diff --git a/lib/angular.dart b/lib/angular.dart
index 7f36d20d5..9d53acb3b 100644
--- a/lib/angular.dart
+++ b/lib/angular.dart
@@ -128,6 +128,9 @@ class AngularModule extends Module {
     type(Interpolate, Interpolate);
     type(CacheFactory, CacheFactory);
     type(Http, Http);
+    type(UrlRewriter, UrlRewriter);
+    type(HttpFutures, HttpFutures);
+    type(HttpBackend, HttpBackend);
     type(BlockCache, BlockCache);
     type(TemplateCache, TemplateCache);
 
diff --git a/lib/block.dart b/lib/block.dart
index b84d8b401..5e98a0938 100644
--- a/lib/block.dart
+++ b/lib/block.dart
@@ -108,8 +108,8 @@ class Block implements ElementWrapper {
       if (ref.directive.isComponent) {
         //nodeModule.factory(type, new ComponentFactory(node, ref.directive), visibility: visibility);
         // TODO(misko): there should be no need to wrap function like this.
-        nodeModule.factory(type, (Injector injector, Compiler compiler, Scope scope, Parser parser, BlockCache $blockCache) =>
-          (new ComponentFactory(node, ref.directive))(injector, compiler, scope, parser, $blockCache),
+        nodeModule.factory(type, (Injector injector, Compiler compiler, Scope scope, Parser parser, BlockCache $blockCache, UrlRewriter urlRewriter) =>
+          (new ComponentFactory(node, ref.directive))(injector, compiler, scope, parser, $blockCache, urlRewriter),
           visibility: visibility);
       } else {
         nodeModule.type(type, type, visibility: visibility);
@@ -267,13 +267,13 @@ class ComponentFactory {
   ComponentFactory(this.element, this.directive);
 
   dynamic call(Injector injector, Compiler compiler, Scope scope,
-      Parser parser, BlockCache $blockCache) {
+      Parser parser, BlockCache $blockCache, UrlRewriter urlRewriter) {
     this.compiler = compiler;
     shadowDom = element.createShadowRoot();
     shadowScope = scope.$new(true);
     createAttributeMapping(scope, shadowScope, parser);
     if (directive.$cssUrl != null) {
-      shadowDom.innerHtml = '<style>@import "${directive.$cssUrl}"</style>';
+      shadowDom.innerHtml = '<style>@import "${urlRewriter(directive.$cssUrl)}"</style>';
     }
     TemplateLoader templateLoader;
     if (directive.$template != null) {
diff --git a/lib/http.dart b/lib/http.dart
index 2cafbe5c2..8bd8ffe3c 100644
--- a/lib/http.dart
+++ b/lib/http.dart
@@ -1,18 +1,41 @@
 part of angular;
 
+// NOTE(deboer): This should be a generic utility class, but lets make sure
+// it works in this case first!
+class HttpFutures {
+  value(x) => new async.Future.value(x);
+}
+
+class UrlRewriter {
+  String call(url) => url;
+}
+
+class HttpBackend {
+  getString(String rawUrl, {bool withCredentials, void onProgress(dom.ProgressEvent e)}) {
+    return dom.HttpRequest.getString(url, withCredentials: withCredentials, onProgress: onProgress);
+  }
+}
+
 class Http {
   Map<String, async.Future<String>> _pendingRequests = <String, async.Future<String>>{};
-  
-  async.Future<String> getString(String url, {bool withCredentials, void onProgress(dom.ProgressEvent e), Cache cache}) {
+  UrlRewriter rewriter;
+  HttpBackend backend;
+  HttpFutures futures;
+
+  Http(UrlRewriter this.rewriter, HttpBackend this.backend, HttpFutures this.futures);
+
+  async.Future<String> getString(String rawUrl, {bool withCredentials, void onProgress(dom.ProgressEvent e), Cache cache}) {
+    String url = rewriter(rawUrl);
+
     // We return a pending request only if caching is enabled.
     if (cache != null && _pendingRequests.containsKey(url)) {
       return _pendingRequests[url];
     }
     var cachedValue = cache != null ? cache.get(url) : null;
     if (cachedValue != null) {
-      return new async.Future.value(cachedValue);
+      return futures.value(cachedValue);
     }
-    var result = dom.HttpRequest.getString(url, withCredentials: withCredentials, onProgress: onProgress).then((value) {
+    var result = backend.getString(url, withCredentials: withCredentials, onProgress: onProgress).then((value) {
       if (cache != null) {
         cache.put(url, value);
       }
diff --git a/test/_http.dart b/test/_http.dart
index 188cd9aa5..3e6e82140 100644
--- a/test/_http.dart
+++ b/test/_http.dart
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ class MockHttp extends Http {
   Map<String, MockHttpData> gets = {};
   List futures = [];
 
+  MockHttp(UrlRewriter rewriter, HttpBackend backend, HttpFutures futures) : super(rewriter, backend, futures);
+
   expectGET(String url, String content, {int times: 1}) {
     gets[url] = new MockHttpData(content, times);
   }
@@ -46,4 +48,51 @@ class MockHttpData {
   toString() => value;
 }
 
+class MockHttpFutures extends HttpFutures {
+  List completersAndValues = [];
+  Future value(x) {
+    var completer = new Completer.sync();
+    completersAndValues.add([completer, x]);
+    return completer.future;
+  }
+
+  trigger() {
+    completersAndValues.forEach((cv) => cv[0].complete(cv[1]));
+    completersAndValues = [];
+  }
+}
+
+class MockHttpBackend extends HttpBackend {
+  Map<String, MockHttpData> gets = {};
+  List completersAndValues = [];
+
+  expectGET(String url, String content, {int times: 1}) {
+    gets[url] = new MockHttpData(content, times);
+  }
+
+  flush() {
+    completersAndValues.forEach((cv) => cv[0].complete(cv[1]));
+    completersAndValues = [];
+  }
+
+  assertAllGetsCalled() {
+    if (gets.length != 0) {
+      throw "Expected GETs not called $gets";
+    }
+  }
+
+  getString(String url, {bool withCredentials, void onProgress(ProgressEvent e)}) {
+    if (!gets.containsKey(url)) throw "Unexpected URL $url $gets";
+    var data = gets[url];
+    data.times--;
+    if (data.times <= 0) {
+      gets.remove(url);
+    }
+    var expectedValue = data.value;
+    var completer = new Completer.sync();
+    completersAndValues.add([completer, expectedValue]);
+    return completer.future;
+  }
+}
+
 main() {}
diff --git a/test/http_spec.dart b/test/http_spec.dart
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e812e4b04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/http_spec.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,177 @@
+import "_specs.dart";
+import "_http.dart";
+
+var VALUE = 'val';
+var CACHED_VALUE = 'cached_value';
+
+
+class FakeCache implements Cache {
+  get(x) => x == 'f' ? CACHED_VALUE : null;
+  put(_,__) => null;
+
+}
+
+class SubstringRewriter extends UrlRewriter {
+  call(String x) => x.substring(0, 1);
+}
+
+main() {
+  describe('http rewriting', () {
+    var rewriter, futures, backend, cache;
+    beforeEach(() {
+      rewriter = new SubstringRewriter();
+      futures = new MockHttpFutures();
+      backend = new MockHttpBackend();
+      cache = new FakeCache();
+    });
+
+    it('should rewrite URLs before calling the backend', () {
+      backend.expectGET('a', VALUE, times: 1);
+
+      var http = new Http(rewriter, backend, futures);
+      var called = 0;
+      http.getString('a[not sent to backed]').then((v) {
+        expect(v).toBe(VALUE);
+        called += 1;
+      });
+
+      expect(called).toEqual(0);
+
+      backend.flush();
+
+      expect(called).toEqual(1);
+      backend.assertAllGetsCalled();
+    });
+
+    it('should support pending requests for different raw URLs', () {
+      backend.expectGET('a', VALUE, times: 1);
+
+      var http = new Http(rewriter, backend, futures);
+      var called = 0;
+      http.getString('a[some string]', cache: cache).then((v) {
+        expect(v).toBe(VALUE);
+        called += 1;
+      });
+      http.getString('a[different string]', cache: cache).then((v) {
+        expect(v).toBe(VALUE);
+        called += 10;
+      });
+
+      expect(called).toEqual(0);
+      backend.flush();
+      expect(called).toEqual(11);
+      backend.assertAllGetsCalled();
+    });
+
+    it('should support caching', () {
+      var http = new Http(rewriter, backend, futures);
+      var called = 0;
+      http.getString('fromCache', cache: cache).then((v) {
+        expect(v).toBe(CACHED_VALUE);
+        called += 1;
+      });
+
+      expect(called).toEqual(0);
+      backend.flush();
+      futures.trigger();
+
+      expect(called).toEqual(1);
+      backend.assertAllGetsCalled();
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('http caching', () {
+    var rewriter, futures, backend, cache;
+    beforeEach(() {
+      rewriter = new UrlRewriter();
+      futures = new MockHttpFutures();
+      backend = new MockHttpBackend();
+      cache = new FakeCache();
+    });
+    it('should not cache if no cache is present', () {
+      backend.expectGET('a', VALUE, times: 2);
+
+      var http = new Http(rewriter, backend, futures);
+      var called = 0;
+      http.getString('a').then((v) {
+        expect(v).toBe(VALUE);
+        called += 1;
+      });
+      http.getString('a').then((v) {
+        expect(v).toBe(VALUE);
+        called += 10;
+      });
+
+      expect(called).toEqual(0);
+
+      backend.flush();
+
+      expect(called).toEqual(11);
+      backend.assertAllGetsCalled();
+    });
+
+
+    it('should return a pending request', inject(() {
+      backend.expectGET('a', VALUE, times: 1);
+
+      var http = new Http(rewriter, backend, futures);
+      var called = 0;
+      http.getString('a', cache: cache).then((v) {
+        expect(v).toBe(VALUE);
+        called += 1;
+      });
+      http.getString('a', cache: cache).then((v) {
+        expect(v).toBe(VALUE);
+        called += 10;
+      });
+
+      expect(called).toEqual(0);
+      backend.flush();
+      expect(called).toEqual(11);
+      backend.assertAllGetsCalled();
+    }));
+
+
+    it('should not return a pending request after the request is complete', () {
+      backend.expectGET('a', VALUE, times: 2);
+
+      var http = new Http(rewriter, backend, futures);
+      var called = 0;
+      http.getString('a', cache: cache).then((v) {
+        expect(v).toBe(VALUE);
+        called += 1;
+      });
+
+      expect(called).toEqual(0);
+      backend.flush();
+
+      http.getString('a', cache: cache).then((v) {
+        expect(v).toBe(VALUE);
+        called += 10;
+      });
+
+      expect(called).toEqual(1);
+      backend.flush();
+      expect(called).toEqual(11);
+      backend.assertAllGetsCalled();
+    });
+
+
+    it('should return a cached value if present', () {
+      var http = new Http(rewriter, backend, futures);
+      var called = 0;
+      // The URL string 'f' is primed in the FakeCache
+      http.getString('f', cache: cache).then((v) {
+        expect(v).toBe(CACHED_VALUE);
+        called += 1;
+      });
+
+      expect(called).toEqual(0);
+      backend.flush();
+      futures.trigger();
+
+      expect(called).toEqual(1);
+      backend.assertAllGetsCalled();
+    });
+  });
+}
diff --git a/test/templateurl_spec.dart b/test/templateurl_spec.dart
index d67a410a9..4d8101e3a 100644
--- a/test/templateurl_spec.dart
+++ b/test/templateurl_spec.dart
@@ -32,7 +32,38 @@ class OnlyCssComponent {
   static String $cssUrl = 'simple.css';
 }
 
+class PrefixedUrlRewriter extends UrlRewriter {
+  call(url) => "PREFIX:$url";
+}
+
 main() {
+  describe('loading with http rewriting', () {
+    var backend;
+    beforeEach(module((AngularModule module) {
+      backend = new MockHttpBackend();
+      module
+        ..directive(HtmlAndCssComponent)
+        ..value(HttpBackend, backend)
+        ..type(UrlRewriter, PrefixedUrlRewriter);
+    }));
+
+    it('should use the UrlRewriter for both HTML and CSS URLs', inject((Http $http, Compiler $compile, Scope $rootScope, Log log, Injector injector) {
+
+      backend.expectGET('PREFIX:simple.html', '<div log="SIMPLE">Simple!</div>');
+
+      var element = $('<div><html-and-css log>ignore</html-and-css><div>');
+      $compile(element)(injector, element);
+
+      backend.flush();
+
+      expect(renderedText(element)).toEqual('@import "PREFIX:simple.css"Simple!');
+      expect(element[0].nodes[0].shadowRoot.innerHtml).toEqual(
+          '<style>@import "PREFIX:simple.css"</style><div log="SIMPLE">Simple!</div>'
+      );
+    }));
+  });
+
+
   describe('async template loading', () {
     beforeEach(module((AngularModule module) {
       module.factory(Http, (Injector injector) => injector.get(MockHttp));