diff --git a/docs/development/core/development-basepath.asciidoc b/docs/development/core/development-basepath.asciidoc
index b7e0dec88bf50e..2da65079350150 100644
--- a/docs/development/core/development-basepath.asciidoc
+++ b/docs/development/core/development-basepath.asciidoc
@@ -48,15 +48,15 @@ $http.get(chrome.addBasePath('/api/plugin/things'));
 [float]
 ==== Server side
 
-Append `config.get('server.basePath')` to any absolute URL path.
+Append `request.getBasePath()` to any absolute URL path.
 
 ["source","shell"]
 -----------
 const basePath = server.config().get('server.basePath');
 server.route({
   path: '/redirect',
-  handler(req, reply) {
-    reply.redirect(`${basePath}/otherLocation`);
+  handler(request, reply) {
+    reply.redirect(`${request.getBasePath()}/otherLocation`);
   }
 });
 -----------
diff --git a/src/server/config/complete.js b/src/server/config/complete.js
index 70acb2edf043f9..3a9da4911c2194 100644
--- a/src/server/config/complete.js
+++ b/src/server/config/complete.js
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ export default function (kbnServer, server, config) {
     return kbnServer.config;
   });
 
+  server.decorate('request', 'getBasePath', function () {
+    return kbnServer.config.get('server.basePath');
+  });
+
   const unusedKeys = getUnusedConfigKeys(kbnServer.disabledPluginSpecs, kbnServer.settings, config.get())
     .map(key => `"${key}"`);
 
diff --git a/src/server/config/complete.test.js b/src/server/config/complete.test.js
index 437a05c06c4a13..2db0b1641dd19a 100644
--- a/src/server/config/complete.test.js
+++ b/src/server/config/complete.test.js
@@ -40,16 +40,16 @@ describe('server/config completeMixin()', function () {
   };
 
   describe('server decoration', () => {
-    it('adds a config() function to the server', () => {
-      const { config, callCompleteMixin, server } = setup({
+    it('adds several server/request decorations', () => {
+      const { callCompleteMixin, server } = setup({
         settings: {},
         configValues: {}
       });
 
       callCompleteMixin();
-      sinon.assert.calledOnce(server.decorate);
-      sinon.assert.calledWith(server.decorate, 'server', 'config', sinon.match.func);
-      expect(server.decorate.firstCall.args[2]()).toBe(config);
+      sinon.assert.callCount(server.decorate, 2);
+      sinon.assert.calledWithExactly(server.decorate, 'server', 'config', sinon.match.func);
+      sinon.assert.calledWithExactly(server.decorate, 'request', 'getBasePath', sinon.match.func);
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/src/server/http/index.js b/src/server/http/index.js
index 7d22dc93bd71fa..d42e2bcc031d8d 100644
--- a/src/server/http/index.js
+++ b/src/server/http/index.js
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ export default async function (kbnServer, server, config) {
     path: '/',
     method: 'GET',
     handler(req, reply) {
-      const basePath = config.get('server.basePath');
+      const basePath = req.getBasePath();
       const defaultRoute = config.get('server.defaultRoute');
       reply.redirect(`${basePath}${defaultRoute}`);
     }
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ export default async function (kbnServer, server, config) {
       if (path === '/' || path.charAt(path.length - 1) !== '/') {
         return reply(Boom.notFound());
       }
-      const pathPrefix = config.get('server.basePath') ? `${config.get('server.basePath')}/` : '';
+      const pathPrefix = req.getBasePath() ? `${req.getBasePath()}/` : '';
       return reply.redirect(format({
         search: req.url.search,
         pathname: pathPrefix + path.slice(0, -1),
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ export default async function (kbnServer, server, config) {
         const uiSettings = request.getUiSettingsService();
         const stateStoreInSessionStorage = await uiSettings.get('state:storeInSessionStorage');
         if (!stateStoreInSessionStorage) {
-          reply().redirect(config.get('server.basePath') + url);
+          reply().redirect(request.getBasePath() + url);
           return;
         }
 
diff --git a/src/ui/public/chrome/api/nav.js b/src/ui/public/chrome/api/nav.js
index c1d0ceea932758..6e00e4ad51e66c 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/chrome/api/nav.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/chrome/api/nav.js
@@ -135,8 +135,8 @@ export function initChromeNavApi(chrome, internals) {
   };
 
   internals.nav.forEach(link => {
-    link.url = relativeToAbsolute(link.url);
-    link.subUrlBase = relativeToAbsolute(link.subUrlBase);
+    link.url = relativeToAbsolute(chrome.addBasePath(link.url));
+    link.subUrlBase = relativeToAbsolute(chrome.addBasePath(link.subUrlBase));
   });
 
   // simulate a possible change in url to initialize the
diff --git a/src/ui/ui_apps/ui_app.js b/src/ui/ui_apps/ui_app.js
index 9f9c73bd8d345d..b41f178d2656fd 100644
--- a/src/ui/ui_apps/ui_app.js
+++ b/src/ui/ui_apps/ui_app.js
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ export class UiApp {
       // unless an app is hidden it gets a navlink, but we only respond to `getNavLink()`
       // if the app is also listed. This means that all apps in the kibanaPayload will
       // have a navLink property since that list includes all normally accessible apps
-      this._navLink = new UiNavLink(kbnServer.config.get('server.basePath'), {
+      this._navLink = new UiNavLink({
         id: this._id,
         title: this._title,
         order: this._order,
diff --git a/src/ui/ui_nav_links/__tests__/ui_nav_link.js b/src/ui/ui_nav_links/__tests__/ui_nav_link.js
index ee3a8c6c977c96..3f4294408fc6e4 100644
--- a/src/ui/ui_nav_links/__tests__/ui_nav_link.js
+++ b/src/ui/ui_nav_links/__tests__/ui_nav_link.js
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import { UiNavLink } from '../ui_nav_link';
 describe('UiNavLink', () => {
   describe('constructor', () => {
     it('initializes the object properties as expected', () => {
-      const urlBasePath = 'http://localhost:5601/rnd';
       const spec = {
         id: 'kibana:discover',
         title: 'Discover',
@@ -17,13 +16,13 @@ describe('UiNavLink', () => {
         disabled: true
       };
 
-      const link = new UiNavLink(urlBasePath, spec);
+      const link = new UiNavLink(spec);
       expect(link.toJSON()).to.eql({
         id: spec.id,
         title: spec.title,
         order: spec.order,
-        url: `${urlBasePath}${spec.url}`,
-        subUrlBase: `${urlBasePath}${spec.url}`,
+        url: spec.url,
+        subUrlBase: spec.url,
         description: spec.description,
         icon: spec.icon,
         hidden: spec.hidden,
@@ -35,22 +34,7 @@ describe('UiNavLink', () => {
       });
     });
 
-    it('initializes the url property without a base path when one is not specified in the spec', () => {
-      const urlBasePath = undefined;
-      const spec = {
-        id: 'kibana:discover',
-        title: 'Discover',
-        order: -1003,
-        url: '/app/kibana#/discover',
-        description: 'interactively explore your data',
-        icon: 'plugins/kibana/assets/discover.svg',
-      };
-      const link = new UiNavLink(urlBasePath, spec);
-      expect(link.toJSON()).to.have.property('url', spec.url);
-    });
-
     it('initializes the order property to 0 when order is not specified in the spec', () => {
-      const urlBasePath = undefined;
       const spec = {
         id: 'kibana:discover',
         title: 'Discover',
@@ -58,13 +42,12 @@ describe('UiNavLink', () => {
         description: 'interactively explore your data',
         icon: 'plugins/kibana/assets/discover.svg',
       };
-      const link = new UiNavLink(urlBasePath, spec);
+      const link = new UiNavLink(spec);
 
       expect(link.toJSON()).to.have.property('order', 0);
     });
 
     it('initializes the linkToLastSubUrl property to false when false is specified in the spec', () => {
-      const urlBasePath = undefined;
       const spec = {
         id: 'kibana:discover',
         title: 'Discover',
@@ -74,13 +57,12 @@ describe('UiNavLink', () => {
         icon: 'plugins/kibana/assets/discover.svg',
         linkToLastSubUrl: false
       };
-      const link = new UiNavLink(urlBasePath, spec);
+      const link = new UiNavLink(spec);
 
       expect(link.toJSON()).to.have.property('linkToLastSubUrl', false);
     });
 
     it('initializes the linkToLastSubUrl property to true by default', () => {
-      const urlBasePath = undefined;
       const spec = {
         id: 'kibana:discover',
         title: 'Discover',
@@ -89,13 +71,12 @@ describe('UiNavLink', () => {
         description: 'interactively explore your data',
         icon: 'plugins/kibana/assets/discover.svg',
       };
-      const link = new UiNavLink(urlBasePath, spec);
+      const link = new UiNavLink(spec);
 
       expect(link.toJSON()).to.have.property('linkToLastSubUrl', true);
     });
 
     it('initializes the hidden property to false by default', () => {
-      const urlBasePath = undefined;
       const spec = {
         id: 'kibana:discover',
         title: 'Discover',
@@ -104,13 +85,12 @@ describe('UiNavLink', () => {
         description: 'interactively explore your data',
         icon: 'plugins/kibana/assets/discover.svg',
       };
-      const link = new UiNavLink(urlBasePath, spec);
+      const link = new UiNavLink(spec);
 
       expect(link.toJSON()).to.have.property('hidden', false);
     });
 
     it('initializes the disabled property to false by default', () => {
-      const urlBasePath = undefined;
       const spec = {
         id: 'kibana:discover',
         title: 'Discover',
@@ -119,13 +99,12 @@ describe('UiNavLink', () => {
         description: 'interactively explore your data',
         icon: 'plugins/kibana/assets/discover.svg',
       };
-      const link = new UiNavLink(urlBasePath, spec);
+      const link = new UiNavLink(spec);
 
       expect(link.toJSON()).to.have.property('disabled', false);
     });
 
     it('initializes the tooltip property to an empty string by default', () => {
-      const urlBasePath = undefined;
       const spec = {
         id: 'kibana:discover',
         title: 'Discover',
@@ -134,7 +113,7 @@ describe('UiNavLink', () => {
         description: 'interactively explore your data',
         icon: 'plugins/kibana/assets/discover.svg',
       };
-      const link = new UiNavLink(urlBasePath, spec);
+      const link = new UiNavLink(spec);
 
       expect(link.toJSON()).to.have.property('tooltip', '');
     });
diff --git a/src/ui/ui_nav_links/ui_nav_link.js b/src/ui/ui_nav_links/ui_nav_link.js
index 322717c446d96f..c4b2c4be78e801 100644
--- a/src/ui/ui_nav_links/ui_nav_link.js
+++ b/src/ui/ui_nav_links/ui_nav_link.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 export class UiNavLink {
-  constructor(urlBasePath, spec) {
+  constructor(spec) {
     const {
       id,
       title,
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ export class UiNavLink {
     this._id = id;
     this._title = title;
     this._order = order;
-    this._url = `${urlBasePath || ''}${url}`;
-    this._subUrlBase = `${urlBasePath || ''}${subUrlBase || url}`;
+    this._url = url;
+    this._subUrlBase = subUrlBase || url;
     this._description = description;
     this._icon = icon;
     this._linkToLastSubUrl = linkToLastSubUrl;
diff --git a/src/ui/ui_nav_links/ui_nav_links_mixin.js b/src/ui/ui_nav_links/ui_nav_links_mixin.js
index 38411c799bf348..d769d065fe842f 100644
--- a/src/ui/ui_nav_links/ui_nav_links_mixin.js
+++ b/src/ui/ui_nav_links/ui_nav_links_mixin.js
@@ -1,13 +1,12 @@
 import { UiNavLink } from './ui_nav_link';
 
-export function uiNavLinksMixin(kbnServer, server, config) {
+export function uiNavLinksMixin(kbnServer, server) {
   const uiApps = server.getAllUiApps();
 
   const { navLinkSpecs = [] } = kbnServer.uiExports;
-  const urlBasePath = config.get('server.basePath');
 
   const fromSpecs = navLinkSpecs
-    .map(navLinkSpec => new UiNavLink(urlBasePath, navLinkSpec));
+    .map(navLinkSpec => new UiNavLink(navLinkSpec));
 
   const fromApps = uiApps
     .map(app => app.getNavLink())
diff --git a/src/ui/ui_render/ui_render_mixin.js b/src/ui/ui_render/ui_render_mixin.js
index 6387177ed7c5ac..9bcc1aea9d16f8 100644
--- a/src/ui/ui_render/ui_render_mixin.js
+++ b/src/ui/ui_render/ui_render_mixin.js
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ export function uiRenderMixin(kbnServer, server, config) {
       branch: config.get('pkg.branch'),
       buildNum: config.get('pkg.buildNum'),
       buildSha: config.get('pkg.buildSha'),
-      basePath: config.get('server.basePath'),
+      basePath: request.getBasePath(),
       serverName: config.get('server.name'),
       devMode: config.get('env.dev'),
       translations: translations,