diff --git a/lib/units/validateURI.js b/lib/units/validateURI.js
index 048115f4..7f769c11 100644
--- a/lib/units/validateURI.js
+++ b/lib/units/validateURI.js
@@ -1,41 +1,22 @@
+const url = require('url');
 const deepEqual = require('deep-equal');
 
 const APIARY_URI_TYPE = 'text/vnd.apiary.uri';
 
 /**
- * Parses a given query string into an Object.
- * @param {string} queryString
- * @returns {Object<string, string | string[]>}
- */
-const parseQueryString = (queryString) => {
-  if (!queryString) {
-    return {};
-  }
-
-  return queryString.split('&').reduce((acc, paramString) => {
-    const [paramName, paramValue] = paramString.split('=');
-    const nextValue = Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(acc, paramName)
-      ? [].concat(acc[paramName], paramValue)
-      : paramValue;
-
-    return {
-      ...acc,
-      [paramName]: nextValue
-    };
-  }, {});
-};
-
-/**
+ * Parses the given URI and returns the properties
+ * elligible for comparison. Leaves out raw properties like "path"
+ * that cannot be compared due to struct query parameters order.
  * @param {string} uri
+ * @returns {Object<string, string | number>}
  */
 const parseURI = (uri) => {
-  const parsed = /(\w+)(\?(.+))?/.exec(uri) || [];
-  const hostname = parsed[1];
-  const queryString = parsed[3];
-
+  const { pathname, port, hash, query } = url.parse(uri, true);
   return {
-    hostname,
-    query: parseQueryString(queryString)
+    pathname,
+    port,
+    hash,
+    query
   };
 };
 
@@ -43,10 +24,11 @@ const validateURI = (expected, real) => {
   const { uri: expectedURI } = expected;
   const { uri: realURI } = real;
 
-  // Parses URI into Objects to deal with
-  // the order of query parameters.
-  const parsedExpected = parseURI(expectedURI);
-  const parsedReal = parseURI(realURI);
+  // Parses URI to perform a correct comparison:
+  // - literal comparison of pathname
+  // - order-insensitive comparison of query parameters
+  const parsedExpected = parseURI(expectedURI, true);
+  const parsedReal = parseURI(realURI, true);
 
   // Note the different order of arguments between
   // "validateURI" and "deepEqual".