diff --git a/bin/emqx b/bin/emqx
index 15f813eae..a97e13884 100755
--- a/bin/emqx
+++ b/bin/emqx
@@ -44,8 +44,8 @@ export ERTS_DIR="$ROOTDIR/erts-$ERTS_VSN"
 export BINDIR="$ERTS_DIR/bin"
 export EMU="beam"
 export PROGNAME="erl"
-export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$ERTS_DIR/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH"
 export ERTS_LIB_DIR="$ERTS_DIR/../lib"
+DYNLIBS_DIR="$RUNNER_ROOT_DIR/dynlibs"
 
 # Echo to stderr on errors
 echoerr() { echo "ERROR: $*" 1>&2; }
@@ -62,6 +62,33 @@ assert_node_alive() {
     fi
 }
 
+
+# Echo to stderr on errors
+echoerr() { echo "$*" 1>&2; }
+
+check_eralng_start() {
+    "$BINDIR/$PROGNAME" -noshell -boot "$REL_DIR/start_clean" -s crypto start -s init stop
+}
+
+if ! check_eralng_start >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    BUILT_ON="$(head -1 "${REL_DIR}/BUILT_ON")"
+    ## failed to start, might be due to missing libs, try to be portable
+    export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$DYNLIBS_DIR:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH"
+    if ! check_eralng_start; then
+        ## it's hopeless
+        echoerr "FATAL: Unable to start Erlang (with libcrypto)."
+        echoerr "Please make sure it's running on the correct platform with all required dependencies."
+        echoerr "This EMQ X release is built for $BUILT_ON"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    echoerr "WARNING: There seem to be missing dynamic libs from the OS. Using libs from ${DYNLIBS_DIR}"
+fi
+
+## backward compatible
+if [ -d "$ERTS_DIR/lib" ]; then
+    export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$ERTS_DIR/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH"
+fi
+
 relx_usage() {
     command="$1"
 
diff --git a/build b/build
index d12cddc46..1e4fac8c8 100755
--- a/build
+++ b/build
@@ -120,6 +120,18 @@ make_relup() {
     ./rebar3 as "$PROFILE" relup --relname emqx --relvsn "${PKG_VSN}"
 }
 
+cp_dyn_libs() {
+    local rel_dir="$1"
+    local target_dir="${rel_dir}/dynlibs"
+    if ! [ "$(uname -s)" = 'Linux' ]; then
+        return 0;
+    fi
+    mkdir -p "$target_dir"
+    while read -r so_file; do
+        cp -L "$so_file" "$target_dir/"
+    done < <(find "$rel_dir" -type f \( -name "*.so*" -o -name "beam.smp" \) -print0 | xargs -0 ldd | grep -E '^\s+.*=>\s(/lib|/usr)' | awk '{print $3}')
+}
+
 ## make_zip turns .tar.gz into a .zip with a slightly different name.
 ## It assumes the .tar.gz has been built -- relies on Makefile dependency
 make_zip() {
@@ -139,6 +151,9 @@ make_zip() {
     local zipball
     zipball="${pkgpath}/${PROFILE}-${SYSTEM}-${PKG_VSN}-${ARCH}.zip"
     tar zxf "${tarball}" -C "${tard}/emqx"
+    ## try to be portable for zip packages.
+    ## for DEB and RPM packages the dependencies are resoved by yum and apt
+    cp_dyn_libs "${tard}/emqx"
     (cd "${tard}" && zip -qr - emqx) > "${zipball}"
 }