diff --git a/test/test.ts b/test/test.ts
index 0899f0a..2b0b612 100644
--- a/test/test.ts
+++ b/test/test.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,10 @@ tap.test('should post a JSON document over http', async () => {
 });
 
 tap.test('should deal with unix socks', async () => {
-  await expect(smartrequest.request('http://unix:/var/run/docker.sock:/containers'))
+  const socketResponse = await smartrequest.request('http://unix:/var/run/docker.sock:/containers');
+  console.log(socketResponse.body);
 });
 
-tap.start();
+tap.start({
+  throwOnError: true
+});
diff --git a/ts/index.ts b/ts/index.ts
index 28475ff..b1e8d20 100644
--- a/ts/index.ts
+++ b/ts/index.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-export { request, extendedIncomingMessage } from './smartrequest.request';
+export { request, IExtendedIncomingMessage } from './smartrequest.request';
 export { ISmartRequestOptions } from './smartrequest.interfaces';
 
 export * from './smartrequest.jsonrest';
diff --git a/ts/smartrequest.request.ts b/ts/smartrequest.request.ts
index 4024ccd..0354a51 100644
--- a/ts/smartrequest.request.ts
+++ b/ts/smartrequest.request.ts
@@ -1,85 +1,112 @@
-import * as https from 'https';
-import * as plugins from './smartrequest.plugins';
-import * as interfaces from './smartrequest.interfaces';
+import * as https from "https";
+import * as plugins from "./smartrequest.plugins";
+import * as interfaces from "./smartrequest.interfaces";
 
-import { IncomingMessage } from 'http';
+import { IncomingMessage } from "http";
 
-export interface extendedIncomingMessage extends IncomingMessage {
+export interface IExtendedIncomingMessage extends IncomingMessage {
   body: any;
 }
 
-let buildResponse = (incomingMessageArg: IncomingMessage): Promise<extendedIncomingMessage> => {
-  let done = plugins.smartpromise.defer<extendedIncomingMessage>();
+const buildUtf8Response = (
+  incomingMessageArg: IncomingMessage
+): Promise<IExtendedIncomingMessage> => {
+  let done = plugins.smartpromise.defer<IExtendedIncomingMessage>();
   // Continuously update stream with data
-  let body = '';
-  incomingMessageArg.on('data', function(chunkArg) {
+  let body = "";
+  incomingMessageArg.on("data", function(chunkArg) {
     body += chunkArg;
   });
 
-  incomingMessageArg.on('end', function() {
+  incomingMessageArg.on("end", function() {
     try {
-      (incomingMessageArg as extendedIncomingMessage).body = JSON.parse(body);
+      (incomingMessageArg as IExtendedIncomingMessage).body = JSON.parse(body);
     } catch (err) {
-      (incomingMessageArg as extendedIncomingMessage).body = body;
+      (incomingMessageArg as IExtendedIncomingMessage).body = body;
     }
-    done.resolve(incomingMessageArg as extendedIncomingMessage);
+    done.resolve(incomingMessageArg as IExtendedIncomingMessage);
   });
   return done.promise;
 };
 
+/**
+ * determine wether a url is a unix sock
+ * @param urlArg
+ */
+const testForUnixSock = (urlArg: string): boolean => {
+  const unixRegex = /^(http:\/\/|https:\/\/|)unix:/;
+  return unixRegex.test(urlArg);
+};
+
+/**
+ * determine socketPath and path for unixsock
+ */
+const parseSocketPathAndRoute = (stringToParseArg: string) => {
+  const parseRegex = /(.*):(.*)/;
+  const result = parseRegex.exec(stringToParseArg);
+  return {
+    socketPath: result[1],
+    path: result[2]
+  }
+}
+
 export let request = async (
   domainArg: string,
   optionsArg: interfaces.ISmartRequestOptions = {},
   streamArg: boolean = false
-): Promise<extendedIncomingMessage> => {
+): Promise<IExtendedIncomingMessage> => {
   let done = plugins.smartpromise.defer<any>();
+
+  // parse url
   let parsedUrl: plugins.url.Url;
-  if (domainArg) {
-    parsedUrl = plugins.url.parse(domainArg);
-    optionsArg.hostname = parsedUrl.hostname;
-    if (parsedUrl.port) {
-      optionsArg.port = parseInt(parsedUrl.port);
-    }
-    optionsArg.path = parsedUrl.path;
+  parsedUrl = plugins.url.parse(domainArg);
+  optionsArg.hostname = parsedUrl.hostname;
+  if (parsedUrl.port) {
+    optionsArg.port = parseInt(parsedUrl.port);
   }
-  if (!parsedUrl || parsedUrl.protocol === 'https:') {
-    let request = plugins.https.request(optionsArg, response => {
-      if (streamArg) {
-        done.resolve(response);
-      } else {
-        buildResponse(response).then(done.resolve);
-      }
-    });
-    if (optionsArg.requestBody) {
-      if (typeof optionsArg.requestBody !== 'string') {
-        optionsArg.requestBody = JSON.stringify(optionsArg.requestBody);
-      }
-      request.write(optionsArg.requestBody);
-    }
-    request.on('error', e => {
-      console.error(e);
-    });
-    request.end();
-  } else if (parsedUrl.protocol === 'http:') {
-    let request = plugins.http.request(optionsArg, response => {
-      if (streamArg) {
-        done.resolve(response);
-      } else {
-        buildResponse(response).then(done.resolve);
-      }
-    });
-    if (optionsArg.requestBody) {
-      if (typeof optionsArg.requestBody !== 'string') {
-        optionsArg.requestBody = JSON.stringify(optionsArg.requestBody);
-      }
-      request.write(optionsArg.requestBody);
-    }
-    request.on('error', e => {
-      console.error(e);
-    });
-    request.end();
-  } else {
-    throw new Error(`unsupported protocol: ${parsedUrl.protocol}`);
+  optionsArg.path = parsedUrl.path;
+
+  // determine if unixsock
+  if(testForUnixSock(domainArg)) {
+    const detailedUnixPath = parseSocketPathAndRoute(optionsArg.path)
+    optionsArg.socketPath = detailedUnixPath.socketPath;
+    optionsArg.path = detailedUnixPath.path;
   }
-  return done.promise;
+  
+  // lets determine the request module to use
+  const requestModule = (() => {
+    if (parsedUrl.protocol === "https:") {
+      return plugins.https;
+    } else if (parsedUrl.protocol === "http:") {
+      return plugins.http;
+    } else {
+      throw new Error(`unsupported protocol: ${parsedUrl.protocol}`);
+    }
+  })() as typeof plugins.https;
+
+
+  // lets perform the actual request
+  let request = requestModule.request(optionsArg, async response => {
+    if (streamArg) {
+      done.resolve(response);
+    } else {
+      const builtResponse = await buildUtf8Response(response)
+      done.resolve(builtResponse);
+    }
+  });
+
+  // lets write the requestBody
+  if (optionsArg.requestBody) {
+    if (typeof optionsArg.requestBody !== "string") {
+      optionsArg.requestBody = JSON.stringify(optionsArg.requestBody);
+    }
+    request.write(optionsArg.requestBody);
+  }
+  request.on("error", e => {
+    console.error(e);
+  });
+  request.end();
+
+  const result = await done.promise;
+  return result;
 };