diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 7fe2d6c0c..40bbcef66 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
     "is-ipfs": "~0.6.0",
     "is-pull-stream": "0.0.0",
     "is-stream": "^1.1.0",
-    "iso-stream-http": "~0.1.1",
+    "iso-stream-http": "~0.1.2",
     "iso-url": "~0.4.6",
     "just-kebab-case": "^1.1.0",
     "just-map-keys": "^1.1.0",
diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index feb49e0bd..ddd0e3e37 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -13,28 +13,26 @@ const loadCommands = require('./utils/load-commands')
 const getConfig = require('./utils/default-config')
 const sendRequest = require('./utils/send-request')
 
-function ipfsClient (hostOrMultiaddr, port, opts) {
+function ipfsClient (hostOrMultiaddr, port, userOptions) {
   // convert all three params to objects that we can merge.
-  let hostAndPort = {}
+  let options = {}
 
   if (!hostOrMultiaddr) {
     // autoconfigure host and port in browser
     if (typeof self !== 'undefined') {
-      const split = self.location.host.split(':')
-      hostAndPort.host = split[0]
-      hostAndPort.port = split[1]
+      options = urlToOptions(self.location)
     }
   } else if (multiaddr.isMultiaddr(hostOrMultiaddr)) {
-    hostAndPort = toHostAndPort(hostOrMultiaddr)
+    options = maToOptions(hostOrMultiaddr)
   } else if (typeof hostOrMultiaddr === 'object') {
-    hostAndPort = hostOrMultiaddr
+    options = hostOrMultiaddr
   } else if (typeof hostOrMultiaddr === 'string') {
     if (hostOrMultiaddr[0] === '/') {
       // throws if multiaddr is malformed or can't be converted to a nodeAddress
-      hostAndPort = toHostAndPort(multiaddr(hostOrMultiaddr))
+      options = maToOptions(multiaddr(hostOrMultiaddr))
     } else {
       // hostOrMultiaddr is domain or ip address as a string
-      hostAndPort.host = hostOrMultiaddr
+      options.host = hostOrMultiaddr
     }
   }
 
@@ -42,7 +40,7 @@ function ipfsClient (hostOrMultiaddr, port, opts) {
     port = { port: port }
   }
 
-  const config = Object.assign(getConfig(), hostAndPort, port, opts)
+  const config = Object.assign(getConfig(), options, port, userOptions)
   const requestAPI = sendRequest(config)
   const cmds = loadCommands(requestAPI, config)
   cmds.send = requestAPI
@@ -50,12 +48,25 @@ function ipfsClient (hostOrMultiaddr, port, opts) {
   return cmds
 }
 
-// throws if multiaddr can't be converted to a nodeAddress
-function toHostAndPort (multiaddr) {
+function maToOptions (multiaddr) {
+  // ma.nodeAddress() throws if multiaddr can't be converted to a nodeAddress
   const nodeAddr = multiaddr.nodeAddress()
+  const protos = multiaddr.protos()
+  // only http and https are allowed as protocol,
+  // anything else will be replaced with http
+  const exitProtocol = protos[protos.length - 1].name
   return {
     host: nodeAddr.address,
-    port: nodeAddr.port
+    port: nodeAddr.port,
+    protocol: exitProtocol.startsWith('http') ? exitProtocol : 'http'
+  }
+}
+
+function urlToOptions (url) {
+  return {
+    host: url.hostname,
+    port: url.port || (url.protocol.startsWith('https') ? 443 : 80),
+    protocol: url.protocol.startsWith('http') ? url.protocol.split(':')[0] : 'http'
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/test/constructor.spec.js b/test/constructor.spec.js
index 68e1339c8..af77d18e1 100644
--- a/test/constructor.spec.js
+++ b/test/constructor.spec.js
@@ -30,7 +30,25 @@ describe('ipfs-http-client constructor tests', () => {
       expectConfig(ipfs, { host, port, protocol })
     })
 
-    it('mutliaddr dns4 string, opts', () => {
+    it('multiaddr dns4 string (implicit http)', () => {
+      const host = 'foo.com'
+      const port = '1001'
+      const protocol = 'http' // default to http if not specified in multiaddr
+      const addr = `/dns4/${host}/tcp/${port}`
+      const ipfs = ipfsClient(addr)
+      expectConfig(ipfs, { host, port, protocol })
+    })
+
+    it('multiaddr dns4 string (explicit https)', () => {
+      const host = 'foo.com'
+      const port = '1001'
+      const protocol = 'https'
+      const addr = `/dns4/${host}/tcp/${port}/${protocol}`
+      const ipfs = ipfsClient(addr)
+      expectConfig(ipfs, { host, port, protocol })
+    })
+
+    it('multiaddr dns4 string, explicit https in opts', () => {
       const host = 'foo.com'
       const port = '1001'
       const protocol = 'https'
@@ -39,15 +57,25 @@ describe('ipfs-http-client constructor tests', () => {
       expectConfig(ipfs, { host, port, protocol })
     })
 
-    it('mutliaddr ipv4 string', () => {
+    it('multiaddr ipv4 string (implicit http)', () => {
       const host = '101.101.101.101'
       const port = '1001'
+      const protocol = 'http'
       const addr = `/ip4/${host}/tcp/${port}`
       const ipfs = ipfsClient(addr)
-      expectConfig(ipfs, { host, port })
+      expectConfig(ipfs, { host, port, protocol })
+    })
+
+    it('multiaddr ipv4 string (explicit https)', () => {
+      const host = '101.101.101.101'
+      const port = '1001'
+      const protocol = 'https'
+      const addr = `/ip4/${host}/tcp/${port}/${protocol}`
+      const ipfs = ipfsClient(addr)
+      expectConfig(ipfs, { host, port, protocol })
     })
 
-    it('mutliaddr instance', () => {
+    it('multiaddr instance', () => {
       const host = 'ace.place'
       const port = '1001'
       const addr = multiaddr(`/dns4/${host}/tcp/${port}`)
@@ -70,7 +98,7 @@ describe('ipfs-http-client constructor tests', () => {
       expectConfig(ipfs, { host, port, apiPath })
     })
 
-    it('throws on invalid mutliaddr', () => {
+    it('throws on invalid multiaddr', () => {
       expect(() => ipfsClient('/dns4')).to.throw('invalid address')
       expect(() => ipfsClient('/hello')).to.throw('no protocol with name')
       expect(() => ipfsClient('/dns4/ipfs.io')).to.throw('multiaddr must have a valid format')