diff --git a/app/Providers/AuthServiceProvider.php b/app/Providers/AuthServiceProvider.php
index 0f35e75e9c..34e24e137c 100644
--- a/app/Providers/AuthServiceProvider.php
+++ b/app/Providers/AuthServiceProvider.php
@@ -22,8 +22,12 @@ declare(strict_types=1);
 
 namespace FireflyIII\Providers;
 
+use FireflyIII\Support\Authentication\RemoteUserGuard;
+use FireflyIII\Support\Authentication\RemoteUserProvider;
 use Illuminate\Foundation\Support\Providers\AuthServiceProvider as ServiceProvider;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Auth;
 use Laravel\Passport\Passport;
+use Log;
 
 /**
  * @codeCoverageIgnore
@@ -48,11 +52,28 @@ class AuthServiceProvider extends ServiceProvider
      */
     public function boot(): void
     {
+        Log::debug('Boot() of AuthServiceProvider');
+
+        Auth::provider(
+            'remote_user_provider', function ($app, array $config) {
+            //Log::debug('Creating remote_user_provider in Closure');
+            return new RemoteUserProvider($app, $config);
+        }
+        );
+
+        Auth::extend(
+            'remote_user_guard', static function ($app, string $name, array $config) {
+            //Log::debug('Creating remote_user_guard in Closure');
+            return new RemoteUserGuard(Auth::createUserProvider($config['provider']), $app);
+        }
+        );
+
         $this->registerPolicies();
+
+
         Passport::routes();
         Passport::tokensExpireIn(now()->addDays(14));
 
 
-        //
     }
 }
diff --git a/app/Support/Authentication/RemoteUserGuard.php b/app/Support/Authentication/RemoteUserGuard.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..96e37d52a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Support/Authentication/RemoteUserGuard.php
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+<?php
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace FireflyIII\Support\Authentication;
+
+use FireflyIII\Exceptions\FireflyException;
+use FireflyIII\User;
+use Illuminate\Contracts\Auth\Authenticatable;
+use Illuminate\Contracts\Auth\Guard;
+use Illuminate\Contracts\Auth\UserProvider;
+use Illuminate\Contracts\Foundation\Application;
+use Log;
+
+
+/**
+ * Class RemoteUserGuard
+ */
+class RemoteUserGuard implements Guard
+{
+    protected Application $application;
+    protected             $provider;
+    protected             $user;
+
+    /**
+     * Create a new authentication guard.
+     *
+     * @param \Illuminate\Contracts\Auth\UserProvider $provider
+     *
+     * @return void
+     */
+    public function __construct(UserProvider $provider, Application $app)
+    {
+        Log::debug('Constructed RemoteUserGuard');
+        $this->application = $app;
+        $this->provider    = $provider;
+        $this->user        = null;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     *
+     */
+    public function authenticate(): void
+    {
+        Log::debug(sprintf('Now at %s', __METHOD__));
+        if (!is_null($this->user)) {
+            Log::debug('No user found.');
+
+            return;
+        }
+        // Get the user identifier from $_SERVER
+        $userID = request()->server('REMOTE_USER') ?? null;
+        if (null === $userID) {
+            Log::debug('No user in REMOTE_USER.');
+            throw new FireflyException('The REMOTE_USER header was unexpectedly empty.');
+        }
+
+
+        // do some basic debugging here:
+        // $userID = 'test@firefly';
+
+        /** @var User $user */
+        $user = $this->provider->retrieveById($userID);
+
+        Log::debug(sprintf('Result of getting user from provider: %s', $user->email));
+        $this->user = $user;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function check(): bool
+    {
+        $result = !is_null($this->user());
+        Log::debug(sprintf('Now in check(). Will return %s', var_export($result, true)));
+
+        return $result;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function guest(): bool
+    {
+        //Log::debug(sprintf('Now at %s', __METHOD__));
+        return !$this->check();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function id(): ?User
+    {
+        //Log::debug(sprintf('Now at %s', __METHOD__));
+        return $this->user;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function setUser(Authenticatable $user)
+    {
+        //Log::debug(sprintf('Now at %s', __METHOD__));
+        $this->user = $user;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function user(): ?User
+    {
+        //Log::debug(sprintf('Now in user(). Will return NULL: %s', var_export(null === $this->user, true)));
+        return $this->user;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function validate(array $credentials = [])
+    {
+        throw new FireflyException('Did not implement RemoteUserGuard::validate()');
+    }
+}
diff --git a/app/Support/Authentication/RemoteUserProvider.php b/app/Support/Authentication/RemoteUserProvider.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..52dd983e75
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Support/Authentication/RemoteUserProvider.php
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+<?php
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace FireflyIII\Support\Authentication;
+
+
+use FireflyIII\Exceptions\FireflyException;
+use FireflyIII\User;
+use Illuminate\Contracts\Auth\Authenticatable;
+use Illuminate\Contracts\Auth\UserProvider;
+use Illuminate\Foundation\Application;
+use Log;
+use Str;
+
+/**
+ * Class RemoteUserProvider
+ */
+class RemoteUserProvider implements UserProvider
+{
+    /**
+     * RemoteUserProvider constructor.
+     *
+     * @param Application $app
+     * @param array       $config
+     */
+    public function __construct(Application $app, array $config)
+    {
+        //Log::debug('In RemoteUserProvider constructor.');
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function retrieveByCredentials(array $credentials)
+    {
+        Log::debug(sprintf('Now at %s', __METHOD__));
+        throw new FireflyException(sprintf('Did not implement %s', __METHOD__));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function retrieveById($identifier): User
+    {
+        Log::debug(sprintf('Now at %s(%s)', __METHOD__, $identifier));
+        $user = User::where('email', $identifier)->first();
+        if (null === $user) {
+            Log::debug(sprintf('User with email "%s" not found. Will be created.', $identifier));
+            $user = User::create(
+                [
+                    'blocked'      => false,
+                    'blocked_code' => null,
+                    'email'        => $identifier,
+                    'password'     => bcrypt(Str::random(64)),
+                ]
+            );
+        }
+        Log::debug(sprintf('Going to return user #%d (%s)', $user->id, $user->email));
+
+        return $user;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function retrieveByToken($identifier, $token)
+    {
+        Log::debug(sprintf('Now at %s', __METHOD__));
+        throw new FireflyException(sprintf('Did not implement %s', __METHOD__));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function updateRememberToken(Authenticatable $user, $token)
+    {
+        Log::debug(sprintf('Now at %s', __METHOD__));
+        throw new FireflyException(sprintf('Did not implement %s', __METHOD__));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @inheritDoc
+     */
+    public function validateCredentials(Authenticatable $user, array $credentials)
+    {
+        Log::debug(sprintf('Now at %s', __METHOD__));
+        throw new FireflyException(sprintf('Did not implement %s', __METHOD__));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/config/auth.php b/config/auth.php
index 5c8f4f365a..189babdc0a 100644
--- a/config/auth.php
+++ b/config/auth.php
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ return [
     */
 
     'defaults' => [
-        'guard'     => 'web',
+        'guard'     => envNonEmpty('AUTHENTICATION_GUARD', 'web'),
         'passwords' => 'users',
     ],
 
@@ -56,11 +56,15 @@ return [
     */
 
     'guards' => [
-        'web' => [
+        'web'               => [
             'driver'   => 'session',
             'provider' => 'users',
         ],
-        'api' => [
+        'remote_user_guard' => [
+            'driver'   => 'remote_user_guard',
+            'provider' => 'remote_user_provider',
+        ],
+        'api'               => [
             'driver'   => 'passport',
             'provider' => 'users',
         ],
@@ -84,10 +88,14 @@ return [
     */
 
     'providers' => [
-        'users' => [
+        'users'                => [
             'driver' => envNonEmpty('LOGIN_PROVIDER', 'eloquent'), //'adldap',
             'model'  => FireflyIII\User::class,
         ],
+        'remote_user_provider' => [
+            'driver' => 'remote_user_provider',
+            'model'  => FireflyIII\User::class,
+        ],
     ],
 
     /*