diff --git a/helpers/handleRender.jsx b/helpers/handlePageRender.jsx
similarity index 91%
rename from helpers/handleRender.jsx
rename to helpers/handlePageRender.jsx
index 58b80206..5ec46c3b 100644
--- a/helpers/handleRender.jsx
+++ b/helpers/handlePageRender.jsx
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { renderToString } from 'react-dom/server';
 import { createStore } from 'redux';
 import Reducer from '../react/reducers';
 import { Provider } from 'react-redux';
-import StaticRouter from 'react-router-dom/StaticRouter';
+import { StaticRouter } from 'react-router-dom';
 import GAListener from '../react/components/GAListener';
 import App from '../react/app';
 import renderFullPage from './renderFullPage.js';
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ module.exports = (req, res) => {
   // check for a redirect
   if (context.url) {
     // Somewhere a `<Redirect>` was rendered
-    res.redirect(301, context.url);
+    return res.redirect(301, context.url);
   } else {
     // we're good, send the response
   }
diff --git a/helpers/handleShowRender.jsx b/helpers/handleShowRender.jsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..96787bb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/helpers/handleShowRender.jsx
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import { renderToString } from 'react-dom/server';
+import { createStore, applyMiddleware } from 'redux';
+import Reducer from '../react/reducers';
+import { Provider } from 'react-redux';
+import { StaticRouter, matchPath } from 'react-router-dom';
+import GAListener from '../react/components/GAListener';
+import App from '../react/app';
+import renderFullPage from './renderFullPage';
+import routes from '../react/routes';
+import createSagaMiddleware from 'redux-saga';
+import rootSaga from '../react/sagas';
+
+module.exports = (req, res) => {
+  let context = {};
+
+  // create and apply middleware
+  const sagaMiddleware = createSagaMiddleware();
+  const middleware = applyMiddleware(sagaMiddleware);
+
+  // create a new Redux store instance
+  const store = createStore(Reducer, middleware);
+
+  // run the saga middlweare
+  sagaMiddleware.run(rootSaga);
+
+  // get data as promises
+  const promises = [];
+  routes.some(route => {
+    const match = matchPath(req.path, route);
+    if (match) {
+      let fetchData = route.component.fetchData;
+      if (fetchData instanceof Function) {
+        promises.push(fetchData(store, match));
+      };
+    };
+  });
+  console.log('promises', promises);
+
+  // after promises have resolved, render the component
+  Promise.all(promises).then(data => {
+    console.log('data:', data);
+    // render component to a string
+    const html = renderToString(
+      <Provider store={store}>
+        <StaticRouter location={req.url} context={context}>
+          <GAListener>
+            <App />
+          </GAListener>
+        </StaticRouter>
+      </Provider>
+    );
+
+    // check for a redirect
+    if (context.url) {
+      console.log('REDIRECTING:', context.url);
+      return res.redirect(301, context.url);
+    } else {
+      console.log(`we're good, send the response`, html);
+    }
+
+    // get the initial state from our Redux store
+    const preloadedState = store.getState();
+
+    // send the rendered page back to the client
+    res.send(renderFullPage(html, preloadedState));
+  });
+};
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 8a02ac24..8b7e5403 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -35,11 +35,13 @@
     "config": "^1.26.1",
     "connect-multiparty": "^2.0.0",
     "cookie-session": "^2.0.0-beta.3",
+    "cross-fetch": "^1.1.1",
     "express": "^4.15.2",
     "express-handlebars": "^3.0.0",
     "form-data": "^2.3.1",
     "helmet": "^3.8.1",
     "mysql2": "^1.3.5",
+    "node-fetch": "^2.0.0",
     "passport": "^0.4.0",
     "passport-local": "^1.0.0",
     "prop-types": "^15.6.0",
diff --git a/react/actions/show.js b/react/actions/show.js
index 3a23b66d..5c31f58b 100644
--- a/react/actions/show.js
+++ b/react/actions/show.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { CHANNEL, ASSET_LITE, ASSET_DETAILS } from 'constants/show_request_types
 
 // basic request parsing
 export function handleShowPageUri (params) {
+  console.log('dispatching handleShowpageUri');
   return {
     type: actions.HANDLE_SHOW_URI,
     data: params,
diff --git a/react/api/assetApi.js b/react/api/assetApi.js
index 10e21ac4..12f5fa6c 100644
--- a/react/api/assetApi.js
+++ b/react/api/assetApi.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import Request from 'utils/request';
+const { site: { host } } = require('../../config/speechConfig.js');
 
 export function getLongClaimId (name, modifier) {
   // console.log('getting long claim id for asset:', name, modifier);
@@ -15,25 +16,23 @@ export function getLongClaimId (name, modifier) {
   body['claimName'] = name;
   const params = {
     method : 'POST',
-    headers: new Headers({
-      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
-    }),
-    body: JSON.stringify(body),
+    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+    body   : JSON.stringify(body),
   };
   // create url
-  const url = `/api/claim/long-id`;
+  const url = `${host}/api/claim/long-id`;
   // return the request promise
   return Request(url, params);
 };
 
 export function getShortId (name, claimId) {
   // console.log('getting short id for asset:', name, claimId);
-  const url = `/api/claim/short-id/${claimId}/${name}`;
+  const url = `${host}/api/claim/short-id/${claimId}/${name}`;
   return Request(url);
 };
 
 export function getClaimData (name, claimId) {
   // console.log('getting claim data for asset:', name, claimId);
-  const url = `/api/claim/data/${name}/${claimId}`;
+  const url = `${host}/api/claim/data/${name}/${claimId}`;
   return Request(url);
 };
diff --git a/react/api/channelApi.js b/react/api/channelApi.js
index d060fe2c..ddc25c05 100644
--- a/react/api/channelApi.js
+++ b/react/api/channelApi.js
@@ -1,16 +1,17 @@
 import Request from 'utils/request';
 import request from '../utils/request';
+const { site: { host } } = require('../../config/speechConfig.js');
 
 export function getChannelData (name, id) {
   console.log('getting channel data for channel:', name, id);
   if (!id) id = 'none';
-  const url = `/api/channel/data/${name}/${id}`;
+  const url = `${host}/api/channel/data/${name}/${id}`;
   return request(url);
 };
 
 export function getChannelClaims (name, longId, page) {
   console.log('getting channel claims for channel:', name, longId);
   if (!page) page = 1;
-  const url = `/api/channel/claims/${name}/${longId}/${page}`;
+  const url = `${host}/api/channel/claims/${name}/${longId}/${page}`;
   return Request(url);
 };
diff --git a/react/api/fileApi.js b/react/api/fileApi.js
index ecc4a652..64ff1ad9 100644
--- a/react/api/fileApi.js
+++ b/react/api/fileApi.js
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 import Request from 'utils/request';
+const { site: { host } } = require('../../config/speechConfig.js');
 
 export function checkFileAvailability (name, claimId) {
-  const url = `/api/file/availability/${name}/${claimId}`;
+  const url = `${host}/api/file/availability/${name}/${claimId}`;
   return Request(url);
 }
 
 export function triggerClaimGet (name, claimId) {
-  const url = `/api/claim/get/${name}/${claimId}`;
+  const url = `${host}/api/claim/get/${name}/${claimId}`;
   return Request(url);
 }
diff --git a/react/app.js b/react/app.js
index 212713c0..e8aa7ea5 100644
--- a/react/app.js
+++ b/react/app.js
@@ -1,20 +1,13 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import { Route, Switch } from 'react-router-dom';
-import PublishPage from 'components/PublishPage';
-import AboutPage from 'components/AboutPage';
-import LoginPage from 'containers/LoginPage';
-import ShowPage from 'containers/ShowPage';
-import FourOhFourPage from 'components/FourOhFourPage';
+import routes from './routes';
 
 const App = () => {
   return (
     <Switch>
-      <Route exact path='/' component={PublishPage} />
-      <Route exact path='/about' component={AboutPage} />
-      <Route exact path='/login' component={LoginPage} />
-      <Route exact path='/:identifier/:claim' component={ShowPage} />
-      <Route exact path='/:claim' component={ShowPage} />
-      <Route component={FourOhFourPage} />
+      {routes.map((route, index) => (
+        <Route key={index}{...route} />
+      ))}
     </Switch>
   );
 };
diff --git a/react/containers/ShowPage/view.jsx b/react/containers/ShowPage/view.jsx
index cf565f02..fdf8ec87 100644
--- a/react/containers/ShowPage/view.jsx
+++ b/react/containers/ShowPage/view.jsx
@@ -3,10 +3,15 @@ import ErrorPage from 'components/ErrorPage';
 import ShowAssetLite from 'components/ShowAssetLite';
 import ShowAssetDetails from 'components/ShowAssetDetails';
 import ShowChannel from 'components/ShowChannel';
+import { handleShowPageUri } from 'actions/show';
 
 import { CHANNEL, ASSET_LITE, ASSET_DETAILS } from 'constants/show_request_types';
 
 class ShowPage extends React.Component {
+  static fetchData (store, match) {
+    console.log('the store:', store);
+    return store.dispatch(handleShowPageUri(match.params));
+  }
   componentDidMount () {
     this.props.handleShowPageUri(this.props.match.params);
   }
diff --git a/react/routes.js b/react/routes.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9bc9c0ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/react/routes.js
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+import PublishPage from 'components/PublishPage';
+import AboutPage from 'components/AboutPage';
+import LoginPage from 'containers/LoginPage';
+import ShowPage from 'containers/ShowPage';
+import FourOhFourPage from 'components/FourOhFourPage';
+
+const routes = [
+  { path     : '/',
+    exact    : true,
+    component: PublishPage,
+  },
+  { path     : '/about',
+    exact    : true,
+    component: AboutPage,
+  },
+  { path     : '/login',
+    exact    : true,
+    component: LoginPage,
+  },
+  { path     : '/:identifier/:claim',
+    exact    : true,
+    component: ShowPage,
+  },
+  { path     : '/:claim',
+    exact    : true,
+    component: ShowPage,
+  },
+  {
+    component: FourOhFourPage,
+  },
+];
+
+export default routes;
diff --git a/react/utils/request.js b/react/utils/request.js
index 81674721..7be069d9 100644
--- a/react/utils/request.js
+++ b/react/utils/request.js
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import 'cross-fetch/polyfill';
+
 /**
  * Parses the JSON returned by a network request
  *
diff --git a/routes/page-routes.js b/routes/page-routes.js
index 4e013199..2203710c 100644
--- a/routes/page-routes.js
+++ b/routes/page-routes.js
@@ -1,29 +1,29 @@
 const { site } = require('../config/speechConfig.js');
-const handleRender = require('../helpers/handleRender.jsx');
+const handlePageRender = require('../helpers/handlePageRender.jsx');
 
 module.exports = (app) => {
   // route for the home page
   app.get('/', (req, res) => {
-    handleRender(req, res);
+    handlePageRender(req, res);
   });
   // route to display login page
   app.get('/login', (req, res) => {
-    handleRender(req, res);
+    handlePageRender(req, res);
   });
   // route to show 'about' page
   app.get('/about', (req, res) => {
-    handleRender(req, res);
+    handlePageRender(req, res);
   });
   // route to display a list of the trending images
   app.get('/trending', (req, res) => {
     res.status(301).redirect('/popular');
   });
   app.get('/popular', (req, res) => {
-    handleRender(req, res);
+    handlePageRender(req, res);
   });
   // route to display a list of the trending images
   app.get('/new', (req, res) => {
-    handleRender(req, res);
+    handlePageRender(req, res);
   });
   // route to send embedable video player (for twitter)
   app.get('/embed/:claimId/:name', ({ params }, res) => {
diff --git a/routes/serve-routes.js b/routes/serve-routes.js
index 9a1c303e..040bfede 100644
--- a/routes/serve-routes.js
+++ b/routes/serve-routes.js
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 const { sendGAServeEvent } = require('../helpers/googleAnalytics');
-
 const { determineResponseType, flipClaimNameAndIdForBackwardsCompatibility, logRequestData, getClaimIdAndServeAsset } = require('../helpers/serveHelpers.js');
 const lbryUri = require('../helpers/lbryUri.js');
-
+const handleShowRender = require('../helpers/handleShowRender.jsx');
 const SERVE = 'SERVE';
 
 module.exports = (app) => {
   // route to serve a specific asset using the channel or claim id
-  app.get('/:identifier/:claim', ({ headers, ip, originalUrl, params }, res) => {
+  app.get('/:identifier/:claim', (req, res) => {
+    const { headers, ip, originalUrl, params } = req;
     // decide if this is a show request
     let hasFileExtension;
     try {
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ module.exports = (app) => {
     }
     let responseType = determineResponseType(hasFileExtension, headers);
     if (responseType !== SERVE) {
-      return res.status(200).render('index');
+      // return res.status(200).render('index');
+      return handleShowRender(req, res);
     }
     // handle serve request
     // send google analytics
diff --git a/webpack.config.js b/webpack.config.js
index 5e8d10f4..ef184b3b 100644
--- a/webpack.config.js
+++ b/webpack.config.js
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ module.exports = [
       __dirname: false,
     },
     externals: [nodeExternals()],
-    entry    : ['./server.js'],
+    entry    : ['babel-polyfill', 'whatwg-fetch', './server.js'],
     output   : {
       path      : Path.resolve(__dirname),
       publicPath: '/',