diff --git a/swift/proxy/controllers/container.py b/swift/proxy/controllers/container.py
index bcbe58c350..6ab0ada3a7 100644
--- a/swift/proxy/controllers/container.py
+++ b/swift/proxy/controllers/container.py
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ class ContainerController(Controller):
             return resp
 
         objects = []
-        req_limit = int(req.params.get('limit', CONTAINER_LISTING_LIMIT))
+        req_limit = int(req.params.get('limit') or CONTAINER_LISTING_LIMIT)
         params = req.params.copy()
         params.pop('states', None)
         req.headers.pop('X-Backend-Record-Type', None)
diff --git a/test/unit/proxy/controllers/test_container.py b/test/unit/proxy/controllers/test_container.py
index e393472c4a..b989fb6145 100644
--- a/test/unit/proxy/controllers/test_container.py
+++ b/test/unit/proxy/controllers/test_container.py
@@ -640,7 +640,7 @@ class TestContainerController(TestRingBase):
         self.check_response(resp, root_resp_hdrs,
                             expected_objects=expected_objects)
 
-        # GET all objects in reverse
+        # GET all objects in reverse and *blank* limit
         mock_responses = [
             # status, body, headers
             (200, list(reversed(sr_dicts)), root_shard_resp_hdrs),
@@ -653,7 +653,7 @@ class TestContainerController(TestRingBase):
         expected_requests = [
             # path, headers, params
             ('a/c', {'X-Backend-Record-Type': 'auto'},
-             dict(states='listing', reverse='true')),
+             dict(states='listing', reverse='true', limit='')),
             (wsgi_quote(str_to_wsgi(shard_ranges[4].name)),
              {'X-Backend-Record-Type': 'auto'},
              dict(marker='', end_marker='\xf0\x9f\x8c\xb4', states='listing',
@@ -683,7 +683,8 @@ class TestContainerController(TestRingBase):
 
         resp = self._check_GET_shard_listing(
             mock_responses, list(reversed(expected_objects)),
-            expected_requests, query_string='?reverse=true', reverse=True)
+            expected_requests, query_string='?reverse=true&limit=',
+            reverse=True)
         # root object count will overridden by actual length of listing
         self.check_response(resp, root_resp_hdrs,
                             expected_objects=expected_objects)
@@ -831,7 +832,7 @@ class TestContainerController(TestRingBase):
             % (marker, end_marker, limit))
         self.check_response(resp, root_resp_hdrs)
 
-        # reverse with marker, end_marker
+        # reverse with marker, end_marker, and limit
         expected_objects.reverse()
         mock_responses = [
             (200, sr_dicts[3:4], root_shard_resp_hdrs),