diff --git a/src/url.lua b/src/url.lua
index 110ea94..0a3a80a 100644
--- a/src/url.lua
+++ b/src/url.lua
@@ -76,6 +76,34 @@ function _M.unescape(s)
     end))
 end
 
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+-- Removes '..' and '.' components appropriately from a path.
+-- Input
+--   path
+-- Returns
+--   dot-normalized path
+local function remove_dot_components(path)
+    local marker = string.char(1)
+    repeat
+        local was = path
+        path = path:gsub('//', '/'..marker..'/', 1)
+    until path == was
+    repeat
+        local was = path
+        path = path:gsub('/%./', '/', 1)
+    until path == was
+    repeat
+        local was = path
+        path = path:gsub('[^/]+/%.%./([^/]+)', '%1', 1)
+    until path == was
+    path = path:gsub('[^/]+/%.%./*$', '')
+    path = path:gsub('/%.%.$', '/')
+    path = path:gsub('/%.$', '/')
+    path = path:gsub('^/%.%./', '/')
+    path = path:gsub(marker, '')
+    return path
+end
+
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 -- Builds a path from a base path and a relative path
 -- Input
@@ -85,23 +113,12 @@ end
 --   corresponding absolute path
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 local function absolute_path(base_path, relative_path)
-    if string.sub(relative_path, 1, 1) == "/" then return relative_path end
-    local path = string.gsub(base_path, "[^/]*$", "")
-    path = path .. relative_path
-    path = string.gsub(path, "([^/]*%./)", function (s)
-        if s ~= "./" then return s else return "" end
-    end)
-    path = string.gsub(path, "/%.$", "/")
-    local reduced
-    while reduced ~= path do
-        reduced = path
-        path = string.gsub(reduced, "([^/]*/%.%./)", function (s)
-            if s ~= "../../" then return "" else return s end
-        end)
-    end
-    path = string.gsub(reduced, "([^/]*/%.%.)$", function (s)
-        if s ~= "../.." then return "" else return s end
-    end)
+    if string.sub(relative_path, 1, 1) == "/" then
+      return remove_dot_components(relative_path) end
+    base_path = base_path:gsub("[^/]*$", "")
+    if not base_path:find'/$' then base_path = base_path .. '/' end
+    local path = base_path .. relative_path
+    path = remove_dot_components(path)
     return path
 end
 
@@ -227,10 +244,14 @@ function _M.absolute(base_url, relative_url)
     else
         base_parsed = _M.parse(base_url)
     end
+    local result
     local relative_parsed = _M.parse(relative_url)
-    if not base_parsed then return relative_url
-    elseif not relative_parsed then return base_url
-    elseif relative_parsed.scheme then return relative_url
+    if not base_parsed then
+        result = relative_url
+    elseif not relative_parsed then
+        result = base_url
+    elseif relative_parsed.scheme then
+        result = relative_url
     else
         relative_parsed.scheme = base_parsed.scheme
         if not relative_parsed.authority then
@@ -248,8 +269,9 @@ function _M.absolute(base_url, relative_url)
                     relative_parsed.path)
             end
         end
-        return _M.build(relative_parsed)
+        result = _M.build(relative_parsed)
     end
+    return remove_dot_components(result)
 end
 
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/test/urltest.lua b/test/urltest.lua
index 1090a7e..ae8ba75 100644
--- a/test/urltest.lua
+++ b/test/urltest.lua
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ end
 local check_absolute_url = function(base, relative, absolute)
     local res = socket.url.absolute(base, relative)
     if res ~= absolute then 
-        io.write("absolute: In test for '", relative, "' expected '", 
+        io.write("absolute: In test for base='", base, "', rel='", relative, "' expected '", 
             absolute, "' but got '", res, "'\n")
         os.exit()
     end
@@ -627,25 +627,37 @@ check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "/g", "http://a/g")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "//g", "http://g")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "?y", "http://a/b/c/d;p?y")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "g?y", "http://a/b/c/g?y")
-check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "g?y/./x", "http://a/b/c/g?y/./x")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "g?y/./x", "http://a/b/c/g?y/x")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "#s", "http://a/b/c/d;p?q#s")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "g#s", "http://a/b/c/g#s")
-check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "g#s/./x", "http://a/b/c/g#s/./x")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "g#s/./x", "http://a/b/c/g#s/x")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "g?y#s", "http://a/b/c/g?y#s")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", ";x", "http://a/b/c/d;x")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "g;x", "http://a/b/c/g;x")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "g;x?y#s", "http://a/b/c/g;x?y#s")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", ".", "http://a/b/c/")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "./", "http://a/b/c/")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "./g", "http://a/b/c/g")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "./g/", "http://a/b/c/g/")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "././g", "http://a/b/c/g")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "././g/", "http://a/b/c/g/")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "g/.", "http://a/b/c/g/")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "g/./", "http://a/b/c/g/")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "g/./.", "http://a/b/c/g/")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "g/././", "http://a/b/c/g/")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "./.", "http://a/b/c/")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "././.", "http://a/b/c/")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "././g/./.", "http://a/b/c/g/")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "..", "http://a/b/")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "../", "http://a/b/")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "../g", "http://a/b/g")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "../..", "http://a/")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "../../", "http://a/")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "../../g", "http://a/g")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "../../../g", "http://a/g")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "", "http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f")
-check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "/./g", "http://a/./g")
-check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "/../g", "http://a/../g")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "/./g", "http://a/g")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "/../g", "http://a/g")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "g.", "http://a/b/c/g.")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", ".g", "http://a/b/c/.g")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "g..", "http://a/b/c/g..")
@@ -655,6 +667,17 @@ check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "./g/.", "http://a/b/c/g/")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "g/./h", "http://a/b/c/g/h")
 check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "g/../h", "http://a/b/c/h")
 
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d:p?q#f/", "../g/", "http://a/b/g/")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d:p?q#f/", "../g", "http://a/b/g")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d:p?q#f/", "../.g/", "http://a/b/.g/")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d:p?q#f/", "../.g", "http://a/b/.g")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d:p?q#f/", "../.g.h/", "http://a/b/.g.h/")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d:p?q#f/", "../.g.h", "http://a/b/.g.h")
+
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d:p?q#f/", "g.h/", "http://a/b/c/g.h/")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/b/c/d:p?q#f/", "../g.h/", "http://a/b/g.h/")
+check_absolute_url("http://a/", "../g.h/", "http://a/g.h/")
+
 -- extra tests
 check_absolute_url("//a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "d/e/f", "//a/b/c/d/e/f")
 check_absolute_url("/a/b/c/d;p?q#f", "d/e/f", "/a/b/c/d/e/f")
@@ -662,6 +685,17 @@ check_absolute_url("a/b/c/d", "d/e/f", "a/b/c/d/e/f")
 check_absolute_url("a/b/c/d/../", "d/e/f", "a/b/c/d/e/f")
 check_absolute_url("http://velox.telemar.com.br", "/dashboard/index.html", 
    "http://velox.telemar.com.br/dashboard/index.html")
+check_absolute_url("http://example.com/", "../.badhost.com/", "http://example.com/.badhost.com/")
+check_absolute_url("http://example.com/", "...badhost.com/", "http://example.com/...badhost.com/")
+check_absolute_url("http://example.com/a/b/c/d/", "../q", "http://example.com/a/b/c/q")
+check_absolute_url("http://example.com/a/b/c/d/", "../../q", "http://example.com/a/b/q")
+check_absolute_url("http://example.com/a/b/c/d/", "../../../q", "http://example.com/a/q")
+check_absolute_url("http://example.com", ".badhost.com", "http://example.com/.badhost.com")
+check_absolute_url("http://example.com/a/b/c/d/", "..//../../../q", "http://example.com/a/q")
+check_absolute_url("http://example.com/a/b/c/d/", "..//a/../../../../q", "http://example.com/a/q")
+check_absolute_url("http://example.com/a/b/c/d/", "..//a/..//../../../q", "http://example.com/a/b/q")
+check_absolute_url("http://example.com/a/b/c/d/", "..//a/..///../../../../q", "http://example.com/a/b/q")
+check_absolute_url("http://example.com/a/b/c/d/", "../x/a/../y/z/../../../../q", "http://example.com/a/b/q")
 
 print("testing path parsing and composition")
 check_parse_path("/eu/tu/ele", { "eu", "tu", "ele"; is_absolute = 1 })