diff --git a/cypress.json b/cypress.json
index c0b5a56a15..80358eb6dd 100644
--- a/cypress.json
+++ b/cypress.json
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
     "openMode": 0
   },
   "env": {
-    "DSPACE_TEST_REST_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:8080",
     "DSPACE_TEST_ADMIN_USER": "dspacedemo+admin@gmail.com",
     "DSPACE_TEST_ADMIN_PASSWORD": "dspace",
     "DSPACE_TEST_COMMUNITY": "0958c910-2037-42a9-81c7-dca80e3892b4",
diff --git a/cypress/support/commands.ts b/cypress/support/commands.ts
index dcac5aaaac..d66e1ef0bd 100644
--- a/cypress/support/commands.ts
+++ b/cypress/support/commands.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 // ***********************************************
 
 import { AuthTokenInfo, TOKENITEM } from 'src/app/core/auth/models/auth-token-info.model';
-import { TEST_REST_BASE_URL } from '.';
+import { FALLBACK_TEST_REST_BASE_URL } from '.';
 
 // Declare Cypress namespace to help with Intellisense & code completion in IDEs
 // ALL custom commands MUST be listed here for code completion to work
@@ -30,34 +30,53 @@ declare global {
  * @param password password to login as
  */
 function login(email: string, password: string): void {
-    // To login via REST, first we have to do a GET to obtain a valid CSRF token
-    cy.request( TEST_REST_BASE_URL + '/server/api/authn/status' )
-    .then((response) => {
-        // We should receive a CSRF token returned in a response header
-        expect(response.headers).to.have.property('dspace-xsrf-token');
-        const csrfToken = response.headers['dspace-xsrf-token'];
+    // Cypress doesn't have access to the running application in Node.js.
+    // So, it's not possible to inject or load the AppConfig or environment of the Angular UI.
+    // Instead, we'll read our running application's config.json, which contains the configs &
+    // is regenerated at runtime each time the Angular UI application starts up.
+    cy.readFile('./src/assets/config.json').then((str) => {
+        // Parse JSON file into a JSON object
+        const config = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(str));
 
-        // Now, send login POST request including that CSRF token
-        cy.request({
-            method: 'POST',
-            url: TEST_REST_BASE_URL + '/server/api/authn/login',
-            headers: { 'X-XSRF-TOKEN' : csrfToken},
-            form: true, // indicates the body should be form urlencoded
-            body: { user: email, password: password }
-        }).then((resp) => {
-            // We expect a successful login
-            expect(resp.status).to.eq(200);
-            // We expect to have a valid authorization header returned (with our auth token)
-            expect(resp.headers).to.have.property('authorization');
+        // Find the URL of our REST API. Have a fallback ready, just in case 'rest.baseUrl' cannot be found.
+        let baseRestUrl = FALLBACK_TEST_REST_BASE_URL;
+        if (!config.rest.baseUrl) {
+            console.warn("Could not load 'rest.baseUrl' from config.json. Falling back to " + FALLBACK_TEST_REST_BASE_URL);
+        } else {
+            console.log("Found 'rest.baseUrl' in config.json. Using this REST API for login: " + config.rest.baseUrl);
+            baseRestUrl = config.rest.baseUrl;
+        }
 
-            // Initialize our AuthTokenInfo object from the authorization header.
-            const authheader = resp.headers.authorization as string;
-            const authinfo: AuthTokenInfo = new AuthTokenInfo(authheader);
+        // To login via REST, first we have to do a GET to obtain a valid CSRF token
+        cy.request( baseRestUrl + '/api/authn/status' )
+        .then((response) => {
+            // We should receive a CSRF token returned in a response header
+            expect(response.headers).to.have.property('dspace-xsrf-token');
+            const csrfToken = response.headers['dspace-xsrf-token'];
 
-            // Save our AuthTokenInfo object to our dsAuthInfo UI cookie
-            // This ensures the UI will recognize we are logged in on next "visit()"
-            cy.setCookie(TOKENITEM, JSON.stringify(authinfo));
+            // Now, send login POST request including that CSRF token
+            cy.request({
+                method: 'POST',
+                url: baseRestUrl + '/api/authn/login',
+                headers: { 'X-XSRF-TOKEN' : csrfToken},
+                form: true, // indicates the body should be form urlencoded
+                body: { user: email, password: password }
+            }).then((resp) => {
+                // We expect a successful login
+                expect(resp.status).to.eq(200);
+                // We expect to have a valid authorization header returned (with our auth token)
+                expect(resp.headers).to.have.property('authorization');
+
+                // Initialize our AuthTokenInfo object from the authorization header.
+                const authheader = resp.headers.authorization as string;
+                const authinfo: AuthTokenInfo = new AuthTokenInfo(authheader);
+
+                // Save our AuthTokenInfo object to our dsAuthInfo UI cookie
+                // This ensures the UI will recognize we are logged in on next "visit()"
+                cy.setCookie(TOKENITEM, JSON.stringify(authinfo));
+            });
         });
+
     });
 }
 // Add as a Cypress command (i.e. assign to 'cy.login')
diff --git a/cypress/support/index.ts b/cypress/support/index.ts
index 8edfdedde3..d9b6409a0d 100644
--- a/cypress/support/index.ts
+++ b/cypress/support/index.ts
@@ -42,7 +42,12 @@ afterEach(() => {
 // Default values listed here are all valid for the Demo Entities Data set available at
 // https://github.com/DSpace-Labs/AIP-Files/releases/tag/demo-entities-data
 // (This is the data set used in our CI environment)
-export const TEST_REST_BASE_URL = Cypress.env('DSPACE_TEST_REST_BASE_URL') || 'http://localhost:8080';
+
+// NOTE: FALLBACK_TEST_REST_BASE_URL is only used if Cypress cannot read the REST API BaseURL
+// from the Angular UI's config.json. See 'getBaseRESTUrl()' in commands.ts
+export const FALLBACK_TEST_REST_BASE_URL = 'http://localhost:8080/server';
+
+// Admin account used for administrative tests
 export const TEST_ADMIN_USER = Cypress.env('DSPACE_TEST_ADMIN_USER') || 'dspacedemo+admin@gmail.com';
 export const TEST_ADMIN_PASSWORD = Cypress.env('DSPACE_TEST_ADMIN_PASSWORD') || 'dspace';
 // Community/collection/publication used for view/edit tests