diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index d0499f9e3..9a4137740 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ export {
   convertKeyNames,
   getQueryParameters,
   ensureDefinedConfig,
+  parseURL,
+  getPath,
 } from './utils';
 export {
   APP_TOPIC,
diff --git a/src/initialize.js b/src/initialize.js
index 7af609398..648933e83 100644
--- a/src/initialize.js
+++ b/src/initialize.js
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@
  */
 
 import { createBrowserHistory, createMemoryHistory } from 'history';
+import{ getPath } from './utils'
 import {
   publish,
 } from './pubSub';
@@ -90,7 +91,7 @@ import configureCache from './auth/LocalForageCache';
  */
 export const history = (typeof window !== 'undefined')
   ? createBrowserHistory({
-    basename: getConfig().PUBLIC_PATH,
+    basename: getPath(getConfig().PUBLIC_PATH),
   }) : createMemoryHistory();
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/initialize.test.js b/src/initialize.test.js
index 70b4f1018..297e0537e 100644
--- a/src/initialize.test.js
+++ b/src/initialize.test.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import PubSub from 'pubsub-js';
+import { createBrowserHistory } from 'history';
 import {
   APP_PUBSUB_INITIALIZED,
   APP_CONFIG_INITIALIZED,
@@ -37,6 +38,7 @@ jest.mock('./auth');
 jest.mock('./analytics');
 jest.mock('./i18n');
 jest.mock('./auth/LocalForageCache');
+jest.mock('history');
 
 let config = null;
 const newConfig = {
@@ -356,3 +358,12 @@ describe('initialize', () => {
     expect(logError).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 });
+
+describe('history', () => {
+  it('browser history called by default path', async () => {
+    // import history from initialize;
+    expect(createBrowserHistory).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      basename: '/',
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/utils.js b/src/utils.js
index be16cff22..091a46fb0 100644
--- a/src/utils.js
+++ b/src/utils.js
@@ -122,6 +122,38 @@ export function convertKeyNames(object, nameMap) {
   return modifyObjectKeys(object, transformer);
 }
 
+/**
+ * Given a string URL return an element that has been parsed via href.
+ * This element has the possibility to return different part of the URL.
+  parser.protocol; // => "http:"
+  parser.hostname; // => "example.com"
+  parser.port;     // => "3000"
+  parser.pathname; // => "/pathname/"
+  parser.search;   // => "?search=test"
+  parser.hash;     // => "#hash"
+  parser.host;     // => "example.com:3000"
+ * https://gist.github.com/jlong/2428561
+ *
+ * @param {string}
+ * @returns {Object}
+ */
+export function parseURL(url) {
+  const parser = document.createElement('a');
+  parser.href = url;
+  return parser;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Given a string URL return the path of the URL
+ *
+ *
+ * @param {string}
+ * @returns {string}
+ */
+export function getPath(url) {
+  return parseURL(url).pathname;
+}
+
 /**
  * *Deprecated*: A method which converts the supplied query string into an object of
  * key-value pairs and returns it.  Defaults to the current query string - should perform like
diff --git a/src/utils.test.js b/src/utils.test.js
index 016129040..cd5e6eac3 100644
--- a/src/utils.test.js
+++ b/src/utils.test.js
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ import {
   camelCaseObject,
   snakeCaseObject,
   convertKeyNames,
+  parseURL,
+  getPath,
   getQueryParameters,
 } from '.';
 
@@ -113,3 +115,79 @@ describe('getQueryParameters', () => {
     });
   });
 });
+
+describe('ParseURL', () => {
+  const testURL = 'http://example.com:3000/pathname/?search=test#hash';
+  const parsedURL = parseURL(testURL);
+  it('String URL is correctly parsed', () => {
+    expect(parsedURL.toString()).toEqual(testURL);
+    expect(parsedURL.href).toEqual(testURL);
+    expect(typeof (parsedURL)).toEqual('object');
+  });
+
+  it('should return protocol from URL', () => {
+    expect(parsedURL.protocol).toEqual('http:');
+  });
+
+  it('should return hostname from URL', () => {
+    expect(parsedURL.hostname).toEqual('example.com');
+  });
+
+  it('should return port from URL', () => {
+    expect(parsedURL.port).toEqual('3000');
+  });
+
+  it('should return pathname from URL', () => {
+    expect(parsedURL.pathname).toEqual('/pathname/');
+  });
+
+  it('should return search rom URL', () => {
+    expect(parsedURL.search).toEqual('?search=test');
+  });
+
+  it('should return hash from URL', () => {
+    expect(parsedURL.hash).toEqual('#hash');
+  });
+
+  it('should return host from URL', () => {
+    expect(parsedURL.host).toEqual('example.com:3000');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('getPath', () => {
+  it('Path is retrieved with full url', () => {
+    const testURL = 'http://example.com:3000/pathname/?search=test#hash';
+
+    expect(getPath(testURL)).toEqual('/pathname/');
+  });
+
+  it('Path is retrieved with only path', () => {
+    const testURL = '/learning/';
+
+    expect(getPath(testURL)).toEqual('/learning/');
+  });
+
+  it('Path is retrieved without protocol', () => {
+    const testURL = '//example.com:3000/accounts/';
+
+    expect(getPath(testURL)).toEqual('/accounts/');
+  });
+
+  it('Path is retrieved with base `/`', () => {
+    const testURL = '/';
+
+    expect(getPath(testURL)).toEqual('/');
+  });
+
+  it('Path is retrieved without port', () => {
+    const testURL = 'https://example.com/accounts/';
+
+    expect(getPath(testURL)).toEqual('/accounts/');
+  });
+
+  it('Path is retrieved without CDN shape', () => {
+    const testURL = 'https://d20blt6w1kfasr.cloudfront.net/learning/';
+
+    expect(getPath(testURL)).toEqual('/learning/');
+  });
+});