diff --git a/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/classworlds/ClassWorld.java b/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/classworlds/ClassWorld.java
index 55e77fac..cd746b7f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/classworlds/ClassWorld.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/codehaus/plexus/classworlds/ClassWorld.java
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@
 import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Objects;
+import java.util.function.Function;
 import java.util.function.Predicate;
 
 import org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.realm.ClassRealm;
@@ -88,6 +90,51 @@ public synchronized ClassRealm newRealm(String id, ClassLoader classLoader, Pred
         } else {
             realm = new FilteredClassRealm(filter, this, id, classLoader);
         }
+
+        return register(id, realm);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Adds a class realm built by a caller supplied factory, allowing realm implementations that this class does
+     * not know about.
+     * <p>
+     * The factory is handed the id and runs only once that id is known to be free, so a rejected call has no side
+     * effect and no realm has to be closed again. It runs while this world's monitor is held.
+     * <p>
+     * This is not an overload of {@link #newRealm(String, ClassLoader)} because a second two argument
+     * <code>newRealm</code> would make the existing <code>newRealm(id, null)</code> calls ambiguous.
+     *
+     * @param id The identifier for this realm, must not be <code>null</code>.
+     * @param factory the factory building the realm for that id, must not be <code>null</code> and must not
+     *            return <code>null</code>
+     * @return the created class realm
+     * @throws DuplicateRealmException in case a realm with the given id does already exist
+     * @throws IllegalArgumentException if the created realm belongs to a different class world or carries a
+     *             different id
+     * @since 2.13.0
+     */
+    public synchronized ClassRealm createRealm(String id, Function<String, ClassRealm> factory)
+            throws DuplicateRealmException {
+        Objects.requireNonNull(id, "id cannot be null");
+        Objects.requireNonNull(factory, "factory cannot be null");
+
+        if (realms.containsKey(id)) {
+            throw new DuplicateRealmException(this, id);
+        }
+
+        ClassRealm realm = Objects.requireNonNull(factory.apply(id), "factory returned null realm");
+
+        if (realm.getWorld() != this) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("realm " + id + " belongs to a different class world");
+        }
+        if (!id.equals(realm.getId())) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("realm for id " + id + " carries id " + realm.getId());
+        }
+
+        return register(id, realm);
+    }
+
+    private ClassRealm register(String id, ClassRealm realm) {
         realms.put(id, realm);
 
         for (ClassWorldListener listener : listeners) {
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/classworlds/ClassWorldTest.java b/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/classworlds/ClassWorldTest.java
index c4bc7d1e..2d4b3489 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/classworlds/ClassWorldTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/codehaus/plexus/classworlds/ClassWorldTest.java
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
 import java.net.URLClassLoader;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Enumeration;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
+import java.util.function.Function;
 import java.util.function.Predicate;
 
 import org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.realm.ClassRealm;
@@ -29,6 +31,8 @@
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertInstanceOf;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertSame;
@@ -178,6 +182,75 @@ void testNewRealmWithNullFilter() throws Exception {
         assertEquals("unfiltered", realm.getId());
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void testCreateRealmWithFactory() throws Exception {
+        TestListener listener = new TestListener();
+        world.addListener(listener);
+
+        ClassRealm realm = world.createRealm("custom", id -> new CustomClassRealm(world, id));
+
+        assertInstanceOf(CustomClassRealm.class, realm);
+        assertSame(realm, world.getRealm("custom"));
+        assertEquals(1, listener.realmCreatedCount);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testCreateRealmWithFactoryDuplicateDoesNotRunTheFactory() throws Exception {
+        ClassRealm registered = world.newRealm("custom");
+        registered.addURL(TestUtil.getTestResourceUrl("a.jar"));
+
+        AtomicBoolean invoked = new AtomicBoolean();
+        DuplicateRealmException e = assertThrows(
+                DuplicateRealmException.class,
+                () -> world.createRealm("custom", id -> {
+                    invoked.set(true);
+                    return new CustomClassRealm(world, id);
+                }));
+
+        assertEquals("custom", e.getId());
+        assertSame(world, e.getWorld());
+        assertFalse(invoked.get(), "the factory must not run for an id that is already taken");
+        assertSame(registered, world.getRealm("custom"));
+        assertNotNull(registered.getResource("a.properties"), "the registered realm must not have been closed");
+        assertNotNull(registered.loadClass("a.A"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testCreateRealmWithFactoryFromOtherWorld() throws Exception {
+        try (ClassWorld otherWorld = new ClassWorld()) {
+            ClassRealm foreign = otherWorld.newRealm("foreign");
+
+            assertThrows(IllegalArgumentException.class, () -> world.createRealm("foreign", id -> foreign));
+            assertTrue(world.getRealms().isEmpty());
+            assertNotNull(otherWorld.getClassRealm("foreign"), "the foreign realm must be left alone");
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testCreateRealmWithFactoryReturningForeignId() {
+        assertThrows(
+                IllegalArgumentException.class,
+                () -> world.createRealm("custom", id -> new CustomClassRealm(world, "somethingElse")));
+        assertTrue(world.getRealms().isEmpty());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testCreateRealmWithNullFactory() {
+        assertThrows(
+                NullPointerException.class, () -> world.createRealm("custom", (Function<String, ClassRealm>) null));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testCreateRealmWithFactoryReturningNull() {
+        assertThrows(NullPointerException.class, () -> world.createRealm("custom", id -> null));
+    }
+
+    private static class CustomClassRealm extends ClassRealm {
+        CustomClassRealm(ClassWorld world, String id) {
+            super(world, id, null);
+        }
+    }
+
     @Test
     void testDisposeRealm() throws Exception {
         ClassRealm realm = world.newRealm("temp");