diff --git a/docs/api/request.md b/docs/api/request.md
index 9b49447..4738fbe 100644
--- a/docs/api/request.md
+++ b/docs/api/request.md
@@ -98,6 +98,14 @@ ctx.request.href
 
   Get hostname when present. Supports `X-Forwarded-Host`
   when `app.proxy` is __true__, otherwise `Host` is used.
+  
+  If host is IPv6, Koa delegates parsing to
+  [WHATWG URL API](https://nodejs.org/dist/latest-v8.x/docs/api/url.html#url_the_whatwg_url_api),
+  *Note* This may impact performance.
+
+### request.URL
+
+  Get WHATWG parsed URL object.
 
 ### request.type
 
diff --git a/lib/context.js b/lib/context.js
index ece4718..0cbf207 100644
--- a/lib/context.js
+++ b/lib/context.js
@@ -198,6 +198,7 @@ delegate(proto, 'request')
   .getter('protocol')
   .getter('host')
   .getter('hostname')
+  .getter('URL')
   .getter('header')
   .getter('headers')
   .getter('secure')
diff --git a/lib/request.js b/lib/request.js
index 1e31754..23ed3f2 100644
--- a/lib/request.js
+++ b/lib/request.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
  * Module dependencies.
  */
 
+const URL = require('url').URL;
 const net = require('net');
 const contentType = require('content-type');
 const stringify = require('url').format;
@@ -264,9 +265,32 @@ module.exports = {
   get hostname() {
     const host = this.host;
     if (!host) return '';
+    if ('[' == host[0]) return this.URL.hostname || ''; // IPv6
     return host.split(':')[0];
   },
 
+  /**
+   * Get WHATWG parsed URL.
+   * Lazily memoized.
+   *
+   * @return {URL|Object}
+   * @api public
+   */
+
+  get URL() {
+    if (!this.memoizedURL) {
+      const protocol = this.protocol;
+      const host = this.host;
+      const originalUrl = this.originalUrl || ''; // avoid undefined in template string
+      try {
+        this.memoizedURL = new URL(`${protocol}://${host}${originalUrl}`);
+      } catch (err) {
+        this.memoizedURL = Object.create(null);
+      }
+    }
+    return this.memoizedURL;
+  },
+
   /**
    * Check if the request is fresh, aka
    * Last-Modified and/or the ETag
diff --git a/test/request/hostname.js b/test/request/hostname.js
index 14adf40..13134d0 100644
--- a/test/request/hostname.js
+++ b/test/request/hostname.js
@@ -18,6 +18,38 @@ describe('req.hostname', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('with IPv6 in host', () => {
+    it('should parse localhost void of port', () => {
+      const req = request();
+      req.header.host = '[::1]';
+      assert.equal(req.hostname, '[::1]');
+    });
+
+    it('should parse localhost with port 80', () => {
+      const req = request();
+      req.header.host = '[::1]:80';
+      assert.equal(req.hostname, '[::1]');
+    });
+
+    it('should parse localhost with non special schema port', () => {
+      const req = request();
+      req.header.host = '[::1]:1337';
+      assert.equal(req.hostname, '[::1]');
+    });
+
+    it('should reduce IPv6 with non special schema port, as hostname', () => {
+      const req = request();
+      req.header.host = '[2001:cdba:0000:0000:0000:0000:3257:9652]:1337';
+      assert.equal(req.hostname, '[2001:cdba::3257:9652]');
+    });
+
+    it('should return empty string when invalid', () => {
+      const req = request();
+      req.header.host = '[invalidIPv6]';
+      assert.equal(req.hostname, '');
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('when X-Forwarded-Host is present', () => {
     describe('and proxy is not trusted', () => {
       it('should be ignored', () => {
diff --git a/test/request/whatwg-url.js b/test/request/whatwg-url.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..af13e4c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/request/whatwg-url.js
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+
+'use strict';
+
+const request = require('../helpers/context').request;
+const assert = require('assert');
+
+describe('req.URL', () => {
+  describe('should not throw when', () => {
+    it('host is void', () => {
+      const req = request();
+      assert.doesNotThrow(() => req.URL, TypeError);
+    });
+
+    it('header.host is invalid', () => {
+      const req = request();
+      req.header.host = 'invalid host';
+      assert.doesNotThrow(() => req.URL, TypeError);
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('should return empty object when invalid', () => {
+    const req = request();
+    req.header.host = 'invalid host';
+    assert.deepStrictEqual(req.URL, Object.create(null));
+  });
+});