif  // !ROCKSDB_LITE
diff --git a/util/options_test.cc b/util/options_test.cc
index 384e9e5aa..7940fde18 100644
--- a/util/options_test.cc
+++ b/util/options_test.cc
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 #include "table/plain_table_factory.h"
 #include "util/options_helper.h"
 #include "util/options_parser.h"
+#include "util/options_sanity_check.h"
 #include "util/random.h"
 #include "util/testharness.h"
 #include "util/testutil.h"
@@ -1644,6 +1645,133 @@ TEST_F(OptionsParserTest, DifferentDefault) {
   ASSERT_OK(parser.Parse(kOptionsFileName, env_.get()));
 }
 
+class OptionsSanityCheckTest : public OptionsParserTest {
+ public:
+  OptionsSanityCheckTest() {}
+
+ protected:
+  Status SanityCheckCFOptions(const ColumnFamilyOptions& cf_opts,
+                              OptionsSanityCheckLevel level) {
+    return RocksDBOptionsParser::VerifyRocksDBOptionsFromFile(
+        DBOptions(), {"default"}, {cf_opts}, kOptionsFileName, env_.get(),
+        level);
+  }
+
+  Status PersistCFOptions(const ColumnFamilyOptions& cf_opts) {
+    Status s = env_->DeleteFile(kOptionsFileName);
+    if (!s.ok()) {
+      return s;
+    }
+    return PersistRocksDBOptions(DBOptions(), {"default"}, {cf_opts},
+                                 kOptionsFileName, env_.get());
+  }
+
+  const std::string kOptionsFileName = "OPTIONS";
+};
+
+TEST_F(OptionsSanityCheckTest, SanityCheck) {
+  ColumnFamilyOptions opts;
+  Random rnd(301);
+
+  // default ColumnFamilyOptions
+  {
+    ASSERT_OK(PersistCFOptions(opts));
+    ASSERT_OK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelExactMatch));
+  }
+
+  // prefix_extractor
+  {
+    // change the prefix extractor and expect only pass when
+    // sanity-level == kSanityLevelNone
+    opts.prefix_extractor.reset(NewCappedPrefixTransform(10));
+    ASSERT_NOK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelLooselyCompatible));
+    ASSERT_OK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelNone));
+
+    // persist the change
+    ASSERT_OK(PersistCFOptions(opts));
+    ASSERT_OK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelExactMatch));
+
+    // use same prefix extractor but with different parameter
+    opts.prefix_extractor.reset(NewCappedPrefixTransform(15));
+    // expect pass only in kSanityLevelNone
+    ASSERT_NOK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelLooselyCompatible));
+    ASSERT_OK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelNone));
+
+    // repeat the test with FixedPrefixTransform
+    opts.prefix_extractor.reset(NewFixedPrefixTransform(10));
+    ASSERT_NOK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelLooselyCompatible));
+    ASSERT_OK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelNone));
+
+    // persist the change of prefix_extractor
+    ASSERT_OK(PersistCFOptions(opts));
+    ASSERT_OK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelExactMatch));
+
+    // use same prefix extractor but with different parameter
+    opts.prefix_extractor.reset(NewFixedPrefixTransform(15));
+    // expect pass only in kSanityLevelNone
+    ASSERT_NOK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelLooselyCompatible));
+    ASSERT_OK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelNone));
+  }
+
+  // table_factory
+  {
+    for (int tb = 2; tb >= 0; --tb) {
+      // change the table factory
+      opts.table_factory.reset(RandomTableFactory(&rnd, tb));
+      ASSERT_NOK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelLooselyCompatible));
+      ASSERT_OK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelNone));
+
+      // persist the change
+      ASSERT_OK(PersistCFOptions(opts));
+      ASSERT_OK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelExactMatch));
+    }
+  }
+
+  // merge_operator
+  {
+    for (int test = 0; test < 5; ++test) {
+      // change the merge operator
+      opts.merge_operator.reset(RandomMergeOperator(&rnd));
+      ASSERT_NOK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelLooselyCompatible));
+      ASSERT_OK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelNone));
+
+      // persist the change
+      ASSERT_OK(PersistCFOptions(opts));
+      ASSERT_OK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelExactMatch));
+    }
+  }
+
+  // compaction_filter
+  {
+    for (int test = 0; test < 5; ++test) {
+      // change the compaction filter
+      opts.compaction_filter = RandomCompactionFilter(&rnd);
+      ASSERT_NOK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelExactMatch));
+      ASSERT_OK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelLooselyCompatible));
+
+      // persist the change
+      ASSERT_OK(PersistCFOptions(opts));
+      ASSERT_OK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelExactMatch));
+      delete opts.compaction_filter;
+      opts.compaction_filter = nullptr;
+    }
+  }
+
+  // compaction_filter_factory
+  {
+    for (int test = 0; test < 5; ++test) {
+      // change the compaction filter factory
+      opts.compaction_filter_factory.reset(RandomCompactionFilterFactory(&rnd));
+      ASSERT_NOK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelExactMatch));
+      ASSERT_OK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelLooselyCompatible));
+
+      // persist the change
+      ASSERT_OK(PersistCFOptions(opts));
+      ASSERT_OK(SanityCheckCFOptions(opts, kSanityLevelExactMatch));
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 namespace {
 bool IsEscapedString(const std::string& str) {
   for (size_t i = 0; i < str.size(); ++i) {