diff --git a/packages/babel-core/src/index.js b/packages/babel-core/src/index.js
index dbf2cff91b..7b30f15dbb 100644
--- a/packages/babel-core/src/index.js
+++ b/packages/babel-core/src/index.js
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ export { default as transformFileSync } from "./transform-file-sync";
 export { default as transformFromAst } from "./transform-ast";
 export { default as transformFromAstSync } from "./transform-ast-sync";
 
+export { default as parse } from "./parse";
+
 /**
  * Recommended set of compilable extensions. Not used in @babel/core directly, but meant as
  * as an easy source for tooling making use of @babel/core.
diff --git a/packages/babel-core/src/parse.js b/packages/babel-core/src/parse.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1a7e2231a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/babel-core/src/parse.js
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+// @flow
+
+import loadConfig, { InputOptions } from "./config";
+import normalizeFile from "./transformation/normalize-file";
+import normalizeOptions from "./transformation/normalize-opts";
+
+type AstRoot = BabelNodeFile | BabelNodeProgram;
+
+export default function parse(
+  code: string,
+  opts: InputOptions,
+): AstRoot | null {
+  const config = loadConfig(opts);
+
+  if (config === null) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  const file = normalizeFile(config.passes, normalizeOptions(config), code);
+
+  return file.ast;
+}
diff --git a/packages/babel-core/test/fixtures/parse/.babelignore b/packages/babel-core/test/fixtures/parse/.babelignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/packages/babel-core/test/fixtures/parse/.babelrc b/packages/babel-core/test/fixtures/parse/.babelrc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..da94220e79
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/babel-core/test/fixtures/parse/.babelrc
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  "plugins": ["@babel/syntax-decorators"]
+}
diff --git a/packages/babel-core/test/fixtures/parse/input.js b/packages/babel-core/test/fixtures/parse/input.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e8d44fe090
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/babel-core/test/fixtures/parse/input.js
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+@annotation
+class MyClass { }
+
+function annotation(target) {
+   target.annotated = true;
+}
diff --git a/packages/babel-core/test/fixtures/parse/output.json b/packages/babel-core/test/fixtures/parse/output.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7c9e1c3f4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/babel-core/test/fixtures/parse/output.json
@@ -0,0 +1,286 @@
+{
+  "type": "File",
+  "start": 0,
+  "end": 90,
+  "loc": {
+    "start": {
+      "line": 1,
+      "column": 0
+    },
+    "end": {
+      "line": 6,
+      "column": 1
+    }
+  },
+  "program": {
+    "type": "Program",
+    "start": 0,
+    "end": 90,
+    "loc": {
+      "start": {
+        "line": 1,
+        "column": 0
+      },
+      "end": {
+        "line": 6,
+        "column": 1
+      }
+    },
+    "sourceType": "module",
+    "body": [
+      {
+        "type": "ClassDeclaration",
+        "start": 0,
+        "end": 29,
+        "loc": {
+          "start": {
+            "line": 1,
+            "column": 0
+          },
+          "end": {
+            "line": 2,
+            "column": 17
+          }
+        },
+        "decorators": [
+          {
+            "type": "Decorator",
+            "start": 0,
+            "end": 11,
+            "loc": {
+              "start": {
+                "line": 1,
+                "column": 0
+              },
+              "end": {
+                "line": 1,
+                "column": 11
+              }
+            },
+            "expression": {
+              "type": "Identifier",
+              "start": 1,
+              "end": 11,
+              "loc": {
+                "start": {
+                  "line": 1,
+                  "column": 1
+                },
+                "end": {
+                  "line": 1,
+                  "column": 11
+                },
+                "identifierName": "annotation"
+              },
+              "name": "annotation"
+            }
+          }
+        ],
+        "id": {
+          "type": "Identifier",
+          "start": 18,
+          "end": 25,
+          "loc": {
+            "start": {
+              "line": 2,
+              "column": 6
+            },
+            "end": {
+              "line": 2,
+              "column": 13
+            },
+            "identifierName": "MyClass"
+          },
+          "name": "MyClass"
+        },
+        "superClass": null,
+        "body": {
+          "type": "ClassBody",
+          "start": 26,
+          "end": 29,
+          "loc": {
+            "start": {
+              "line": 2,
+              "column": 14
+            },
+            "end": {
+              "line": 2,
+              "column": 17
+            }
+          },
+          "body": []
+        }
+      },
+      {
+        "type": "FunctionDeclaration",
+        "start": 31,
+        "end": 90,
+        "loc": {
+          "start": {
+            "line": 4,
+            "column": 0
+          },
+          "end": {
+            "line": 6,
+            "column": 1
+          }
+        },
+        "id": {
+          "type": "Identifier",
+          "start": 40,
+          "end": 50,
+          "loc": {
+            "start": {
+              "line": 4,
+              "column": 9
+            },
+            "end": {
+              "line": 4,
+              "column": 19
+            },
+            "identifierName": "annotation"
+          },
+          "name": "annotation"
+        },
+        "generator": false,
+        "async": false,
+        "params": [
+          {
+            "type": "Identifier",
+            "start": 51,
+            "end": 57,
+            "loc": {
+              "start": {
+                "line": 4,
+                "column": 20
+              },
+              "end": {
+                "line": 4,
+                "column": 26
+              },
+              "identifierName": "target"
+            },
+            "name": "target"
+          }
+        ],
+        "body": {
+          "type": "BlockStatement",
+          "start": 59,
+          "end": 90,
+          "loc": {
+            "start": {
+              "line": 4,
+              "column": 28
+            },
+            "end": {
+              "line": 6,
+              "column": 1
+            }
+          },
+          "body": [
+            {
+              "type": "ExpressionStatement",
+              "start": 64,
+              "end": 88,
+              "loc": {
+                "start": {
+                  "line": 5,
+                  "column": 3
+                },
+                "end": {
+                  "line": 5,
+                  "column": 27
+                }
+              },
+              "expression": {
+                "type": "AssignmentExpression",
+                "start": 64,
+                "end": 87,
+                "loc": {
+                  "start": {
+                    "line": 5,
+                    "column": 3
+                  },
+                  "end": {
+                    "line": 5,
+                    "column": 26
+                  }
+                },
+                "operator": "=",
+                "left": {
+                  "type": "MemberExpression",
+                  "start": 64,
+                  "end": 80,
+                  "loc": {
+                    "start": {
+                      "line": 5,
+                      "column": 3
+                    },
+                    "end": {
+                      "line": 5,
+                      "column": 19
+                    }
+                  },
+                  "object": {
+                    "type": "Identifier",
+                    "start": 64,
+                    "end": 70,
+                    "loc": {
+                      "start": {
+                        "line": 5,
+                        "column": 3
+                      },
+                      "end": {
+                        "line": 5,
+                        "column": 9
+                      },
+                      "identifierName": "target"
+                    },
+                    "name": "target"
+                  },
+                  "property": {
+                    "type": "Identifier",
+                    "start": 71,
+                    "end": 80,
+                    "loc": {
+                      "start": {
+                        "line": 5,
+                        "column": 10
+                      },
+                      "end": {
+                        "line": 5,
+                        "column": 19
+                      },
+                      "identifierName": "annotated"
+                    },
+                    "name": "annotated"
+                  },
+                  "computed": false
+                },
+                "right": {
+                  "type": "BooleanLiteral",
+                  "start": 83,
+                  "end": 87,
+                  "loc": {
+                    "start": {
+                      "line": 5,
+                      "column": 22
+                    },
+                    "end": {
+                      "line": 5,
+                      "column": 26
+                    }
+                  },
+                  "value": true
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          ],
+          "directives": []
+        }
+      }
+    ],
+    "directives": []
+  },
+  "comments": []
+}
diff --git a/packages/babel-core/test/parse.js b/packages/babel-core/test/parse.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5663107f04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/babel-core/test/parse.js
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+import assert from "assert";
+import fs from "fs";
+import path from "path";
+import { parse } from "../lib";
+
+function fixture(...args) {
+  return path.join(__dirname, "fixtures", "parse", ...args);
+}
+
+describe("parse", function() {
+  it("should parse using configuration from .babelrc when a filename is provided", function() {
+    const input = fs.readFileSync(fixture("input.js"), "utf8");
+    const output = fs.readFileSync(fixture("output.json"), "utf8");
+    assert(
+      parse(input, { filename: fixture("input.js"), cwd: fixture() }),
+      output,
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("should parse using passed in configuration", function() {
+    const input = fs.readFileSync(fixture("input.js"), "utf8");
+    const output = fs.readFileSync(fixture("output.json"), "utf8");
+    assert(parse(input, { parserOpts: { plugins: ["decorators"] } }), output);
+  });
+});